Page 155 of Tag

“It’s not surprising Ferret has secrets,” Cade offered.

Roxxi let out a sharp laugh.

I sighed. “She doesn’t even look like a ferret.”

“Rat wouldn’t be any nicer,” Ryder reasoned.

“Excuseme?” Roxxi snapped. “Don’t you dare insult Lil Dicky like that.”

Lil Dicky, her black-and-white fancy rat. The thing had its own outfits and posed for pictures better than most influencers. He and Slim Shady—the bearded dragon—were currently living with her mom back home.

Cade grinned. “Hey, I love the little guy. He reminds me of Stu.”

Roxxi’s face scrunched. “Do not compare him to that thing.”

“Thatthingsays hey, by the way,” Cade deadpanned.

“Unfortunately, I only donate to charities that mean something to me.” She sat up higher and adjusted her bun. “I think things are going to be ramping up now. I started getting texts today too,” she confessed.

There was a beat of silence as we all processed that.

Cade was the one to ask, “Care to share with the class?”

“Nope.”

She didn’t elaborate after that. Even when the silence stretched long enough to demand she should. It wasn’t a good sign that Roxxi, who never hesitated to be bold and truthful even at times she shouldn’t, had gone quiet.

“We’ve been getting them for days now. Are yours bad?”

“I’m not sure how to describe them, honestly. Invasive?”

“Specific,” Ryder commented.

Roxxi sighed. “That’s a better way of putting it.”

Specific.

My mind started connecting lines that hadn’t even formed into dots yet. Her messages must have hinted at something she didn’t want the rest of us to know. Ryder and Cade hadn’t voluntarily shared theirs either.

I could be getting way ahead of myself, but from where I was sitting and based on the textsIwas receiving, and their avoidance of details, they all had things they weren’t ready or willing to share.

I didn’t like that.

Not one bit.

Of course, everyone was entitled to their privacy. That wasn’t the issue. What kind of secrets made someone like Roxxi get cagey, Ryder keep his eyes on the road like he couldn’t look atme all of a sudden, and Cade shut up for more than five seconds? More concerning was that the Huntsmen somehow knew things we hadn’t shared amongst each other. Was someone in our inner circle screwing everyone over, then? Or did we each have one hell of a stalker to worry about until this was all over? Neither would be great, but one was far worse.

“My texts haven’t been that bad. They’re more creepy and stalkerish than anything.” The words felt flimsy as they left my mouth, but it was the truth.

Did I even have any secrets worth exposing? Real ones at that. I wasn’t sure whether being in love with my best friend counted. Most people expected it. Would it qualify as something the Huntsmen would find entertaining? The gray area where Ashton still existed could be worth exposing, but it wasn’t salacious or criminal. It was a one-sided heartbreak waiting to happen.

Maybe the secrets didn’t have to be scandalous.

Maybe they just had to hurt.

This whole thing was doing my head in. The Hunt was half psychological, and so far, they had been doing a bang-up job.

I was growing more worried about how this was going to steamroll us once it started officially.

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