Code(66)

“I think we’ll already be in the right place.”





CHAPTER 35





The next morning, I couldn’t focus.

Up by the whiteboard, Mr. Terenzoni was explaining something about derivative functions and linear operations, but I didn’t catch a word. My brain remained on tilt from the day before.

Castle Pinckney. The Citadel. Two famous Charleston fortresses.

Were they really linked?

Was my freaking debutante ball the Gamemaster’s ultimate target?

My eyes wandered the room. How many classmates would be there on Friday? The guest list topped three hundred. If my intuition was correct, every single one of them was at risk.

What to do? The situation seemed unreal. But I didn’t doubt the Gamemaster’s willingness to kill innocent people. One dead body was proof enough.

The boys weren’t being much help. Shelton was openly skeptical of my theory, while Hi admitted to being uncertain. Only Ben thought my idea made a twisted kind of sense.

The “castle” connection was tenuous—even I admitted that. But I felt so sure. Trusted my gut. And that meant hundreds of lives could be at stake.

We need hard evidence. Something tangible.

But what? How could we find a lead with no clues to follow?

The bell startled me back to reality. Gathering my things, I followed Hi and Shelton out into the hallway.

The busy mass of Bolton blazers and plaid skirts brought home the danger.

We had to do something. We couldn’t let these people walk blindly into a trap.

After a quick locker stop, I hurried for second period. Conversational Spanish. The boys hadn’t waited. A stickler for punctuality, Se?or Messi had a firm lockout policy.

Rounding a corner, I barreled straight into the Tripod.

Frick.

Madison stopped short, eyes darting for an escape route. Ashley didn’t miss a beat.

“Boat girl!” Eyes gleaming, she flipped her glossy black hair. “Heard you crashed Jason’s party. Did he really beat up all your friends?”

“They were stealing.” Courtney was jammed into a cheerleading uniform three sizes too small. “Then the fat one almost drowned, or something.”

Madison wouldn’t meet my eye.

Six months earlier I’d have cowered before these bitches, but those days were over. “Jason invited us,” I said coldly. “So you can stop spreading rumors.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” Ashley flashed her shark smile. “But that’s what everyone is saying. You know how cruel gossip can be.”

I tried to hide my uncertainty. Were people really saying that?

Ben’s drunken rant replayed in my head. We’re just tonight’s entertainment.

Taking heart from Ashley’s attack, Madison grinned slyly. “That’s how I remember it.”

Their words bothered me. Which, in turn, surprised me.

After the misery of freshman year, I’d thought myself immune from caring what the A-list thought. This garbage was nothing new. What was one more hatchet job among all the rest?

You thought it was over. That people liked you now.

There it was.

Somehow, I’d let down my guard. Had started thinking things could be different. Hell, I’d been enjoying myself at Jason’s party, before the roof caved in.

Reality was facing me in that hallway. The Tripod had no intention of playing nice. So be it.

“Funny.” I stepped very close to Madison. “What I remember is you hiding in the cabana until I left.”

Madison’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.

I raised a brow in challenge. She looked away.

“That’s what I thought.”

Courtney and Ashley exchanged exasperated looks.

“Say something, Maddy!” Courtney hissed. “She’s making fun of you.”

“Don’t let Brennan talk to you like that!” Ashley glared at her friend. “She’s nobody. A charity-case toddler from the sticks.” Then she whispered in Madison’s ear. “What’s with you? People are starting to notice.”

Madison’s gaze skittered left, then right. “I, uh . . . have things to do.” She bolted around the corner and was gone.

Ashley and Courtney watched in disbelief.

“I don’t get it.” Courtney spoke as if I wasn’t there. “Did Brennan, like, hypnotize her or something?”

Ashley was more direct. “I don’t know what you did to her, Boat Girl, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll make sure everyone remembers you’re a loser. And I don’t scare so easily.”

I calmly held her gaze.

Ashley looked away first. “Come on, Courtney. Let’s find people our own age.” The two stalked off, one baffled, the other furious.

I stood in place a few beats, processing the encounter and assessing potential damage. I’d always considered Madison the most dangerous leg of the Tripod, but Ashley’s cruel streak was legendary. Was she the brains of the operation?

A sigh escaped. Nothing is ever easy.

A familiar voice snapped me back. “I never expected to see that. She runs from you like a field mouse.”

I whipped around. Chance was leaning against a locker a few yards away. I hadn’t noticed him, but apparently he’d been watching.