Page 49 of Deadly Little Games

“Let’s go.” Amirah grabs my arm, pulling me through a sea of people toward Mia.

Mia looks up, then smiles and pulls me in for a hug, but her body is stiff against mine. I’ve never liked the girl, but my brother did, so that means something.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Have you heard from him?” She completely ignores my question.

“No, have you?”

She shakes her head, looking past me. “I’ve never gone this long without talking with him. I’m worried,” she says, her eyes filling with tears.

Amirah scoffs and I elbow her.

“Me too. What were you doing in Dominic’s office the other day?” I ask the question that’s been at the back of my mind.

Mia shifts uncomfortably, and I step forward, closing in on her. She looks everywhere but at me.

“He was helping me with some research papers for an article I’m writing,” she says, and Amirah scoffs behind me.

“It seemed to be a little more than that. You looked awfully comfortable on his couch,” I say, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not what it looked like—I love Alec,” Mia pleads, reaching out to grab my hand, but I pull it away, taking a couple of steps back. I don’t believe her, but I need to keep looking. I won’t get anywhere standing here talking with her. We say goodbye, and I promise her I’ll message as soon as I hear anything. Amirah and I head back to the bar, and I tap on a large guy’s shoulder. He turns around, towering over me. He smiles, and it works to make him appear slightly less intimidating.

I motion for him to lean down, then whisper in his ear so he can hear me over the music, “Have you seen this guy?” I show him the photo and he takes my phone from my hand.

He taps out something on it before handing it back to me. The messages app is open, displaying a message to an unknown number.

Meet me near the bathroom.

I look up, frowning, but he’s disappeared into the crowd. It’s stupid meeting a stranger in a quieter place, but it’s the first lead I have. Theonlylead, actually, so I have to do this.

Amirah turns around, handing me a glass with something pink inside.

“I’ll be back. Just got a lead,” I say, and Amirah shakes her head.

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, it’s fine. Just find us somewhere to sit and I’ll be back soon,” I say, moving into the crowd before she can argue any further. Bringing the straw to my lips, I take a drink, and before I get to the bathroom sign, I finishit.

Handing it off to a passing waiter, I make my way through the crowded corridor, the dim lighting casting shadows around me. Leaning back against the wall, the guy from before looks up and flashes another warm smile. It’s quieter down here and I can actually hear myself think.

“What do you know?” I ask, standing directly in front of him.

He lets out a low chuckle. “Straight to the point. You don’t muck around, do you?”

I don’t have time for pointless chit-chat. “Just tell me,” I snap.

He glances down the hallway, searching for something or someone. “I could get killed for this, but you should know I saw your brother the night of the ball,” he says, his gaze darting around.

“And?”

His eyes grow wide as he firmly clutches my shoulder. “Fuck. I can’t. They will kill me. Sorry,” he mutters before opening the emergency exit and fleeing.

I look back, and Gage, Lucas, and Hazen are storming toward me. What the hell? I don’t think, I just follow after the guy, and the sound of their hurried footsteps fades into the distance. He’s got answers and I need them.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Freya

---