Page 60 of Slay Ride

“You sneaky little bitch!” I rush forward and grip the coat’s collar in my hand so that I can pull her ear a little closer to my mouth. “Play along,” I whisper, but her idea of playing along is to look up at me with wide, terrified eyes.

I’m on my own.

“It’s another bet we made,” I say. “I told her if she could sneak into my room and steal something, she could have it. At least she has good taste.”

She licks her lips as her brain catches up with the fake scenario I’ve conjured. “Right! I thought I was being slick by taking his only coat, but he brought two.”

“Cat, why are you playing his stupid games?” Kindra asks as she steps closer. “This isn’t like you. You’ve always said the quickest way to get him to go away is to ignore him.”

“Oh really?” I look down at her.

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t working, so I thought I’d try a different tactic.” Cat snatches her shoulder to the side and wrenches out of my grip. “Turns out, he’s the human version of herpes and will never go away.”

“Herpes, huh?” I whisper. “That isn’t what you said earlier.”

Cat ignores me and steps toward the door with a bright smile on her face. “Well, now that that’s settled, let’s get going!”

Everyone gives me one more reproachful glare before turning and filing out of the mansion. I’m getting a bit sick and tired of being the butt of every joke. I understand why Cat wants to keep this quiet, and I agree with her, but something has to change. The closer I get to Cat, the further I get from everyone else. If things keep going as they are, I’ll be banished to Jupiter by the end of the trip.

After we finish this activity, Cat and I need to have a long talk. She might not like some of the questions I’ll ask, and I might not like some of her answers, but things can’t keep going as they are.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cat

Bennett stays quiet for the ride to the site. He’s seated across from me, with his arms folded over his chest and a sour look on his face as he stares into the dimly lit woods. Lost in thought, he doesn’t even notice when I try to play footsie when no one is looking.

Or maybe he’s ignoring me. What shifted in him between our time in his bedroom and boarding the sleigh?

The rails bump over a rock, and I’m sent into Kindra’s shoulder. We both let out a yelp from the impact. I glance at Bennett to see if he noticed, but he doesn’t so much as look at me.

“Are you okay, pet?” Ezra asks Kindra. He feels her shoulder and looks into her eyes. He gives a shit, which is more than I can say for Bennett.

This shouldn’t bother me. After all, I’m the one who’s put so much emphasis on keeping our arrangement well below anyone’s radar. He’s probably just being extra cautious.

Right?

Moments later, the sleigh comes to a stop in front of a pure white blanket of snow. The trees have been removed from the space, creating a wide rectangular clearing. The retreat guests mill about near the center, many of them occasionally looking at the ground.

“You brought us to an empty field?” I ask.

“Stand up and look again,” Ezra says with a smirk.

As I stand, the angle shifts, and I can see what he means. The people in the field aren’t looking at the ground. They’re looking at a narrow strip of water.

“Maybe I’ll just sit this one out,” Bennett says.

Ezra grabs his arm and hoists him to a standing position. “No can do, I’m afraid. This is a partner activity, and you claimed a partner at lunch. You aren’t ruining the fun for Cat.”

“She can partner with that smoke show who offered earlier.” He tries to wiggle out of his brother’s hold, but Ezra maintains his grip. “This isn’t my idea of fun, dude. Let me go!”

Ezra does as he asks and releases his coat, and Bennett tumbles out of the sleigh. We hurry to follow him so that he can’t weasel his way back to safety.

As we step fully into the clearing, I’m able to see more of the interior surroundings. A few log buildings dot the perimeter. Some are narrow, and some are more squat and fat. Steam rises from vents in the roofs of the fatter buildings.

“What’s all this?” I ask Kindra.

She looks as bewildered as I do as she glances around. “I haven’t a clue. Ezra and the guys ran with this one.”

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