Chapter 8
TORIN
The bruising on Ace’s face had faded enough that our makeup artists could completely cover it with concealer, and that irritated me.
We’d had a whole week and a half of seeing him walk around the house with a face like a storm cloud, though, so I guess that was better than nothing.
I was mostly pissed that I wasn’t home when Minnie decked him the first time.
I’d witnessed the second, though, after Min saw the fingerprint bruises on Noah.
Safe to say, I never wanted to be on the receiving end of Minho Park’s anger.
“This is a terrible idea,” I muttered to Skye as we followed our team—-minus Noah—-into our assigned bunk rooms at Camp Beaver. “How the hell is this going to work? Noah can’t—-”
“Noah can and will be just fine, Tor,” Skye replied with an eye roll. “He’s managed in our house this long. Why would this be any different?”
I swallowed hard, biting my tongue. Even remembering to call Noah he was grating on my nerves after spending so much time with her since the attack.
“Seriously?” I hissed. “Look around.” I gestured to the tiny cabin filled with four sets of bunk beds.
“Sharing a room with you is vastly different from sharing a dorm with all of us.”
Skye shrugged, totally unconcerned. “Why? Just don’t go making out in the top bunk or telling anyone, and no one will notice.”
I huffed a sigh, not responding to that because I wanted to make out with Noah so badly.
We’d kissed once. Just once. Because immediately afterward, I realized what a shithead I was being in taking advantage of her confused, drugged state, and then I spent days battling guilt over that impulsive decision.
So while I was flirting heavily, I hadn’t kissed her again.
I wanted her to kiss me…but so far it hadn’t happened.
Fuck. Why did I feel like I was in high school again? Getting all worked up over kissing when previously I’d skipped that part entirely.
“What time is she meant to arrive, anyway?” I murmured, looking over at the doorway as though Noah would show up just because I was thinking about her.
“He,” Skye corrected, “will be here soon. I dunno when and can’t exactly text to ask how far off he is.”
Right. Of course. Because we all had to hand in our phones to the Clik Games execs on arrival at Camp Beaver. This was going to be a long week, but I guess that’s what the producers were banking on. Take the internet away from a bunch of career influencers and watch them go slowly insane.
“Have you two chosen your beds?” Ace asked us with a face like a smacked ass. I’d have thought his mood might have improved when Noah agreed to stay on the team—-and keep her secret a secret—-but, if anything, he’d been worse since that meeting at Olympus Corp.
Skye didn’t answer, going so far as to walk straight past Ace like he didn’t even exist, and I blew out a long sigh.
“Yeah, this’ll do.” I gestured to the lower bunk I’d just placed my duffel onto.
Skye had dropped his stuff onto the one opposite and was in the process of tossing Noah’s pillow onto the bunk above.
Ace glowered at our usually laid--back Aussie brother like he wanted to pick a fight just to clear the air. That wasn’t his style, though, nor was it Skye’s. Something had to give sooner or later. Ideally sooner, since we would need to actually work as a team for this week at Camp Beaver.
“I think it’d be better if we swapped Noah and Xavier for this week,” Ace said with a pinched expression, glancing between the two top bunks.
Skye snorted and extended his middle finger. “I think you should eat a dick, Boss. Noah needs as much distance from you as possible, and if that means keeping me and Torin quite literally between the two of you, then so be it.”
Ace flinched like he’d been slapped, but to my surprise he just jerked a nod and walked away from us, leaving Skye glaring daggers at his back.
“That was…” I started to say, but then shrugged. “Honestly, probably necessary. I thought he would have chilled out after making us sign those fucking NDAs, but it’s like he’s gotten worse.”
“I think something happened,” Skye muttered with dark fury. “Something more than Noah told us.”
My brows shot up in alarm as I glanced around to check no one was close enough to listen in on our conversation.
Minho and Augie were heading our way, but regardless of what document Ace had made me sign, I didn’t actually care if they overheard.
Noah had been clear that she wanted to tell Minnie, at very least, so would it really be the worst thing if he figured it out for himself?
Then again, him not knowing gave me an unfair advantage, and I never was one for playing fair.
So with frustration, I bit my tongue and made a mental note to ask Skye what he meant about that later.
If something more had happened with Ace…
Yeah, I guess I could see why Skye was being so aggressively protective of her.
“This is cute,” Augie commented with heavy sarcasm when he reached us, glancing around the four sets of bunks assigned to our team. “Cozy. Sure would suck if our team wasn’t getting along right now.”
“Sucks more for mixed teams,” Minho offered with a small shrug. “Did you guys steal all the bottom bunks already?”
I shot him a grin, taking Augie’s bag from him and tossing it up onto the bed above mine. “Z hasn’t arrived yet. You could take that one.” I gestured to the one vacant lower bunk beside Skye’s.
Minho glanced around at our belongings, then gave a small nod and claimed the upper bunk instead. “Nah, I’m cool here. Z rolls around too much when he sleeps, he’d probably fall out and wake everyone up.”
Irritation flickered through me, realizing too late that he would now be head--to--head with Noah’s bed. On the one hand, it was good that he’d worked that out before Ace had. On the other, I was pissed that I hadn’t clocked it first.
“Well, this is going to be fun.”
The achingly familiar husky voice made me startle, and I whipped my head toward the door with what was undoubtedly the dopiest lovestruck smile imaginable. Noah was here.
Minho beat me to her, sweeping her up in a hug that made my chest tighten with jealousy.
He kept it PG--13, but knowing what I knew—-what I’d seen that night in the living room—-things had gone way past PG--13 between them already.
And Minho didn’t even know. God help me when he found out.
Had I not already fallen so hard for Noah, I’d never in a million years try to compete with Minho Park.
“You put me on the top bunk?” Noah complained when she saw where Skye had placed her pillow. “Asshole.”
“Whatever, you’re smaller than me,” Skye shot back with a grin. “More agile. Bunk ladders are hard to navigate.”
“I can swap with you,” I offered quickly, moving to grab my bag, but Noah waved me off.
“Nah, I’m fine on a top bunk,” she assured me with a soft smile. “Thanks, though.”
Skye huffed a sound, glaring at Ace’s bottom bunk beside mine. “Top seems safer, too,” he muttered cryptically. Did he think Ace would hurt her again? Surely not. Noah insisted those bruises on her neck looked worse than they actually were, but maybe she was lying. Or downplaying it?
I hated that I was questioning him now after all the time we’d spent as a team. All the trust he’d built as our leader seemed hollow.
“Any ideas what we’re supposed to do tonight?
” Noah asked as Skye took her bag for her.
She was dressed in hugely oversized clothes—-her branded turquoise NoFear hoodie setting off her eyes beautifully—-but I worried about whether she was wearing that horrible chest binder.
Her doctor had said not to use it until her ribs healed, but I was also aware she rarely did what she was told.
“Dinner is being served in the communal hall,” August said, reading off the information sheet we’d been given, “and then there’s a bonfire beside the lake. Sounds dangerous.”
Noah shivered, and Minho draped his arm over her shoulders, hugging her into his side just like he would if she were his girlfriend. Had he maybe already worked it out?
“Ah, I didn’t mean the lake sounded dangerous,” Augie corrected, clearly noticing Noah’s reaction.
“I meant the bonfire is likely going to have drinks and cameras everywhere. With such a long gap after stage one in the Game, they’ll be looking for major Cliks for this next part, and that means orchestrating some scandal. ”
Noah flashed him a quick smile even as she leaned into Minho’s embrace comfortably. “No, I know. I just… Well, don’t be shocked if I won’t go within fifty feet of the lake.” She gave a small laugh, but it totally lacked humor. She was traumatized and had every damn reason to be.
Ace reappeared with Xavier and Z, the three of them dropping off their belongings, and Skye gestured for us to exit the cabin.
“Hey, Rocky.” Z greeted Noah with a grin, oblivious to the tension that’d just ramped up inside the cabin with everyone’s arrival. He dumped his bag and grabbed Noah in a hug. “You’re back! How are you feeling? No brain damage from dying six times?”
“Wow,” I drawled, shaking my head in disbelief. “Subtle, Z. Real subtle.”
Noah seemed amused, though, shaking her head with a laugh. “Not this time,” she replied. “At least not that I have noticed. I’d bet Ace lost more brain cells than me in that whole situation.”
Z snort--laughed. “No arguments there from any of us. He’s been in a foul mood since the attack, but hey, you’re back now! So we’re good again. Right?” That last question was sharply pointed in Ace’s direction, and I realized the easygoing smile was only surface deep.
“Right,” Ace agreed with a tense grunt.
Xavier just squinted at his best friend with suspicion before sliding his gaze to Noah. He’d been weirdly quiet on the subject of our eighth team member since the attack, and part of me wondered what was going on in his head. Had Ace told him anything about that night?
“Mm--hmm,” Noah hummed with a forced smile. “All good.”
“Lucky Tor had done his CPR training so recently,” Z continued, turning his back on Ace and Xavier as he grinned at me. “If he hadn’t been so quick—-”
“Bro, shut up,” Skye interrupted, shaking his head. “Noah doesn’t need to be reminded how close he came to dying again. We were going to look around camp. You coming?” He gave Z a firm push toward the exit, making it clear that we were done with the awkward little team reunion, thank fuck.
Noah started to follow, but Ace reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Noah, can we speak?”
I stepped forward, ready to deck him for putting his hands on her again, but Minnie put his hand out to stop me. The unspoken message was clear, that she could handle herself, but my fists clenched at my sides nonetheless, itching to teach our team leader a lesson in manners.
Minho’s instinct was right, though. Noah jerked her wrist out of Ace’s grip like he’d zapped her and shook her head. “Nope, I think you said everything you needed to say the other day.”
I expected Ace to argue or insist she do as he wanted, but instead his shoulders drooped a little and his head dipped.
He said nothing as Noah continued out of the cabin.
Minho followed, giving Ace a hard glare on the way past. When Augie and I exited, I couldn’t help but shoulder--check Ace as I passed.
“Oops, sorry,” I said with heavy sarcasm, but instead of taking it, I found myself slammed against the wall beside the door, Ace’s fist gripping the front of my shirt.
“Careful, Torin,” he growled. “Don’t test me.”
There was a time not so long ago when I would have been sufficiently cowed by Ace’s dominance, but that time had passed.
Not after seeing his fingerprint marks on Noah’s throat and the bone--deep sadness in her eyes when she mentioned our leader.
He’d broken her trust—-because regardless of the secrets, she trusted him with her safety like we all did—-and that was irredeemable in my eyes.
“It’s you who needs to be careful, Boss,” I snapped back, refusing to back down to his anger. “Your team is in tatters, and this is not the way to mend it. You’ll need a hell of a lot more than some forced contracts to fix what you broke, and you know it.”
Something shifted in his expression, making him seem stricken and tortured as he stared back at me from just a foot away. “So help me, Tor,” he said with desperation. “Help me make this team whole again.”
Confusion shook me. Was he being serious right now?
Did he not understand that this rift was because of him, not Noah?
I wet my lips, pushing him away. “Only you can fix what you broke, Ace. But I’d start with a heartfelt apology, if I were you.
Then again, you’d have to actually be sorry, and I don’t think you are. ”
He stepped back, still holding eye contact with a strange look on his face. Then his jaw clenched and he jerked a nod. “I guess I’m not.” He swiped a hand over his white--blond hair, then stalked out of the cabin like he had the weight of the world sitting on his back.
“What,” Xavier drawled from where he stood leaning against his bunk, “was that all about?”
I arched a brow, a little startled because I’d forgotten he was even there.
“If you don’t already know, then you don’t need to know.
” Which was a stupid thing to say because Xavier was the kind of guy who loved to know everything about everyone.
Before I could make it worse, I forced a weak laugh and shrugged.
“Just a stupid disagreement. You coming to dinner?”
“Sure am,” he murmured with a suspicious smile on his lips, gesturing for me to head out before him.
Bastard was undoubtedly going to grill Ace about this later, but I was confident he wouldn’t get any answers.
For whatever reason, Ace seemed just as invested in protecting Noah’s true identity as Skye and I were.
But it raised the question: Why?