After the Ex Games (3 page)

Part II

Chapter 4

Greyson

I should have felt like the happiest man in the world. The woman I was falling in love with
—or was already in love with—felt the same way about me. My heart was still buzzing from remembering the previous evening. The way she’d kissed me and stared at me. It was something I’d never experienced before. It had felt strange, but wonderful. Holding her in my arms had felt like I’d won something, but I knew that the games hadn’t even begun.

Coming to my office this morning and seeing Brandon waiting inside for me had stopped my heart. I’d thought it was all over then, but it was more guilt that had him in my office. He was worried that Katie was going to start questioning him over what had happened in the office the day before. He was worried that he was still being dishonest. He was worried that everything was going to blow up in his face
, and I didn’t blame him. I was worried about the same thing.

I was sorting through my mail when the envelope first caught my attention. It was pink and the ink was red, but the part that puzzled me the most was that it was addressed to Brandon Hastings and
Greyson Twining, the founders, CEOs, and devils of the private club.

I know all your secrets and I’m going to make you both pay. You can’t just love them and leave them. I’ve got help now. I know who you both are. Who you really are. You may have broken my heart, but I’m going to make sure that you both know what rejection feels like. You’re both going to feel every last inch of pain as I stab the dagger through your hearts.

I stared at the letter with my heart in my mouth. I’d known that my happy ending wasn’t going to be that easy. I handed the letter to Brandon in silence. I knew he wouldn’t be happy to read it, but I had to let him know. The end was imminent, and there was nothing that we could do.

I looked at Brandon and he looked back at me with the same look of worry and despair in his eyes. We were silent as we sat there, each one hoping that the other would have the answer to solve everything.

“Katie will leave me if she knows.” Brandon’s voice cracked, but I didn’t tease him as I would have in our college days.

“I don’t think Meg would hesitate before she ran out of the door.” My words pained me as I said them.

“Thank you for telling Katie that it was all you yesterday.” Brandon gave me a curious expression. “I don’t know why you did that.”

“I could see how much you love her and how much she loves you.”

“But Meg was there. I didn’t think you’d do that.” His voice trailed off. “I don’t know that I could have.”

“I wanted to think of someone else before myself.” I shrugged. “I feel responsible for everything
,” I sighed. “I just wish I’d been able to tell Meg everything when she tried to leave yesterday.”

“You got her to stay though.” Brandon looked hopeful.

“Because she has no idea who I really am.” A deep fear settled inside of me. “If she knew who I really was—”

“It’s not you.” Brandon’s voice broke. “It’s me.”

“She was asking about Nancy. She wants to find out where she is.”

“It’s weird that she just disappeared.” Brandon looked worried. “You don’t think...” He stared at the ground in anguish.

“I don’t know,” I said, answering his unasked question.

“What do we do?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head, wishing that this weren’t the one time I didn’t have an answer. “People have died because of us. I don’t want anything else to happen. I keep going over it. I keep thinking in my head, ‘What can I do? What can I say? How can I tell Meg everything and not have her think I’m a monster?’”

“I never thought I’d see this day.” Brandon gave me a surprised look.

“You mean, the day when we would be in the same room again without killing each other?”

“No, I meant I never thought I’d see the day that
Greyson Twining was in love.” He sat back and cracked a small smile. “Though I suppose it hits all of us unawares.”

“I guess this is the irony of life.” I jumped up, unable to keep still. “Live your life without love and then when it happens, when it finally hits you and creeps up in your heart so tightly that it feels like you can’t breath
e, it gets snatched away. Just like that. So easily. As if it were nothing.”

“Meg loves you. I can see it in her eyes.”

“But will she still love me when she knows everything?” I looked at him with bleak eyes and he turned away from me.

“I wish I could say she would. But I don’t know. I don’t know if Katie will still love me once she finds out.”

“What did we do, Brandon? My God, what did we do?” My voice cracked, and I sat there wondering how we ever could have done what we had. “Are we monsters?”

“You were just protecting me
,” Brandon sighed. “All these years, I’ve been blaming you for everything that happened. I’ve hated you for so many reasons, but really, ultimately, it’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

“I don’t know what to say. All I know is that we’re in some deep shit
, and if we don’t figure out who’s behind it and what’s going on, then we’re really going to pay.”

“It can only really be one person, can’t it?” Brandon closed his eyes and his face went white. “And I can’t say I blame her either.”

“It’s your choice.” I looked down at my desk. “Whatever you want to do, it’s your choice.”

“We should contact her right? See if it’s her?”

“There’s an email address at the bottom of the letter,” I sighed. “
[email protected]
.”

“That’s helpful.” Brandon laughed then as he shook his head. “There are so many women both of us let get away.”

“If you mean fucked and never spoke to again, then yes.” I laughed. “Though I don’t know if that means shit.”

“Who knows what they are thinking?”

“I don’t understand women
,” I sighed. “Sex doesn’t equal love or a relationship. Shit, it doesn’t even equal sex the next night.”

“Let’s not argue the details.” Brandon stood up. “We both know men and women are different. We had a duty. We had an obligation. I just wish I’d realized that earlier.”

“I thought—”

“Shit,
Greyson. We can’t keep passing the buck. At what point do we take responsibility for our own actions?”

“I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” I shrugged. “The last thing we need is for someone else to die.”

“Are you talking about murder?” Brandon’s eyes met mine and I saw the grim expression on my face reflected in his gaze.

“When people are desperate, there’s no discounting what they would do.” I picked up a pen and twirled it in my fingers. “When it comes to love, some people will do anything.”

The room went quiet as we both thought about the letter and what we had to do next. It felt surreal being in this position again. I was ashamed of my role in what had happened with Maria. I was ashamed and devastated. I knew that if the truth were to come out, it would essentially be the end for both of us.

“Well, well, well
.” Patsy walked into the office with a small smile on her face. She stared at me for a second and then looked at Brandon. “What’s he doing here?” She almost spat out the words, hatred in her voice.

“I do still own the club.” Brandon gave her a cutting look and her face grew red.

“Well, you co-own the club.” I spoke up and Patsy gave me a look of thanks. Ever since Maria had died, Patsy had never seemed to look at Brandon the same way.

“I wish you’d buy him out,
Greyson.” She came up to the desk and brushed something off my shoulder. I wasn’t sure if there had been something there or if she’d just wanted a chance to touch me. I stifled a sigh as she looked up into my eyes with a look of adoration.

“
Greyson, I was hoping we could chat for a few minutes.” She looked at me seriously.

“You know he’s dating Meg now, right?” Brandon spoke up.

Patsy turned around then and looked at Brandon for a few minutes before speaking. She took in the grey bags under his eyes and his disheveled hair. She took in the worry lines on his face and the almost imperceptible air of worry that hung around him, and then she started laughing. Only her laugh sounded like a cackle and she looked at Brandon and then at me with a haughty, snide look.

“I never thought I’d see the day when both of you were brought to your knees.” Her voice sounded evil with pleasure
, and I had a feeling that she wasn’t talking about our love for Katie and Meg.

“What did you do?” Brandon walked over to her and grabbed her arms. “What the fuck did you do?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She pushed him away from her, but I could see that she was trembling. “I think the question you should ask yourselves is what the fuck do you think you did, both of you.” She looked at me then. There was such a look of hatred and pain in her eyes that I flinched. “If you only knew how much I loved you.” She shook her head. “The things I did.”

“Did you send us the letter?” Brandon’s voice was angry
, and I could see that his fists were clenched.

“What letter?” She frowned and looked at both of us strangely.

“Nothing.” I gave Brandon a look. “Is there anything else I can help you with, Patsy?” I took a deep breath, not wanting her to see how much she was annoying me.

“All children should be loved
,” she mumbled under her breath, her eyes hard.

“Sorry
, what?” I stepped towards her and she backed away from me.

“Nothing.” She looked at me with empty eyes and I felt my heart racing. What was she talking about? “You love Meg?”

“Yes.” I nodded, knowing I was hurting her, but I had to tell the truth.

“I see.” She looked from me to Brandon and walked to the door. She paused and looked back at us
, and there was a glow in her eyes. “Life is funny, isn’t it? Murderers seem to get away with everything.” She stopped for a second and looked at the ground and then looked up at us and smiled. “But life doesn’t always go the way that we intend it to, does it?” And with that, she walked out the door, leaving Brandon and me staring after her, wondering what she was going to do.

Chapter 5

Unknown

I watched them as they sat at the table waiting for me to show up. The power I felt as I observed them both had been expected. The sorrow I felt about the potential devastation I was going to inflict hadn’t. It felt odd staring at them, these men who were so handsome and collected, so calm and cool. I was about to shake things up a bit. I was about to bring a hurricane into their lives. And I didn’t care if there were any tragedies. Brandon and Greyson didn’t deserve happily ever afters, and I was going to ensure that neither of them got one, no matter what the little voice in me tried to tell me. I was out for bloodshed, and I was going to enjoy watching each one crumble with every move I made.

My heart broke as I stared at him
. He was so tall and so confident. It was weird looking at him, not really knowing him, but knowing everything about him. He was my father. My father. It felt weird even thinking it. It didn’t make sense to me. First, I discovered the truth about my mother, and then I found out about my father.

When I’d received the email from
Greyson, I’d been scared. I hadn’t expected the letter to work or to scare them. How could a letter scare men as powerful as they were? I stood in the shadows, waiting, watching. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Greyson. He looked so handsome, so dignified. I understood why someone could love him so much. I understood why someone could lose her head over him. He was that kind of man, had that kind of charisma and character.

I was about to step out of the alleyway and go and join them when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Don’t meet them
,” she hissed into the phone at me. “You need to leave.”

“What? Why?”

“Just leave. Now is not the time to reveal yourself.”

“But I thought this is what we want.”

“It’s not enough.” Her voice was angry. “They need to pay.”

“I thought m
y coming out and telling the world I was his daughter was enough? It would destroy his relationship and the backlash to everything that went on would ruin their lives? I thought that’s what you wanted?” I spoke quietly, my eyes never leaving the table. I wanted to go over and speak to him. I wanted to say hello.

“That’s not enough.” She shook her head. “He didn’t care then and he won’t care now. There needs to be a greater retribution.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They did more than take our kids from us. They are murderers. They made people murderers.”

“What?” My heart dropped at her words. I didn’t understand what she was saying.

“When everything is taken from you, you are left with nothing.”

“You have me now,” I whispered, scared and unsure. None of this was feeling right anymore.

“They have to pay
,” she spoke into the phone, but I could tell her mind wasn’t with it. “They will pay.” She hung up then and I stood there for a few minutes with tears streaming down my face.

I had to listen to her
. She was the one who had told me the truth. I watched as the two men waited for me, both of them looking stressed. I ran my hands across my temple and then walked back down the alleyway, my stomach feeling empty. Today was not going to be the day I revealed myself to my father. I felt incredibly sad and relieved at the same time.