Page 67 of Wicked Games

Maverick was up last. He looked at me across the water and dipped his chin in the briefest of nods. Then he made his way to the starting beam on the far right of the pool and stared out at the wooden labyrinth, eyes narrowing as he silently plotted his path.

As I watched him take his first precarious step, my heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing the palpable tension that hung in the air. The water had risen higher, its surface lapping at the bottom of the beams. Rhys’s fall had also splashed a lot of water onto the exact beams that Maverick needed to walk across, making them slick and treacherous.

My stomach churned as he stepped onto another wet beam. He moved with a cautious yet resolute pace, determination etched on his handsome face. With every new beam he stepped onto, my breath hitched in my throat, a silent plea lingering on my lips.Please be okay. Please be okay. Please, please, please…

The water surged upward again, splashing the beams with relentless fury. Maverick faltered, and my heart clenched with a vise-like grip, a surge of fear coursing through my veins. I desperately wanted to cry out and beg him to maintain his composure, but I knew any sound from me—or anyone else—could mentally throw him off and cause him to fall. We’d all seen it happen to Rhys when April and Hudson were arguing over his path. I couldn’t bear to see it happen to Maverick too.

He righted himself on the beam, set his jaw, and narrowed his eyes on a fork in the path ahead. He chose the beam branching toward the left. Then, in another heartbeat, he was finally all the way across the water, leaping onto his platform with a satisfied grunt.

Relief flooded me like a tidal wave, washing away the fear that had gripped me only seconds before.

“Twenty seconds to spare!” Zach called out. “Good job, man!”

Maverick grinned and slotted his hexagonal block into the target in front of him, and a loud beep echoed through the room, followed by an automated message on the speaker. “Game cleared.”

We all turned and stared at each other with wide eyes, wondering what to do next. Another beep echoed throughout the space, and the speaker went on again.

“Congratulations to those of you who succeeded in the game,” the voice said. “I hope it wasn’t tooshockingfor you. The water is no longer rising or electrified, so you can go back across without concern. You’ll find the door is now unlocked, so you can head upstairs and go back to bed. Sleep well!”

Brooke stooped by the edge and peered down at the dark water. “What if this is just part of the game?” she asked.

April stared at her, forehead creasing. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if it’s not really over? What if we try to go back across, thinking it’s totally okay if we slip and fall in, and the water is actually still electrified?”

Hudson knelt by the edge and stuck his hand in the water. “It’s fine. See?” he said tersely. “Now can we get the fuck out of here?”

One by one, we made our way back over to the other side. The simple knowledge that the water was no longer electrified somehow made it seem ten times easier to traverse the beams, even though most of them were wet. Only one person slipped—Zach—and he managed to right himself before he fell in the pool.

Once we were out of the gaming room and back in the dim basement passage, the group splintered. I hung back with April, Brooke, and Zach, while Jasmine and Kiara whispered to each other a few feet ahead. Hudson trudged alone ahead of them, and Maverick and Courteney were also walking solo.

“So our theory about Rhys was totally wrong,” Zach muttered, nudging Brooke. “Obviously he’s not the Game Master.”

I nodded. “I was starting to think he was innocent anyway. He helped me in the Tag game.”

“Really?” Brooke looked over at me, eyes filled with a haunted mixture of guilt, regret, and sadness. “God, Carey, I’m so sorry. I totally froze, and—”

I lifted a palm and cut her off. “It’s fine. No need to explain or apologize. I get it.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry too,” Zach said. “I froze too. But it’s no excuse. I should’ve helped you.”

“Really, guys. It’s okay. Let’s talk about something else.” I raised a brow. “For example—Hudson. You guys all saw what happened in there, right?”

April’s eyes widened. “Yes! He totally sabotaged Rhys! I mean, I definitely told him to go left, didn’t I?”

“Yes. Hudson said right, and I checked afterwards. You were correct. Rhys should’ve gone left. It was the easiest path.”

“But Rhys was Hudson’s best friend. Hisonlyfriend here, really. Why would he sabotage him like that?”

I hugged my arms around myself as I felt goosebumps cropping up beneath my sweater. “Revenge.”

“For what?”

“The Truth or Die thing. The Game Master had to learn the information about all the girls Hudson has attacked from somewhere, right? Rhys is the most likely source, because they were best friends, so he’d probably know everything that’s going on in his life. At least that’s what I’d assume.”

“Yeah, maybe Rhys got drunk at a party and spilled the whole nasty story to someone,” Brooke said, nodding slowly. “Hudson must’ve realized he was the source, and he’s been stewing on it ever since the game.”

“Yep. So I bet he killed him partly out of revenge, and partly to tie up loose ends in case he survives this place,” I said. “I mean, if Rhys is dead, he can’t spill that info to anyone else, can he?”

---