Page 147 of Wicked Games

“This way!” Matt comes from our left, Hanna on his back.

Claire jogs beside him, worry coating her features. “The path is over here.”

We follow them along the tree line. The harsh lights from the police cars paint everything red and blue. It makes the earth weirdly pitted. Margo trips in a hole and latches on to my arm.

“Keep moving,” Matt yells.

He finds the path and veers into the woods.

“Hey, stop!”

They found us.

Margo’s palm is sweaty against mine, but I don’t let go. I can’t. She’s slow behind me, but it doesn’t matter. Matt and Claire have their phones out, flashlights illuminating the ground in front of us. All I can hear is Margo’s sharp pants.

I drag her to a halt. “Get on my back.”

“But—”

I drop to a knee. “Now.”

She jumps on, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

“Try not to choke me.” I get to my feet. She’s light—we should’ve done this ten minutes ago. I take off after Matt.

Margo lets go with one hand, reaching back. Her phone flashlight comes on, giving me enough light to see the path.

I catch up to them quickly.

Constant vigilance. Something Margo’s dad used to say to me, trying to instill a general sense of awareness in my surroundings. The words ring in my ears. I glance around, trying to figure out where we are. It’s a cross-country running path—it has to lead back to the school eventually.

“This way,” Matt yells ahead of us. His light swings wildly.

We go onto a smaller path, mostly hidden by leaves. Ahead of us, Claire slips on loose stones and almost goes down.

“Where is he taking us?” Margo says in my ear.

“Somewhere the cops won’t find you,” I answer.

If she’s caught, it doesn’t matter if she was involved or not—they’d take her in. She’s in the system. She’s labeled a runaway. What next, a troublemaker?

Not on my watch.

Our jog turns into a walk, which turns into a climb.

And finally, we get to our destination. We’re dumped out of the woods into a clearing. I spin in a slow circle, taking in the view. The water tower that supplies half the town is on the opposite side of the field. But beyond that is nothing but treetops, the city lights flickering in the distance.

“Beautiful.” Margo wiggles until I release her thighs. She slides down my back. “We came all the way up here to escape the police?”

Matt puts Hanna back on her feet, and she rushes to Margo.

The two of them hug while Claire watches.

“How did you know this was up here, dude?” I ask Matt.

Theo and Liam didn’t come with us—I suspect they peeled off and caught a ride.

Matt grins and heads straight for the water tower. “Our team parties up here sometimes.” He unearths a cooler half hidden by brush. “Drink, anyone?”

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