Page 54 of Bleeding Hearts
“Two grown men beating the shit out of each other for my entertainment? I’m in,” I reply.
He grins and pulls out his phone. “I’ll text you the tickets.”
I check his message just as my screen goes black. A knowing feeling builds within me, and I nudge Alice. The others are busy talking when I show her my screen, and the words flash up.
TONIGHT
11 PM
GRASSROOTS ROAD
Then it’s gone. Putting my phone away, I kiss Alice’s temple. “It will be okay,” I whisper, trying to soothe her concerns.
“I’m scared, Lals,” she murmurs softly. “What if they keep getting worse?”
“I’ll be right there, okay? It will be fine. We’ll be alright,” I assure her, but it feels like a lie. I have no idea if we will be, but I have to hope. Besides, we are in too deep to back out now.
The rest of the meal is spent telling stories and laughing, but in the back of my mind, I think about tonight’s game and what it might bring. As I watch Alice with her brother and friends, I know I need to keep her safe no matter what it takes.
“Drive safely!” I wave as Alek and Evan pull away, and when I glance over, Skylar fastens Bones’s seatbelt in his car and kisses his cheek before they wave and drive off, leaving just Alice and me.
She grabs my arms and turns me to face her. “What do you think tonight’s game will be?”
“I don’t know, but we have a few hours until then, so let’s not spend that time worrying, okay? Let’s spend it having fun.”
Her eyes widen. “Here?”
I laugh so hard, tears fill my eyes. “I meant fun, not sex.” I gasp as I straighten and pat her head. “I’ve created a sex fiend. Come on, baby, let’s go have a good night and forget all about the game and everything else. It’s just us on a date, okay?”
I have a place in mind, but our appointment isn’t for another hour, so I take her hand and we walk there. Pine Valley looks so perfect, nobody would know the true horrors happening in the dark.
I refuse to dwell on it, though, not while she’s at my side, staring down at our joined hands with a proud, victorious grin that makes me want to kiss the shit out of her. Grabbing her, I tug her close, tip her chin up, and kiss her softly. She whimpersinto my mouth, gripping my jacket to pull me closer, so I step back.
Her eyelids flutter open, her lips parted. “What was that for?” she asks breathlessly.
“For being so fucking cute and mine.” I lift our hands and kiss the back of hers as I pull her into motion. She’s quiet for a moment, still looking shocked, before she seems to shake herself out of it.
Alice pouts. “You can’t just kiss me like that.”
“Why not? You’re my girlfriend. I can kiss you whenever I want.” I shrug.
“Because it’s not fair!” she complains, and I raise a brow. “It makes me want more,” she admits. Her cheeks heat, and she looks so fucking cute, I can’t stand it, placing a quick kiss on her flaming skin.
“Adorable,” I state.
“Lals,” she whines as we start to walk again. “Fine, tell me where we’re going.”
“No, it’s a surprise.” I swing our hands as we walk when something comes into my head. “I never asked how you found out about the game.” I lower my voice, and she looks around nervously.
“Silent Rose,” she replies, and I stop. “It’s a secret organization Evan, Bones, and I are part of. Before you get pissed, I always planned to tell you. I don’t want secrets between us. I know you suspected something and met most of them. Anyway, they brought it up, and I promised to look into it without getting involved. When I found out you were going to do it, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I found a guy who helped them with their online systems at a party and forced him to tell me everything he knew.”
“At a party? Nerdy guy with glasses?” I ask.
She nods, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why?”
I burst into laughter as I begin walking. “I saw a picture of you two. I was so fucking jealous.”
“Of me?” She gapes. “Really?” She looks way too excited. “You know what that means, right?”
