Page 31 of Off the Rails

I wanted a taste for myself. If she’d gotten that excited over Blade’s little strings, then I couldn’t wait to give her a real shock.

“Mary” nodded, picking another berry off her plate and chewing it thoughtfully. She tried to act so innocent, but I could see the way she was always scanning, running numbers, thinking through her next step.

All I wanted to do was to take a peek inside that mind and watch all the intricate gears whirring along. Maybe pull the plug long enough that she’d stop thinking about the future and start worrying about right now.

I slid a plate to Blade before finally serving up my own food. And as Cyrus got settled in at the counter for her first bite, “Mary” opened her mouth again, just like I knew she would.

“Am I allowed to leave?”

At that, even I scoffed. “The park? No, sweetheart.”

Her nose wrinkled at the nickname, but she swallowed down the indignation and shook her head. “No, not the park. The apartment.”

She took a step closer, leaning her elbows against the very far end of the counter; always just out of arm’s reach. “You guys get to study the park, so I should too. It’s only —”

“Fair?” Cyrus finished for her before exchanging a glance with Blade and I.

Inherently, the idea of loosening her lead made my chest tight. We hadn’t gotten her background check back yet, but it was obvious to all of us that she had lied about her name.

After nearly a decade together, a tilt of the head from Blade was enough to communicate her point wordlessly. Could “Mary” be trusted to roam free out there? One night with the three of us would be enough to scare most people off. And while she’d been pretty honorbound about the rules so far, that was when we’d been keeping a close eye on her.

Cyrus cleared her throat, the furrow her brows raising a counterargument. “Mary” hadn’t tried for the fence last night, and she’d held up her end of the deal. Better to let her test the limits in a controlled setting. Plus, there were always the security cameras.

I shrugged, a slight frown on my face. I trusted Cyrus’ verdict here.

And with that, she flicked her gaze back over to my Sweet Lamb. “Sure. I like a fair fight.”

Blade groaned. “Ughhh, I liked how panicked she looked when she didn’t know where to go.”

I reached across the counter, clapping her on the shoulder. “Just think about how fun it’ll be when she thinks she has a chance, though.”

The way “Mary’s” skin prickled when we spoke about her made me want to push harder, to see how long she’d let us pretend she wasn’t here, to see how excited it might make her.

But Cyrus was too focused on the long game to let me keep toying with our prey. “Let’s make one thing incredibly clear. You do not leave Feverpoint without our permission. If we catch you trying to escape — and if you’re stupid enough to try it, trust me, we’ll catch you — you will be punished. Far worse than anything you’d endure on a regular Fright Night. Is that understood?”

“Crystal,” “Mary” offered a sarcastic smile. I could see the terror flickering behind her eyes though. It was only a matter of time before I got to cause it myself.

Not yet. But soon.

I tried to calm my racing heart. It was going to be a long fucking week of holding back. But I could be patient.

With that settled, at least I could finally eat my breakfast. I dug my fork into the fluffy pancake, satisfied by the perfectly browned bottom. But just as I lifted the first, berry filled bite up to my lips, Cyrus’ phone dinged with a text.

I frowned. And just as I predicted, she was pushing out from the table just a second later, nodding for me to follow her. “Shipment’s ready. Let’s go.”

Jealousy coursed through my veins at the thought of Blade being left alone with our toy yet again. “Can’t she take this one?”

Cyrus shook her head. “Your skills are needed. Let’s go.”

With a sigh, I shoveled down my one bite of pancakes before dumping the rest in the trash. I set my messy plate down in front of Blade, meeting her shit-eating grin with a frown. “Take care of this for me?”

Blade chuckled, licking a flat, clean stripe through the pool of syrup. “Don’t worry. I will.”

18

TESS

As soon as the front door closed, Cyrus and Nash disappearing on their business, I rose from my stool. I needed to get to work studying the park if I had any hope of winning next week.