Page 54 of The Players

Itriedtofight,but it was no use. As soon as I wiggled out of Spencer’s grip, another figure appeared out of the darkness and grabbed my free wrist.

“Hello, orphan,” Tyler growled, giving me the same vile look he employed when he’d tortured me in the games. “Welcome to your punishment. It’s about time you paid for what you’ve done.”

I tried to pull away, but Spencer secured his grip on my left wrist while Ty held my right. Together, they pulled me deeper into the store as I fought against them.

“Stop,” I said, skidding my heels against the tile to try to slow them down. “Spencer, please. You don’t have to do this.”

“Shut up, bitch,” he said without much conviction. It was clear Savannah had gotten to him. He wasn’t on my side. He’d made it clear where his loyalties lay.

I glanced at Ty, but he’d hated me from day one. There was no way he was helping me.

“Where’s my grandmother?” I said as we moved further down silent rows toward the back of the store. “If you’ve done anything to her, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Ty said, mockingly. “You’re as stupid as you are poor, orphan. It’s over for you and that old bitch. The Romero family is about to go up in flames tonight.”

His tone made me shiver, but I couldn’t believe him. I’d survived the Lords’ games. I could survive this and get my grandmother out.

“Take me to her,” I said, no longer fighting their advance.

The time had come to face my future, good or bad. I was done running.

They pulled me through the store until we were at the back near the freeze section. It was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, but I’d been in this store more times than I could count and knew the way even in the dark. Ty didn’t have as much luck, crashing into shelves several times before getting us to where we were going. They weren’t afraid to make noise which meant they were confident no police were going to show up. They’d likely disabled the security system and made sure nothing would alert Randy’s parents who often checked on the store's cameras from home. I had no doubt they could pay someone to take care of all that which meant no cavalry was coming just in time.

I was on my own.

They stopped in front of the freezer section, holding me in place. A few seconds passed, and we stood there in the dark. Then a light clicked on inside the stand-up freezer.

There, behind the glass doors, my grandmother sat tied to a chair.

Her face was indeed bruised, her clothes rumpled. Duct tape covered her mouth and bound her arms and legs to the chair. Her skin, which should have been blotchy from crying, looked pale as if she’d been in the freezer for quite some time.

“Gram!” I lurched forward, but my captors wrestled me back in place.

The sudden light had made her flinch and sequin, but she peered out at me through the fogged-up glass. Her eyes had gone wide. She began to shake her head and make muffled sounds from behind the tape over her mouth.

“Don’t worry,” I shouted. “I’ll get you out of there. It’s okay. I promise.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I stared at her beautiful face, now marred by tape and bruises. Whoever did this wouldpay. But first, I needed to figure out a way to get her out of there before she froze to death. Her health was precarious. A month ago she’d been in a diabetic coma. Something like this could push her over the edge, or… What if she had not gotten her insulin shots for today? That was what nearly killed her last time.

My thoughts swirled as the light in the case clicked off. My grandmother disappeared.

“No!” I pulled against Ty and Spencer. “Where is she? Let me see her.”

“All in due time,” a voice said behind me.

I turned my head as much as my captors would allow. “Savannah, whatever you want to do with me, I swear I’ll let you. Just let my grandmother go. Please. She isn’t well. She has a medical condition.”

My voice sounded weak and pathetic, but I didn’t care. I’d do anything to make sure my grandmother left this place unharmed.

It didn’t matter to Savannah. I could see it in her eyes. She was determined to wreak as much havoc as she could. She’d been exposed for the monster she was, so there was no more pretending.

I’d never seen someone who looked more evil to the core than she did right now. She was Regina George mixed with Ted Bundy. Her eyes were bloodshot and her mascara had run. Her perfectly curled hair had become knotted, and there was a tear in her Homecoming dress that probably cost more than the value of my current car. She looked like Harley Quinn without the dyed hair and baseball bat.

She looked unhinged and terrifying as she locked me in her sights.

“You thought you were so clever digging up skeletons from my past. Well, you don’t feel so clever now, do you?” She stalked closer to me, her heels clapping on the tile. One sharp manicured fingernail trailed along my jawline as she stalked in front of me, back and forth like a hungry lioness.

I began to plead with her again. “Let my grandmother go. How long do you think you can hide out here before the cops arrive?”

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