Page 124 of Cruel Pleasures

“What?” he slurs, his laugh sloppy. “Didn’t you hear the orders from the Hostess? Didn’t you hear her say the players are fair game? You should’ve seen me earlier. I took out number two as she came out flailing from the maze. No wonder Archer and Kaden always went around on killing sprees. It’s quite the rush.”

“I said stand down.”

“The Hostess says I can hunt any player I want. And I want this one. Did you really think you’d fool people for long, Sasha… or should I say Imani? Did you really think we couldn’t tell you didn’t belong?” he asks, casting a glare at her. His unfocused eyes squint. “Did you know what that best friend of yours did to my best friend?”

I don’t bother with another reprimand. There’s no time to deal with his idiocy when we’ve already wasted enough of it tonight. As he rushes toward Imani, the mace swinging uncontrollably in midair, I cut him off midway.

I’m almost too fast to be seen.

My blade pierces through Nolan’s gut to his grunt of surprise. I drive it in deep, then twist it as far as it can go, cutting up his insides. Blood pours from his mouth and his hands drop to mine to pry the knife out, but it’s with no success.

I’ve buried it deep. I’ve grabbed hold of him by the shoulder so that he can’t run anywhere. He can’t fight me off as the strength immediately leaves his body. Soon he’s no longer even pretending he’ll be able to pull the blade out. He’s clinging to me, blood dribbling down his front.

I wrench the knife all the way out and step aside to let him come crashing down.

He won’t be getting back up again.

Imani screams loud enough for the two of them. She’s backed up against a stone pillar like it’s occurred to her she’s still in danger.

Wrenching off the warden helmet, I reveal my identity in hopes it’ll calm her down.

She releases a breath so shaky that it seems to make her legs weak. “I hoped it was you.”

“Come. We don’t have much time.”

“Where are we going?”

“The secret passage that leads to a boat off this isle.”

“The one Archer told me about?”

Our hands fit together as I take the lead and pull her along with me. I make quick work of the door the second time. The inside of the manor carries the same quiet and foreboding energy as the grounds outside. Worse so due to the deceiving glow from flickering candles and sparkling chandeliers.

The place is empty. No server, no player, no club member in sight.

Our footfalls echo against the black-and-white checkered tiles. Here and there I spot splotches of blood staining the floor. Someone else has been through here, someone else involved in the games, and there was a similar confrontation like what happened in the passageway between us and Nolan.

“Where is the way out located?” Imani pants, only a couple steps behind.

“The Hostess’s chambers.”

Her hand tightens in mine. She doesn’t want to go anywhere near the Hostess’s private accommodations. After what she’s been subjected to throughout her stay at Hurst Manor, it’s warranted.

The Hostess has only ever meant danger. She’s been the source of the threats waged against Imani from the moment she arrived. Long before it actually, when she tasked Hurst and me to keep an eye on her.

But it’s the only way out. It’s how we’ll be escaping the club once and for all.

I’m prepared to do what I must. Including eliminating the Hostess and any other club member in the process.

Which is why I’m more than anticipating what happens as I unlock the door to her room. We file inside but don’t make it far before she speaks from the corner by the window. She steps out of the shadows, her hands folded in front of her. The eerie glow from the flickering candles highlight how unsettling she is in the pale, painted masked.

“Excellent. I’ve been wondering when you’d make it up here,” she says softly. “Now the final round can truly begin.”

31. Archer

Tell Me the Truth - Two Feet

The hedge maze and the grounds surrounding it, resemble a battlefield. I’ve moved carefully through in search of anyone remaining. They’re automatic threats to Imani’s survival, which means they have to be eliminated.