THE WILD CAT

Chapter 15

Riley’s POV

I turned around and froze. It was the same guy who almost killed me the first day—Anthonio.

My heart started pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through my chest. I didn’t even realize I had fallen to the ground until I looked up and saw him standing over me. His shadow covered me completely, and I could barely breathe.

Anthonio bent down slowly until his face was close to mine. His dark eyes looked sharp, curious, and dangerous all at once.

“What are you doing here, princess?” he asked, his voice low but mocking.

Princess? My eyebrows shot up. Where did that come from? The way he said it made me feel small, like I was being teased—or hunted.

I looked away quickly, unable to hold his gaze. His eyes were too intense, like they could see through every lie I was about to tell.

“Uh… I… I was just—” I stuttered, trying to find an excuse, but my mind went completely blank.

“Were you eavesdropping on the triplets?” he asked suddenly, making my head snap toward him.

“What? No, I wasn’t!” I said quickly. My voice came out shaky, and I could already tell he didn’t believe me.

“I was just walking,” I said again, forcing myself to sound calm. “I tripped and fell, that’s all.”

“You fell?” he repeated slowly, his tone full of disbelief. He tilted his head a little, studying me like he was trying to decide if I was worth believing—or worth killing.

“Yes, I did,” I said boldly, even though my palms were sweating. I tried to meet his gaze this time so I wouldn’t look weak.

Anthonio let out a small laugh, but there was no humor in it. He leaned even closer, his breath brushing my ear.

“You know,” he said quietly, “if the triplets find you here, they might get the wrong idea…” His lips curved into a smirk. “And when they get the wrong idea, people usually end up dead.”

I swallowed hard, my body stiffening as his words sank in.

I didn’t dare move.

Because one wrong word—one wrong look—and I knew I’d be next.

I knew he wasn’t joking. Those brothers were seriously dangerous. I mean, I literally just saw Armani chop off someone’s finger a few minutes ago—how could anyone joke after that?

Anthonio slowly stood up, towering over me before stretching out his hand. I hesitated, my brain screaming don’t trust him, but I still placed my hand in his. His grip was strong and warm as he pulled me up easily.

“You know,” he said with a faint smirk, “pretty girls like you shouldn’t be falling.”

Then he just turned and walked away like nothing happened, leaving me staring after him.

“Uhm… that was awkward,” I muttered under my breath.

“What was awkward?” a voice hissed behind me.

I jumped a little, spinning around to see Quinn standing there, her arms crossed and her brows raised.

“Uhm—this place! This whole creepy hallway is awkward,” I said quickly, forcing a laugh. “Let’s just go, please.”

Before she could ask anything else, I grabbed her hand and started walking fast, pulling her along. She tried to tell me to slow down, but I didn’t. I just needed to get out of there before someone else showed up—especially one of them.

When we got back to the party, Skylar was chatting with a group of girls. The lights were brighter, the music louder, but all I could think about was what I’d just overheard—and Anthonio’s warning still echoing in my head.

“Hey, girls! You finally came back to the party!” Skylar said when she noticed us.

“Well, I went to find Riley,” Quinn started cheerfully. “She was in—”

Before she could finish, I quickly slapped my hand over her mouth.

Everyone turned to look at me like I’d just lost my mind.

I gave a nervous laugh. “She was in the bathroom,” I said quickly. “Right, Quinn?”

She blinked at me through my fingers, clearly confused, and I just smiled wider, trying not to look suspicious.

I started laughing nervously. “We should enjoy the party and not have all these talks,” I said quickly, releasing Quinn’s mouth.

“But I wanted to just say—”

“Why don’t we all dance!” I cut her off again, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the dance floor. Skylar and the rest of the girls followed, excited as always.

The music was blasting, lights flashing everywhere, and everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives. I tried to move a little, just enough not to stand out, but my head was still spinning. If Quinn opened her mouth about where she found me, I was doomed.

I needed to stay low-key if I wanted to make it out of here alive. The only way was to climb the ranks fast. Once I made it high enough—top fifty, maybe—I could find a way out. Even if it meant beating every single girl in this mansion.

I was lost in my thoughts, moving awkwardly to the beat when I accidentally bumped into someone. My shoulder hit hers hard.

“Oh—I’m sorry!” I said quickly, turning around.

The girl glared at me like I’d just insulted her entire bloodline. She leaned closer, probably trying to hear me over the music.

Then she smiled—a slow, strange smile. “Oh, you want a solo, alright.”

I blinked, confused. “What?”

She didn’t answer. She just gave me one last look before walking away, her heels clicking against the floor.

I frowned, watching her disappear into the crowd. “Okay… weird,” I muttered. “She’s definitely not the first psycho I’ve met here.”

I tried to shrug it off and keep dancing, but a small chill ran down my spine. Something about the way she said solo didn’t feel right.

I was about to leave the dance floor when the music cut off.

A spotlight hit me. Every pair of eyes swung my way.

“Hey, everyone!” a voice called from the stage. I turned and saw the girl who had pushed this on me.

“Why don’t we clear the floor for our new Wild Cat to have a solo?” she said. The crowd cheered.

What the heck is that b***h doing? I didn’t ask for a solo.

She leaned over to the DJ and whispered something, then walked straight toward me. “You can have your solo now, Riley. Go crazy,” she said.

“But I didn’t—” I started.

“It’s okay. I know you’re shy, but everyone here will love you,” she lied, then walked away.

What is going on?

People began to chant my name—slow at first: “Riley… Riley…” Then louder as more joined in. The sound built until someone asked, “What’s going on here?”

We all turned. Theo, Lucas, and Armani stood at the edge of the crowd. Their faces looked dull, like they’d just been told bad news.

“Riley is about to have a dance solo,” Serial said, smiling. “Apparently she told Momo she wanted one.”

I hadn’t. My mouth went dry.

“Oh, that’s great,” Theo said with a small, unreadable smirk. I met his eyes and felt a cold prickle run down my spine. He was playing with me.

“You should have your solo dance. Let’s see if our new Wild Cat can move,” Theo added. The crowd agreed at once. Even Lucas—who I had hoped might save me—didn’t stop it.

The music started again. I felt my stomach drop. What was I supposed to do? I wanted to rip off the mic and scream. I half imagined yanking the two guns at my jeans and shooting the whole room, just to end the madness.

“Go on, dance,” Armani said, and I swallowed hard.

The spotlight was on me. I had no choice but to go.