Hideaway (Devil's Night 2)

“The game is,” the girl stated, “a cross between Hide and Seek and Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

Seven Minutes in Heaven? I groaned inwardly. I’d already played that tonight.

“You hide, and if you’re found,” she continued, “you and him get to have a few minutes alone.”

“And if I don’t want to play?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Michael pushed the button for the thirteenth floor and the doors started to close. “It’s fun.”

Yeah, fun. You’re telling me my brother plays this with only the hope of copping a feel in a dark closet? They were either lying or extremely sugar-coating this game for my sake. I had no interest in this.

“How many ‘seekers’ are there?” I looked back to the girl, ignoring Michael.

She shrugged. “One for each of us. Sometimes more.”

More?

The elevator ascended, but my stomach was sinking. Chills spread up my legs, and my mouth went dry.

Then Michael leaned into my ear, whispering, “You don’t want Kai to find someone else, do you?”

My lips quivered with a little snarl. “There’s no guarantee he’ll find me.”

“Then make sure he does.”

I licked my lips, immediately tasting the black cherry lipstick the girl had painted on. She released my hand as the doors opened, and I watched as everyone brushed past me, shooting out of the elevator.

But I took my steps slowly.

The hallway was dark and loud, an abrasive Fear Factory song growling over the chatter, and I clenched my fists, suddenly feeling nervous. I didn’t want to get into a situation I couldn’t get myself out of. I’d actually feel a little more comfortable with David here.

I laughed to myself at the irony.

I followed everyone as they trailed down the hallway which was littered with more people and room doors wide open like this was one big, communal space.

The wall sconces glowed with dim light, but the overhead chandeliers were off, so it gave the floor a haunting, cave-like feel. We drifted down past open doors, music coming from every room, and it seemed more like a dormitory than a hotel. They must’ve bought out the entire floor.

Masked teenagers filtered in and out of dark rooms lit only by candlelight, and I looked in one room, seeing several dancing slow and heated. Two girls were making-out, hands everywhere, and another girl straddled some guy on a chair.

If my brother saw me, I’d blame this on Michael. It was his fault I was here.

“Alright!” someone shouted, and I looked up. Will stood on top of a

cooler outside a room, looking back and forth down the hallway.

A dozen or so people started to gather, and I kept my hood up and my head down. I hadn’t seen Kai yet, but Michael was still next to me, so I felt less unsafe. I smelled the room service drifting out of the room to my right and a hunger pang hit me. I hadn’t eaten since…the bread and soup this afternoon?

“To keep this workable, we’re going to limit it to rooms 1312 through 1322,” Will instructed. “Ladies, you know the drill. Find a hiding place in any of those rooms, and make it a good one. You can change hiding spots, but if you’re caught in transit, you’re caught.” His face was adorned with a knowing smile as he looked around to the guys, warning them. “And if you’re told to back off, you back off.”

A few chuckles went off around the area, and I immediately took a step back. Where was Kai? If he wasn’t playing, then I didn’t want to. And for Christ’s sake, what if my brother was the one to find me.

So, what do I do? Find somewhere safe to loiter until this shit was over or go now and find the best hiding spot?

And then I saw a dark figure step out from one of the rooms behind Will and slowly approach. As the glow of the sconce fell across his mask, I wanted it to be silver.

But it was black, and the vein in my throat started throbbing. It was my brother’s. I cast my eyes down again.

“You have one minute to hide,” Will said, and then he looked at the guys, “and then you get fifteen minutes to lock yourself in a closet with your buddy’s girlfriend if you beat him to her.” Laughter exploded, following some catcalling. “When everyone hears this horn,” he held up a foghorn, “time’s up and you come out.”