21. Maverick
Maverick
I trudged upstairs, occasionally glancing behind me to check out the others. Hudson was walking alone, face set in a stony expression, and Jasmine and Kiara were lingering a little farther back, whispering to each other as they walked. Courteney was several feet behind them, hands stuck in her pockets and face etched with a gloomy expression.
As for Carey and her friends, the four of them had hung back in the passage downstairs to huddle together for a discussion. I wanted to stay back and join them, but I knew I wasn’t welcome. Not while Carey and I were pretending there was nothing going on between us.
I cast another look over my shoulder, eyes narrowing as they fell on Jasmine and Kiara again. What the hell were they whispering about, and why had they frozen me out all of a sudden? Did they simply want some girl time together, or did they suspect something about me and Carey?
Or worse…. were they somehow linked to these crazy games, and I simply hadn’t noticed their suspicious behavior until now? Had either of them said or done anything strange recently? Dropped any information that could point to one of them being the Game Master?
I rubbed my temples, straining to recall every interaction I’d had with either of the girls over the last few days. I came up blank, and the myriad questions on my mind remained unanswered.
Fuck. It was so hard to think right now.
Part of it was due to the constant dread that stemmed from being in this place. The rest was because of Carey. I knew I should be thinking of ways to unmask the Game Master and escape this fucking hellhole, but no matter how hard I tried, my mind always floated right back to her. Her face, her body, her kisses. Her moans. That look on her face when she came… Jesus. I needed more. Needed her so fucking badly.
I went to my bedroom and hung out by the door until I heard Carey and her friends return to the hall and enter their respective rooms. I waited a few minutes to be safe. Then I quietly stepped out and made my way to Carey’s room.
She answered on my third tap. “Hey,” she said, eyes widening. “Shouldn’t you be in your room?”
I raised a brow. “Not happy to see me?”
“Of course I am.” Her cheeks were rapidly turning pink. “I just meant… the curfew. I don’t want you to g—”
I smirked and pressed a finger to her lips. “I know. I was kidding. But I don’t think the curfew matters tonight. Not after the Game Master broke it by dragging us all out at midnight for that fucked up game.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Carey replied. Her shoulders sagged, and she slowly shook her head. “God, I still can’t believe three of us are gone now.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy. Almost doesn’t feel real.” I dipped my chin toward the room behind her. “You gonna invite me in?”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” She stepped aside. “Did anyone see you come down here?”
“Nope. I was careful.”
“Good,” she said. A wry smile played on her lips as she perched on the end of the bed. “The last thing we need is everyone thinking we’re working together as co-Game Masters, even though we both know we’re not.”
I grinned as I sat next to her. “You said that so easily.”
“Said what?”
“That we both know we’re not the Game Masters,” I said. I reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. “What you’re really saying is that you totally trust me.”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” she said softly. Her cheeks had turned a deeper shade of pink. “Maybe that makes me the biggest idiot on the planet, after everything that’s happened between us, but… it’s true. I really trust you.”
“You won’t regret it.” I squeezed her hand again. “And for the record, I trust you too. I’m gonna do everything I can to figure out who’s behind this shit and keep you safe.”
“I know.” She leaned over and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Speaking of figuring this shit out, I have a new theory about the Game Master,” I said.
“I have one to tell you too. But you can go first,” she replied, tilting her head.
“Well, I’ve been wondering if there’s more than one Game Master. I’m also wondering if it’s Jasmine and Kiara working together.”
Carey frowned. “Really? Both of them?”
“Yeah. I keep seeing them whispering to each other, and they totally iced me out tonight. It made me wonder if they’re up to something.” I rubbed my chin and shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m imagining shit. Maybe they just wanted some girl time, or whatever.”
“I don’t think it’s your imagination. April, Brooke, Zach, and I were actually talking about Kiara earlier,” Carey said. “She’s our main suspect right now.”
“Why?”
She briefly ran me through the theory that her group had devised about Kiara’s possible involvement in the nightmarish games; an attention-grabbing scheme she could’ve cooked up with a ruthless social media team to cement her status as the world’s most famous influencer.
“We didn’t suspect Jasmine,” she said, shaking her head. “But I guess it’s possible that Kiara’s been getting help from her.”
“Maybe she’s planning to betray her at some point, so she can be the only survivor like you guys figured. You know… two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Carey scratched the back of her neck. “Anyway, I know we have no proof about any of this, but I still think it’s the best theory we’ve managed to come up with so far. It explains why we’re all here without it being a revenge scheme.”
“True. It’s fucked up, though. If she really wants all of us to die, I mean.”
“Yeah. It’s horrible.” A sudden jolt shook Carey’s body, and she rubbed her forearms, inhaling deeply. “Brooke and April are terrified of dying here. Zach is too. He doesn’t want to admit it, because he’s trying to act all brave and masculine, but I can tell.”
“Honestly, I’m scared too,” I admitted, rubbing her shoulder. “I’m scared something will happen to you. Something I can’t protect you from.”
“Me too,” she murmured. She took another deep breath. “I keep thinking I’m going to lose you even though I only just found you.”
“We can stop it.” I paused and rubbed my forehead, jaw clenching hard. “We just need to find some proof that we’re right about Kiara and Jasmine. If they’re really behind all this shit, the rest of us can easily overpower the two of them.”
“And then what?” she asked. “We tie them up and keep them as hostages until their minions are forced to release us?”
“I don’t know.” I rubbed my head again, brows dipping in a frown. “I haven’t thought it all the way through yet. But speaking of minions, the Game Master definitely has outside help, right?”
“I’d say so, yeah.”
“It’s just way too much for one or two people to set all this shit up,” I continued. “Also, someone is out there watching the games on the cameras, monitoring everything else that happens, making the announcements, and sending the texts. It can’t be someone in the player group, because we’d see them doing it.”
“Exactly. Whoever planned this whole scheme must be getting a lot of help, and that means they have access to a ton of money and manpower. That’s something Kiara and Jasmine both have, given their backgrounds.” Carey tilted her head slightly to the side. “But how can we find the proof we need to catch them out? It’s not like we can search their bedrooms without them noticing.”
“There could be evidence in other places. I think we should take advantage of the lack of curfew tonight. Go and explore.”
Carey’s nose wrinkled. “But we already tried exploring the other day, and we didn’t find anything, unless you count all the mics and cameras Rhys found.”
“I know, but other hallways have been unsealed now, remember? So there’s a lot more for us to look at.”
Her brows shot up. “True. I didn’t even think of that.”
“There’s something else too,” I said, sitting up straighter. “There’s always been rumors floating around Babylon about secret passages somewhere on campus, and those buildings are all the same as Icarus Hall. Catch my drift?”
“You think there’s secret passages here?”
I nodded. “I think there could be. The Game Master is getting around this place without the rest of us seeing or hearing anything, right?” I said. “That makes me think there could be passages or tunnels behind the walls or under the floors. Maybe even both. If I’m right, and we can actually find one of these hidden passage entrances, we might be able to find the main control room and get all the proof we need.”
Carey shrugged, lips pressing into a flat line. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re just moving around the mansion when we’re stuck in our bedrooms. That would explain the curfew.”
“Maybe. But I think they’re getting around at other times too, when we’re all awake. That’s how the drawing room keeps getting filled with freshly cooked food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” I hesitated, raising my brows. “Also, the drawing room door is always locked between meals. But if the food is only getting restocked while we’re stuck in our rooms, why would they even bother keeping that door closed and locked?”
“Just in case someone happens to break the curfew. They don’t want to be seen going in and out of the room.”
“But they know everyone’s too scared to break the curfew, because they made it clear we’d be punished for that. So it’s not like any of us are going to wander down to the drawing room at four in the morning and catch them bringing in coffee and croissants.”
“True.”
“Also, how exactly is that door getting unlocked and opened three times a day to let us in for meals? It’s not magic, and we can see there’s no automated locking mechanism on it, so it can’t be controlled from elsewhere in the building,” I went on. “I think someone is getting in there through another hidden doorway and serving up the food before they unlock the main door from the inside. If they were unlocking it from the outside, we’d probably hear their footsteps down in the foyer, right? When we’re awake, that is.”
“True. I’ve never heard a peep from the foyer.” Carey’s brows knitted. “But back to your earlier point… why bother closing the door and locking it between meals if they’re not actually afraid of us seeing them going in and out?”
“I think they keep it closed between meals to make sure we don’t spend too much time poking around in there,” I replied. “Because if we did, we might find the passage entrance. If it actually exists, that is.”
Carey frowned and looked over at the wall, lips twisting.
“Look, I know this secret passage shit probably sounds crazy,” I said. “But I really think there could be something here.”
“I don’t think it’s crazy. I think you might be right,” Carey finally said, looking back at me. “I never really thought about any of this stuff before, but it is pretty weird. So I guess there could be an access point to a network of passages in that room. One that allows the Game Master and their minions to restock the drawing room, unlock the door without us seeing or hearing them, and creep around the rest of the building to set everything up.”
“Yup. That’s exactly what I think.”
Carey’s eyes narrowed with concentration. “You know, this also means that there might be hidden access points in other parts of the house.”
“Ones we can try to find now that some of the halls have opened up,” I said, nodding. “They didn’t re-seal any of those entryways, so we could go down there and look right now.”
Carey’s shoulders sagged. “Maybe they didn’t seal them back up because there’s nothing there for us to find. Nothing but more locked doors.”
“It’s worth looking, though. Right?”
She nodded, face brightening a bit. “Yeah. Anything that gives us a snowball’s chance in hell of getting out of this crazy place.”
She was clearly trying to sound nonchalant, but I could tell from the slight hitch in her voice that she was secretly terrified of dying here.
“Carey.” My voice softened, and I rubbed her arm. “I meant it when I said I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“But what if something happens to you?” Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. “I meant what I said earlier too. I only just found you. I can’t lose you now.”
I wrapped her in my arms and held her close to my chest, one hand rubbing her hair. “Not gonna happen. I promise.”
“How can you promise that when we have no idea what’s coming next?” she asked in a ragged murmur.
I didn’t know how to answer that question, so I stayed silent and stroked her hair until her breaths started to come slower and deeper.
She suddenly pulled back and wiped her face. “Sorry. I’m totally freaking out,” she muttered.
She was obviously embarrassed about the raw vulnerability she’d just shown me, but I didn’t think it was anything to be ashamed of. I liked it. Loved it. I wanted her to keep opening up to me, tell me every feeling and thought on her mind.
“Don’t apologize.” I took her hand and softly stroked her palm with my thumb. “You can say anything you want to me. Anytime.”
“Thanks.” She sniffed and sat up straight. “Let’s go and explore. Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Let’s go.”
We headed downstairs and meticulously checked every inch of the first hallway that the Game Master had unsealed. Gaming rooms 1 and 2 were still unlocked, but every other door in the hall was locked. After unfruitfully examining the two rooms, I rapped on all the wooden panels lining the hallway to check for any echoes that could suggest a hollow spot. Unfortunately, I came up empty every time. Carey busied herself looking behind the paintings hanging on the walls above the paneling, but she didn’t find any hidden openings either.
“Should we try the old dining hall now?” she said, giving me a doleful look. “There’s nothing here.”
“Yeah. The dining hall is a good idea. We should’ve gone there first.”
“Yeah, we really should’ve,” Carey said. “I totally forgot about all those alcoves in the maze until now. Some of them were in the outer walls, so they could be connected to passages, right?”
Unfortunately, that theory didn’t pan out either. We were about to head down to the basement-level passage to check there instead when our phones vibrated in our pockets. With my heart pounding, I pulled mine out and scanned the screen. It was a message from the Game Master.
Maverick Reinhart, you are out of bounds during sleeping hours. Consequences will follow. Please return to your room promptly or face further consequences.
“Shit.” I jerked my head up to look at Carey and tilted my screen to face her. “You got this too?”
Her eyes were wide and fearful. “Yeah. I guess the curfew was still in effect.”
“It’s my fault. I assumed it wasn’t and I convin—”
“Maverick, it’s fine,” she said hurriedly. “We both made the decision to risk leaving our rooms. Let’s just head back now so we don’t make things even worse.”
We hurried up the stairs, and I walked Carey to her door and quickly kissed her goodnight. Just as I turned on my heel to leave, my phone vibrated again.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I opened the message, expecting another threat from the Game Master. Instead, it was a set of files including two photos and a video. I could see at the very top of the message that the same files had been sent to every other person in the player group as well.
Everyone except Carey.
“What is it?” she asked, eyes widening again.
I reluctantly turned my screen to face her. “Judging by the mugshots, I’m guessing it’s something to do with the night you were arrested.”
She groaned and rubbed the side of her head. “Shit. That video. I think I know what it is.”
“What?”
“It’s probably the CCTV from the station when the cops brought me in. I was fucked up from the drugs, so I was screaming like a maniac and trying to fight them.” She paused and let out a sigh. “It doesn’t exactly make me look… stable.”
“Wasn’t that stuff supposed to be erased when your charges were dropped?”
Carey shrugged gloomily. “I’m not sure. But either way, the Game Master got their dirty hands on it, so I guess this is my so-called consequence. Everyone in the group is going to see that video of me acting totally unhinged.”
“So what? Everyone already knows you were arrested that night.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t see it, did they?” she replied, shaking her head. “Once they see me acting like that, they’ll probably trust me a hell of a lot less than they did before. That could lower my chances of surviving the next few games, because the others might be less willing to work with me. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I get it.” I gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “But I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“I think it could. But it’s okay.” She pasted on a brave half-smile. “At least the consequence wasn’t death, huh?”
“That’s true.”
“I wonder what yours is going to be. I didn’t get any—” Carey stopped abruptly as her phone vibrated. She looked down at her screen for a painfully long moment, brows dipping in a frown. Then her eyes widened, and her next words emerged in a choked murmur. “Oh my god.”