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“And what if I had a cock?” I push him because right now my pussy has come to life and I really don’t want to think about how long it’s been since that happened.

He grabs my pussy with his free hand and backs me up against a wall. “Hmm, you’ve got no cock, so I guess we won’t have to find out. It’s probably safer for you not to push me, but if you want to ride my cock while I cover you in pretty bruises that match your tattoos, fine.”

I scoff, and he laughs. “Don’t think I can’t smell your arousal—it’s practically leaking from you. If I move my hand like this . . .” He glides his palm up and slips it down inside the front of my jeans, dipping beneath my thong. Then he smiles without breaking eye contact. “Wet, just like I knew you would be. Does fear turn you on, Kayla? Does the thought of a monster catching you do it for you?”

“You’re not a monster. Vero has told me how much you care about him.”

He pushes his fingers inside me, hard and rough, with no warning. “Don’t ever think anyone else in this world could make me care. He is my only one in this lifetime, and I will follow him into the next. You’re just like everyone else to me: disposable.”

He draws his fingers out and pushes back in, and with each pump, my body falls into his. There must be something wrong with me because inside, I swoon over how much this man loves Vero, almost feeling guilty for wanting to get to know him better. Brawley removes his fingers as I moan, then, with no warning, his fingers are in my mouth. I close my lips around them and suck, tasting myself.

He slowly pulls his fingers out and lets my face go, then steps back. “Don’t keep him waiting.”

On shaky legs, I move toward the door and step through. This room is almost like a prison; actors behind bars reach their arms out and beg for me to help them. It feels so fucking real. I move faster, needing to get out of here. When I reach the exit, I step out into another hallway, but I’m positive it’s not the same one I came through. There is a man standing at the end of the hall in a glow mask, and for the first time, I notice he is wearing a wristband like mine, flashing yellow. This has to be Ares; he is the only one I haven’t come up against yet.

I walk closer to him, heart pounding, and wait to see what he does.

But he doesn’t do anything.

As I move past him, the air shifts, and his heat is now right behind me. When I turn to look over my shoulder, he is following me a couple paces back. With every step, I wait to see what he plans to do; the anticipation is killing me.

The overhead speakers crackle to life, and Vero’s voice is back. “We are going on a Vero hunt, and she’s not scared.”

He repeats the line over and over.

I turn in a circle and look up at the ceiling, though I can’t see much of anything in the gloom. I can’t find where the voice is coming from, and I wonder if it’s not just in my head. After a few spins, the footsteps behind me get closer, and I’m pushed sideways. I stumble into a pitch-black room, and the door slams shut behind me. My wristband is still cycling through its three glowing colors, but the meager light isn’t strong enough to illuminate anything more than a few inches past my arm.

Body heat appears at my back out of nowhere—someone is behind me. Then something cold touches the back of my neck, and I scream loud enough it bounces back at me off all four walls.

A hand clamps over my mouth. “Shhh,” Vero whispers against my ear, breathing fast. “Are you going to scream again?”

I shake my head. He spins me around to face him as the light above us comes on, his hand lingering on the switch cord.

His eyes are too bright, pupils blown wide. Vero looks like he has been running on pure adrenaline for the last twenty minutes and hasn’t figured out how to stop.

“Most people break in the first hallway. The Jason thing gets them every time—it’s very effective. I picked the biggest guy we have for Jason, and his name is Gerald, by the way. Lovely man—breeds rabbits.” He stops, tilts his head, and looks at me like he’s only just seeing me properly. “You’re shaking.”

“I am not.”

“You are a little.”

“Vero.”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up,” I say.

Then I kiss him.

Chapter Eight

Vero

Kayla smashes her lips to mine, and I use the distraction to slip the handcuff around her wrist, so for the rest of the chase we are locked together. Why? Because she is not the only one who needs a little excitement in her life, and Clay is a loose cannon. This way, if he gets close to her, he has to get past me as well. The logic made sense when I came up with it.

My other incentive is Brawley. He can’t get in here, but I know he will be watching—he always is. When we take part in chases, he is with me when the fucking happens. I planned to chase Kayla outside, but the second her lips touched mine, I knew I would not make it out of this room. Brawley will come down here and beat down the door, then he will want to punish me. That thought makes me wild. Poor Kayla is now collateral damage, but something tells me she is going to love every second. I just hope she can run.

I pull back from the kiss and move my lips down her jawline to her neck. I really didn’t think through the handcuffing. It limits being able to fuck her from behind, and I really, really want to see the globes of her ass bent over for me, and that teasing sliver of pussy. But I’m a resourceful guy, so I move us toward the single chair in the room, and right now I’m grateful my last one broke. Since I just have a piece of shit metal one with no arms, when we get close enough, I pull back and fall down onto the chair, and Kayla comes with me, her arm being attached to mine.