Page 20 of Wicked Games

“Even though I’d obviously been drugged with something, I guess he didn’t give me enough, because I was still able to think and move. Enough to realize what was happening and defend myself.”

“Please tell me you punched him right in the dick,” April said, nostrils flaring.

“Close. I kneed him in the balls to get him off me. Really hard. While he was rolling around crying in pain, I got out of the bedroom and went back into the main party room. Then I grabbed the first set of keys I could find and ran outside. Iclicked the key fob until a car unlocked… and I took it. I know it’s not okay to steal a car, but I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Of course you weren’t,” Brooke said. “You must’ve been terrified.”

“Yeah. I was. I was also totally off my face on whatever the hell Hudson slipped into my lemonade. Whenever I think about it, it seems like it was a dream, because that’s what it felt like when it was all happening.”

“Sounds more like a nightmare than a dream.”

“That’s true.” I clenched my jaw. “Anyway, because I was so messed up on the drugs Hudson spiked me with, I couldn’t drive properly. I went off the road a few miles away and crashed right into a parked car.”

“Maverick’s car?”

“Yes. But he wasn’t in it. No one was. That was lucky, because I T-boned it and totally fucked it up. If someone was inside it, they’d probably be dead now.”

“That means you’re lucky to be alive too,” Brooke said softly, squeezing my hand.

“Yeah, I guess so.” I sniffed and wiped my face again. “Anyway, everything was a shit-show after that. I was charged with a whole bunch of crap, which was no surprise. I mean, I was on drugs and stole a car. I could’ve killed someone in that crash.”

“But it wasn’t your fault!” April said. “None of it was!”

I shrugged. “I tried to tell them that. I gave them Hudson’s name. Told them he drugged me and tried to attack me. But no one believed me.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded. “The cops questioned him, but only because they had to after they heard my accusation. It was a waste of time. He said he never met me. Said he didn’t evenseeme at the party. His friends all backed him up when they were questioned too, and they all said they’d seen me snorting stuff at the party. It wasmy word against all of theirs. And let’s face it—cops in places like Babylon hardly ever believe people like me anyway. They believe and support the rich kids who circle the wagons to protect each other.”

“I believe you, Carey,” April said firmly. “I want you to know that right now. I totally believe you. A hundred percent.”

“Me too,” Brooke chimed in.

“I believe you too,” Zach said. “Hudson is a fucking prick. Also, I know I’m rich, which probably makes me an asshole in a million different ways, but I’m at least self-aware enough to see how differently people like me get treated. I see the corruption and the cronyism. All the time.”

“Thanks. It really means a lot that you guys believe me,” I murmured. I cleared my throat again and went on. “But you know, my own parents didn’t believe me. My mom told me that I’m just like my dad, because he’s been in and out of lockup for decades, and my dad just laughed and told me I’m a chip off the old block. Mikayla didn’t believe me either. So we aren’t friends anymore. To be honest, when I arrived here, I didn’t have a single friend in the whole world.”

Brooke’s eyes filled with sympathy. “That really sucks.”

“Yeah.” I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly shook my head as the memories poured back in. “Anyway… Hudson lawyered up, thanks to his family, and I was probably going to get some serious jail-time when the case finally went to trial. But then the Babylon Foundation took pity on me and decided I deserved a chance at rehabilitation.”

“Even though you did nothing wrong,” April said, rolling her eyes. “Apart from trying to escape a piece of shit who was attacking you.”

“Well, I guess they didn’t know all those details. They were looking up active criminal cases for their new justice project, sawa wayward teen, and decided to offer a lifeline. I can’t be mad about that, can I?”

“Guess not.” Zach sighed. Then he cocked his head. “So what exactly happened this morning? Why were you so upset?”

“I ran into Hudson, and he…” I trailed off and twisted my lips. “Well, he threatened me. Not directly, but it was implied. He basically told me to keep my mouth shut.”

“Or else he’d shut it for you?”

“He didn’t say that, but it was implied,” I said. “Even though no one believed me when all the shit went down, I think he’s worried that people are eventually going to start believing me. Because it wasn’t just the threat today.”

I quickly filled my friends in on the bloodied effigy I found hanging over my bed yesterday afternoon. All three pairs of eyes filled with horror as I spoke.

“Oh my god,” April said. “What the fuck?”

“I’m really scared,” I admitted in a ragged whisper. “I think he might be planning something to hurt me. Get rid of me. All so his reputation isn’t smeared or destroyed when I tell people the truth about him.”

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