Page 95 of Wicked Games

“Not all of us,” Hudson said, eyes laser-focused on me. “Only one of us.”

I folded my arms. “Why don’t you just say what you fucking mean, Hudson?”

“Fine.” He turned to look at the others. “There’s something you should all know. Maverick has been sneaking around with Carey. At least hewas,until the Game Master smacked her down. So if one of us is going to die here, it might as well be the snake who’s been lying and hiding shit from the rest of us.”

“Even if that’s true, this game still comes down to luck,” Jasmine said, giving him a withering look.

“Itistrue. The Game Master texted me the other day and told me to keep a close eye on him, so I’ve been doing exactly that. And guess what? I’ve seen him sneaking out of Carey’s room at night, even though he’s always pretended to hate her.”

Brooke’s eyes widened, gaze shooting between me and Hudson. “Is that really true?” she asked.

“Yeah. It’s true,” I muttered. There was no point denying it anymore. “Carey and I are together. But we hid it for a good reason.”

“See? I told you so,” Hudson said. “Do we really need a dirty fucking liar in our ranks? Also, it’s not just luck in this game. There’s a strategy here. If you hold the bottle and flick your wrist the right way, you can almost guarantee it’ll land on the person of your choosing. I can show you.”

Brooke kept staring at him. “Okay. Show me,” she said flatly.

I looked over at her. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Yeah, I am. C’mon, Hudson. Show me.”

“Me too,” Zach said. “You’re right, man. We should eliminate the snakes from our ranks.”

Jasmine nodded. “Hard agree.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed heavily. “Guys, this is exactly what the Game Master has always wanted—for us to start turning on each other,” I said. “But if you kill me now, I won’t be able to help you find Carey if she’s really still out there somewhere.”

“She’s not. She’s dead, dumbass,” Hudson said with a sneer. The others ignored me and watched him as he sat cross-legged on the floor.

“This is how you do it,” he went on, grabbing the bottle an inch above the base. “You hold it right here and line the top up at the personnextto the person you want it to land on. Then you flick it like this…” He paused and demonstrated the move. “And there you go. It almost always works.”

“You know I can do that too, right?” I said. “I can make it land on you during every single one of my turns.”

“I know. But it’s four against one,” Hudson said, smirking. “I like those odds.”

Jasmine smiled thinly. “Me too. Let’s begin.”

I grudgingly joined them in the circle, knowing I didn’t have a choice but to play. Hudson’s smirk remained in place as he grabbed the bottle, and it landed right on me after his spin.

I clenched my jaw and picked up the revolver. I wasn’t afraid, because I was certain the Game Master wouldn’t load the bullet into the first chamber. After all, killing the very first person to pull the trigger would destroy his chance to obtain some sick pleasure from watching the rest of us squirm.

With a deep breath, I pulled the trigger, hoping I was right. It made a faint clicking sound, but nothing else happened.

“My turn,” Jasmine announced from her spot next to Hudson. She lined up the top of the bottle with Brooke’s feet, clenched her hand over the base, and flicked her wrist. It spun around quickly before stopping with the top end aimed directly at Hudson. “You were right! The trick works!”

Hudson’s smirk faded. “Wait… what are you doing?”

Jasmine smiled sweetly. “It’s like you said. We should eliminate the snakes from our ranks. And you’re the only snake here, Hudson.”

“Exactly,” Zach muttered.

“But he… he’s been lying to everyone!” Hudson spluttered, jabbing a finger in my direction.

Zach shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t give a shit. I’ve never been a huge fan of Maverick, and he knows that, but he made it pretty clear to me this morning that he actually cares about Carey. Not only that, he’s helped us through every game.”

“Butyou’vesabotaged people,” Brooke added. “Your own best friend. We all saw it.”

“Pick up the gun, Hudson,” Jasmine said in an icy tone. “Now. Or else we’ll do it for you.”

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