A cosmic joke.
A middle finger from the universe.
“You’ll be right behind me …” I repeat, and then I climb into the police car. The red and blue of the sirens bathes the onlookers in color, including the boys I just left behind. I’d give anything for at least one of them to come with me, but Dad has to be my first priority. However I can get to him the fastest, that’s the route I’m taking.
As we back out of the stadium and head down the hill, I reach into my pocket for my phone and realize that in my scrambling to get to Charlie, I tore the gown and lost it somehow.
Figures.
Fuck.
The nearest hospital is … God, it’s like an hour from here, isn’t it? Since I feel like I’m about to puke, I lean over and put my head between my knees. Taking slow breaths, I manage to get my frantic pulse under control. The officers certainly have phones of their own. I’ll wait awhile, and then I’ll ask them to call the hospital for me.
The glass of the window is cool as I lean my head against it, shutting my eyes against the dark green of the trees as they pass by in a watercolor blur. The shock of seeing my dad, the man who raised me, the greatest love in my heart collapse must’ve really gotten to me. Either I fall asleep or I just lose time, I’m not sure, but when I open my eyes and sit up, I realize that we’re heading in the wrong direction.
“Isn’t the hospital due west from here?” I’m not exactly an expert on the terrain, but I can tell based on the mountains and the road that we are most definitely not heading back toward town. What the hell? The sirens aren’t on anymore either which is weird. And worrying. Very, very worrying.
“We’ll get you there, don’t worry,” the officer in the passenger seat tells me, but he doesn’t sound very reassuring. The longer we drive, the more concerned I get.
That’s when I see the abandoned casino up ahead, and my heart leaps into my throat.
The car’s wheels crunch across the gravel as I feel the first waves of true panic clawing at my throat. It’s not midnight yet, nowhere near it. I could still die today. I could fucking die.
“What are we doing here?” I whisper, my voice hoarse with worry for Charlie, and now, for myself, too. I can’t help my dad if I’m dead, now can I? The officers ignore me and climb out, opening the back door and yanking me forcefully out. They shove me hard to the gravel, and I stumble, my hands going out to catch myself.
I grit my teeth against the pain of the rocks, stabbing into my flesh and embedding themselves into my palms. Pushing up to my knees, I glance over my shoulder just in time to see the officers climb back in their car and take off.
Shit.
Two uniformed police officers with badges in an official cruiser have just driven me out to an Infinity Club-owned casino smackdab in the middle of a Native American reservation. It’s completely surrounded by miles and miles of untouched forest, vast swathes of protected national and state parks as far as the eye can see.
The sound of feet scuffing across gravel draws my attention around.
And there she is, Harper du Pont with John Hannibal and Gregory Van Horn on either side of her.
She’s at least had time to clean the shit off, but her face is still as ugly as ever.
“Hello, Marnye Reed,” Harper says, her lips curving up into a smile. John is carrying a baseball bat, and Greg is holding a thick coil of rope.
I don’t have a good feeling about this.
I fight to get to my feet as fast as I can, backing up a few steps as Harper saunters toward me, clearly still channeling the fury from this afternoon.
“Infinity Club rules,” she states, smiling. “Your friends did a nice job of making sure we couldn’t hire out your punishment. Marnye Elizabeth Reed can only suffer at the hands of a student …” Harper tapers off with a resigned sigh, tossing some of her bloodred extensions over one shoulder. “And so suffer at the hands of a student, she shall.” She gestures at me with her chin, and her two boytoys start forward.
They seem pretty shocked to see me run straight toward and between them, heading for the casino with my ruined graduation gown flapping behind me. My wrist is killing me from the fall off the dais, and there’s hot, wet blood streaming down my palm.
There is no way in hell I’m letting the Infinity Club win, not when I’m so close. So freaking close.
I skid around the corner and fly up the steps, through the back door …
