Doll Parts (The Game 4)

Damn. The cage was more than a tiny hiding spot. It was their storage space for this station.

“How long are we giving him?” I asked.

“Five minutes,” River replied. “Enough time for his pulse to spike.”

That was good.

The rain pelted down on the tarp above us, and I could only imagine how slippery the forest had turned. The image that lit up Colt’s screen was grainy and black-and-white, but it was better than I’d expected. I saw every log and rock Noa jumped over out there.

“You think this will do the trick?” Colt murmured.

“With the changes we’ve made?” I laughed quietly. “He might piss himself.”

That was the thing about planning events for brats. They talked. They texted. All it took was a quick bathroom break or a dinner where brats ran wild. There’d been plenty of commotion just half an hour ago when Reese came out to announce the fire flogging had been canceled due to the weather. We couldn’t be sure if Noa had exchanged notes with other brats then, the handful who’d already completed this station—plus, my friends deserved a little bit of revenge for the performance earlier. So when dealing with brats, we always had to be one step ahead. Maybe Noa had talked to someone during free time at dinner…? Well, I’d made my plans with Colt and River while Noa had waited in line to get his sixth hot dog.

Although, to be fair, the plan had already been in motion for River and Reese’s brat, Shay. They’d merely offered to include me for Noa’s infractions.

Most subs eventually found their red balloon next to a clown suit in a remote corner of the woods. And Colt and I found it highly interesting that Noa was currently making his way to that corner.

“Oh, that detour is on purpose,” Colt laughed. “He’s tryin’a fool us.”

Yeah, he’d definitely talked to other brats. He veered left for maybe twenty feet, then steered back.

“When do we get audio?” I asked. I wanted to hear Noa’s heavy breathing.

“When I get there. I have a mic.” River picked up a giant clown suit from the floor behind us. No, wait. There were two suits. An inflatable wrestling suit underneath a clown outfit. “The shit I go through to please maso sluts.”

Colt and I did our best to help River into the costume, and the man wasn’t messing around. He had a wig and makeup prepared too. I opened the jar of pasty white paint and started smearing it across his cheeks.

“This makes you look so good, honey,” I cooed.

“Blow me,” he grunted.

I smacked a kiss to a spot on his cheek I hadn’t covered in makeup yet.

“Quit mopin’,” Colt said. “You’re about to scare the ever-lovin’ shit outta that boy.”

That did make River quit moping.

Dark-red paint followed, around his mouth and eyes.

Tomorrow, it would be Colt’s turn to don the costume for Shay’s run in the forest.

We hadn’t done the best job, or even a decent job, but nobody would be able to tell in the dark, and River was keeping his word on the five-minute limit. He was ready to head out there.

“Wait.” Colt pulled out his phone. “A memento for Reese and Shay.” The flash when he took a picture blinded us all.

River glared at him. “Get the fuck out of my way, boomer.”

I laughed a little too loudly at that, and River pushed past Colt, who hollered, “Don’t forget your nose!”

I fucking loved being a Top in this community.

Colt offered me a couple tissues, and I wiped the makeup off my hands—and the grip on my cane—as best as I could. Then we stood there, huddled in the fighting cage, and watched the screen.

“I’m gonna need your help when it’s our turn to punish Kit,” he said.

“Anything you want, buddy.” That was what friends were for. This type of pleasure was meant to be shared.

Noa had made it to the far-right corner of the wooded area now, and he was searching for whatever the other brats had told him he’d find. He jogged back and forth, checking behind trees and boulders. The light darted from one point to the next so fast that it put a strain on my eyes.

We estimated it was gonna take River about two minutes to reach the same corner since he’d run straight along the edge of the forest.

“All fun and games aside, I’m glad this worked out for you, KC. For both you and Lucian.”

I smiled and dipped my chin. “We’re fortunate. I don’t wanna think about where I’d be if Noa and Cam weren’t so courageous.”

“They smacked some sense into y’all, huh?” he chuckled.

“All of it.” I grinned.

“Well, good.” He nodded and glanced back at the screen.

We both stiffened at the same time. Audio was coming through, pouring out from a speaker somewhere—ah, on a chair behind me. They needed a goddamn lamp in here. The torch from outside wasn’t very helpful.