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Kira looked away from me. “That’s fine, but what if something happens to you? Who gets the blame then?”

Her words ricocheted through my mind. Kira was worried about me. I wasn’t sure if that made me happy or terrified. I didn’t want her worrying about me when she needed to focus on staying alive.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Like I said, we all knew the risks. I’m not here to win. My only goal is to make sure you win and get out alive. That’s it.”

“You’re a really loyal friend,” she whispered. “Doing all this for Kolton.”

It was like she’d kicked me in the stomach. Even after everything, she still thought this was about me protecting my best friend’s sister. I wanted to shout at her that I wasn’t doing this for Kolton, but perhaps it was safer for her to think that instead of knowing the truth. If she knew the real reason, her head might not be in the game. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt because I wanted her to know the truth—that I wanted to save her for me, not Kolton.

“I need to go