Carter gaped. “You’re the reason they’ve been targeting our team with all the snags!”
“It wasn’t hard. Jarius is easy to manipulate, and he liked the idea of being the one to take down thegreatKick It Carter.”
Carter’s insides churned. The way he said it, with such outright disgust.
The reality of the situation crystallized. Any lingering denial disappeared.
Fitzy had never meant a single word he’d said. All the smiles, the little flirtations . . . He’d been using her.
“I’m beginning to see why Ranielle wanted to replace you,” Adi said.
“Shut your hole,” said Fitzy, aiming the gun at Adi’s head. “Or I’ll do it for you.”
Carter didn’t know what possessed her. One moment she was cowering against the wall. The next, she was shoving her way in front of Adi, staring down the barrel of the gun.
“Why?” she demanded. “Why did you pretend . . . Whyme?”
Fitzy rocked back on his heels and, to Carter’s surprise, seemed to actually be considering the question. He slowly lifted the gun, pointing it at the ceiling instead.
Carter drew an unsteady breath. Behind her, Adi pressed a hand to her arm, like he meant to shove her away, but she held her ground.
“I mean, I did always think that cartoon of yours was pretty hot,” Fitzy said at last, “even if the real you leaves something to be desired.”
Humiliation burned across her cheeks.
“Or maybe it’s because I knew you were Louis’s type, and it’s fun to play. I was surprised when he told me about your hotel date. Didn’t expect that from you, Carter.” He clicked his tongue. “Too bad I had to kill him before things got interesting.”
“You asshole,” Adi growled. “You sick, disgusting—”
Before he could finish, Sierra let out a growl and snatched the stake from Carter. “You killed my sister!”
She crouched like she was preparing to lunge at him—until Fitzy calmly replied, “I never saidthat.”
It stopped her in her tracks. Sierra’s face twisted, livid but confused. “You . . . But you just—”
“I wanted to keep my job. But transporting Alicia to the studio, hiding her in the coffin—that was me cleaning up someone else’s mess.”
“What?” Sierra whispered, at the same time Vera snapped, “Bull!”
“Honestly, James,” purred a distantly familiar voice. “I thought we were here to find some silly clue. I didn’t realize we’d have so much company.”
Heels clacked on the stone floor. A figure appeared, haloed by the corridor lights. There was abangas the door closed behind her, locking them inside. Carter stepped back, pressing against Adi’s chest.
“What the hell?” he whispered.
It took Carter a long moment to realize who she was looking at, and when she did, her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.
Symphony Parvesh. Adi’s mother.
THE
ESCAPE GAME
SEASON FIVE
Round Four: The Stakes Just Got Raised
49
