After the Ex Games (4 page)

Part III

Two Weeks Later

Chapter 6

Greyson

“Do you have all your stuff packed up?” I pulled Meg towards me and she laughed. “Do you find my kisses funny now?”

“No.” She leaned up and kissed me. “I just think your question is funny. I don’t have much here, so there’s not much to pack up.”

“I didn’t even think about that.” My hands found their way to her butt
cheeks and squeezed. “I forgot you only came with a small bag.”

“You mean you haven’t noticed I’ve been wearing the same three outfits?” She laughed at me and made a face.

“To be honest, I don’t really care about the clothes you’re wearing.”

“
Greyson.” She pushed herself against me. “I swear all you think about is sex.”

“Well, of course that’s not true.” My hand made its way up to her breast. “I think about other things as well.”

“Uh huh,” she moaned against my lips as I pinched her nipple. I kissed down her neck and made my way to her breast, biting down and sucking on her flesh. “Greyson,” she murmured as I kissed her.

“Yes
?” I muttered, my mind focused on taking her nipple in my mouth.

“Why are we going to Brandon
’s house?” She ran her hands through my hair and I continued kissing her, even though warning bells were going off in my brain.

“I told you why.” I looked up at her. “I want us to get a place together.” That wasn’t a lie
. I did want us to get a place together.

“Why can’t we just stay at my apartment? Why do we have to go to Brandon
’s?”

“I just thought it would be fun. I know Katie has been missing you.” I looked away from her then. That wasn’t the complete truth.

We were going to stay at Brandon’s because he lived in a safe environment and had hired security. I didn’t want to tell Meg that though since I hadn’t told her about the death threat Brandon and I had received. I flinched as I remembered the note and the single bullet I’d found on my desk the day before. The note had been simple and brief:

To the founders of the private club
,

A life for a life?
Who do you love?

“What are you thinking about?” Meg’s voice was soft as she reached up and tilted my face to look at her.

“Nothing.” I shook my head and forced a smile on my face. “I’m just hoping the four of us don’t kill each other.”

Meg laughed and kissed me on the lips. “I’ve lived with Katie before
, so I know we’ll be fine. I’m not so sure about you and Brandon though. You guys still seem pretty tense.”

“That’s why I want us to stay with him instead of at a hotel. I’m hoping we can mend our relationship.” I kissed her back hard and closed my eyes, not wanting her to see the fear that was brewing inside of me.

The bullet and the note had hit me to the core. I’d been waiting for something to happen, so the last two weeks had been torture. Brandon and I had waited at the diner for three hours for someone to show up. A part of me had held on to the hope that whoever was behind everything was calling our bluff. Maybe they weren’t really serious. Maybe whoever it was hadn’t meant anything, but I’d known that was just wishful thinking. As soon as she’d shown up at the club, I’d known my life was going to change. I knew everything was going to come out into the open. All of my secrets would be brought to light. It was as it should be. It was something I’d been waiting to happen for the last ten years. Some part of me had always known that true love wasn’t in the cards for me. A wife and a family hadn’t even been a part of my psyche. How could they be? Men like me didn’t have happy families. Men like me didn’t deserve them.

“I hope so too. You guys were best friends. I know it’s horrible that Maria killed herself, but you can’t blame yourselves for the rest of your life.”

“I know.” I nodded. “I just want us to get our friendship back.” And our lives.

“I want that as well. That’s why I agreed to go.” She hugged me tight. “You’d tell me if there was anything else going on
, right?”

“Of course.” I nodded. “There’s nothing else.”

“Why do I think you’re not telling me everything?” She took a step back and sighed. “I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, Greyson, but I can tell something is off.”

“Meg
—” I started, but she cut me off.

“Don’t Meg me.” She shook her head. “
Nuh uh. Tell me, Greyson. Since yesterday, you’ve been acting funny and you haven’t taken your eyes off me.”

“That’s because I
—”

“
Nuh uh, don’t go there.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me the truth.”

I took a deep breath and pulled her towards me. I knew I was going to have to tell her part of the truth. Meg was too smart for her own good. “We got a death threat at the club yesterday. We don’t know who they are targeting or why, but I think it’s best for us to move out while we figure it out.”

“Do you think it’s the same person who took Nancy?” Meg’s voice fell to a whisper and her face paled.

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I just don’t know.”

“What did the private detective say?”

“He said that right now we’re the ones in danger and we need to leave until we figure it all out.”

“And find Nancy, right?”

“Yeah.” My voice felt stilted as I lied. I was scared to find Nancy. I was scared that she was another casualty in the club. She was another piece in the
puzzle that was threatening to ruin everything for me. “Or if you want, we can just fly away from here. Move to Hawaii or Rome and just live our lives in a different sort of paradise.”

“Why would we do that? We can’t let some idle death threats scare us.”

“I don’t know what David is capable of.” I could hear the panic in my voice. “He’s crazy.”

“I can’t believe he just disappeared. I bet he took Nancy.” Meg looked annoyed with herself. “I always knew something was off with him. I should have confronted him. I just didn’t think he could have done anything. He looked so innocent.”

“He probably took her as some sick sort of fantasy. If he can’t be with her sister, he wants to be with her instead.” My words felt wooden coming out of my mouth, and I felt a fire burning up inside of me.

“He’s a sicko.” She nodded. “I didn’t get the sense he wanted her though, but what do I know? I thought he was hooking up with Patsy.”

“That doesn’t mean much.” I shrugged.

“Don’t remind me please.” Her eyes filled with jealousy.

“Remind you of what?”

“That you had sex with Patsy.”

“It meant nothing.” I ran my hands through my hair. “It was a mistake.”

“She loves you, you know.”

“No, she doesn’t.”

“I can see it in her eyes. I bet she’s the one
who sent the death threat and I bet it was addressed to me, wasn’t it?” She frowned. “That bitch wants to kill me for sharing your bed.”

“Meg.” I reached out to touch her
, and she looked at me angrily.

“Let’s just go. I don’t even want to think about her anymore. This is probably her plan. She wants me out of the way so she can seduce you.”

“Meg, I’m not interested in Patsy. You’re the only one I want in my bed.”

“Uh huh.”

“You don’t believe me?” I stared into her eyes, concerned that I was already losing her trust.

“I just don’t know if you’re really the sort of guy
who can be faithful. You’ve never been in a relationship before.”

“Oh, Meg.” I pulled her to me and chuckled softly. “Is that what you’re worried about?” I stroked the back of her hair and kissed her passionately. “That is something you never have to worry about. I could never cheat on you. Would never cheat on you. I can barely believe that I’m so lucky that I got you.”

“Greyson, you could have any woman you want.”

“But there’s only one woman for me. You’re the only one I want with all my heart and soul. You’re the one
who lights me on fire.”

“Not literally, I hope.” She giggled. “
‘Cause that sounds like an STD problem.”

“What?” I frowned and then laughed. “No, I’m not burning up down there.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that.”

I held her close to me. “Are you ready to go now?”

She looked around the room and nodded, and we walked out of the room. I felt like this was the beginning of the end. A part of me felt like everything was about to come crashing down and neither Brandon nor I knew what to do about it.

***

“You girls go and make the popcorn and we’ll get the movie ready
,” Brandon called after Meg and Katie and then turned to me with a frown. “Did you give the note and bullet to the private detective you hired?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and spoke softly. “I hired him yesterday as soon as I got off the phone with you.”

Brandon looked angry. “Do you think she plans to hurt us?”

“I don’t know. We don’t really know who’s behind all of this.”

“I think it’s pretty obvious.” He paced back and forth. “I’m sure David is the one dictating everything.”

“He hates us.” I nodded and sighed. “I never knew if it was a good idea to keep him at the club.”

“Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.” Brandon’s eyes pierced into mine. “At least you were able to track him.”

“I just wasn’t counting on her.” I bit my lip and looked towards the door to make sure Meg and Katie weren’t on the way back in. “She’s made everything so much more complicated.”

“You had to know David would see how you reacted,” Brandon sighed.

“I tried to be neutral.” I closed my eyes. “I only went to the room once, I think.”

“One time too many.”

“I know.” I wanted to bang my fist into the wall. “Now we’re all targets.”

“I wish I’d been there.” Brandon sounded wistful.

“I know.” We stared at each other for a few seconds
, and I knew that both of us were thinking about how far we’d come since those days in high school.

“What movie did you boys choose then?” Katie raised an eyebrow at Brandon as she walked into the room. “And don’t tell me cartoons. Harry’s gone to my parents for two weeks and I’m taking the opportunity to ban all talking animals from the TV.”

“C’mon, Katie. Don’t you want to watch Frozen?” Brandon grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him. “It just won an Oscar.”

“I don’t care what it won. No animated movies.”

“I’m voting against romance as well,” I said, and Katie and Meg glared at me. “I mean, I have enough romance in my life. I don’t need it in a movie.” I gave Meg a huge grin and she rolled her eyes.

“Whatever,
Greyson.” She shook her head. “You’re lucky we’re staying with friends or I would—”

“What?” I whispered against her lips. “What would you do?”

“You wish.” She tried to pull back from me, but I held her close to me.

“Oh, I more than wish.” My hands found her ass and squeezed. “I want.”

“Greyson.” She slapped my hand away and pulled back. “What are you doing?” she hissed and looked at Brandon and Katie, who were laughing at us.

“Nothing.”

“You better keep it that way.” She blushed, but I could see a hint of a smile on her face.

Brandon listed off the names of some movies.
“Okay, we have three movie choices: The Illusionist with Edward Norton, Identity Thief with that girl from Bridesmaids—don’t ask me how I know she was in Bridesmaids—and The Expendables.”

“I told you, no cartoons
,” Katie groaned.

“The Expendables is not a cartoon
. It stars Sylvester Stallone,” Brandon corrected her and she laughed.

“Do you think that’s any better?” Katie grinned at Meg. “Meg, please tell my
fiancé that there is no way in hell we are watching a Rocky movie.”

“The Expendables isn’t…” Brandon started and then shook his head and smiled at me. “I think we should let the lovely ladies decide, don’t you?”

“Sounds good to me.” I grinned.

“
Should we go and get ourselves a nightcap?”

“You got whiskey?”

“I’ve only got a bottle of Chivas Regal, twenty-five years old.”

“Why didn’t you say?” I followed him to the corner of the room, where his bar was. “I’ll have a double, neat.”

“You girls want anything?” Brandon called over and Katie made a face.

“To be called women.”

“What?”

“Nothing
. Give us two rum and Cokes.”

“Someone’s looking to get tipsy.” He grinned and she laughed.

“It’s a good thing I don’t need a ride home.”

“I know someone who’d be willing to make sure you get home safely.”

“Sure you do.” They laughed and stared at each other for a few seconds, and I could see the love in both of their eyes.