Page 54 of Wicked Games

Kiara snickered. “Also, if Courteney was the Game Master, why the hell would she put a question in the game that makes her look guilty?” she asked.

“No shit. You’re so fucking dumb, Hudson,” Jasmine added. “Although, how much brainpower can we really expect from a dirty fucking sex predator?”

Hudson opened his mouth to snap back at her, but April lifted a hand and clicked her fingers to shush him. “Back to your earlier comment, Jasmine,” she said, eyes fixed on her from across the table. “How could Carey possibly know any of our secrets in order to create that Truth or Die game? She’s onlybeen at school for a month, and judging by the secrets that were revealed, the Game Master has been digging up shit on all of us for years.”

“Maybe she isn’t really new,” Tate chimed in. “Maybe she’s been watching all of us for years now. Stalking us.”

Maverick snorted. “Oh, fuck off, man. That’s not possible.”

“Okay, okay.” Kiara rapped on the table. “I have an idea that might help us determine which one of us is the Game Master, if it’s actually one of us.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go around the table, one by one, and figure out who had the most and least enemiesbeforewe entered the mansion. If someone had a problem with every single person in this room, then they’re the most likely suspect, because the Game Master clearly hates us all.” Kiara turned her catlike gaze to me. “Carey, seeing as you seem to have the largest number of targets on your back, you can go first. Who are you friends with here, and who do you have a problem with?”

I took a deep breath before answering. “Well, you already know I’m friends with April, Brooke, and Zach. I didn’t know Courteney or Evan before I got here, so I never had a problem with them. And the rest of you…” I hesitated, eyes lingering on Maverick. “The rest of you have clearly had a problem with me since I started at Babylon. You haven’t exactly hidden it.”

“You forgot Maverick as a friend,” Hudson muttered.

I frowned at him. “Huh?”

He raised his voice. “You and Maverick aren’t enemies. You’re always staring at each other. It’s obvious you want to fuck each other’s brains out.”

My cheeks instantly flushed hot. “That’s not true.”

“Then why are you always looking at each other?”

“We aren’t,” I said hotly, gritting my teeth. “I look at him the same amount as anyone else around me.”

Maverick jumped in. “Look, we share a dorm, so we’re used to seeing each other a lot,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “Maybe it’s a familiarity thing. Totally unconscious behavior. We don’t even notice we’re doing it.”

“Uh-huh.” Hudson smirked. “Keep telling yourself that.”

I stared down at my plate, mind whirling as I wondered if Hudson’s little theory could possibly be correct. Could Maverick actually want me, and the reason he was always so nasty to me was because he didn’t want to show it?

Hell no.I wasn’t going to let myself become one of those delusional ‘he’s only mean to you because he likes you!’ people. That was total bullshit. Guys who were mean to girls were assholes, plain and simple.

Still, the mere thought of Maverick possibly wanting me—even just a sliver—made me far more nervous about confronting him alone later. I was still going to do it, though. I needed to know why he hated me so much.

“Okay, Carey, we’ll take your word about the Maverick thing and say you have five friends and six enemies here.” Kiara abruptly turned her attention to April. “Your turn.”

After we were all done, it was determined that Hudson and I had an equal number of haters before we arrived at the mansion. Everyone else had fewer enemies, meaning there wasn’t a single person who had an issue with everyone in here.

“So it can’t be one of us,” Rhys said, speaking up for the first time since his shocking admission during the last game. “Like Kiara said, the Game Master clearly has a reason to hate all of us, and no one in this room fits that profile.”

“Hold on.” Tate sat up straight. “What if it’s Evan? He could’ve faked his own death, and now he’s watching us through all those cameras.”

“God, Tate, are you really that fucking stupid?” Jasmine snapped. “We all saw him die. No one can fake something like that.”

“Yeah. We’ve already established that the deaths here arereal,” Maverick said. “Also, Evan didn’t have a problem with anyone here, as far as I know. So why would he be the Game Master?”

“Wait.” I lifted a palm. “Kiara’s idea was a good one, but it relied on all of us being totally honest about whether or not we have a problem with certain people in here.”

Understanding dawned on Brooke’s face. “She’s right,” she said. “What if one of us has a secret reason to hate everyone in here? It’s not like they’d ever admit it. Not if they were the Game Master. And how would we ever know they were hiding this stuff? It’s not like we can see inside everyone’s minds and force them to tell the truth.”

“Shit.” Kiara’s shoulders sagged. “We’re back to square one, then.”

“Yeah. Looks like it.”

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