For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,138

just that our definition of not cheating is a little more broad than most people's."

"And, you're ok with that?" Psyc asked, turning to face him.

"Jeri's had some shit, man. And Cade? Things have been a little rough for him since his parents kicked him out. I know she's going to take care of him, and that makes me feel better about being here. It's... I guess it's kinda like all of us standing up for Rhaven, but more romantically, if that makes sense."

"Braden said he's cool with me crashing in his suite tonight," Psyc admitted. "I dunno what I'm going to do."

"Do it," Knock told him. "Braden's not going to grope you. No surprise butt sex or anything. If nothing else, it checks a threesome off your bucket list, right?"

"Not really the kind of threesome I was going for," Psyc said.

"Still hot," Knock countered, "and she'll love - "

But before he could finish the sentence, something sailed through the air toward the table. It was red and not heavy. A handkerchief? No, when it landed on the top of Riley's monitor, Psyc realized that those were a pair of women's panties. Evidently, the rest of the crowd did too, because it felt like everyone around him took a collective breath.

"Hold up," Riley said to the ladies. Then she stood, grabbed the panties, and held them out for all to see. "I was missing these. Thought I left them in the stairwell. So thanks for making sure I got them back."

But her eyes were filled with rage. The same kind of anger she'd had the first time Psyc had seen her. The type that was dangerous, yet fueled that woman's every action. A few people chuckled, but Psyc knew those weren't Riley's panties. They were Rhaven's, and matched a piece of cloth she'd been clutching when they found her room destroyed.

"He's here," Psyc breathed, looking for someone to be just a little too mad about how Riley had just taken that over.

He didn't have to try too hard. "They're not yours!" some man yelled.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a receding hairline, his nose was a little too big, and his glasses were thick. Pretty stereotypical for a gamer, but the fact that he saw no humor at all in what had just happened? That the panties had come from his general direction? It had to be one of the KoG losers.

"Knock?" he asked.

"Yep, I see him," Knock promised, pulling out his phone to type furiously.

On the stage, the women were once again playing hard. Psyc scanned the screens to see Zara and Kate taunting Riley. One would trigger the point while the other lined up to take a shot. It was a game of cat and mouse, and those two were good enough to make Riley work for it. They just didn't expect Rhaven.

She came in from behind to kill Kate, then dropped down, rushed across the building, and came up the far side just as Riley took out Zara. Then, as if they were sharing a brain, both Riley and Rhaven turned for the point, coming at it from different directions. The crowd began murmuring, wondering how this was going to go down, and it was almost as if the women at that table could feel the excitement.

Zara and Kate respawned and grouped up. Three rooms away, Riley and Rhaven converged. The first rattle of guns was short and well-aimed, but they were both too good. Riley tried to use her melee hit. Rhaven tossed out a grenade and backed up, but Riley moved as well, evening out their damage, so it was back to guns.

They circled, strafed, and fought it out with a fury Psyc hadn't expected. Riley was wild. Rhaven was precise. Their styles were nothing alike, but both were deadly. The shots landed. Armor and health was stripped away, only to be replaced by med packs and healing abilities. Both women were playing medics, and both of them knew exactly how to use the class.

Then Rhaven got sick of playing around. She flipped to her pistol and tapped off a set of rounds just as Riley unloaded her submachine gun into Rhaven's head. Two synthetic women crumpled, killing each other at the same time, and Psyc's eyes jumped to the clock that was counting down for the base capture.

Like it had been scripted, Kate and Zara moved in to take control of the point. The colors of the building's accents changed to red, and