Page 75 of Psyop Kings

I’ve officially put together every puzzle in Caius’s game room multiple times this week in an effort to avoid the man. Ever since I caught him impersonating me a few days ago, I haven’t wanted to even look at him. Avoidance has been a better strategy. The boredom is killing me, though. I’ve even considered bundling up and taking a hike to see what I could find, but the snow has been heavily falling for hours. It’s well below freezing and windy, too. Leaving the crackling fireplace to walk blindly in a forest on a mountain in a snowstorm doesn’t seem like a good time, not to mention stupid.

My phone buzzes with a text and I scramble to look at it.

Gareth: I’m outside. We need to talk.

Me: Can’t you just walk in?

Gareth: Locked.

Interesting. Theo had no problem walking in, which means he has a key. Why would Gareth not be given a key to his brother’s house?

He could knock and Caius probably would have left his office to answer, but Gareth chose to message me instead. For some reason, this has the hairs standing up on my arms.

Me: I’ll be right down. Which door?

Gareth: Carport.

I abandon my nearly finished puzzle, stuff my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, and then quietly head down the stairs, careful not to clomp down them in my boots. I’d rather not speak to Caius if possible. Once in the mudroom, I unlock the door. Gareth pushes inside, bringing in icy air and a swirl of snowflakes with him.

“Gear up. We’ll take a walk.”

Gareth flashes me his charming smile, but it doesn’t disarm me like it has before. If anything, it puts me more on edge. He lied to me about Megan and set me up. After our text exchange the day after, I haven’t been responding to his efforts to reach out. As much as I want to flip him off and send him packing, the curious part of me needs to know what he wants to discuss.

I yank off a giant black fur-lined parka off a hook since it looks the warmest and pull it on. I’m instantly breathing in Caius’s masculine cologne. I consider ripping it off and tossing it onto the floor but manage to refrain from doing so and zip it up instead. I grab a beanie, a scarf, and gloves too. Once I’ve pulled the hood over my beanie and tightened the tie under my chin, I nod at Gareth that I’m ready.

He opens the door and guides me out with a giant palm on my back. It’s probably not the smartest thing to go off alone with this mountain of a man, but I’m doing it anyway. I lift my chin and stare into the thick trees, mostly hidden in the quickly dimming evening. Maybe I should have scrounged up a flashlight too.

“Should I be afraid?” I ask once he’s closed the door behind us.

He chuckles. “Nah. I can take a bear.”

I’m reminded of something I’d seen on social media this past summer. Would you rather be alone with a man or a bear? Most women said they’d prefer the bear because men areunpredictable. My stomach twists. Gareth is bigger than most men. I’ve never seen a bear up close, but I believe it’d be a tough match between the two.

“Glad you’ll keep me safe,” I say lightly. “If the bear starts to eat you, though, I’m not sticking around to rescue you. Sorry, bud.”

He laughs again, but it feels forced this time. The fake nature of it makes me uneasy. It’s not too late to turn around.

And run back to your prison?

Back to your captor who impersonates you and threatens you?

None of this is ideal. I may as well hear Gareth out. Maybe I’ll learn something new.

“This way,” he says, clicking on a small flashlight. “You can see my footprints from my way here.”

I fall into step next to him, trudging through the thick snow. Neither of us speaks for several minutes as we follow a trail through the woods. It’s eerily quiet aside from the crunching of snow beneath our boots and our heavy breathing.

“So…” I say, prompting him to talk about what it is we’re here for. “What’s up?”

He snorts. “What’s up?”

“We’re certainly not taking an early evening stroll through a Winter Wonderland because we’re besties.” I flash him a sugary sweet smile. “So yeah, what do you want, Gareth?”

He thumps his chest with his gloved fist. “You wound me, Ro.”

“Call it even for betraying me,” I snip back, shrugging my shoulders. “Tit for tat.”

I can barely make out his features in the near darkness of the forest, but I can hear his teeth grinding together. He’s pissed. At what, I don’t know.

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