Page 118 of Dark Little Game

“You found the notes on the table just inside our front doors?” Rayne asks me.

“Yep. Sometime this afternoon, someone must have left them there. I don’t know if they walked in, or if it was someone in here. But that’s where they were.”

The guys all splinter off into their own groups again, and Weston makes sure to pull Rayne away from me as fast as he can.

That’s how it’s always been, but it feels markedly different now.

Westonalwayswanted Rayne close to him.

I’m only noticing it more now because now I’m addicted to everything about Rayne, too.

His touch, his presence, even the sound of his goddamn voice.

The secret that he clearly wrote about me.

After everything that happened, I’d forgotten about it.

But his words float through my mind again now, and work their way into my heart in a terrifying way.

He wrote that hewants to tell the one person he shouldn’ttell.There was no way Rayne would ever be willing to tell Weston our secret, right? There would be no world where that would be worth it to him.

I would never be important enough to risk ruining everything with Weston.

One thing that's clear is that I’ve failed to do the one thing I always try to do.

I’ve failed to keep Rayne outside my walls. And now, inevitably, he’s going to be hurt because of it.

You cannot fall for me, Rayne Colson.

There’s nothing good here.

You’ll lose your best friendship, and you’ll eventually realize the truth: that I’m damaged goods anyway.

I’m beginning to have a splitting headache.

I don’t want to be down here anymore.

I glance around, feeling more out of control than I have in a long time.

Roman’s cousin arrives soon and begins making the same checks we’ve all already made around the house. I notice the outline of a knife in his pocket, and I recognize it well. I know nothing about Roman’s family, but I get a sense they’re not all that different from the people I knew in London.

That isn’t my world anymore.

And right now, I need to clear my fucking head more than I need to look all around the house for more information that just doesn’texist.

I head up the stairs, trying to remain unseen by the rest of the guys.

But when I get up into the dark hallway, I realize that for the first time, Rayne had escaped my notice before I could escapehis.

He’s there.

Crossing the hall, going from our room into the bathroom.

And finally being alone with him up here feels like finding a pure, clear drink of water after being stranded in a desert.

“I hate that you go anywhere without me,” I let slip, wishing I could put the words back in my mouth.

“Came up to put my cape away. Now I just need to take a piss. I’m fine, Hunter.”