Page 113 of Wicked Games

I don’t spot anyone I know. No Amelie—the girl is supposedly in France anyway—and no Savannah.

I point at her. “You know something.”

“What?”

The door bangs open behind me, and a hand lands on my shoulder.

“They’re not here.” Matt sees who I’m locked in a staring contest with and coughs. “Holy shit. Mrs. Asher?”

“Matthew,” my mother comments. “Did you boys come for dinner?”

“Ah, no, ma’am,” Matt says. His face reddens.

Mother’s eyebrow goes up. “Then what are you doing here?”

“Did you deliver my message to Uncle David?”

“About your college choice?” She tilts her head, confusion washing over her features. It’s an act—every emotion she reveals is an act. She’s much more calculating than that. “Of course I did.”

“Great. Just checking.” I shove Matt out the door ahead of me.

“Caleb, wait?—”

I ignore her. All she had to do was tell me about Amber. She knows where she is—I’m growing more certain of it by the day. But she hasn’t called me, hasn’t shown up at Eli’s house,nothing.

Which means Amber Wolfe is still in town, and she can’t admit it.

Once we’re outside, I let out a growl.

“What the hell was that?” Matt grabs my arm and stops me. “Dude. Why is your mom working at a shitty diner in Beacon? I honestly didn’t even know Beaconhadshitty diners.”

“There’s just the one diner.” I yank free. “And it beats me.”

He shakes his head, following me back to his car. “This is so fucked up.”

“You’re telling me?”

“Well, whoever normally connects there, I guess maybe your mom would know?” He unlocks the car. “Damn. I didn’t think this was going to be a wasted trip. I was ready to spring on this stalker… I guess we could camp out here, see if anyone you recognize shows up.”

I grunt. “Fine.”

We sit and wait. Every person who comes into the diner isn’t right. Matt and I get antsy, and eventually we decide to head home.

I try not to take the day personally, but it comes down to one thing: we failed. And somehow I’ll have to go pretend everything is fine with Margo, knowing Unknown is just going to make another attempt to spy on her.

That gets me thinking. Plotting.

She might just be safer with me.

“You have a gleam in your eye,” Matt comments. “Care to share?”

I don’t.

“Just take me back.”

We drive in silence toward Eli’s house. A black car is parked in the driveway, and dread laces through me. Just the person I didn’t want to see.

“You okay?”

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