Page 74 of War Games

I adjust myself in the small space, narrowly avoiding the flames creeping up the sides of the cart every time we begin to lose momentum. I’m frantically trying to figure out how to get her out of here while being all too aware of the deep dive the cart is about to take down the track. There are cable ties locked around her wrists and ankles, but I keep searching, knowing these cable ties aren’t an issue for Shadow. That’s when I notice the heavy rope wrapped around her chest, bracing her to the cart.

Another bullet whizzes by, and I curse under my breath. “Who the fuck is shooting at me?”

“The Boneyard Slayer,” Shadow yells over the noise of the roaring wind whipping past us.

“Fuck,” I grunt, trying to focus on the issue at hand.

My blades will easily get through the rope, but there’s so much of it that neither of us are about to get out of this cart without injury, and having said that, I get straight to work slicing through the cable ties at her wrists and ankles.

“What the fuck did you think you were doing coming here alone?” I demand, starting on the thick ropes as I keep my head down, hidden away from the constant bullets, but I’m not worried. If it were anyone else, the bullets might actually have a chance of taking me out, but The Boneyard Slayer is a lousy shot.

I tear through the bottom rope, giving Shadow enough space to start moving her arms and the second she can, she grabs a knife from my thigh holster and gets right to work, frantically trying to help me free her.

“You said we were a family,” Shadow grunts as the wind whips violently through my hair. “This is what family does for each other. I couldn’t stand the thought of you two going out and trying to save me when I could have saved us all.”

“This is your idea of saving us?” I say, noticing the fresh tears in her eyes. “Shit, Shadow. Do you have any idea—fuck. We can fight about it later, for now, we just need to get you out of here.”

“What about you?” she demands as more bullets sail over our heads, one of them getting way too close to Shadow.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” I say, slicing through another rope as the flames blister my skin.

We cut through enough rope that Shadow is finally able to shimmy out of the destroyed bindings, and just as she’s free enough and goes to pull herself away from the blaze at her back, she looks up ahead on the track. “Shit,” she grunts.

I look back over my shoulder, seeing the way the track takes a steep dive before sailing straight into a twisting loop, and withneither of us locked into this damn cart, there’s no way we could both hold on. Then grabbing a gun out of my holster, I shove it at her chest. “RUN!”

“But you—”

“FUCKING RUN, SHADOW.”

She clenches her jaw, and after closing her hand around the gun, she climbs up onto the small seat of the burning cart and launches herself onto the track. She doesn’t skip a beat, breaking into a sprint through the barrage of bullets, and just as I see Shadow’s head disappear behind the raging flames, I have just enough time to clutch onto the burning handlebar of the cart as it falls down the massive dip of the track.

My body flies, jolting around inside the cart, and when it whips around the loops, I’m thrown out of the cart, barely having enough strength to hold on. I do everything in my power to swing my legs up into the upside-down cart, and just as I do, we hit another loop, throwing me out again.

The track quickly levels out, swooping low to the ground, but not being the end of the ride, I have only a second to get off the rollercoaster from hell. Just as the burning cart hits the lowest point of the track, I jump, throwing myself into a forward roll on the hard asphalt.

My back grazes the ground, my skin tearing to shreds, but I spring back to my feet because this fucking ride is not even close to over. With Shadow free, I take off after The Boneyard Slayer.

He sees me coming from a mile away, and as I dodge and weave past every bullet he’s got, he realizes the game is up. There’s not a damn thing he can do to get away from me now, and I’m not even a little bit surprised when fear flashes in his eyes and he turns to run, knowing he doesn’t stand a goddamn chance against me.

27

REAPER

The sound of gunshots echoes from a distance, and considering it’s coming from the right side of the park, I have no choice but to trust that Siren has it under control. We made our deal, and nobody wins if I change the plan this late in the game.

I’ve searched this half of the park for almost thirty minutes, and just as I’m about to convince myself that it’s clear and head over to assist Siren, I finally find him. The Texan Reaper.

A sinister grin tears across my face. I’ve been waiting too fucking long for this. I was content with giving him an easy death, making it quick, but after the bullshit he’s caused, the callous way he murders, and now after luring Shadow out of the safety of our home and using her as bait, I’m going to be sure to enjoy this.

The Texan Reaper slinks through the park, having no fucking idea that he has an audience, and as I follow him past the poor excuse of a bumper car arena, I listen for Siren. The gunshots arestill firing through the darkness, and as we creep closer to the center of the park, I hear the distinct sound of a rollercoaster.

My heart races, desperate to go to Siren, to see what fresh hell Gasoline has planned because, let’s face it, The Boneyard Slayer doesn’t have the brains to pull off anything worthy of a mention. He’s a yes-man through and through.

As for his brother, he’s a different breed.

The Texan Reaper takes a look around, double-checking the coast is clear before slipping through the entrance of the funhouse, and I roll my eyes. Could he have been any more cliché? But as they say, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I follow the bastard into the funhouse, pausing by the door as I listen to the sounds. I have to have my wits about me. His whole game plan during the past month has been to lure contenders out and trap them. It’s what they did to Silver only a few nights ago and again to Shadow. I can’t go into this assuming this isn’t another trap. I have to watch myself, otherwise, it won’t be me going home to Siren tonight, it’ll be this asshole, and when he does, it’s not going to be to tell her how fucking beautiful she is and then fuck her up against the refrigerator. He’ll do everything in his power to brutally murder her, and I’m not about to let that happen. As Siren said, we end this tonight.

---