Page 99 of Vicious Deception
“Tunnels?” he asks, eyes bright with excitement.
Rhett chuckles. “Tunnels.”
. . .
To no one’s surprise—and Benny’s disappointment—we don’t find any secret tunnels. Hedoesfind the door to the second basement, though, but it’s locked, and we told him to not go down there. Even if he manages to, there’s no way he can get to Ludo.
Halfway through, Wren heads to her room to lie down, saying she has a headache. Elliot heads up to check on her after a half hour. We already asked if she wants to get her head checked out by a doctor, but she declined, saying she can probably sleep it off.
Benny already discovered the game room the other day, so he drags us all in there, and we play a game of pool. It’s been a while since we’ve spent much time in here. To say life has been hectic lately would be an understatement.
“Another round?” Benny asks once the two of us have beat Andrew and Rhett.
Andrew grabs his cue. “Absolutely. You only won because you got lucky.”
“You two play,” Rhett says, stepping back. “I think I’m too tired to keep up.”
“You already weren’t keeping up,” I tease, which earns me a playful jab to my ribs.
“Will you two be good on your own for a while?” Rhett asks as Benny and Andrew start gathering up the balls again.
“We’ll be fine,” Andrew says.
“All right. Elliot is in Wren’s room if you need anything.”
“Best two out of three?” Andrew asks.
Benny grins. “Hell yeah.”
“That first one doesn’t count, though,” Andrew says.
“Aww, but—”
“We’re starting from scratch, Ben.”
“Ugh, we always play your way! Why can’t we play my way?”
As Rhett and I leave, I chuckle. Maria and I used to bicker like that all the time. Still do sometimes, if I’m being honest.
“Is there anything you were planning on doing today?” Rhett asks me as we walk through the house.
“Just spend time with everyone. Relax, rest, all that.”And do my best not to think of Ludo.
“Got it.”
I stop, realizing what he probably wants to do. “You’re heading to the basement, aren’t you?”
“He can wait another day,” Rhett says.
I frown. “You’re sure?”
“It’s not like he’s having a great time down there. Pretty sure he has at least a broken rib and a minor concussion. Plus, the wait is torture enough.”
“You can say that again,” I mutter, realizing too late that it’s a mistake.
Rhett watches me quietly, almost expectantly. Unable to hold his gaze, I look away.
“What happened while we were separated?”