Page 43 of The Phantom's Vice

Schwick.

Matt drops his dagger, his other hand reaching up to clutch his armpit where my knife is now lodged to the hilt, slicing through his radial nerve. He looks at his limp right arm with wide, alarmed eyes, not understanding why he’s unable to move it.

While he’s still in shock, I lunge forward in a crouch, grabbing his knife from the ground at his feet. Before he knows what’s happening, I bring the blade down on the top of his arch, slicing clean through tendon and bone.

An ear-piercing scream echoes across the clearing, causing some of the other Rooks to look over in alarm. As the last of his scream falls from his mouth, I reach up, pulling my blade from his shoulder and using my momentum to send it down through his other foot.

Strangled choking noises bubble from his lips as he tries to both scream and take in a breath at the same time.

“Submit,” I say, looking him dead in the eyes. He shakes his head in defiance, pathetically trying to raise his foot from the ground. I look him over, and with a disgusted huff, I turn and start walking—not running, like earlier—toward the edge of the circle.Brenden lets loose a cheerful whoop, and I smile as a couple of the other Rooks join in.

We did it. We both survived?—

Something hits my side, sending my body toppling to the ground. Before I have a chance to gain my bearings, Matt straddles my back, pinning me to the ground. Shit. Shit. Shit. How did he recover so quickly?

I can’t maneuver in this position. I let my guard down, thinking Matt was smart enough to realize I let him live. I could just as easily slit his throat, but I chose to deliver blows that were all nonlethal. Now, it looks like my generosity will be my undoing.

“You think you’re so special,” Matt breathes, an unhinged glint in his light green eyes accompanying the crazed smile on his face. “We’ll see how special you are when you’re fucking dea?—”

The last word gets cut off, and a second later, red rains from the sky, coating my head and back. There’s a soft clunk, and I crane my head to the side to see Matt’s rolling on the ground, his eyes still open wide as if in shock. My stomach flips, threatening to spew my meager breakfast all over the bloodied dirt as the master grips my arm and hauls me to my feet.

I gaze up at that faceless black circle, one singlequestion running through my mind. Why did you save me?

As if reading my mind, the master turns to address the rest of the group. “As you all saw, the match was over, yet your former classmate thought the rules ceased to apply to him. Let this be a lesson to all who think it wise to disobey in the future.” With that, he turns from the group, his black suit tails swishing gently behind him. I watch his every move, uncertainty thrumming through my veins.

I’m not sure why, but… I think the master just spared my life.

I swing my gaze to Brenden, swirls of purple and blue already starting to sprout around his neck. He was going to let Brenden die… so why would he save me?

I have a feeling I won’t like the answer.

CHAPTER TWENTY

BRETT

Jane Evangeline: Entry #10

Tonight, I met Hudson at his apartment in the city. I know, I know—how dumb can one woman be? But he was a perfect gentleman, as all Masks are trained to be—so Hudson says. After a nutritious, home-cooked lunch, Hudson and I sat on the couch, and he told me about his childhood.

To think someone so kind—so good—would be forced to do those things… After tonight, I’m more determined than ever to take down the Sanctum. They’re disgusting, horrible abominations against humanity, and they must be stopped.

God help us all if theycan’t.

The only twothings I know when I come to: my head feels like an elephant sat on it, and a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs are strapped to my wrists.

Wait, handcuffs?Fuzzyhandcuffs?

A wave of adrenaline courses through me as I try to sit up, but the thick leather strap across my chest makes that impossible. Raising my head, I notice my legs are starfished, one ankle tied to each corner of the iron bedpost.

I shut my eyes tight and let my head fall back onto the—surprisingly—comfy pillow, focusing on taking deep, even breaths through my nose.

Calm the fuck down, Brett. Freaking out will not get you out of this mess. Just—think of puppies. Puppies are nice. Puppies don’t kidnap you and tie you to a bed in their lair. Puppies aren’t going to come in here any moment and brutally murder you…

Okay, thinking about puppies issonot helping.

I jerk as the door scrapes open, then force myself to remain as still as possible.If he thinks I’m asleep, maybe he’ll go away…

Sure enough, after a few moments, the footsteps recede, followed by the door closing. I breathe a sigh of relief, then immediately start to wiggle my wrists from the cuffs. I’ve seen several movies where they have to dislocate their thumbs to slip out of thecuffs, but I’m not exactly sure how to do that from this angle. I frown down at my hands, using the heel of my left hand to try to force the joint of my thumb of my right out of the socket.

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