Page 40 of Wicked Games

“Got it in one.”

I frowned. “So this could all be happening because ofme?”

“I’m not blaming you,” Brooke said hurriedly. “It’s just a theory.”

“It’s okay, I didn’t think you were blaming me,” I said. “I just meant… I don’t get it. If Hudson wants to get back at me, it makes sense that he’d bring me here, along with my friends. But why would he bring the others? Like Evan, Tate, Kiara, and so on.”

Brooke twisted her lips in contemplation. “Hm. Good point.”

“Like she said, it’s just a theory,” April said. “It might not be right, but I think it’s the best idea any of us have had so far. So we should at least keep it in mind and be wary of Hudson and Rhys.”

“Don’t worry, I was always going to be wary of them,” I said with a wry half-smile.

“Hey, Carey!” Kiara waved at me from the bed. “Get over here!”

I looked at her with raised brows. Then I turned back to my friends. “Um… any idea why she’s calling me over?”

“Nope.” April shrugged. “But we might as well go and see.”

The five of us headed over to the bed.

“What’s up, Kiara?” I asked flatly, folding my arms.

She leaned back against the velvet bedhead. “A little birdie told me you’re some sort of coding whiz.”

“So what?” April snapped. “You think she can write a program to magically get us out of here?”

Kiara rolled her eyes. “No, obviously.” She returned her attention to me and sat up straight. “I was just wondering if you could do anything with the phones. Like get online, maybe?”

“I had a quick look earlier, and all the signals seem to be blocked,” I said. “But I can have a closer look now.”

I pulled my phone out and went through it, trying various new techniques and ideas as they occurred to me. Finally, after a last-ditch effort, I reluctantly shook my head and slipped my phone back in my pocket. “It’s not possible,” I said. “Whoeverset these phones up has managed to block everything. The only thing that actually works is the intranet in this place.”

Kiara narrowed her eyes. “What’s that? Is that how they’re texting us?”

“Yeah, it’s like a local network thing.”

“Damn.” She sighed and leaned back. “Oh, well. It was worth a shot.”

Maverick’s eyes were on me again. “Did you guys figure out anything while you were chatting over there?” he asked, rubbing his jaw.

“No.” Zach shook his head. “We still have no clue why we’re here or who set it all up. You?”

“In the same boat. No fucking idea.”

Rhys burst into the room, snapping everyone’s attention to the doorway. “Guys!” he said. “I found something! Come and see.”

He turned and sprinted back out, and we all followed him to the far end of the hall. He was standing by the sealed-off window there.

“Something’s changed,” he said. “I looked at it earlier this morning, and it was totally sealed. But look at it now.”

I took a step closer, squinting. Rhys was right. The thick steel shutter was no longer covering the entire window. There was a gap at the bottom, which was allowing a crack of light to stream through.

“You think the Game Master did this while we were in the first game?” Zach asked.

Rhys shrugged. “I don’t know. But if we can find something small enough to slip in this crack, we might be able to pry the whole thing off.”

“I can’t think of anything that would work,” Maverick said, brows dipping in a slight frown. “But I guess we can look around. See if anything jumps out.”

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