Page 61 of King of Envy

“It’s laser tag,” Kai said. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“I’ve never played laser tag,” Will mused. “But I do love video games. They’re kinda the same thing, right?”

Dante’s lip curled. “Petition to swap him out for Viv. At least she understands the difference between virtual reality and actual reality.”

His wife grinned. “Not a chance. I look forward to beating you too much.”

His eyes gleamed. He bent his head and whispered something that made her cheeks flush.

“As if you’ll win.” Jordan scoffed. “We got this in the bag.”

“Care to wager on it?” Ayana tilted her head. “Losers cover the tab for the rest of the night.”

Everyone had gone home to change before meeting up again at Area 56. Ayana’s black T-shirt and sleek pants were somehow even more enticing than the dress she’d worn earlier, and she’d ignored the venue’s suggestion about not wearing heels—her leather boots added at least three inches to her height.

“Done,” Jordan said. “You’re awfully confident for someone who’s never played laser tag before.”

She arched an eyebrow in return. “Who says I haven’t?”

“Touche.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Well, if you win, I’ll happily buy you drinks all night.”

My nostrils flared. I jerked my eyes away and stalked toward the entrance to the arena without waiting for the others.

Were we here to play, or were we here to fucking mess around?

The others took my cue and filed in after me.

According to Xavier, Area 56 was the best indoor laser tag venue in the tri-state area. Excellent service, state-of-the-art technology, a VIP room where customers could feast on top-shelf liquor and gourmet bar food in between games—it had it all.

I didn’t care about the extras though. I just wanted to shoot something, even if it was with a fake blaster.

Once the doors shut and the game started, everyone sobered up fast. We were a competitive bunch, and while covering the bar tab wouldn’t put any of us in the red, none of us wanted to lose.

I split from the rest of the guys and hunted on my own. I didn’t want anyone slowing me down or giving away our position.

Music blasted from hidden speakers. I inched my way from barrier to barrier, keeping my eyes peeled for long hair and familiar forms.

Only a few minutes elapsed before I sighted my first target. I raised my blaster and shot Isabella straight in the heart.

“Dammit!” she wailed. “Out in the first round. All those hours spent watching action movies fornothing.”

I didn’t wait to hear the rest of her grumbles. I moved on, managing to “kill” Liya and Maya before the first two back-to-back matches were over.

Current body count: eight. Four men (Topher, Xavier, Killian, and Jordan) and four women (Isabella, Maya, Liya, and Indira) were out, leaving the game tied.

We had a twenty-minute break before the last match. Our group was too large to fit at one table, so we split into two neighboring tables.

I ended up with the last people I wanted to sit with—Jordan, Ayana, and Indira.

“We were playing Never Have I Ever at dinner earlier,” Indira said after we got our drinks. She slid a sly glance in my direction. “We should play another game. I suggest Truth or Dare.”

“We’re adults. We’re too old for drinking games,” Dante grumbled.

“It’sbecausewe’re adults that we should do it,” Xavier countered. “Nostalgia is a drug, Russo. Give into it.”

For fuck’s sake.

I never played these insipid games in college, and I had no desire to do so now. Unfortunately, the majority ruled, and they voted in favor of Truth or Dare with one caveat: no passes allowed. Youhadto answer, or you had to carry out the dare.

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