Dangerous Games - Gold Read online

  Dangerous Games - Gold

  Adele Huxley

  Contents

  Gold

  Also by Adele Huxley

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Thank you for reading!

  Author’s notes and ramblings

  Sign up today!

  by Adele Huxley

  * * *

  This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book contains explicit material and is intended for readers 18 years or older.

  * * *

  The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademarked owners of any wordmarks mentioned in the following fiction.

  * * *

  Copyright © 2018 by Adele Huxley

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by T.E. Black Designs

  PR by Forever Valentine

  * * *

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

  All requests should be forwarded to: [email protected]

  Also by Adele Huxley

  The Dangerous Games Series

  Bronze

  Silver

  Gold

  Platinum

  * * *

  The Blizzard Series

  Caught

  Saved

  Stalked

  Troubled

  Trapped

  Trust Falls

  * * *

  The Billionaire’s Power Trip Series

  Books 1 - 5

  * * *

  The Incubus Trilogy

  The Incubus’ Lust

  The Incubus’ Lies

  The Incubus’ Love

  * * *

  Chronicles of a Serial Dater

  Complete Series!

  Chapter 1

  Penny was more than thrilled to be heading back to the Village. Once there, she planned on disappearing into the shadows and avoiding the group she’d fallen in with altogether. Out of a sense of fear or loneliness, she’d allowed herself to get too close to them in the first place. In the excitement of canceled events and running from blizzards, she was certain she could just fade away and no one would notice.

  And if they did notice, they probably wouldn’t care.

  She wrapped herself up in a small travel blanket, pulled the collar of her jacket up high, and tried to ignore the rest of the bus. In her desperation to get away quickly, she’d jumped on the first bus and nabbed the first seat in the front. If she’d been thinking clearly, she would’ve waited to see where the group got on and picked a different one. The last thing she wanted was a few more hours stuck with them, but as long as she kept her head down, they seemed content to ignore her.

  The trip was slow going. Gazing out the front window, she couldn’t believe they considered the roads safe to drive on. There was barely a hint of pavement below the swirling, twisting powdery snow. Penny watched the driver and comforted her nerves by telling herself he appeared calm enough. But when she noticed his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel, she started to worry.

  She wrapped her arms around her chest, pulled her knees up, and attempted to doze. More so, she tried to put the events of the past few days out of her head entirely. Getting cornered like that in Phoenix’s room hadn’t been part of the plan. In a lot of ways, it was good that they now saw her as the bad guy. She obviously couldn't trust herself to stay away from him.

  Did he?

  Penny twisted around to sit on her other hip, her expression pinching with annoyance. No matter what she tried, his stupid face always seemed to pop into her mind. She couldn’t find a way free of him.

  The driver cursed under his breath. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound, especially since it was the first time she’d heard him speak. The bus was massive, not two levels, but a big comfortable coach. As such, her front seat sat high above the driver and granted a direct line of sight into the cockpit.

  With a quick glance out the window, she noted they were beginning to descend through a tight series of switchbacks. The bus crawled down the incline and judging from his tense body language, the driver was fully concentrating.

  The sensation struck her first before she realized what was happening. It was a little unnerving, like the floor was moving under her feet. It only took a split second before she felt the heavy back end of the bus swinging around.

  They weren’t driving. They were sliding.

  The driver gripped the steering wheel with desperation, methodically trying to bring tons of metal under control. Penny’s heart lodged firmly in her throat, yet she refused to show any fear on the outside. As a few people in the back noticed something was wrong, a couple muffled cries broke through the noise. The rest of them were completely oblivious, like always.

  The bus slipped its way down the road at a thirty degree angle. If any poor soul were unfortunate enough to be coming up the mountain, they would’ve been swiped away with the momentum. Penny’s muscles tensed as they neared the sharp corner. Even though they were only moving a few miles per hour, the slide felt impossible to stop. At the last second, the back tires were able to grab enough traction to stop, but the angle was all wrong. The sudden traction sent them careening into the ditch, thankfully at the mountainside and not the cliff.

  They came to a halt with a thud. Cries of surprise and fear rang out behind her, but all Penny could do was breathe a sigh of relief. She wanted to go hug the driver and thank him for saving their lives. No one else understood how close they’d all just come to flying off the edge of a cliff. She watched him take a few steadying breaths before opening the door. Before he slid from his seat, he spoke into the handset, presumably to his dispatch and didn’t bother waiting for a response.

  Penny shivered at the blast of cold. She chanced a look back to the rest of the bus and saw most people were standing in their seats to get a better view. From her vantage, she could only spot Phoenix’s leg. As soon as she realized she was looking for him, she spun around with a grunt of disgust.

  Her gaze softened straight ahead as she tried to clear her mind of all the twisted thoughts she had of him. The bright white snow would leave her temporarily blinded, but she didn’t care. Maybe she needed to blind herself in order to purge her mind.

  It was only by chance she saw the blur of the driver as he sprinted out into the road. She blinked a few times before ducking her head down to get a better view out of the windshield. Sure enough, his legs were pumping as fast as he physically could move them.

  As she dove closer to the windshield for a full view, he slipped on the sno
w and slammed to his knees. He glanced over his shoulder as he scrambled to his feet. His terrified face etched itself into her brain. Panic rose in her throat but before she could react, shots rang out.

  A figure in white and gray camouflage appeared at the door at her right. They raised a gun, took aim, and shot the driver in the back just as he made it to standing. He collapsed forward, slamming into the snow without enough warning to catch his fall.

  Penny froze. Half the bus erupted into screams. Before she had any time to react, the figure turned toward the steps and pointed the gun straight at her. She almost fell over herself as she desperately backed up to give them room.

  With their free gloved hand, they pressed a button on the console. A fresh wave of screams erupted from the back as the door popped open. Another figure climbed onto the bus.

  They were covered from head to toe in camouflage. Their faces hidden by white balaclavas, eyes obscured by highly reflective goggles.

  Penny sat transfixed. It felt like a nightmare and at any moment she would jolt awake in a cold sweat. But the other part of her, the observant side, was quickly storing away details that might be important later. She tried to judge the height of the one in front of her, study their frame. Even in her terror, she was sure the individual was a man but of smaller stature. He wasn’t anywhere as tall as Phoenix…

  While brandishing the gun, the man in the front fished around his jacket pockets and pulled out his phone. When he spoke, even as close as she was, she couldn’t hear his real voice. The distortion app completely cloaked all but a hint of a foreign accent.

  The screams drowned out whatever it was he was trying to say. Penny watched as the two silently communicated through the distance, the one closest to her gesturing with annoyance. The second one thrust his arm out the back door and squeezed off two rounds into the snow bank. The report made her ears ring, but it was effective enough to silence the bus.

  The man lifted his phone to his covered mouth and tried again. The voice was robotic, filled with static and hard to understand. “If you resist, you will be shot. If you attack, you will be killed. Come with us.”

  Penny’s stomach churned when he turned his attention to her, pointing the muzzle right at her and flicking it toward the door. She clutched at her bag which he tore from her hand, tossing it to the seat with a firm shake of his head. She understood. Luckily, she’d managed to grab something that could be useful.

  She feared her legs might give out they were shaking so badly as she stumbled down the steep steps. It took a great deal of willpower to ignore the still body of the driver twenty feet away. Two others were waiting for the group on the outside, standing firmly with complete control over the situation.

  In two rows, the bus emptied. Adrenaline and terror coursed through her veins. Every sense worked on overdrive and the inquisitive part of her couldn’t help but store away every detail. She thought she caught a scent of Hugo Boss cologne when she walked past the guy on the bus. All the figures’ distinguishing features were obscured, but they couldn’t hide their heights and frames.

  Penny snapped her head to the left as a shout rang out. “Hunter, no!”

  She turned in time to see the big beast of a man jump from the middle of the stairs at the back. Wrapped in his arms was the attacker from that side of the bus. Chaos and gunfire erupted. She didn’t wait to learn how things shook out.

  There were no trees or cover nearby, so the only place she could think to hide was beneath the bus. Out of pure instinct, she dove for the front tire and shimmied her way under. From this vantage, all she could see was the chaos played out in legs and feet. Several others tried to flee but were slow to react. As far as she could tell, she was only one who had succeeded. So far...

  While the athletes outnumbered the attackers, the weaponry held them at bay. She caught a glimpse of Hunter flat on his back, clutching his arm. Red seeped between his fingers and stained the snow. A black boot of one of the attackers smeared the bloody snow as he stepped over him to hoist him to standing.

  Heavy boots stomped along the floor of the bus above her head. Every footfall made her shudder. Soon, the crowd was collected and quiet. Only then, did they hear the echo of other gunshots ringing out from somewhere close by. The reports bounced through the high peaks and valley below.

  Penny instantly thought of the other bus heading down the mountain behind them. The idea of this group simply being opportunist hijackers was quickly erased as she realized it was a coordinated attack.

  The attackers rattled off instructions to those outside, ignoring the distant gunshots completely. They collected phones and stripped their pockets.

  The attackers’ voices grew more panicked. She couldn’t hear clearly or understand their language, but it sounded like they were taking head counts. Somehow they knew how many people were supposed to be on that bus. And if that were true, it meant they had insider information. One person was missing from their count.

  She cowered against the tire as a loud voice cried out. “Unu. Unu!”

  Another rattled off a fast, distorted response.

  “Unu.”

  One? She wondered.

  Her gaze drifted along the road to the corpse of the driver. She suddenly didn’t feel so much pity for him. He had counted them and double checked against the manifest before leaving, but Hunter had jumped on at the last second. With only her missing, there was only one way they could have a correct count.

  He had meant to crash the bus. He had messaged before leaving. But he clearly thought he'd walk away unscathed.

  The group was getting more difficult to control and out in the elements, even with the break in the weather, no one was going to survive very long.

  Using the voice altering app, one of the attackers announced, “If they want to freeze to death, so be it!”

  In another burst of disorder and chaos, the athletes were arranged in an easy to manage order. They fell disturbingly silent as their feet shuffled past.

  As soon as she thought the coast was clear, she scrambled back onto the bus. Moving low and slow, she tried not to bring any attention to the abandoned vehicle. From a higher perspective, she could see the group as they were led down the road in single file. Each person had their hands interlaced on top of their heads. Penny hadn’t noticed the arrival of more armed attackers, but their numbers had doubled.

  Half of her wanted to flee while the other half demanded she document this before she lost the shot.

  She fumbled through her bag and found her camera. Luckily, the telescopic lens was still attached, which would save her time. Aware any fast or hard movements would make the bus move, she crept to the front. Balancing her elbows on the railing, she focused on the line of athletes being marched to God-knows-where.

  Penny forced herself to remain objective. She ignored familiar jackets and hair colors, trying to document the scene without any emotion.

  Yet she still found her vision swimming in tears when she recognized Claire’s wild hair. Walking directly behind her was Phoenix, his hideous green and brown jacket unmissable against the white backdrop. In all her effort to remain impartial and unemotional, she didn’t hear the footsteps coming up from behind.

  Chapter 2

  A gloved hand slammed down on her face from behind, but it was poorly placed. She was in the middle of pulling back to adjust the settings on her camera, so rather than smother her mouth, the attacker smushed her nose. Had he covered it straight away, she might’ve been able to escape. But the shock of it pulled a scream from her throat, one she would’ve preferred to swallow.

  Another hand roughly clasped her upper arm and attempted to pull her back from the window. Out of instinct, she thrashed and twisted until there was enough space between them she could slam her knee into the figure’s groin. It was only as her attacker doubled over with a grunt did she realize he wasn’t wearing the same white camouflage.

  “Oh shit, I’m so sorry!”

  Rhett stumbled a few steps and
held himself up with a strong hand on the back of a seat. He waved her off with the other as he attempted to straighten. “Not your fault,” he grunted. With a pained expression he stood fully. It was like he absorbed the pain, because when he blinked his dark eyes open, there wasn’t a hint of it left.

  “I didn’t know anyone else had gotten away.”

  He crouched low to peer out the windows. The group was almost out of sight and all but two of the attackers had disappeared. Penny’s scream had caught the attention of the pair at the back who lingered and scanned the area.

  “Double shit,” she whispered.

  Rhett made quick work of picking through some of the bags that’d been discarded. With little deliberation, he stuffed extra hats and scarves into his jacket, puffing him out much fatter than his lithe frame. His calm, methodical approach was driving her nuts.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Do you know where Claire was sitting?”

  “I have no fucking idea. What does that matter?”

  He didn’t bother replying, only continued to dig through their things. The pressure built inside Penny until she felt as though she'd burst. He was so deliberate and unhurried while she wanted nothing more than to sprint away from the bus like it was on fire. She didn’t want to have to ask him what he was looking for again, but instead felt like maybe she should search for valuables as well.