Climbing up the muddy bank, I slip three times, shivering as my wet clothes plaster to my cold skin. Ignoring my discomfort, I race toward the balance beams, quickly traversing them, and then, I scale the side wall of the hanger using the rope, grabbing onto the bar and dropping down, using my arms to move along the frame, one bar at a time.
My arms throb, but I push on, completing that task and entering the wire crawl on my back. This was a tip Diesel gave me. It’s easier to avoid getting trapped if you shimmy under the wire on your back rather than on your belly. Bry isn’t in the know, because he’s stuck a few feet from the end, wires tangled in the back of his shirt.
“Good luck getting out of that,” I say, sliding out of the end on my back.
“I don’t need luck,” he says, gritting his teeth as he pushes forward, the wire ripping his shirt and scratching his skin.
I run toward the zip line, climbing the ladder with Bry hot on my heels. I clip myself onto the wire, grab hold of the handrails, and push off my feet, propelling my body forward as I glide over another lake. I glance to my left at the sound of pounding footsteps, grinning at Theo, Saint, and Caz as they race along the walkway, attempting to keep up with me. “You got this, princess,” Caz roars before blowing me a kiss.
I almost miss my footing at the end because I’m distracted, but I pull back before I face-plant into the wooden wall. I unclip myself and grab the rope swing just as Bry arrives. I swing forward, letting out a lusty animalistic cry as I let go of the rope, landing on the inflatable below. I crawl on all fours until I’m on solid ground, pushing damp tendrils of hair back off my face and sprinting toward the last section of the course.
It’s a combination of low and high walls with a few more tunnels and wire crawls. I make my way through them, straining my aching limbs, panting and mentally encouraging my body to keep pushing through. Bry has caught up with me, and we are neck and neck until the last two hundred meters when I trip over a hidden log underfoot, crashing to the ground face-first, eating a mouthful of dead leaves and damp debris.
Silently cursing, I scramble to my feet and forge on, coming in thirty seconds after Bry.
Bry is bent over, exhaling heavily and grinning in my direction as he accepts a bottle of water from Instructor Tanner. I’m guessing there’s another path on the other side of the course they used to get here before us.
Tanner hands me water without making eye contact, and I fight a grin. I uncap the bottle, sloshing water around my mouth and spitting it out on the ground.
“So ladylike,” Corr says, and I shrug. If he thinks that’ll offend me, he can think again.
“You did good out there,” Bry says between panting. “I’m impressed.”
“Thanks.” I raise the bottle to my lips again, wondering what his gameplay is.
“Listen up,” Corr shouts as the other three initiates arrive. We all finished so close together. “You have five minutes to regroup before we move to the maze.” He gestures at the large military-type truck on the left. It has a cloth covering behind the cabin, and my lips curl into a smile of their own volition. I’ve always wanted to ride in one of those.
“You’re liking this,” Bry says, sidling right up next to me.
“I’ve always been a physical kind of girl.” I smirk.
He grins down at me, and a burst of sunlight through the trees highlights the deep scar running from his left eye across his temple and into his hairline. I’ve often wondered how he got it, but I’ve never asked because scars tell a personal story, and that story should only be revealed if the person wishes to share it.
“So I hear.”
I feel the daggers embedding in my back, but I don’t look up.
Bry leans in closer, pressing his mouth to my ear. “I know what Galen and Dar tried to do. I’m sorry.”
Panic swirls through my veins. “You tell Sinner?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not an idiot.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “He’s not to know.”
“You and I have a lot to discuss,” he whispers, as Tanner directs us toward the truck.
I peer into his hazel eyes, seeing the truth there. I’ve always liked Bryant. He was decent to me when I was with Dar, and he’s got smarts. I never understood how Dar ended up leader of the junior chapter of The Arrows, because Bry was way more intelligent, and he’s known for keeping a cool head under pressure, unlike hothead Darrow Knight.
Now, I’m wondering if Bry has been playing double agent all along, and if so, he could be a mine of useful information. Keeping him on my side seems like a smart plan, and I know he’s got a thing for me, so using that to my advantage is a no-brainer. Saint and the guys will just have to suck it up.
I place my hand on his arm, smiling up at him. “I think we do.”
CHAPTER 11
Galen
SAINT IS ABOUTtwo seconds from full-blown detonation. Either he’ll rip Bryant Eccleston’s head off or fuck Lo senseless until she remembers who she belongs to.
