Chapter 27
Igripped Mase’s hand as we walked up the steps to the arena in Dallas. A banner over our heads flapped in the breeze—Elite Gaming presents CITADEL CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT.
Nervous excitement coursed through me, heightening my attention but also making me a little jittery. After the craziness this week at the game and the court hearing, my tournament almost felt anti-climactic.
He pulled me to a stop before we got to the guarded sets of double doors. “Don’t forget the plan. Play it safe, then take them out.”
I nodded. “I’ll have to make it to the championship first.”
“You will,” he said with utter confidence, then kissed my forehead.
The public display of affection was new for us, mostly because we weren’t often out together in public.
“One more thing…” He pulled a little velvet box out of his pocket. “I thought you might want to wear this when you kick their cheating asses.”
I gasped at the ring inside. A slim gold band with a big diamond flanked by sets of smaller diamonds. It sparkled in the morning sunlight, and I was afraid to put it on.
“Where did you get this? How did you get this? We’ve been going nonstop all week.”
“Reece owed me a favor.”
When I didn’t move, Mase slid the ring on my finger for me. Of course, it fit. I flopped my hand around to make sure it wouldn’t come off, then just stared at it for a second. Holy shit, this was real.
“I’ve never competed with a ring on before. This should be interesting.”
A camera clicked somewhere off to our left, but I wasn’t sure if they were photographing us or someone else in the steady stream of people entering the arena. Either way, it was a reminder we weren’t anonymous.
My fans knew I was here, and Mase was a star in college hockey. I didn’t want my mom to find out about the engagement of convenience until I talked to her, which I’d been putting off, but I wasn’t about to take off the ring. Belatedly, I realized I’d missed my window.
If I made it to the finals, they’d eventually show a close up of my hands as I played. Mom was watching the stream at home. Dammit. I told Mase as much, and he helpfully shrugged.
“I can hold on to the ring or you can take your chances. Knowing your mom, she’ll be thrilled even if she finds out from Elite Gaming rather than from you. Besides, I just gave it to you, when would you have had the chance to tell her before now.”
“That’s the problem. She’ll think it’s real.”
He rubbed my arm. “And no matter how you explain what we’re doing, she’s going to believe it’s real because she wants it to be.”
I groaned. “You’re right. No amount of reasoning is going to work once she sees this ring.”
“Right now, you need to focus on the competition. With all the times you’ve beaten me lately, this should be easy.”
I snorted out a laugh. “You are the gold standard of Citadel players.”
He wrapped me in a tight hug. “You don’t call me hot shot for nothing.”
I rested my head on his shoulder, content to stay there in a cocoon of warmth and security, but I knew I couldn’t. Mase would hold me as long as I needed. If I wanted to leave, he’d escort me home—but I wasn’t going to let hardship chase me away again.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I told him, backing away.
Mase and I showed our passes, and the guards let us through without a second glance.
Inside, there were hundreds of computers set up in rows with cubicle-like dividers separating them.
A stage loomed at the far end of the room where a large screen showed a blank leaderboard, waiting for the first round to fill with names.
I had no idea how much of the day was rigged.
We were supposed to play quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship matches with the pool of players getting smaller each round.
The game supported fifty players at a time with a random map and hundreds of character choices.
Knowing the maps ahead of time would guarantee the player entry into the championship as long as they didn’t run straight to the citadel.
Overt cheating would be noticed, but subtly choosing to be in the right place at the right time would get them the W.
There was nothing I could do about Valor cheating. Turning them in to Elite Gaming would only get me blacklisted from the tournament. I had the championship map, but I didn’t want to use it to win. Everything in me rejected the idea of using their cheating for my own benefit.
It was Mase who came up with our eventual plan.
I would play my normal strategies for the first rounds, then for the championship, assuming I made it, I would play strictly battle royale.
Whoever claimed the citadel won first place, but only if they did it before there was only one player standing.
I’d already seen the map and the location of the citadel, but if I chose not to claim it, I’d need to kill every other player instead.
That was what I planned to do. Win by my own merits or die trying.
I checked in at the registration desk, then searched the roster for the name I’d seen in Valor’s files—Eric Farrady, aka Farradilicious. He was in heat four; I was in two. From the bracket setup, it looked like we wouldn’t cross paths until the finals. Perfect.
Mase stayed by my side as I made my way to my assigned table, stopping on the way to chat with people who followed me or remembered me from years ago. Moment by moment, my jittery nerves solidified into confidence.
I knew these people. I knew this routine. This was my game, and I wouldn’t lose.
Several hours later, I adjusted my headset, mentally prepping for the finals.
I’d finished first in my quarterfinal and semifinal matches, locking in my spot for the championship.
Mase had been forced to go sit with the spectators since Elite Gaming wasn’t allowing any extra people on the competition floor.
I’d had two close calls in game, but no one had so much as glanced in my direction.
Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to my stalker or Mom’s attacker since we’d arrived. Mase was ostensibly here for my protection, but with everything else on my mind, the threat of attack had fallen far down the list of concerns.
There was always the chance they didn’t use the map I’d found. Eric Farrady had also made it to the finals, and until the level actually began, I had no proof anyone was cheating. They’d moved the fifty finalists to an area just in front of the stage, and I could see Eric a few seats down.
I couldn’t tell his height while he was sitting, but he looked like an average-sized guy wearing jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Sandy brown hair, slight overbite, pale complexion—Eric was basically the poster boy for basement dwelling gamer stereotypes.
None of that was important. His appearance couldn’t reveal if he’d been cheating all day, or if he planned to cheat in the last round. The best I could come up with was he looked tired, run down. Eric sat back with his eyes closed, still, and I almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
My gaze tracked farther left until I found Mase at the front of the crowd. He sat with his arms crossed, absolutely locked on to me. When our eyes met, he raised a brow and smirked. I could practically hear his voice in my head.
Show me what you got.
The buzzer sounded, warning players to get to their spots, and loud, flashy music began to play. I winked at him, then turned back to my computer. The announcer did his spiel, and I took a couple of deep breaths to center myself. Guard the citadel, kill Eric as soon as possible, finish the game.
My screen flashed and a countdown began, telling me to choose my character. Instead of one of my usual mid-range characters, I went aggressive. I needed maximum firepower in a short time frame. The choice would make defending myself harder, but I knew how to handle a glass cannon.
I locked in, and as the time dropped to zero, I got my first look at the map. The same one I had hidden in my bedside table at home. Cheating confirmed. Time to start hunting.
Since I knew the location of the citadel—and more importantly, I knew Eric knew the location of the citadel—it wasn’t hard to find him.
I snagged a sniper rifle with an 8x scope and positioned myself on an overhang between a couple of boulders.
My character’s skill boosted my ranged damage, and I chose a bonus skill with a ping that allowed me to pinpoint other players within a certain distance.
Eric didn’t make me wait long. Guess he really was tired of playing because he made a beeline for the citadel. His path brought him right into my line of sight. I triggered both my special abilities, made sure I wasn’t about to be ambushed, then fired four shots into Eric’s head.
The first two hit a shield, the third broke it, and with the help of my bonus, the last took him out. He wouldn’t be winning Valor any money today.