Chapter 72
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
“Piano Fingers found himself in a bit of a predicament.”
I glance up to see that Riley has grabbed a water bottle, and she downs the entire thing in one go. She has dirt and blood streaked across her forehead.
She sees me looking at it. “That’s kill what, seven? Hard to keep track when they’re coming at you like lemmings.”
I shake my head, turning to look at the counter. Riley is an interesting person. And by interesting, I mean, there’s a blank look in her eyes, and I’m curious from a professional standpoint what it came from. But I stop myself. I’m done diagnosing people who aren’t my clients.
“What, did Chair Girl lose her fire?”
Riley’s tone is condescending. She’s definitely trying to get a rise out of me, so I ignore her.
I saw Oakley and Wyatt disappear down the hall earlier, so I can picture what they’re up to.
The thought makes heat tingle through me.
I suspect Riley feels very little, and stirring up shit is one of the few ways she feels alive.
“Has Oakley talked to you?”
I just shrug.
“It’s just interesting, the dynamic you have. Given what he did.”
Riley is very focused on me now. I can almost hear the grin in her voice, and I almost groan. Cool, I’ve now made myself a challenge. And if Riley has what I suspect she has, it’s like dangling candy in front of a toddler.
Fuck me. So I turn to face her, trying to take some of my allure away. “What did he do?”
There’s a glitter of something in her eyes. “Oh, so he didn’t tell you?”
I just shrug. “He’s told me a lot of things.”
“Did he tell you why you’re here?”
I cross my arms. “Yeah, for the game.”
“No, did he tell you why you’re here?”
Warning bells start going off in my head.
Riley smiles now, like she can read my mind. “I didn’t think so.”
Oakley talked to me about how he wasn’t supposed to be here. About how he was tricked into coming here. He said he didn’t know why I was here.
“He’s been obsessed with you since day one.”
“Yeah, we’re Fourteen. We have the same number.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I brought a number too. I killed him.” She waits like she’s waiting for me to understand something.
My brain is moving in slow motion. Is she implying that Oakley wanted to kill me? I thought he did at first, but he’s never tried to.
“You know prey isn’t random, right?”
Slowly, what she’s trying to tell me sinks in.
Prey isn’t random. Hunters pick their prey. Oakley picked me.
Riley must see when the realization hits me ‘cause she grins widely, and immediately, I hate her for it. She’s just saying that to rile me up.
I shake my head. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Awww, don’t be butthurt. I just thought you deserved to know.”
“You’re lying.”
“Something I do very often. But considering how I sat next to him while he signed you up for the game, this time I’m not.” She shrugs and walks away.
I’m left staring after her, unsure how to feel. Oakley wouldn’t do that. Why in the hell would he do that? We didn’t know each other beforehand. This was all some big mistake.
And yet it keeps eating at me. Riley starts picking a fight with Sawyer, and I feel the need to get away. Need silence. Space to think. Space to prove her wrong.
Striding down the hall, I gasp when I almost bump into Kyan, who has Oakley pinned up against the wall.
“Sorry.” I keep going, but am yanked back by my arm.
“Going somewhere?” Kyan’s voice is a mixture of sultry and angry.
Angry? What the hell did I do?
I try to rip my arm from his grip and snap, “Let go.” I just need to get some space. I don’t want to be around them.
Kyan doesn’t let me. If anything, his grip tightens, and he pulls me back, pushing me right against Oakley. My skin burns, even though I know what Riley said can’t be true.
“Trying to run?”
“Yes, actually.” I try to push off the wall, but Kyan snaps his hand to my throat, pinning me there.
“You don’t get to leave.” The domination rolls off him in waves, his eyes demanding to see into my soul, demanding control.
It makes me want to buck up and fight him; the feeling of someone else taking control is unusual.
Also, it confuses me. Wasn’t Kyan the one trying to get us to leave the island? Now he wants us to stay?
Kyan’s watching me closely. “You have a problem with that?”
“Yes, I do,” I spit. “I thought you were getting us a boat.”
I feel Oakley stiffen beside me, and I hate it. Because a boat isn’t what I want right now. Or is it? Do I want to leave with them? What if Oakley really did bring me here?
“It’s on its way.” Kyan’s dark eyes bore into my soul.
That makes me pause. What? Didn’t he say we couldn’t leave? “We’re going home?”
Kyan’s voice drops. “Did I say you were going home?”