Archer snickers. “We heard that. The camera in your room picked up the audio.”
My cheeks turn pink. “Yeah, well. It was all I could come up with at the time. Back in my room, he sat with me for a bit, and then I excused myself to the bathroom.”
“And that’s how the phone ended up in the tampon box.” Archer huffs out a groan. “We’ve come full circle.”
Scared of what they’re going to suggest, I clench my teeth. “So, what do we do now?”
“Wait and watch. Study everyone,” Kingston shrugs.
Cannon points two fingers at his eyes. He’ll be watching, too.
Archer murmurs, “I’ll double down on looking through old camera footage.”
“And what do I do?” I ask, sounding bolder than I feel.
Kingston shakes his head. “We do our best to protect you from assholes. And you fuckin’ finish this initiation.”
TWENTY-TWO
ELLIOT
I’ve been mentally preparingmyself for the fourth game, but I’m guessing there’s no way I’ll ever be ready for the reality of it. We pull off the road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I hazard a glance at Archer, who sits in the back of the SUV with me, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t look nervous. His hands are fidgety, and he keeps glancing at me, then out the window toward the woods. It’s making me anxious for what lies in store for me out there.
It’s kinda shitty that we have to go and blow things up again with brotherhood business. Things among the four of us have been good since we talked things out—we’d attended classes Friday with no issues, and after so much tumultuous craziness, the brotherhood has been dead quiet. No one has tried anything, nor have they so much as breathed in my direction. I can only assume everyone was told to back the fuck off. But that can only last so long with all of us living in one house. We are like a powder keg with an already-lit fuse. It’s only a matter of time before we explode.
And it’s simply impossible to view us as a true brotherhood when there’s a contingency of brothers who are determined to be a thorn in our sides, which is why we’d agreed to keep an eye on Alec, Stuart, and Joel. There’s no doubt in my mind they’re simply biding their time before they act again.
The unfortunate truth, though, is that while they are the obvious culprits, I still have questions in my head where Dane is concerned. He’s been playing this mysterious disappearing act that I don’t freaking understand. It’s driving me crazy—all the back and forth in my head over our argument, replaying it a million times, looking for clues. Then Friday, he arrived a minute late to chem and didn’t sit with me, despite the seat beside me being empty. As soon as class was over, he’d taken off like a shot, not giving me a second glance. I was left there, awkwardly waving at someone who obviously was avoiding me. I can’t explain why he randomly disappears and then shows back up. It makes no sense. Unless he’s got more to hide than I suspect.
Dread and unease steal over me in a thin layer as I exit the SUV, just like the moisture in the humid night air coats my skin. What the hell are we doing here? My mind clicks back to something they said about leaving Will out in the woods for his final test, and I’m suddenly terrified I’m going to get a taste of what he went through. My palms become damp at the thought. But what else could it be? A game of hide-and-seek? A paintball war? A night in a rundown cemetery? My mind runs wild, tortured with all the anxiety-inducing thoughts running through it.
Cannon gets out and immediately gestures to my leg, lifting his brow as our eyes connect. Huffing out a breath, I nod. “I think I’m good.” Along with the sleeveless tank I’d worn over a sports bra, I’d opted for capri leggings instead of shorts so it’d be easier for a protective bandage to stay in place.
Archer comes up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders, squeezing lightly. “We’ve got Neosporin on it and that protective film meant for tattoos, but I think it will work great to keep water and other gross things out. The extra gauze is for padding, then it’s topped off with a self-adhesive sports wrap. I think she’s good.”
“You can’t see it?” I don’t know why I care, but I do.
Kingston eyes the rest of the brotherhood emptying from the other two vehicles as he joins us. “It’s not that noticeable. Don’t worry about it.” He’s on edge. I feel it in his tone and the way he’s carrying himself.
“So… what are we doing here?” I give him a troubled smile, not doing a great job of hiding my apprehension over tonight’s game.
Gesturing to a break in the trees, he bites down on his lip for a second. “It’s through there.”
“It.” I grimace.
“You’ll be okay, Peaches. Just do whatever you have to do. Don’t fuckin’ play nice.” Archer rubs his thumbs in circles over the tight knots at the back of my neck, and I can’t help but lean back into him.
“What are we waiting for?” Stuart shouts as he waves his group toward whatever fresh hell is through the trees.
Cannon shakes his head, a look of disgust on his face before he reaches out to take my hand. Archer shifts to the other side, lightly collaring the back of my neck. With them flanking me and Kingston leading the way, I’m semi-confident, and I draw in a few deep, cleansing breaths as we walk through the damp grass.
When we clear the opening in the trees, I halt in my tracks. Oh my god, this is the game from hell. An obstacle course. My eyes flick around it, noting some sort of rope swing over a mud pit, zigzag balance beams, a bunch of tires lined up in rows, a low cargo net I’m hoping we’ll have to climb over and not under (through the mud), and a slightly slanted wall with three ropes dangling down.Shit.Literally one of my worst nightmares. Being shorter and having far less arm strength than Bridger and Taggart definitely puts me at a disadvantage. It seems like game four is a test of physical prowess… and I’m afraid I’m going to make a fool out of myself. I barely won the last game, and that was only because I’d used my head and hitchhiked my way onto campus to save time, but also to keep my legs from dying on me from all the running around we’d done.
Slowly, I turn and look at Archer, who gives me a tight smile that is so unlike him, it worries me even more. He’s still dressed in the button-down—sleeves rolled to his elbows—suspenders, and pants he was wearing earlier today, so I never dreamed this is what we’d be doing. Hell, I don’t know what I imagined given the dress code they gave me was indeed more suited to running around and getting dirty. Thank goodness Archer wrapped my leg well to protect the still-healing skin on my thigh. No wonder he was so insistent on helping me get ready.
My eyes flick toward some contractor-sized buckets of water balloons and three super-soaker guns that are set off to the side of the obstacle course.Fuck. Omg.This issonot my jam. We’re going to have to navigate this course while the brotherhood throws water balloons at us and hoses us down with water guns.
Kingston clears his throat, holding up the game card. “Game four. You’ve almost made it. In previous challenges, you’ve had to demonstrate your skills of persuasion, how well you overcome fear and sensory deprivation, you’ve used critical thinking with a side of daring. And this time, we’ll be challenging your physical abilities… and your perseverance.”
