Chasing Shadows: An Alice In Borderlands Fanfic (Completed)

Chapter 3: A Game of Pairs

Karube set the empty tub of popcorn by his theater seat and faced me. "I want to kiss you," he said, bringing his hands up to cup my face.

A heavy force slammed against my room door, pulling me from my memories, but the chair I'd stuck beneath the knob held fast.

Tears streamed down my face. I sat on the floor with my back against the bed. I'd let my grief consume me again, and I just wanted to die.

The door shuddered. "You can't keep me out, kitten!" Niragi's voice boomed. He hit the door again and again until the chair finally shattered, and the door crashed open.

I ignored him and bowed my head against my knees.

But Niragi wasn't having it. He threw a large paper bag at me. "Put these on. We leave in an hour."

I shook my head without lifting it.

"I wasn't asking." He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to look at him. "Get. Dressed."

"I'm not going with you."

"You go or you die. Your visa expires tonight."

"I don't care." I pulled away from him.

He growled. "You are not giving up. I need a partner."

"Then ask that tattooed man I saw you with."

"Takatora Samura? His visa doesn't expire til tomorrow. He's not going. Besides, I want you." The way he said it made me think he wanted me more than just as a partner.

"Why? So I can kill you like I did my husband?"

He gave an impatient sigh. "Not all the games are like that. Sometimes we work together; sometimes we work against each other. We won't know til we get there. Besides, I've been playing these games for a long time. I know what I'm doing. Now, get dressed before I decide to undress you myself." The look on his face scared me. I took the bag and scrambled to the bathroom.

The outfit he picked out wasn't half bad. A white tank top, black mini skirt, and black combat boots. Plus a black leather jacket with deep pockets.

When I stepped back out into the room, he stuck his tongue out between his teeth, ogling me. Then he swiveled toward the destroyed door. "Let's go."

I had no choice but to follow him.

Outside in front of the resort, a crowd awaited to send us off. There were seven cars crowded with players. The eighth was empty. Niragi took this one, settling behind the wheel. I slid into the passenger seat. Three other players joined us in the back. Niragi took off, whooping and hollering out his open window.

Once we arrived at our destination, he was off, pulling me by my wrist toward a game far from everyone else. We were the only ones there when we arrived. Four phones sat on a table. He took one and handed me another. About three minutes before the game began, a third person showed up. She was small and dirty, obviously not from The Beach. I thought maybe I'd ask her to come back with us after the game was complete. Her name was Sakura.

The game began. It was a three of diamonds in regards to difficulty and type. A game of intelligence. (The game I'd played with my husband had been a two of hearts, a game of betrayal, which really hit me hard when Chishiya explained it to me.)