For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,108

a spot at the high table, though."

"Fuck yeah it is," Murder said, tapping PBJ's arm to point at Zara. "Cyn's girl is my best friend and my baby's godmother. Kinda like family, so be cool."

And then Kate's words drowned them out. "I'd also like to give a shout-out to Dreadknot, who will be missing the next few tournaments for the best reason. He and his wife Myst welcomed a beautiful little girl recently, and Dread will be on paternity leave. Conversely, another of our pro gamers, Murder, just became the proud father of a bouncing baby boy. I honestly didn't expect to see you here today, Murder."

"My woman told me to get the hell out of her hair," Murder said, raising his voice to be heard. "Evidently, I'm more work than the new baby. Granted, I'm also getting a lot more sleep here. And if anyone wants to see pictures, I've got 'em!"

"Trust me," Kate said. "He does. Lots of them."

And that was when Chance took over, explaining the limitations for the tournament, that they'd only get one life per round, and how they would choose who progressed to the next. For the gamers on the floor, that was their clue to log in and get ready. Rhaven signed into the main game, not surprised at all to see the chat in the lobby scrolling by quickly, but her name caught her attention.

[SighBorg] Rhaven's good enough to be at the high table.

[Twistler] It's just because she's a girl and they want the viewers.

[M1sEr] Rhaven isn't a girl.

[H4TE] Fuck off, dipshit. She's a girl.

[Bunny83] What are they supposed to do, leave an open seat? There's an odd number.

[SadFCE] She should've already had a contract. Knock got one. Rhaven's better.

[KNOCK] Hellz yeah, she is!

[QQ] I just like that I'm not alone up here.

[VOID] Thought you wanted to headshot her.

[QQ] So? What does that have to do with anything?

Rhaven finally had to respond. She knew it would probably start something, but she also couldn't help herself. QQ had effectively baited her into it.

[Rhaven] I've killed you a few times.

[QQ] You kill Murder more.

[MURDER] Hey! That's called friendly fire. She's in my outfit.

[PSYCHOCUT] I taught her everything she knows.

[Rhaven] Uh, no, Psyc.

[PSYCHOCUT] I could. ;) C'mon, baby, I'm trying hard here.

[M1sEr] Hard over THAT?

[PSYCHOCUT] Have you seen her dress?

[VOID] I'm kinda liking the yellow eyeliner.

[KNOCK] I'm the one sitting next to her. Just don't ask me to stand up. :D

[Rhaven] Dream on, boys.

[QQ] You know, they only tease the girls who can kick their ass, right?

[Rhaven] BDSM is your thing, Q. I prefer nice guys.

[M1sEr] Maybe because you are one? Fucking she-male.

All across the high table, keys started clicking, but the icon began spinning, cutting them off before anyone could reply. The game was on. Time to forget what was said and prove herself, because Rhaven really did want one of those contracts. Shit, she needed one, and this was make or break time.

But they didn't spawn into any world she recognized. Maybe she should've listened a little closer to what Chance was saying. This? It looked like the inside of a cargo crate or something. As fast as she could, Rhaven selected a medic class and extra healing in her loadout. She also picked a gun that was as accurate as possible, because she had a plan.

And then the bottom dropped out of her world. Across the room, someone yelped in surprise, making the crowd chuckle, because this wasn't like any map she'd seen before. It was nothing but open sky. Trying to get her bearings, Rhaven looked up to see a parachute open above her with cables attached to her character. Turning proved she could control her fall, driving her character through the air, but it was awkward and sluggish.

The timer at the top matched the one at the bottom showing time until she reached the ground. A smile spread across Rhaven's face as she realized what this was. Gone were the buildings. They were supposed to kill each other while free falling. This was going to be fun!

That was when the explosions began going off. Rhaven turned until she saw another parachute, then scoped in. Letting off a couple of shots, she got the kill notice, and the character slumped but kept falling. This time, the only cover they'd get seemed to be the bodies of the dead. Pushing the key to move forward made her character dip, though, increasing her falling speed, so she quit that, now needing to angle