A ripple of nervous laughter, quickly silenced.
“The Wrecking Ball begins in five minutes,” Hunter said. “Remember your manners and put your masks on. And for fuck’s sake, try to act like you deserve to be here.”
He turned and walked back up the stairs without waiting for a response.
The room exhaled.
Jack grinned. He liked that crazy Russian.
Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, his gaze settled on Hadrian. He leaned toward one of his companions and muttered something that made the other man snort.
It didn’t matter. The warning had been delivered.
The games were ready to begin.
Chapter Fourteen
The Wrecking Ball
The holding room smelled of orchids and fear.
Daisy stood at the window, her breath fogging the glass as she stared out at the grounds below. The Preserve stretched into darkness a shadow from a dark room. Green lanterns dotted the landscape forming clusters like constellations where the safe zones were, their glow swallowed by the fog that crept between the hedges like a living creature. Torches lined the gravel paths, their flames bending in the breeze.
It was stunning. It was terrifying. It was endless.
A humid draft billowed from the windows as the curtains danced inward and tributes gathered in wait. Fire crackled in the hearth behind them despite the tells of spring in the air.
A chill crawled over Daisy’s shoulders. Somewhere beyond those manicured gardens and ancient oaks, the hunt would unfold. Out there, in the unknown, she would either survive the night or become a stranger’s conquest.
“It’s bigger than I thought,” Maggie whispered, following her gaze. Her Irish lilt had worn thin with nerve and her enormous brown eyes reflected the torchlight like twin moons from behind her mask. “How are we supposed to hide in something so open?”
Daisy had no answer.
She’d studied the grounds from every window she passed, trying to memorize paths, but the darkness swallowed everything beyond the lantern light. Against that swallowing darkness, two hundred acres might as well have been ten thousand.
“Hide?” Trisha scoffed, approaching from behind. She stared through the window as if looking into a vanity mirror, removing her earrings and stuffing them into her bra. “I’m not hiding from shit.”
Maggie’s gaze shot to Daisy then back to Trisha. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I didn’t come all this way to run through the woods like some scared rabbit.” She met their stares in the reflection, her jaw set with the kind of determination that came from surviving worse. “I’m leaving here with as much money as possible. But I’m not giving up any control. I’ll choose who touches me. Anyone puts a hand on me without permission—I’ll break their fingers.” She unclasped her necklace, appraised it with a raised brow, then shoved it in with the earrings. “I got kids to get home to. I’m doing this my way.”
“You can’t be serious,” Maggie breathed.
“Dead serious.” Trisha turned to face them, her American accent sharpening each word. “You see those men down there? Half of them are pigs. The rest are just rich and bored. I’ve dealt with worse for free.” She smoothed the front of her crimson gown. “Tonight, we get paid. No one said we can’t pick.”
Daisy’s hand drifted unconsciously to her hair, fingers brushing the elaborate twist where her locket lay hidden, secured by a pin and prayer. It was still there. Still safe. But maybe she should move it.
“How rough do you think it’s going to get?”
Trisha scoffed. “Those men are somewhere in this castle, waiting just like us. Have you ever waitressed? Watched wealthy people before a meal? They drink, and stroke each other, getting louder and bigger, sucking all the air out of the room, inflating their egos like giants.” She looked at both of them expectantly, then scoffed. “Jesus, girls, keep up. We’re on the fucking menu.”
Maggie looked at Trisha like she’d sprouted a second head, then leaned closer to Daisy. “I’m still hiding,” she whispered. “First shadow I see, I’m gone.”
“Same,” Daisy agreed, though her plan didn’t feel as foolproof as it had earlier.
“Good luck with that,” Trisha said. “I prefer to play offense over defense. Those men have been blowing each other since they arrived. They want you to run. This is one case where they get to act like the animals they are.”
Daisy’s heart shrank and rattled wildly in her chest. “You’re trying to scare us.”
