Page 97 of Ready Or Not

“Fuck.” I put the phone back in my pocket, strangely unsettled. I can’t even deny that I care about him responding to me.

Fuck me running. I care.

I pace back and forth, and Rachel gives me a look. “You okay?” She’s been quiet all evening. I assume she’s just tired. I have to remember she’s new to killing. But it’ll be okay. I’ll get her used to it.

“I’m fine.” There’s still no text. I wring my hands. Clearly, I’m dying. I fucking care if Manson Kennedy leaves me on read.

Someone take me out. And not on a date. I will never recover from this.

The sun is completely down now, but I turned on the maze, and all the lights are flickering, and the animated voices arecackling:Ready or not, here I come. The scarecrow at the front of the maze looks down on us in a manic glare.

I set my mark loose in the maze after I gave him some acid and cut his Achilles. I don’t think he’ll be going far, but I’m not antsy to test that.

That emptiness is starting to surround me. It feels like I’ve dropped something and I can’t find the last piece. Ihatethat feeling. I fucking hate it.

I’m about to turn around and give up when I see headlights cut into the lot. Against my will, my stupid heart picks up, racing in my chest.

It’s hard to see in the dim light with the lights pointed right at me, but as the vehicle stops, I squint. I see the door open, and then a tall figure jumps out.

The figure stalks toward us with all the good-naturedness of a lion.

Yep. That’s him. All angry and pissed and fuckinghim.

I grin. Oh fuck it all to hell; warmth is tingling across my skin. I look over at Rachel.

She’s giving me a look that I can’t quite interpret and don’t have a chance to before Manson’s presence is there, big and heavy and somehow loud, despite not saying anything.

He stops right in front of me, tattooed arms crossed, staring down at me.

I lift an eyebrow, knowing it’s killing him that he has no idea why he’s here. I let him sweat for a second, watching the pulse pounding in his neck.

Finally, Manson’s eyes flash, and he growls, “Where at?”

“What?” I flash him a tiny smile.

He grinds his teeth. “Where do you need the hole? I’m assuming that’s why you called me? To dig it for you?”

Oh, he thinks I kept him out of the fun. I put on a bored look, examining my fingernails. “Well, considering he can still climbout of it, it’s probably gonna need to be deep. So maybe out behind the field.”

There’s silence for a second.

Manson’s voice gets dangerous. “Riley. Is he still alive?”

“Winner winner, chicken dinner.” I throw a look at Rachel. “I’ll get chickennuggetsfor you, bambi.”

“Where at?” Manson’s hand is around my throat before I can blink.

I grin. There’s the man I hate so much. “Somewhere in here. You took long enough to get here, so I don’t know exactly–”

“Riley!” Manson shakes me, and I moan. The way he handles me is raw power and sex and everything that gets me off. I glance at him to find his green eyes pinned on mine. They’re usually dead, but right now, I see a flash of conflict. He squeezes harder, making the edges of my vision darken.

“You drive me crazy, you know that, little pain?” Then he leans down and kisses me. It’s a deep kiss, harsh and demanding. He works my mouth open, then bites down on my tongue so hard I try to jerk away. He just yanks me closer, growling into my mouth and pressing so hard my lips burn. It’s like he’s trying to brand me as his.

I pant through my nose until he finally lets me up for air. When he does, he snaps his gaze to the side.

“You.” His body jerks, and I stumble toward him. Before I know it, he’s yanked Rachel to my side with his other free hand. “You let her do this?”

Rachel sucks in a breath.

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