He tilted his head, his eyes piercing as he arched a brow. “You just did, little princess.”
“What?”
Throwing his hands up like he didn’t know what to tell me, he shrugged and walked away from me.
I tore after him, grabbing his arm and pulling him back around to face me. “That doesn’t count as my question!”
He glared at my hand until I removed it.
“You can’t be serious.” I searched his gaze, finding no trace of humor.
“Those are the rules, little princess. You’re clever, but—surprise, surprise—you’re as reactive as my baby bro when it comes to protecting what’s yours.”
I glared, biting my tongue to keep from proving his point.
“Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out right on schedule.” He winked, then gave another half-hearted shrug. “Or you’ll die. Makes no difference to me, really.I tried.”
Storming off, Morty left me standing there gaping after him. But my shock was unwarranted. He’d proven he would do something exactly like that. Treat it like a game. Like it didn’t matter.Or use it to achieve his own end.
Just like Max had warned me.
I ran my hands through my hair, trying not to pull it out in frustration, and replayed his words in my head. He’d been an ass while helping me before, leaving me clues, layering something into his words like before, but I couldn’t see it.
Giving up, I exhaled my frustration and decided to search the party for Gia or the other guys. I needed to find one of them before I went to the tunnels.
But a familiar voice called out from the darkness.
“He gave you the answer.”
I turned around to find Vivian, coming out of the shadows. “Were you there this whole time?”
She scrutinized me where I stood, ice-blue eyes flicking over my body as I approached her.
“So, what if I was?” Her gaze jumped from me to the party nervously. “Beats being in there.”
“Then you heard him tell me where the clues lead. Why are you still here?”
Her lips pursed, and her body stiffened. “You don’t know anything about me, Quinn. You do realize that, right?”
I narrowed my gaze as she withdrew into herself. “Okay, so you’re saying you don’t want to win The Quest?”
“I didn’t say that.” She glanced around sharply, searching for anyone who might overhear.
We stood so far from the party, it hardly seemed necessary.
“Look, I’m just telling you he gave you the answers.”
“Answers?”
“The schedule?” When I stared blankly at her, she rolled her eyes, shifted uncomfortably, and stepped away from me. “Whatever. You’ll see.”
As she stepped forward, moonlight illuminated her face.
“Vivian…” I reached out, but she jumped away from me like my touch threatened to burn. My eyes stayed locked on her face, on the stitched cut running across her forehead. “What?—?”
“You did me a favor.” She straightened her spine. “So, I helped you, and we’re even now.”
Before I spoke, before I processed what had happened to her, she walked back to the party. Head down and shoulders hunched inward, as I pieced together what she’d done.
