Page 159 of Kill Feed

“I don’t doubt that for one second,” I wink.

After splitting from Marcos, I reach the maintenance corridors that give way to the contestants’ route, and the sounds hit me immediately: running feet, slamming doors, a scream, then silence.

I move faster, weaving my way through with precision, slowing before a corner.

The twins’ laughter spills between the walls, playful enough to fool anyone who doesn’t know them.

I finally round the corner and find Adrian and Lucas backed against the far end, the open Deadlock room behind them their only escape. Whips hang from the twins’ hands as they block every other route.

“This looks promising,” Yara smiles.

“It doesn’t.” I keep my voice light as I approach. “You two should run along and find someone else to terrorize.”

Yasmin chuckles. “But we like these two. Word is the contestants are dropping like flies.”

“They are,” Yara agrees. “At this rate, there won’t even be a finale.”

I barely hear them.

My attention is already on Adrian, and I can sense something is wrong. Terribly fucking wrong.

His breathing looks steady, but everything else about him is off. His body’s completely still as his eyes fix somewhere beyond the corridor, seeming empty in a way. Detached, like he’s having an out-of-body experience.

I turn back to the twins. “It’d be better if the two of you go find someone else.”

Yara scoffs, raising her voice, “Oh?”

“And it’d be even better if the two of you stayed away from me for the rest of Kill Feed,” I add.

I took the twins under my wing the day they won Kill Feed all those years ago. True prodigies with killer instinct and a lust for blood and violence. Equally as bored of mundane life as I am… or rather was. Fuck, I’ll happily live out my days as a husband to Adrian as a simple gym owner and boxing trainer.

“I don’t want to kill either of you, so do yourselves a favor…” I continue, eyes still fixed on Adrian. “…and fuck off.”

Yasmin and Yara curse under their breath but retreat, nonetheless. They know me well enough to recognize the difference between a threat and a promise.

“Well, this was boring anyway,” Yara chimes lastly as they disappear.

I take another step toward my stray, ready to simply whisk him away, when Lucas finally opens his mouth. Had he not spoken, I might have forgotten he was even in the room with us.

“W-we need to go,” he stammers, grabbing hold of Adrian’s arm, “Come on, man. Why are you just standing there? We need to run.”

Lucas finally lets go, before snatching up a splintered length of timber from the floor and raising it with both hands, though the way his arms tremble makes it clear he isn’t convinced it’ll do much good.

I sigh. With one hand, I pluck the timber from his grip as though I’m taking a toy away from a fucking toddler, and he stumbles backwards.

It leaves his hands without the slightest resistance, and I toss it to the side.

“Give it a rest, Lucas,” I huff. I’m fully convinced he has no idea who I truly am, and I’m taking a wild guess that Adrian didn’t tell him either.

“You’re exhausting enough,” I add, shaking my head.

“Wait—how do you know my name?” he utters in complete perplexity before the lights in his brain finally flicker to life.

“No way…” he adds, whipping his head towards Adrian. “Is that Dante? Your boyfriend’s part of Kill Feed?!”

“Yes, he is. Get over it,” Adrian finally says, scowling at the guy who now freaks out completely.

I close the remaining distance and take his hand, scanning him for cuts and bruises. There are a few, but it’s the blood that catches my attention. I can’t find where it comes from.