Page 112 of Cruel Games

“Ah, there she is,” I crooned, relishing the daggers in her eyes as she stared at me with menacing intent. “My kitten’s got her claws back.”

There would be time for truths later.

FORTY-TWO

DINGO

The phone rangon the tabletop as Coyote and I sat in the commons of our dorm, waiting for Jackal to let us know where the fuck he’d gone. Last we heard, he told us he was following her, and not to worry, but like, how do you not worry when someone sends a cryptic message like that?

It was Jackal, for fuck’s sake.

I picked up the cellphone and didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID as I brought it to my ear and started shouting down the receiver.

“It’s about fucking time, Jackal. We’ve only been waiting to hear from you forhours.”

A feminine voice on the other end made my blood run cold. “I’m not Jackal, but I wouldn’t want to be him, either. Seems like someone is in trouble.”

Fuck.

“Sorry, Lilly,” I murmured as Coyote’s attention turned to my conversation. “He’s off running the town, and he hasn’t checked in, so we’re a little on edge.”

“How convenient,” she mused, her voice steady on the other end. “I’m just calling to ask if you all saw anything suspicious at the party tonight. Maybe someone who didn’t belong?”

I thought back and shook my head. “Nobody stands out, why?”

“Someone was in my quarters. Rummaging through my files.” She paused, her voice level and hard. “In the files for your crew, from the looks of it.”

My blood ran cold.No. Surely not.I’ll ask Jackal when he gets back, but I’m not sure there was anyone there that wasn’t supposed to be.” I pretended to mull it over, already knowing damn well in my heart who’d been in that office, looking through files. “Do you know what file they were looking for?”

“Oddly enough, no,” she said slowly, her tone even. If shedidknow, she wasn’t talking. “There were a few misplacedones, and none obviously missing, so there’s no telling if they even found what they were looking for.”

“Strange,” I agreed, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole. “Let us know if you need any help.”

“And you let me know when that buddy of yours comes home.” The line went dead, and I sagged in my seat, a cold sweat breaking out on my brow.

“Problem?” Coyote asked, his voice rough, worry tinting his growl.

“Ivy’s missing, Jackal is AWOL, and someone broke into our records in Lilly’s office tonight during the party.”

I watched realization dawn on him as his eyes darkened and he stopped breathing momentarily. “I left her alone,” he murmured, wringing his hands and pacing the floor like a caged tiger. “My fault. Should have known better.”

Just then, the door opened, and there in the doorway stood Jackal, a very ragged Ivy on his back like some sort of fucked-up ragdoll. She clung to his neck, her legs around his waist, and he trodded in, dragging water and pink-tinted droplets into the room with him.

He set her down on the couch, and she curled in on herself, staring ice in his general direction as he shuffled back over to shut the door.

My attention turned to her. “What happened to you?”

She jerked her chin in Jackal’s direction as he disappeared into his room. “He left my brand new signed Babe Ruth bat in the rain in some dingy back alley and wouldn’t even let me go back for it.”

So she was back to her bratty ways. Peachy.“Oh, that’s . . . unfortunate.”

“Yeah, what a shame. Seems Ivy gets a little forgetful when you give her a good dicking down.” Jackal emerged from his room and threw a towel in her direction, his eyes cutting to herlap, where she wrung her hands nervously. “Dry yourself off before you get sick.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, her voice lower than usual when she and Jackal got into it. In fact, everything about her was more subdued.

My curiosity intensified.

“What’s up with you two?”

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