Page 125 of Off the Rails

She was objectively attractive, sure. But she was also a colossal fucking cunt with an attitude sour enough to curdle milk. I hated her.

But my body didn’t know any better. I wanted to believe it was just the vindication of turning her on that had excited me, but I couldn’t deny the thrum of excitement that vibrated through me at the thought of her touching me.

There was no question that she’d be rough. But would she really try to break me?

The fact that I was considering that thought with any degree of excitement was a major red flag. I needed to get out of here fast, before my brain rotted any further.

“Then what’s wrong?” Nash leaned forward in her chair.

“I just… can’t live with her.” I shook my head. I could hardly admit the truth of the matter to myself; I certainly wasn’t about to confess my confusion to them. “I need to win the next Fright Night. I need to leave before it gets worse.”

At my proclamation, both of their faces fell. It was the quiet tension that underlied our otherwise peaceful existence here. Every week, I was trying to make my escape. And every week, they were fighting to trap me.

Nash spoke first. “Is it really that bad? Do you need us to say something to her?”

“No.” I shook my head. “This was never supposed to be forever. We all knew that.”

Cyrus just seemed intent on ending it faster than the rest of us.

A pout played at Blade’s lips. “Well, I guess it’s good I finished the carousel now. Would have sucked if you didn’t get to see it.”

At that, a twinge of guilt twisted my heart. Poor Blade was one of the only things keeping me here. “I didn’t mean⁠—”

“No, you’re right,” Nash cleared her throat. “That was always the deal.”

“We can still see each other if I leave, right? You guys hang around Valemont all the time.” And though it might technically be true, Nash’s gentle nod didn’t do much to reassure me.

It’s the right choice. So why does it feel so wrong?

While I tried to swallow down my guilt, the two of them exchanged a look. It was something the Freaks did often — like the years of clinging to one another had granted them some sort of telepathy.

Then, Blade nodded, turning her gaze to me. “Why don’t we stage a fake Fright Night?”

“Excuse me?” I blinked.

“A chase without Cyrus. There’d be no money, but you can practice hiding, and we can practice hunting you.”

I raised a brow. “So you can fuck me again?”

“Only if you lose,” Nash winked.

Blade sat up in her seat, buzzing with renewed energy. “It helps all of us. You’ll learn the park better, and we’ll learn your patterns better than Cyrus can. That way, if anyone finds you during Fright Night, the odds that it’ll be one of us are way higher.”

Blade was always coming up with batshit ideas. But this one might just be worth considering.

There was trepidation, of course. Was it really wise to let my predators study me this closely? But then again, there were worse things to fear in the night than Nash and Blade.

Plus, it had already been a few weeks since the last Fright Night, and I couldn’t help the nagging fear that I had gotten rusty. Cyrus was so close to catching me last time. Could this be the edge I needed to win?

“Okay, you’ve got a deal,” I nodded, much to my captors’ elation. “When do we start?”

69

TESS

Later that night, Cyrus trudged through the living room, letting us know she was making a stop at the local university and would be home late. Which meant that Blade, Nash, and I were clear to play.

She wasn’t long out the door before I was dressed in my black running suit, stretching my quads in front of the apartment. The prospect of a chase didn’t feel nearly as daunting with Cyrus gone. In fact, it was kind of thrilling.