Page 99 of Ready Or Not

I watch as Manson and Riley stalk around him like predators. They look completely in their element—powerful, unfeeling, and dangerous.

Even though I know them, it makes a shiver run down my spine. Which makes my pussy wet.

The man tries to crawl away, and Manson steps quietly on his hand, making him moan. “My wife was talking to you. It’s rude to walk away.”

Riley’s grin widens as she stares down at the man. “You’re pretty bad at hide and seek, fuckhead. Which is ironic ‘cause it was your idea to play.”

He moans, and she jerks her hand down toward him. I notice the flash of a blade as she pulls it back toward her. She stabbed him.

She looks so wild like this. So powerful and…free. And I fucking love it. It makes my stomach do flip-flops. I realize with a start that she looks like everything I wanted when I was a kid.Both of them do. Someone to protect me. Someone to be the confidence I needed.

Suddenly, Riley looks up. She looks around her like she’s looking for something. Her dark eyes pierce the corn.

My body tenses. I should run. I should go now before she catches me.

But against all reason, I don’t.

Riley’s gaze locks with mine. Instantly, the lines on her face relax.

Manson drives a kick into the man’s ribs as he tries to run. “Where’s Rachel?”

The energy in Riley’s gaze is electric. I feel the connection run up and down my arms, making goosebumps run over my skin. Eye contact has always been hard. Scary. But with Riley? It’s fireworks. Still scary, but there’s a thrill to it.

Riley holds my gaze as she smirks. “I’m sure she’s around.”

Manson glances up, right at me. Slowly, his mouth quirks up in an evil smile.

Manson and Riley go back and forth, taking turns toying with the man. They work seamlessly as a team, working to maneuver him between them and stringing him along. I know they could kill him quickly, but they don’t.

My throat tightens. I can’t take my eyes away. It’s like a beautiful ballet. Their bodies are lithe and powerful. They both make my stomach do flips. Even Riley. Especially Riley.

So maybe I’m alittlegay. Or maybe a lot gay. I’m not sure it even matters anymore.

As I watch them torture a man, my chest tightens as multiple emotions swim through me. I struggle with myself for a minute. It’s not the torture that’s confusing. Suddenly, it hits me that it’s sadness I’m feeling.

I never got to get my justice. It was ripped from me in the most undramatic, slow way possible. I always used to tell myselfI didn’t care. That at least he was gone, and that’s all that mattered. But maybe I do care.

I care enough that Riley getting her justice makes my throat tighten in something that’s a mix of sad but mostly something happy.

I swallow down the tears.

The man stops moving after a while. I know he isn’t dead yet ‘cause they’ve now begun a competition to see who can wake him up.

That’s when I know I need to go. It’ll be over soon, and then they won’t be distracted. I need to be gone. They won’t bother much to chase me down. They know I won’t say a word. I know what they’re capable of. Fuck, Manson knows where my mom lives.

But beyond that, I wouldn’t say a word anyway. It’s gotta be Stockholm, but I get it. I really get it. Riley’s just hurt, and Manson tries to protect her. She doesn’t deserve to be in jail. I don’t want her to be in jail. Either of them.

I take a step back, and my chest tightens. The dirt digs between my toes, grounding me.

I take a deep breath. I can do this.

I turn, and I run.

The only place I have to go is back to my house. I find my shoes at the edge of the maze and run. It’s a long way back to town, but I don’t want to steal their car and give them another reason to chase after me. So, I run until someone picks me up and drives me back home.

Every second I’m gone, my body feels tight. I feel tight. When I make it back to my house, my front door isn’t locked, and when I open it, I find pieces of the door jamb on the floor. It must have been from when they took me the first time.

I shut it behind me, even though it’s meaningless. Dawn is just starting to poke through, casting meager light into thehouse. My Halloween decor is still up, and all it makes me think about is Riley.

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