Trick Me Twice - Becca Steele Page 0,56

railing that ran along the side of the walkway, my arms folded, just watching the people down below me. Everything was still hazy, but the crowds had thinned out a little, allowing me to focus more clearly on the individuals.

Something caught my eye, far down below. Darting between the dancing bodies were figures in LED masks, randomly pelting people with paint bombs. I laughed, but my laughter died away almost instantly as the sight of the masks brought back memories of Carter.

With a sigh, I leaned down to pick up my water bottle.

My spine prickled with awareness.

When I straightened up, I realised I was no longer alone on the walkway.

My head turned, slowly, almost against my will. I blinked, my focus fixed on the far end of the walkway where a swirl of thick red smoke was pumping from a metal cylinder, obscuring my vision. As the smoke grenade dropped to the walkway floor with a clatter, a figure dressed in black, with a smooth, black mask concealing their features emerged through the clearing smoke.

The fear was instantaneous. This wasn’t even like when Carter had grabbed me. This was bone-deep, a chill that surged through my veins, urging me to get away right now. My water bottle fell from my fingers, forgotten, as I froze in place.

There was only one way off this walkway, and it was behind the figure.

They stepped closer. Despite being clad in an oversized hoodie, I could tell that they were shorter than Carter, with a slim build that was nothing like his bulk. “Wh-what do you want?” I breathed out, attempting to keep my voice even as my earlier confidence evaporated. At the same time, I reached into my shorts pocket, grasping my keys. Threading them between my fingers, I took a step towards the figure. The figure hesitated, and I took my chance, feinting to the left and then darting to the right. As I passed the figure, they reached out a gloved hand, gripping a handful of my hair and yanking my head back.

My heart hammered hard in my chest, and on instinct I threw my hands out, grabbing the round bar running along the top of the railing. Throwing my head forwards, I managed to tear my hair free, hearing a high-pitched grunt come from behind me. I didn’t waste any more time, clattering down the stairs as fast as I could and leaping off the last few, smacking blindly into a large body.

All the air was knocked out of me. Arms came around me, encircling my waist. “Little trickster. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

I had never in my life been so glad for Carter’s presence as I was right then. I shivered against him, and his voice changed, concern threading through his tone. “What’s wrong?”

Raising my face, I stared up at him. He had on his mask, and I couldn’t make out his eyes. I couldn’t speak. He grasped my chin in his hand. “What is it?”

“Th-there’s someone up there. On th-the walkway. They tried to grab me.”

“What?” His entire body stiffened. Moving back, he scanned the walkway high above us, slowly and carefully, before he shook his head, looking back down at me. “Raine. There’s no one there.”

My whole body trembled in his grip, and he pulled me into him. I rested my head against his solid chest, my heart rate slowly returning to normal.

He lowered his head to my ear. “Do you want me to go up and check?”

Shaking my head, I threaded my arms around his waist, realising I was still clutching my keys in my hand. I felt him sigh against me, and then he let go of me, tugging on my arms so I released him. Reaching down, he took my hand in his and began weaving us through the crowds. I kept a tight grip on my keys, every masked figure suddenly seeming like a threat, as they ran in and out of the dancing bodies, throwing the paint bombs at unsuspecting partygoers. One hit me square in the chest, and I gasped with shock as the cold blue paint trickled down between my breasts. Carter never let up his stride, though, so I didn’t even have a chance to stop and wipe off the paint. After what had just happened, I didn’t want to leave him. As much as he’d upset me earlier, and despite the way he acted a lot of the time, he felt safe. I felt safe with