Page 1 of Dangerous Games

Chapter

One

BRONWYN

Iclench my hand, digging my stiletto acrylic nails into my palm until it hurts. Maybe the pain will distract me from the sexist asshole who is in the shop right now. I’m one more comment away from stabbing him in the eye with a nail.

“You probably haven’t played this with how violent it is, right?” Sexist asshole shakes the used video game toward me with a knowing smirk on his face. His eyes dart around the store. “I’m wondering if it’s good before I buy it. I don’t want to spend my hard-earned money on something that’s going to be a waste of my time. Is your boss around? Maybe I can ask him.”

My eye twitches at his condescending tone.

I usually love my job, but every so often someone like him shows up, convinced that a girl couldn’t possibly have played a video game.

Nothing would bring me more pleasure than to knock him the fuck out.

But I need this job.

I plaster my best patronizing customer service smile on my face. “Unfortunately, he’s not. But you’re in luck because I have played this. It’s an open-world fantasy role-playing game. It can be as violent as you want it to be.”

“Oh.” His smile falters slightly. “Well, in that case, I’ll take it.”

Halle-fucking-lujah.

I look at the clock that’s shaped like a controller on the wall.

Ten minutes after closing.

The fact that I should already be halfway home and that much closer to getting a slice of pizza I’ve been craving all day pisses me off.

“Great.” I smile tightly as I move behind the register and ring him up.

I lock the door as soon as it shuts behind him, the sound of the lock making him look back at me. I don’t care in the slightest that he heard.

Fucking dickhead.

I race around shutting the rest of the lights off and turning on the alarm so I can head out. My couch and fuzzy blanket have been calling my name all day, itching for me to settle in with food and video games.

I shudder as I flip up the collar of my coat, wrapping it tighter around me as the chilly night air bites at my skin. I hate closing the store because it means walking home in the dark, but I hate getting up early enough to open it even more. My apartment is about three blocks from the store, so it’s not that far; it just sucks when it’s cold.

I rented the cheapest place I could find, a small studio above a pizzeria. I blame that for being the reason I’m constantly craving pizza now and where the ten pounds I’ve put on that has snuck up on me came from. I wake up smelling it and go to sleep smelling it; it’s hard not to constantly want it.

Instead of going around to the back alley where my entrance to the apartment is, I circle around the front and enter the pizzeria. It’s ten minutes to close, and at this point I would give my left tit for them to keep the oven on and give me a slice because I deserve a damn slice of pizza after dealing with that fucking asshole.

The front door closes behind me as I take in the empty restaurant.

Damn.

Did I miss it?

Just as I move toward the counter to ring the little customer service bell, a man in a crisp black suit steps out from behind the back. His perfectly composed expression slips for a moment as shock flashes across his face at seeing me, before he quickly recovers and the mask slides back into place. The air in the lobby goes electric as neither of us says a word. He’s too busy looking me over as I do the same to him. The man oozes danger. For being late at night, there isn’t a wrinkle or crease in his suit. His neatly trimmed dark beard hides any emotion his mouth might give away. Something in his eyes tells me he could kill me in the blink of an eye. But I can’t look away.

Drip…drip…drip…

A dripping sound echoes throughout the silent restaurant, drawing my attention down to the floor. A red liquid is dripping. My gaze moves until it stops at his hand that’s holding a part of an arm that was cut off just before the wrist.

Holy shit.

I prick my nails into my palm as I do everything in my power not to let it show on my face how freaked out I am. My brow hurts from keeping it in place when it should be hitting my hairline right now.