Page 123 of Stripping Bare

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It all madesuch horrible sense to her now. Keith felt as if she’d somehow betrayed him by being unable to purge his guilt about killing his brother. Going after her clients was a way to discredit her, and he wanted to devastate Jonah as he’d been devastated. When a person was unwilling to accept blame—even if his transgression was an accident—the mind demanded that he hold someoneaccountable.

That’s what she and Jonah were for Keith. Consciencecleansers.

Now all she had to do was figure out how to keep them both alive. This time, she wasn’t in danger by herself. It was two against one, and those were odds she liked. Except Keith wasn’t wearing sensors, and he had agun.

“Benery, why don’t you take Tessa’s controllers and goggles?” Jonah taunted. “We can play this out where you have all the power, all thecontrol.”

At first, Keith shook his head, a vague movement. Then his focus shifted to where Tessa’s gauntlets lay on the ground. “You’re right. I have the realweapon.”

His laugh was low and secretive, as if he were sharing a joke with only himself. He yanked the goggles off Tessa’s head, and she felt as if she could breathe again for the first time since he’d forced her to put them on. Besides, she could now clearly see the other player was Jonah, the man she’d believed she loved andtrusted.

She still loved him, but could she trust him after what he’ddone?

“Tell you what,” Keith said to Jonah, “I’ll even give you a head start. Let’s see how long you can rabbit around these woods before I killyou.”

“What proof do I have that you won’t hurt Tessa once I’m out ofsight?”

“None.”

“Then no head start. You let Tessa walk away from here, and I’ll stand still and let you put a bullet directly through myheart.”

Tessa pressed a hand against her chest to keep her heart from pushing its way past her ribcage. What was Jonahthinking?

“What fun is that?” Keith’s tone wassulky.

“You can’t have it both ways,Benery.”

“Fine. I won’t hurt her until after I catchyou.”

“Tessa, do you know where my mom is? Is sheokay?”

“Yes,but—”

“Go to her and staythere.”

“Please don’t do this,” shepleaded.

He shoved his goggles to his forehead and stared at her, his face rigid with determination and desperation. “I don’t think you’re a helpless victim. But I need to handle this. Do you trustme?”

“I trust that you think you know what you’re doing,” she said carefully, but by the way his body stiffened it was clear he’d heard what she hadn’t said. That she wasn’t sure if she trustedhim.

“That’s more than I deserve.” Before she could respond, he sprinted away and the trees swallowed himup.

The last timehe’d left Tessa to go for help, it had risked both their lives. Jonah prayed to every god he could think of that he hadn’t just made the same mistake again. Maybe he should’ve just risked it, grabbed Tessa and run like hell, hoping Benery’s aim wasn’t thatgood.

But all he could picture was Tessa being shot in the back and falling to the ground. Curling in a fetal position never to get upagain.

That night ten years ago, when Harrison Shaw and his entourage of rich boys had lured Jonah to a white bedroom door in Shaw’s house, it had opened to reveal Tessa drawn in on herself, lying broken on abed.

“Game’s on, Steele,” Shaw said, a smug smile on his face. “But you gotta get your ass inhere.”

Jonah forced himself to take the steps. Once he made it through the doorway into the brightly lit room, the other guys parted so he could see thebed.

Oh fuck, oh fuck, ohfuck.

Arms limp over her head and legs dangling off the side of the mattress, the girl was sprawled out on the bed like a doll a kid had carelessly tossed aside. But that was where the resemblanceended.