The girl looks about ready to cry. Hell, she might already be, and the smears of blood across her face are hiding the evidence.“This is it, all right?” I promise. “You make it out the door, and you win.”
“I can’t swim, remember?” She sniffs. “So unless you have a floatie device hidden under your T-shirt I’m unaware of, I’m kind of screwed, don’t you think?”
“There’s a step on the right,” I tell her. “It goes down about two feet, but you should be able to walk on it without falling in.”
She wipes at her stained cheeks. “What?”
“It’s like a, a place to sit or whatever. Ford used a regular pool insert to save money.” I shake my head. “That’s not the point. All I’m saying is there’s a step surrounding the right side of the pool. Put your foot in. You'll feel it.”
The girl doesn’t budge. “And then what?”
“Then, you’re gonna walk around the edge while I make it look like I'm trying to chase you.”
Her body stiffens. “What?”
“The cameras,” I repeat, pacing the opposite side of the pool like a caged beast. “People are watching, remember?”
“Yeah, but?—”
“If you wanna walk away with the winnings, it can’t look like we’re cheating.”
Her gaze shifts to the camera in the corner of the room. “You’re joking.”
“Not joking,” I tell her. “I’m gonna jump in the pool and start swimming toward you. Just stay as far right as you can, and you’ll make it to the other side in no time.”
“Jagger.”
It’s a plea. One that messes with my head even more than the wet clothing painting her body. “You’ll be fine,” I reassure her.
“What if I fall in?”
“You won’t.”
“But what if I do?”
“Then, I got you,” I promise. “I won’t let you drown, Little Thief.” I glance at the camera again. “Enough talking or they’ll know something’s up. Go.”
She walks toward the wall to her right, then dips her leg into the pool, her body trembling like a leaf. “I can’t feel it.”
“It’s there.”
“Jagger, I can’t…” Her ankle swishes through the red before the water rises higher, swallowing her knees. “I feel it. Okay, I feel it.” She pushes away from the small ledge and stands. The water laps at her lower thighs, soaking into her jeans.
“Move fast,” I warn. “I’m coming after you, and I’m going to make this shit look real.” I jump into the pool but keep my head above water so I don’t wind up waterboarding myself, thanks to the mask covering my identity. Once I’m in, I kick toward her, and she moves fast, keeping one hand on the right wall for balance. She’s too slow. Too cautious. If she was anyone else, I would’ve already reached her. Glancing up at the camera, I reach for Violet’s leg, gripping the denim as I seethe, “Shake me off?—”
“Jag—”
“Shake me off! You’re almost there!”
She kicks her foot, and I let her go, pushing myself away from her. Hopefully, the cameras are too blurry to catch our bullshit acting skills because this is shady at best. Once she’s free, Violet stumbles the last few feet across the pool while the blood continues streaming from the ceiling. When she finally reaches the edge, she climbs out of the water, her red hands smearing blood against the white wall as she finds the button and smashes her hand against it. The locked door swings open.
“Take the door on the left this time!” I order.
“But I thought you said?—”
“Just do as I say,” I snap, too amped up to waste time splitting hairs. “It’ll take you outside!”
Her head bobs as she disappears through the exit, and the door slides closed behind her. Relief flooding my system, I look up at the ceiling and let out a long breath.
