Page 55 of The Game

My wide eyes sweep back to the pop-up night club—in a fucking abandoned asylum, on Halloween, no less—and dark excitement flutters through me. Gripping his hand, I pull him forward, turning back to grin at him.

“Thought we were late?”

He chuckles darkly, following me through the doors. I want to rush off, find a drink, and dance, but he pulls me to a stop, his gaze taking on a much more protective edge than I am used to. It dries up my tongue but makes my pussy unbearably wet.

“You may drink four shots and have a little bit of weed. You will not leave my sight. And if anyone touches you, you will tell me.”

Swallowing my retorts, I nod obediently. I understand the subtle hint about my drinking; he wants me sober for what comes later, and I want to be sober as well. I would also never leave his side here, because even though this part is cool, the rest of this place is fucking haunted, and I’m not about to be on the new episode ofGhost Adventures. And lastly, his protectiveness warms me, makes me feel free to have a good time because, let’s face it, the most dangerous man here is with me.

I’ll never ask it, but I have a feeling he hasn’t only killed his father. No normal human is that interested in certain psychological and medical pursuits. The fact that it doesn’t scare me or bother me further proves how fucked upIam, but I could care less at this point. I’m already in Hell; I may as well fuck the devil while I’m here.

That wicked smile curls on his lips, his teal eyes blazing.

“You like being a good girl, don’t you?”

My eyes widen and my knees tremble, but again, I nod. His smirk widens. It’s then I realize he’s testing the waters, figuring out what makes me tick. Bastard can read me better than anyone.

Shoving his hand into his pocket, he pulls out what looks like a thick pen. He holds out the end to me with a grin.

“Birthday present number…I forgot which one. Fruity Pebbles flavored.”

“Weed?” I ask eagerly as he chuckles, nodding. “Yes!” I hiss, grabbing it and taking a huge hit, only to cough out a massive cloud that he dispels with a wave of his fingerless-gloved hand and a laugh.

“Jesus, you stoner.”

I grab his hand, ignoring him as joy hits me square in the chest. Dragging him to the bar, he seems content to be along for the ride, even shooting two shots with me, holding his in his mouth and sucking in his cheeks in such a sexy fucking way I kind of want to just sneak off and bone right now. Tucking my pen back into his front pocket, a little drunk, a little high, I reach for both his hands and pull him to the dance floor, a grinning fool.

He’s quick to wrap me in his arms, the heavy, warm, inebriated bodies crashing against us as the beat drops. I can’t help but to dance against him as he holds me, eyes blazing in the strobing purple lights. My laughter leaves my lips unbidden, and despite knowing where we are, when he smiles, it touches his eyes, banishing his darkness for long enough that I see him as he was before this; innocent, full of life and hope.

But just like this building, even when that light leaves and is replaced by that endless, ancient type of darkness, he is still so beautiful that it hurts.

CHAPTER 27

Alice

Iam a sweating, ripped up, frazzled mess by the time we collapse into the back of Cash’s Mustang, and the crisp air feels so fucking good. His windows fog as he lets his engine warm, and Teddy caresses my thigh, top hat abandoned on the floor as he leans his head back, eyes closed. We stayed for hours, only deciding to leave when I’d had my allotment of drinks and began to sober up. Watching Teddy’s jaw work, my stomach begins to clench; his mood is shifting, and it’s unsettling.

Cash drives through the woods cautiously, eyes wide open for deer or stray partygoers. The radio hums softly, and when we turn back onto the highway, Teddy’s hand slips from my thigh, leaving nothing but cold dread in its absence. Even though I know it’s coming, it doesn’t detract from the fear that is beginning to bubble up within me.

I have no idea what he’s going to do, or when. It could be soon. Maybe Cash is about to drop us off in the woods. I silently pray that’s not the case, my heart pretty much done with dark, abandoned places where evil likes to hang around. But it could also be tonight, when I am asleep. The unknown is where the fear resides, and sensing his change in demeanor only heightens that unease.

Instead of calming the further we go, I become more jittery. The lights of the city should temper my angst, but it instead heightens it, for his eyes are still closed, and he’s as unmoving as a stone, only his eyes shifting under his darkened lids, and the subtle grinding of his teeth. My heart sinks as the car slows to a stop, rolling up to a curb in an unfamiliar party of the city.

“You good, Tedster?”

My eyes flash between the reflection of Cash’s eyes in the rearview mirror and Teddy’s face as he finally moves.

“Yup. Sent ya a gift for driving.”

He shifts and opens the door as Cash cusses him out. I follow, unsure of what to do. I stand on the sidewalk as he closes the door and the taillights blaze through the foggy night. Fiddling nervously with my hands, I go to grab for the comfort of Teddy, but he softly pulls away, shoving his hands in his pockets. Nodding his head down the empty sidewalk, he finally speaks to me, and my heart is in my throat.

“Walk.”

Stunned, I realize this is probably it; he wouldn’t have been so quiet on the ride home, probably mustering up his own strength to get in the right headspace. So, eyes watering, I turn on my heel and begin to wobbly make my way down the sidewalk, commanding myself not to look back, not to feel abandoned, but then I realize he’s walking beside me. Maybe this isn’t it? I’m so lost, but in that, the fear grows, and I think that’s what he wants.

To be honest, it’s what I need.

My feet begin to ache, and we’ve walked for at least a half an hour before I have the urge to whine and complain. But when I go to look beside me, Teddy is gone. Halting as my heart is also yanked to a stop, my hands fall helplessly to my sides as my eyes search the dim streets. There is nothing, no one, not even a piece of trash floating in the breeze.

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