Chapter 32: Chapter 32

After what felt like forever, Gabriella, Rena, and I broke through the forest line. With the baton dragging at my feet, I limped toward the men waiting behind a thin white line marked in the dirt.

Gabriella and Rena allowed me to step over first before following.

Simon, who stood on the side with his arms crossed, frowned. “Catalina, thirteenth. Gabriella, fourteenth. Rena, fifteenth. For women aiming for such high positions in the family, you’re quite behind.”

I looked at him blankly. I didn’t even have the energy to refute him.

Instead, I pulled the pistol from my waistband and clicked the safety in place. Then I limped toward him and shoved it into his chest.

“Try getting fucking shot at with a real bullet.”

He stiffened and grabbed the gun in shock.

Not waiting for him to say anything else, I joined Gabriella and Rena who were standing with the women who’d already passed.

I spotted Genevieve in the crowd and gave her a blank look. She quickly averted her gaze.

Everyone was a mess. Dirt and grime clung to us like second skin, and sweat coated our brows from the heat.

The men began pulling up, parking their vehicles on the side. Andrei arrived first, and Gabriella quickly went to greet him.

Stefano pulled in fifteen minutes later. The second I spotted his chauffeured vehicle, I limped my way to him.

He jumped out of the car, his long strides quickly closing the distance between us.

I tried to smile, but I was too exhausted.

“I made i—”

I yelped when he suddenly picked me up bridal style. My arms quickly wrapped around his neck, and I fell into his embrace, my face buried in his collarbone.

He took one look at my injured leg and sucked in a sharp breath.

“That doesn’t look like a knife wound. Who did this?” His voice was strained, his tone deep with anger.

My heart settled at that, and I closed my eyes tiredly. “I just want to sleep.”

His hand clasped the back of my neck comfortably as he turned and took us to the car.

“I prepared a first aid kit, just in case. Let me check your wound.” He opened the back door and placed me gently down on the seat.

After getting the kit from the trunk, he bent on a knee in front of me and grabbed my leg.

I winced.

“Your ankle is swollen. You must have sprained it,” he murmured, his eyes fixated on my leg as he prodded it with his fingertips.

~So that’s what it was~, I thought, glad to know why I’d been limping for the last hour. I must have twisted it going over the slippery rocks when we’d crossed through the small stream. I hung my head back and closed my eyes, gritting against the pain.

“Luckily, the bullet only grazed your leg. You need stitches, but it doesn’t look too bad. We’ll get you checked out at the hospital when this is over. The gash is deep, so it’ll probably leave a scar.”

I smiled at how serious he was as he inventoried my wounds.

“You seem highly knowledgeable about this stuff.” I couldn’t help but point out.

“Of course. I’ve had my fair share of skirmishes. I’ve treated myself hundreds of times.”

“Even gunshot wounds?”

“Especially gunshot wounds.” He sighed. “I’ll look into what happe—”

“Leave it be.” I shook my head. “She’s already dead. No point disqualifying her.”

He sucked in a sharp breath. There was a brief silence before he asked, “Are you okay?”

I opened my eyes to look at him. His eyes were deep with worry, probing my face for any sign that something was wrong.

His care meant a lot, and I finally mustered a smile. “I will be.”

I had to be.

This was my life now. There was no shying away from it.

“The game has concluded!” Simon’s voice boomed across the clearing. “All twenty women who have passed, please step forward for the closing remarks.”

Stefano sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

He tried to lift me, but I shook my head and batted his hands away.

“I have to do this,” I told him. Like he’d said before, showing weakness was giving others a chance to target me. I needed to prove to them that I was the one they needed to be cautious of, not the other way around.

Understanding my intention, he offered a hand and helped me to my feet.

I walked to the line of women, biting my tongue to bear the pain on my leg while not letting any emotion show.

I felt eyes on me as whispers broke out among the women.

I paid them no mind and settled beside Gabriella with an indifferent expression on my face. She linked our arms.

Rena stood beside us as well, but I didn’t find it odd. After what we’d just been through, she seemed like a reliable ally. I wanted her on my side.

I spotted the person who played Agent White in the crowd of women, confirming my suspicions from earlier. She’d removed her mask, revealing that she was indeed a participant as well.

Simon stood at attention and gazed at the reduced lineup.

“Congratulations to the ladies standing before me. You’ve proven to us that you have what it takes to be a Roscotto. Good job.”

We remained silent, exhaustion showing on our faces as we waited for him to dismiss us.

“Through your badges, we were able to watch and listen to your movements throughout this game, allowing us to score you across five categories: courage, tactical skills, critical thinking, combat, and decisiveness. Each category is worth up to ten points with a maximum score of fifty points.”

I fought the urge to lash out at Simon as he droned on about how each category was judged. My leg hurt, and I desperately needed a bath.

“In third place, we have Vanessa with a total score of ninety-six.”

We turned to look at a blonde woman at the end of the line. She looked both relieved and determined, like she really wanted, or needed, to do well in these games.

“In second place is Catalina, who scored a perfect one hundred, even while being disadvantaged due to tampering.”

Everyone’s attention turned toward me, and I heard whispers from the women who’d made it across the finish line before me and didn’t know what had happened in the forest.

“And in first place, also with one hundred points, is Heidi, also known as Agent White. She is a new participant to the games who eliminated five competitors, thus earning her the right to continue in the competition.”

Many women, myself included, shifted our gazes to Heidi. I wasn’t aware that women could join the games after they’d already started. From the furious and confused looks on the other women’s faces, they weren’t aware either.

“Thank you, ladies, for the effort you’ve put into this game. I look forward to seeing your results in the next round.”

The women started to disperse, and I let out the breath I’d been unconsciously holding. I’d come second place, which wasn’t what I expected considering I was the thirteenth person to cross the finish line.

“I’ve never seen her before. What did he mean by ‘new participant’?” Gabriella asked as she eyed Heidi.

It was something I was curious about as well.

“I have to go. Alex is here,” Rena said, pointing to Alessandro and Genevieve in the distance.

“I’ll text you later,” Gabriella said to her as she waved goodbye.

I turned to head back to Stefano, but Simon called out to me, stopping me before I could get too far.

I turned to look at him.

He sighed. “I apologize for what I said previously. After reviewing the footage and talking to the other women, we determined that Saige received outside help to acquire a lethal weapon. Please forgive our negligence.”

“It’s fine.” I waved his apology away. I was too exhausted to care at the moment. Everything hurt.

He frowned. “Despite this, however, Saige’s father, Drake, is in a position where an incident like this won’t result in serious repercussions, at least on his end. I advise you to be careful. They may have initiated it, but it doesn’t change the fact that his daughter is dead. You now have another target on your back.”

That was to be expected. I knew from the moment I pulled the trigger that things were never going to be the same again. I took her life, and I had to face the consequences of my actions.

“Thank you for warning me.”

He smiled. “I’m just looking out for the future first lady of this family. Your performance has been nothing short of excellent. I advise you to keep it up. If you win all five games, you will be granted a position in the family where even Drake can’t threaten you.”

“That’s good to know. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have injuries to tend to.” I turned away from Simon and walked to Stefano, who was leaning against the car.

He already had the back door open for me. “Let’s get you to the hospital,” he said as I got closer.

As I slid into the car, I asked what had been on my mind. “That Heidi girl? She’s a new participant?”

Stefano glanced at me and nodded. “She is.”

I frowned. “Why did she join the games so late?”

“It doesn’t happen often, but there are times when women can join midgame. They are recruited by the family due to their highly skilled backgrounds. They are seen as possible assets to the family—assets valuable enough that we want to prevent our enemies from acquiring them.”

I nodded. That made sense.

“It wouldn’t be fair to pit them against amateurs,” he continued, “so we give you guys a chance to build up your strength before allowing the skilled women to participate. Heidi and Chanel were this year’s dark horses, but Chanel was taken out by Heidi.”

I narrowed my eyes at that and looked out the window to where Heidi stood talking to Simon.

“Who is she?” I asked.

“She’s a bounty hunter that was personally trained by the family. She wasn’t chosen to participate by anyone. Instead, these games serve as a trial for her. Passing them means that she will finally be assigned an official role.”

So, this was an important game for her.

She looked in my direction, and despite knowing that the windows were tinted, I felt like she could see me.

Unease settled in my stomach as the car slowly backed out of the clearing.

Should I be worried?