Page 136 of Inferno

From the small interactions I’ve had with the girls, none of us are part of the BDSM world.

So why on earth would the ‘Master’ want us here to compete?

But there is one key between us all. One that Tara gave away. You can just tell by the way she carries herself and looks down on all of us.

Money.

This isn’t about us. This is about our families. That way in for them into Inferno as the contract stated.

I think we all come from powerful families, and I bet we’ve all been forced to sign these contracts.

And why are they putting us up in luxury rooms and providing three-course fucking lunches with champagne?

Even Richard is nice to me.

If this was Vlad, I’d be being dragged around by my hair.

Power has the potential to make men evil, especially over a woman.

Yet, here, that isn’t the case.

It’s all very orchestrated.

The guards haven’t touched us without consent inside the games.

This game had the potential to be ruthless. There are no laws or rules.

They could have done anything with us.

But we do it all to ourselves?

It. Makes. No. Sense.

Yet, I bet it makes perfect fucking sense to those who know the truth.

I finish the last bite and check myself in the mirror.

At least I look less exhausted after the nap. I freshen up fast and brush my hair. My hands are trembling, but I force them still.

They don’t hurt us.

But the losers... they’re shot.

The first time it happened, I flinched. Now, I flinch remembering it. That sharp crack of the gun. No hesitation. Just death.

This is the first time in my career I truly have no idea what I’m walking into. And somehow, that terrifies me more than any enemy I’ve ever faced.

Yet there’s power in surviving this long. A fucked-up kind of pride.

The door opens. I drop my gaze as Richard steps in.

I wonder what his real name is.

“It’s time for the next game. You ready?” he asks, voice smooth and low.

“I am,” I whisper.

He wasn’t the one who helped me in the last round.

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