Page 32 of Drop His Mask

Maverick turned his head, finding her.

Raven.

One of the few women left in this game.

A beacon of hope and light.

A reminder that he had risked his brother’s life for thepossibilityof saving her.

What was I thinking?

That was the scariest part of all. He hadn’t been thinking rationally. She caused his mind to go blank, for him to stutter and pause.

Part of him wanted to kill her. To just do away with the distraction.

But he knew that wasn’t possible at this point. She had sunk her claws in too deep.

A flickering flame that someone had poured drums of gasoline onto. At first it would go out before sparking again out of nowhere. Burning everything you ever knew to be true into ash.

“It’s our turn next. We’re the last ones to go. Who do you think it’s gonna be?” Levi leaned over, murmuring into Maverick’s ear.

That was just another unpredictable variable.

None of them had any family left, no one that they knew of at least.

“I say we don’t find out,” Maverick spoke under his breath.

Even if they did know the person.

What difference will it make?

Enzo jerked his head, and Levi hummed his agreement.

Enzo still hadn’t told them what he had done. Instead, he had chosen to hide away from them. He hadn’t even spoken to Maverick, his own brother. As Levi’s anger waned, Maverick’s sizzled over.

He had no one in this game he could truly trust. No one that he could rely on.

His focus flickered to the small woman with raven black hair and striking eyes.

Get a grip.

“Next up is 182, 173, and 174.”

174.Hisnumber. At first it had been hard to remember, but now it was a reflex to jump up when his number was called.

And he did just that,. marching down the podium steps into the surgical room.

For a moment he just stood there a few feet from the medical table, staring at the body.

Except. There was something off.

The person strapped to the table wasn’t moving. They were stock-still.

From this distance Maverick could see the hood covering them, but also just a bit of red hair had escaped it.

Maverick’s breath stuttered.

“What is this?” Levi moved further into the room until he stared down at the person on the table.

---