Page 35 of The Game

“Jonah could make something like that, for sure. And what did this man look like?”

He shrugs.

“Tall, gray eyes—like, dead gray. Shaved sides,” he says, smoothing his hands over the side of his head to show me. “And longer on top, black. Tattoo above his eyebrow in Russian.”

My stomach bottoms out now, and I regret eating so quickly.

“What?” he questions, reaching for his bagel again. When his eyes find mine, I think I know the answer, but I’m too afraid to voice the possibility. What if he’s the rat?

“I think…I think it was their cousin, Maks.”

“And?” he prods with his mouth full again.

Rolling my eyes, I lean forward.

“And I’m glad Aria is safe, but they warned me about him. He’s…he’s like a step away from insanity.”

He snorts.

“Yeah, the branding of Daniel’s forehead with a hair clip kinda pointed to that.”

“I’m serious, Teddy. He’s dangerous.”

“Then you should be happy they’re on your side.”

I shake my head, and his eyes darken.

“But…but what if he’s the rat?”

CHAPTER19

Alice

I’m able to shove aside all other thoughts and allow Teddy to shower and get some sleep before his show tonight. Currently perched back on his bathroom counter, he frowns as he wields an eyeshadow brush, attacking my lids with shimmering black powder.

“You know, I know how to do this,” I say, trying not to move my lips. He snorts.

“Yeah, but you do it like a good, preppy girl trying to be bad. Let me justmakeyou bad.”

I snort, hugging my knees a little tighter.

“Halloween is next week,” he says randomly, dousing the brush in more eyeshadow. My stomach knots up.

“Yeah, and my birthday.”

He chuckles.

“Should’ve guessed you were a Scorpio.”

I can’t help my grin.

“And you are?”

“Sagittarius.”

I bob my head as he backs away and examines his work, pressing his thumb to his tongue and then swiping the side of my eye to clear it. The gesture is innocent, gentle, and my body leans into the affectionate way he touches me now. It makes me feel whole again.

“So what…do you have a show on Halloween?” I ask to distract myself from the guilt. It’s not like I’m cheating; I ended it with them before I ran. It just feels a betrayal because I still fucking love them, more deeply than I think they will ever know. More than anything, I’m just confused all the time now, so focusing on how good Teddy makes me feel keeps that distraction cemented in place.

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