Page 72 of Wicked Games (Fallen Royals 2)

I’m such an idiot. My heart is winning the argument.

“I’m not sure he’d want me to tell you,” Eli says. “And that’s all you’re getting out of me while he’s laid up in bed—”

“Ah, so he’s not at the hospital or anything?” I give Eli my best worried face.

Theo groans, punching Eli’s shoulder. “You idiot.”

I shrug and stand. “Thanks, Eli. I’m glad someone is helpful.”

And then… well, I don’t really have a plan. I walk out of the cafeteria and keep going, straight outside. I don’t have a car, but that can’t stop me. I’ll walk there if I have to. Come up with an excuse for Robert later—

“Wait,” Riley calls, jogging up behind me.

I look at her.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” she asks.

“Didn’t Eli pick you up?”

“Yeah, but—”

“So, you don’t have a car,” I finish.

She rolls her eyes and holds up a set of keys. “I happen to know someone who does. And that person might not have realized I stole them out of his bag, so we should probably hurry.”

I laugh, grabbing her hand. We run across the lot to Eli’s truck, and it feels a bit like we’re breaking the law. We stay hunched as Riley fires it up and backs out of the spot, then guns it out of the driveway.

“Do you want me to wait?” she asks. We’re not even there yet.

My hands shake.

“Margo,” she says. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

“Oh, um, no. Can you just tell Robert that I had an emergency?”

She exhales. “Yeah, sure. He’ll see through it, but…”

“Maybe I’ll be back sooner than expected,” I say. “I’ll call a taxi or bike or something.”

She nods, pulling into Eli’s driveway. Caleb’s driveway. I have to remind myself that he lives here—it’s his home, too. Even if his real house is a few blocks away, filled with ghosts and dust.

She hits the button for the garage door. “You can get in that way,” she says. “And Margo… good luck.”

I grin at her. I tremble—from nerves, fear, I don’t know—but I need to do this. I have a sick feeling in my gut that something is terribly wrong, and his friends’ answers didn’t set me at ease. I wouldn’t be here if I could just ignore it and focus on schoolwork. But no, Caleb’s stuck at the front of my mind like superglue.

More like crazy glue.

I jump out of the truck. She waits until I get the door open to back out of the driveway, and then I’m in. The door from the garage leads into a mudroom, then the kitchen. It’s silent up here, and I kick off my shoes to move quietly through the house.

I get to the top of the basement stairs. There’s a light on at the bottom, but everything else is in shadow. Television noises float up. I swallow, then take a deep breath.

Courage, Margo.

I go to the bottom of the stairs, cracking the door.

He’s on the bed. I can make out his shape in the dimly lit room, but he doesn’t react to my appearance. I steel myself and creep closer and closer. Blueish light from the TV is the only source of light, and it flickers constantly.

My heart seems to jump into my throat. I get close enough to see more than just a blob of shadow. He’s on his stomach, his head turned away. Instead of a shirt, there are bandages wrapped around his chest.

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