Page 38 of Rat Race

Cam

We don’t PK, remember?

It was something not unlike relief to see Ella again. It wasn't that I felt any kind of way about the girl—despite being pretty, she wasn't really my type. Nah, that was all Aubrey.

Blonde, golden tan, big, beautiful blue eyes that went on forever. That was more my speed. Even if she seemed a bit off her rocker.

And there was just a sort of… connection between us.

I didn’t need to pull her along with me. Or help her in the blood room. Or really do anything other than try to win.

But I wanted to.

Not only did I want to, but it came second nature to me.

Even as we were walking through the maze, my attention kept turning to the blonde.

But Ella was something like a friend, even if she had ditched me to go the other direction earlier. It was easy to get caught up in the maze, to make calls or split-second decisions that didn't quite meet the expectations we had for ourselves. Besides, I sort of felt responsible for her since we accidentally became a duo after I saved her life from that first-floor trap.

My watch buzzed, but I ignored it, reaching back to catch Aubrey's hand and forcing her clenched fist apart to hold her little palm in mind.

But even through the connection, I was… uncertain about her. She was smart, there was no doubt. But she was also a loose cannon, someone who would be difficult to control. And situations I couldn't control? Those were dangerous. They needed immediate and brutal resolution.

It was the only way. And Aubrey didn’t seem like the person who would appreciate a brutal resolution.

My gaze shot to her, rememberin’ the wicked smile she gave me as she held my life in her lithe hands back in the blood room.

Or maybe that’s exactly the type of thing she likes. And just maybe, I wanted to find out more of what made the beautiful bombshell tick.

"C’mon," I said, taking a few steps until her unmoving body made her arm go taut. "Let's go this way, there is still a lot of ground to cover."

It was concerning that we hadn't run into many other players yet. Made me worry that we were going the wrong way, or worse, that we were already so far behind that someone was already closin’ in on the finish line.

Anxiety flicked in my chest, my fingers tightenin’ around Aubrey’s.

If I lost this, I was a fucking goner. Especially if I lost this because I'd tied myself to a couple of spoiled brats that didn't even want to win.

Fuck.

C’mon, Cam, head in the game.

Aubrey's narrowed eyes slid from Ella back to me, forcing a tight smile as she stepped closer, her free hand fluffing her Aurora-like hair. Seriously, who looked likethat? She giving Disney princess vibes even after getting positively drenched inblood was… a feat to say the least. For a moment, I almost forgot Ella was there.

"No, I think we should go east."

"East?" I echoed. "I'm pretty sure that we are veering too far from the middle as is… If we try to continue east, we might end up hittin’ the border wall and getting stuck. Or worse, have to waste time backtrackin’."

"But—"

"God," Aubrey snapped, tugging my hand as she moved to go west. "If you have a problem with it, just go off on your own then. We don't need you anyway."

Her harshness caused my heart to skip a beat.

Fuck, I shouldn’t like that as much as I do.

"Aubrey," I chastised, even as I followed her. "We should stick together if we can."

Privately, as much as I hated it, I knew that larger groups got more views, which meant more hints and an easier path to the goal. Like they were trying to prove my point, my watch buzzed again, drawing my attention.

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