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“But I don’t…” I shake hts loose They’re stuck in a logjaet all et it How can they make you do this? You said this seventy-two hour period is when you can try to kill people if you want But you don’t have to Can’t you just hide out? Refuse to play?”

Marcus stands up, striding across the living rooaze hard “But a shoeakness like that can be fucking deadly That’s what Xavier did For two years in a row And on the third year, four other players tea and killed him on the spot”

“There is no refusing to play” Theo shakes his head

“There are only three ways out,” Ryland adds quietly “You either die, hand over your life and allegiance to someone else… or you win”

Chapter 23

My gaze flicks up to meet Ryland’s as his words settle over me

I fucking get it now Why he was so damn desperate to keep ame once, when I stepped between Marcus and the three bullets ain, a pawn on a chessboard I didn’t even know existed

There are still so many questions I need answers to, but the one that keeps rising to the top of my mind is, what now?

Now I kno I see the full picture, and I understand what they’ve been hiding from me all this time Why their lives are the way they are

But what do I do with that?

What does it mean?

Where do we go from here?

Jesus Rich people are so fucked up

It’s not just the wealthy, I know that And it’s not just about money More than that, it’s about power—and the et it

“So, are you going to go after Carson, then?” I ask, digging ernails into the fabric of m