Page 78 of Play Dirty
This must be hard for him. Like Shiloh, he was raised around June. They’re all cut from the same cloth, and to his core, Thiago is a good man. His only downfall is his love and loyalty to his dad. “What the fuck is going on?” I whisper.
Thiago lets out a low whistle. “Someone is trying to make us believe she was with Asher, but why?”
I shrug. “Looks to me like someone is trying to bury the truth.”
What could somebody gain from twisting her image, from placing them together? “Do you think it’s going to start problems between the girls?” Zayden asks as he flicks his lighter and lights a joint. “Doubt it, June is dead. What good would it do?”
Zayden sits back and inhales deeply, smoke disappearing inside his mouth. He chokes a little bit, but swallows down the cough. “It’s perfect if you ask me. You kill someone and then have people unraveling from the inside.”
“So like, pinning the girls against each other?” Thiago asks, pulling the joint from between his lips, their eyes clash for a moment, and I see it. The tension they both refuse to acknowledge. Zayden has always liked boys, but it’s his closet to step out of, so I’ve never pushed him. I’m lucky he trusts me enough to share his secret, and Thiago has no qualms about whether you have a dick or not, but he pretends to be a womanizer to hide his attraction to Zayden.
Ted interrupts their stare down, clearing his throat. “How about if the killer is trying to frame someone else?”
We all turn.
“Keep talking.” I snap.
“Well, it’s obvious, June was killed, and someone is trying to not only cover their trail but clearly frame someone. My guess is someone close to her, someone right under our nose.”
The words wind around me, as thousands of encounters flash through my mind. So many little moments. I look at the boys who look the same as I do. “We should go.,” I mutter, rising from my seat. Dread curls its tendrils around me, squeezing me firmly as I see the full picture. It feels like cold water splashing me— finally waking me up.
Thiago nods as Zayden smacks his hand away and stands. “Ted, keep us posted. Good work, bro.” I say before stepping into the night air. Pulling out my phone, I look at the text message from Shiloh, but I don’t respond. I put my phone back into my jeans pocket, turning to the only two people I know I can count on. “I have to tell you something.”
Thiago’s lips thin to a straight line. Zayden’s jaw ticks, and I take a deep breath in, finally understanding what’s about to happen. “Not here, let’s get back to the dorm.”
When we arrive back at the dorm, the air is thick with tension, and the silence is deafening. The boys stare at the box lying on the bed. The same box that contains June’s phone. “I think I’m the one who’s going to be framed.”
“Fuck.” That's all Zayden says, plopping down on the bed. Looking at the phone like a death sentence., Thiago drags a hand over his brown tendrils, his expression unreadable.
I sit down hard, the weight of it all finally sinking in as I replay the night of the Hunt. I know I didn’t kill him. Sure, I roughened him up a bit, but he was breathing —knocked the fuck out but alive. Turning to look at Zayden, I ask. “Did you see him breathing?”
He nods. His dark eyes are full of worry. “He was.”
“Fuck. Nico, I should talk to my dad.” Thiago begins to lose his shit, Zayden just looks at me like I'm a dead man walking. Then — a loud knock.
“Nico,” Shiloh's voice cuts through the silence, all of us rushing to act normal. Zayden hides the phone, placing it inside the wooden nightstand. Thiago takes a seat. He looks stiff. Dread is written all over his face.
“Nico, please.” Her voice breaks a little, and with that, so does my heart.Would she believe me?
I look at the boys, making sure everyone is on their game before I open the door; they all still very much look like shit, but I open it anyway. Something about the woman who stands before me is different. Her eyes rimmed red like she’s been crying, yet hungry and accusing.
“Hi.”
“Hi, can I come in?”
I step away from the door, inviting her in. She hesitates but quickly recovers, stepping inside. “Can you give us an hour or two?” Shiloh looks at Thiago. It wasn’t a question but a demand straight from the Ice Queen herself. One that Thiago doesn’t hesitate to comply with as he walks out with Zayden. The door closes, and she turns.
“Everything okay?” I ask, noticing how her body trembles, her eyes studying me like a predator, or maybe she’s already onto whatever I’m about to be framed for. Fear chokes me, and I force myself to move.
“I need answers.” She finally says low and unsure.
I step closer. “Answers require questions, Blondie.”
She lets out a shaky breath, fingers slipping through her hair as she pulls out the low bun, letting it fall in platinum waves down her back. The scent of her hits me—heady, wild, and dangerous—suffocating every ounce of fear left in my lungs. Then, with a tilt of her chin and the softest flutter of lashes, she asks, barely above a whisper. “Do you want me?”
The question takes me aback, not what I expected, but the words slip past my lips without an ounce of hesitation. Just need. “I do.”
My response earns me a small crooked smile, and she runs her fingers through her hair, pushing it behind her shoulder. “That one is easy. Do you trust me?”
