Read Online A Sinister Game by Heather Killough-Walden - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Heather Killough-Walden
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her with a strong hand, pulling her to a stop as her momentum tried to carry her right past him. “What’s wrong ? What’s going on?” h e asked, taking in her disheveled appearance, the flush to her cheeks, and the stark worry in her golden eyes.
She went still and stared up at him. Was it really him this time?
She couldn’t concentrate enough to send out the mental energy it would require to verify his identity. But there were small things - t he mini scule fleck of brown in one eye, t he tiny scar beneath his left ear that he’d go tten before he’d become a Gamer, things like that. Ther e was the warmth of his touch; as a dark leader with ice abilities, B lack was almost always cold. There was the scent of mint that always laced Max’s words and made her want to kiss him just to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled. There were the little things.
It was him.
There was no way Black could have gotten all of those details right.
Sh e tried to feign nonchalance. “Nothing, ” s he assured him, but said it too quickly, a nd t oo loud. He was no fool.
Max’s blue gaze narrowed. “Uh-huh.” He didn’t release her.
“I’m just – I’m late for something,” she lied. It hurt lying to him. As far as she could recall, she’d never lied to Max . She swiftly tried to console her conscience by telling herself that it wasn’t exactly a lie. She was late, in a manner of speaking. She was late in finding a place to hide from Victor Black.
But Max wasn’t buying it anyway.
Without relinquishing the grip he had on her arm, he turned and pulled her back into the large metal cube of the transporter. There were others in there and they were watching Victoria and Max.
“Out!” Max ordered, gesturing for the others to leave the transporter.
Blood was a tall, well-built man who carried a lot of authority , and everyone knew his nickname , Bloody Max.
A lmost as one , the other Gamers filed out of the transporter cube .
Victoria nervously watched them go. Her stomach was churning now. She knew what was coming , and she couldn’t make her mind think of a way out of it.
Max closed the doors behind them, locking them in alone. Then he punched in some destination that Victoria wasn’t familiar with and the transporter blurred around them.
Only then did he let her go. She straightened her jacket and looked at the floor, refusing to meet his blue gaze.
“What the hell is going on, Victoria?” His height towered over her , making her feel small. “I know damn well that something is wrong, and I want you to tell me what it is.” He never called her “boss ” as the others did. It was always Victoria.
“ It isn’t your concern,” she told him.
“ If it has some bearing on the t eam or its leader , it very much is my concern.” His tone was just soft enough that he wa sn’t exactly yelling at her, but hard enough that it wasn’t conversational either.
Victoria shoved her hands into the pockets of her uniform jacket. “It’s personal, Max. I promise. You really don’t need to be involved.” That much was true.
She looked up at him. He gazed at her steadily as the blurred cube around them slowed, sw irled, and then blurred in a different direction. It was all about i nterspace travel at right angles and speeds shy of light, but fast enough that they still boggled the mind.
“I think I do.”
Victoria took her hands out of her pockets and put them on her hips. “Excuse me?”
“I think I do need to be involved. Because whatever it is that forced you to run down sixteen corridors in the TGB without slowing is the same thing that has been keeping you up at night. It’s affecting your health. And if you aren’t well, then our t eam will suffer , ” h e told her.
She blinked. “You saw me run through the entire building?”
He watched her for another tense moment and then sighed. He ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair and moved to lean back against the opposite wall, blurred as
She went still and stared up at him. Was it really him this time?
She couldn’t concentrate enough to send out the mental energy it would require to verify his identity. But there were small things - t he mini scule fleck of brown in one eye, t he tiny scar beneath his left ear that he’d go tten before he’d become a Gamer, things like that. Ther e was the warmth of his touch; as a dark leader with ice abilities, B lack was almost always cold. There was the scent of mint that always laced Max’s words and made her want to kiss him just to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled. There were the little things.
It was him.
There was no way Black could have gotten all of those details right.
Sh e tried to feign nonchalance. “Nothing, ” s he assured him, but said it too quickly, a nd t oo loud. He was no fool.
Max’s blue gaze narrowed. “Uh-huh.” He didn’t release her.
“I’m just – I’m late for something,” she lied. It hurt lying to him. As far as she could recall, she’d never lied to Max . She swiftly tried to console her conscience by telling herself that it wasn’t exactly a lie. She was late, in a manner of speaking. She was late in finding a place to hide from Victor Black.
But Max wasn’t buying it anyway.
Without relinquishing the grip he had on her arm, he turned and pulled her back into the large metal cube of the transporter. There were others in there and they were watching Victoria and Max.
“Out!” Max ordered, gesturing for the others to leave the transporter.
Blood was a tall, well-built man who carried a lot of authority , and everyone knew his nickname , Bloody Max.
A lmost as one , the other Gamers filed out of the transporter cube .
Victoria nervously watched them go. Her stomach was churning now. She knew what was coming , and she couldn’t make her mind think of a way out of it.
Max closed the doors behind them, locking them in alone. Then he punched in some destination that Victoria wasn’t familiar with and the transporter blurred around them.
Only then did he let her go. She straightened her jacket and looked at the floor, refusing to meet his blue gaze.
“What the hell is going on, Victoria?” His height towered over her , making her feel small. “I know damn well that something is wrong, and I want you to tell me what it is.” He never called her “boss ” as the others did. It was always Victoria.
“ It isn’t your concern,” she told him.
“ If it has some bearing on the t eam or its leader , it very much is my concern.” His tone was just soft enough that he wa sn’t exactly yelling at her, but hard enough that it wasn’t conversational either.
Victoria shoved her hands into the pockets of her uniform jacket. “It’s personal, Max. I promise. You really don’t need to be involved.” That much was true.
She looked up at him. He gazed at her steadily as the blurred cube around them slowed, sw irled, and then blurred in a different direction. It was all about i nterspace travel at right angles and speeds shy of light, but fast enough that they still boggled the mind.
“I think I do.”
Victoria took her hands out of her pockets and put them on her hips. “Excuse me?”
“I think I do need to be involved. Because whatever it is that forced you to run down sixteen corridors in the TGB without slowing is the same thing that has been keeping you up at night. It’s affecting your health. And if you aren’t well, then our t eam will suffer , ” h e told her.
She blinked. “You saw me run through the entire building?”
He watched her for another tense moment and then sighed. He ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair and moved to lean back against the opposite wall, blurred as
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