End Game (Games Thriller Series)

by J. E. Taylor

  “Okay, Mommy,” he said and closed the game, putting it on the seat next to him. Within a few minutes, he was sleeping too.

  “Now why would you want to mess with Danny?”

  Chris smiled. “He doesn’t like me very much.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.”

  “Why not? I’m a likable guy.”

  “You are such an ass sometimes.”

  “I guess, but he’s planning on giving me a hard time about you, again.” He glanced over at her as they took the 495 South exit. “I swear he is worse than your father.”

  Jessica looked out the window. “You remind them of what happened to me. God, if they ever knew.”

  “They would kill me,” he replied, thinking of what he would do in their shoes.

  “Probably.”

  Chris got quiet as his past swooped in around them. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are,” Jessica replied and took his hand. “Maybe if I had said something to you on that pier...” She looked out the window.

  He kissed her hand. “The world is full of shouldda, couldda, wouldda, babe; we can’t turn back the clock any more than we can stop what fate has in store for us.”

  They drove the rest of the way to the sports complex in silence, listening to the soft music flowing out of the radio, each lost in their own thoughts.

  “I’m not so sure if you had said something back then that it would have changed the way things turned out, Jess,” Chris said as he parked the car. “I’m surprised you even remember that day. Besides, you didn’t even give me a second look.”

  Jessica laughed. “You are so wrong. I gave you a second look that day, babe. You were just so cute.” She blushed. “Jailbait, but cute as hell.”

  He glanced at her and let out a huff.

  “You really have no idea, do you?”

  He looked back at her and shrugged. “No idea of what?”

  “Of how you affect women—the scar did not make a hoot of a difference. At sixteen, you had those big blue eyes that would make any girl swoon. And at thirty, you were by far the sexiest man I had ever laid eyes on.”

  Chris blushed and glanced over at her. “It took a long time to get to that point, Jess. There is no way I would have had the nerve to approach you at sixteen or even twenty. I was so inexperienced. I didn’t have it in me then.” He slowly smiled. “As much as I would like to think things would have been different, I’m not so sure. I think timing was everything where we are concerned.”

  Jessica sighed. “What you have isn’t something that is learned with time. It’s all natural and inherent in the way you are. You had those smoldering bedroom eyes at sixteen. If I had run into you again when you were eighteen or twenty, I would have fallen in love with you in a second.”

  Chris laughed. “Oh, baby, you are so sweet.” He leaned over and kissed her as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. He stepped out of the car and opened the back door, gently shaking CJ and Tommy awake. “We’re here boys.” He glanced at Jessica as she opened the back passenger-side door to unhook Tommy.

  “Although I think it would be highly unlikely that at that age you would fall in love with someone twelve years older than you were,” Jessica said as she closed the door behind Tommy.

  Chris smiled. “You didn’t look a day over eighteen when I saw you standing on that pier.”

  It was Jessica’s turn to laugh.

  “I’m serious. It’s like you found the fountain of youth. You haven’t aged a day since I kidnapped you. You’re going to be fifty-two and I’d be surprised if anyone thinks you’re any older than thirty two.”

  She smiled. “I think you are my fountain of youth.”

  “What’s a fountain of youth?” CJ asked as they walked to the sports complex.

  Both Jessica and Chris laughed.

  “You know if we had actually met earlier in our lives, you wouldn’t have Emily or Eric,” he said and opened the door for her. “Or Tommy,” he added as the door closed behind them.

  “I guess timing was everything,” she said. “You do realize that I wasn’t able to do anything except catch glimpses of the future and read people’s minds until we met?”

  Chris stopped and slowly turned toward her. “You never healed anyone before me?”

  Jessica shook her head. “No, and to my knowledge, neither did Eric.”

  They stared at each other for a moment.

  “So it was you. You made it possible, not Eric.”

  Chris blinked. “Huh?” he replied for lack of anything else that came to mind.

  “We never were able to use our powers until we met you.”

  CJ and Tommy looked back and forth between their parents.

  “Eric said you were meant to be together,” CJ replied. “You balance each other,” he added with a smile.

  They slowly began to walk into the stadium, looking at each other in awe.

  “Really?”

  “I think so.”

  “Holy...” He didn’t finish the thought as they walked into the basketball arena.

  “I guess soul mate was an understatement.” Jessica smiled as she waved at Daniel and headed down to where he was sitting.

  Chris glanced in her direction letting out a small laugh. “Understatement of the millennium.” He trotted down the stairs. “Hi Dan, LeAnn,” he acknowledged as they took the seats in the row behind them.

  Daniel turned. His eyes betrayed the mistrust he felt toward Chris. “You finally got the nerve.”

  Chris smiled. “Yes. I understand you’re less than thrilled about it.”

  “Chris,” Jessica shot him a warning glance.

  “Jess, he is right. I’m not thrilled.”

  “Danny!” LeAnn hit Daniel in the arm with the back of her hand.

  Jessica traded glances with Chris. “This isn’t the time or place.”

  “Let’s take a walk, Dan. Then you can say what’s on your mind.” Chris stood. “You want anything at the concession stand?” he asked Jessica.

  CJ went to say something and Chris held up his hand. “I know. I’ve got you and Tommy covered.”

  “Just water,” Jessica replied.

  Chris headed up the stairs with Daniel in tow and didn’t say anything until they were in line at the concession stand. “Go ahead.” He turned toward Daniel.

  “You screwed up her life.” Daniel glared at him.

  You don’t know the half of it. “How do you figure that?”

  “She and Tom were happy before you came along.”

  “Jess is happy with me,” Chris countered. “That’s not really what’s eating you is it?”

  Daniel took a deep breath. “I don’t think you are who you say you are.”

  Chris looked at him and then back at the concession list. He knew what was coming and while it probably wasn’t a good idea to go down this road, he did anyway. “Who do you think I am?”

  “I think you’re actually Ty Aris.”

  Chris glanced back at him with a smile. “And if I were, what exactly would you do?”

  Daniel’s jaw dropped, he closed his mouth quickly. “I would make sure Jessica knew.”

  “Just for giggles, what would you do if she already knew?” He turned toward Daniel, the smile still playing on his lips.

  Daniel took a step back.

  “What if she loved me anyway?” Chris raised an eyebrow, his eyes intently locked on Daniels. He laughed at Daniel’s expression. “I’m not Ty Aris,” Chris said after a few moments of enjoyment at Daniel’s expense.

  “But you are an Aris.”

  “Hell no. I was never an Aris.” He glanced back. “Despite my mother’s ill conceived idea that we take on the Aris name.”

  “Your brother was.”

  Chris shook his head, turning toward the concession stand. “No, he wasn’t either.”

  “But you are Ty Ryan.”

  Chris stiffened and he slowly turned toward Daniel. “Let’s play this game for a moment because I am curious as to w
hat exactly you would do if that was a true statement.”

  The anger that flashed in Daniel’s eyes made Chris smile.

  “You sadistic bastard.”

  “Hold that thought,” Chris said and turned back toward the counter as the couple ahead of them left the line. Chris ordered two sodas, a beer, a water and a large popcorn and turned toward Daniel. “What do you want?”

  Daniel just stared at him, his gaze like sharp daggers intent on slicing him in half.

  “Beer, soda, what?” Chris pushed.

  “Beer and diet coke.”

  “Anything else?”

  “No.”

  Chris paid for the items and handed Daniel the drinks. He balanced the tray of beverages and popcorn and stepped away from the counter. “Now where were we? Oh yeah, you just called me a sadistic bastard. But you never told me what you would do if it was true?”

  Daniel looked at him and then toward the door. “She can’t.”

  A slow smile that spread over Chris’s face and he felt a moment of sheer glee when Daniel visibly shivered. “Oh she can, and she does. And your kids adore me as well. Why don’t you ask Eric who I am?” he teased, pushing Daniel’s buttons.

  When Jessica walked into the hall, Daniel’s face transitioned to beet red and Chris dropped his gaze, swallowing a lump of guilt that formed in his throat at her sudden appearance.

  “You are the bastard that yanked her out of my life,” Daniel growled and Jessica stepped in front of Chris.

  “Danny,” she said, capturing his attention. “Stop.”

  Daniel glanced back up at him. “Son of a bitch. How can you be with him?” He looked at Jessica. “How can you marry him?”

  “Danny. He is not who you think he is.”

  Daniel looked at her. “Does Tom know?” he asked, glancing between Chris and Jessica.

  “Does Tom know what?”

  “That you are with the man who kidnapped and terrorized you.”

  “He didn’t terrorize me, Danny. Besides, the man who kidnapped me had a scar.”

  “I saw firsthand what you did with Emily. If you can cure cancer, removing a scar should be a cakewalk.” Daniel walked away shaking his head.

  Jessica and Chris followed and almost ran into him as he turned back.

  “I could kill you.” He glared at Chris.

  Chris smiled back and shrugged. “Get in line.”

  Daniel stared at him and started to laugh. “Jesus. You really are that son of a bitch, aren’t you?”

  Chris didn’t say a word and neither did Jessica.

  “You have no proof of that,” Chris finally said and exchanged glances with Jessica. He headed back into the coliseum and trotted down to the seats, plopping himself next to the boys.

  * * * *

  Daniel stared after him and then looked at his ex-wife in disbelief.

  “He saved me Danny. And he saved Tom as well.”

  “Does Tom know who you are with?”

  “Chris saved Emily too,” she replied, ignoring his question. They stepped back into the coliseum.

  Daniel looked down at Chris. “How did he save Emily?”

  “He was the one who gave me the power to heal,” she said and Daniel shot a glance back at his ex-wife. “If he hadn’t come to see me five years ago, Emily would be dead today.”

  “I still don’t understand why you are with him.”

  “I love him. I have since we were in that godforsaken place.”

  Daniel’s eyes narrowed and Jessica kept his gaze. “Didn’t he hurt you down there?”

  She looked down at the ring on her hand and then over at Daniel. “No,” she said and looked back down at Chris. “Not in the way that you are thinking. His brother Frank did the lion’s share of hurting me physically and mentally.” She pointed her thumb at Chris. “He tried to protect me and almost died more than once in the process.”

  Daniel looked down at Chris and then out at the floor as the teams started to come out.

  “Danny,” Jessica said capturing his attention again, “you can’t say anything to anyone.” Her eyes pleaded. “Promise me.”

  “Jess. I can’t promise that.”

  “Then promise me you will talk to Eric first before you do anything.” Jessica headed down the stairs, replacing the worried frown with a smile as her son came bounding onto the basketball floor with the rest of his team.

  Eric caught her eyes as they began their warm ups and then looked up at his father. His smile faltered and Jessica muttered under her breath. He shouldn’t have to worry about this right now. She slid into her seat, giving Chris a warning glare before refocusing on the warm ups.

  Eric passed the ball to a teammate and walked over to the sidelines to say hello to his family, his eyes never leaving Daniel’s.

  “Dad, I’ll explain later, I promise,” Eric whispered giving his father a quick hug.

  “Hey.” Eric smiled over at Chris and stepped away from Daniel.

  “Give ‘em hell.” Chris smiled back

  CJ and Tommy jumped up and yelled “Hi Eric!”

  “I’ll see you after the game.” Eric pointed at the boys and headed back onto the basketball floor.

  Daniel sat and handed LeAnn her diet soda. He turned and looked at Jessica, his eyes questioning her silently.

  “Let it go,” Jessica said softly and then looked over at Chris. I could just wring your neck.

  CJ started to laugh. “Mommy’s mad at you, Daddy.”

  * * * *

  “I know,” he whispered to his son and looked sideways at Jessica, sending his awkward smile that always disarmed her.

  Daniel turned and Chris shrugged, taking in the glares aimed in his direction from both his wife and her ex-husband. He ignored the silent daggers and focused on the floor, feeling the brunt of the guilt eating away at his stomach.

  After the first quarter, Chris leaned over. “I’m sorry for fucking up your life,” he whispered so only Daniel could hear. Daniel stiffened in the seat, not acknowledging Chris had spoken and Chris sat back in his seat and watched the game.

  At half time, Daniel turned around and looked at Chris. “You didn’t.”

  Chris glanced over at Jessica; she was busy talking with LeAnn about the kids. The boys were playing their handheld games quietly while they waited for Eric to come back out. This left Chris and Daniel just staring out at the cheerleaders in silence.

  “Want another beer?” Chris asked after a few minutes.

  Daniel nodded and the two men headed up the stairs to get another beer.

  “I’m supposed to be watching my son in the regional semi-finals and you lay this on me?”

  “You asked.”

  “You could have just lied like you have been for the past five years.”

  “You already knew.” Chris looked back at him. “No matter what I said, you had your mind made up. You are right about one thing though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “My life is nothing without her.” He stepped to the counter. “Two beers.” He peeled off a twenty and handed it to the concession stand attendant. “Keep the change,” he said and handed Daniel one of the beers.

  “Who else knows who you are?”

  “Besides Eric and Jess?” Chris looked over at him.

  “Does Tom know?” Daniel remarked as they stood in the hallway.

  Chris nodded. “Emily knows as well.”

  “Emily knows?”

  Chris nodded and took a sip of his beer.

  Daniel turned away his free hand curled into a fist and his jaw tightened. “Why do my kids care about you so much?” he asked and turned back.

  Chris shrugged. “You’ll have to ask them.”

  “I’m asking you.”

  Chris took a deep breath. “Eric seems to think I’m some kind of hero that was put on this earth to look after his mother.” He laughed and shook his head. “That’s funny if you really think about it.” He took a sip of his beer.

  Daniel glanced down a
t his beer. “I remember how angry Eric had been when he had saw you on the television. He kept saying you were supposed to protect Jess.”

  “Yeah, I was supposed to, but I didn’t know what Frank had in store for us and was stupid enough to leave her there with him,” Chris replied.

  “What about Emily?”

  A shadow passed over Chris’s face and he looked away from Daniel. “Let’s just leave it at that, Dan. You don’t want to know what happened to your daughter. All you need to know is that I stopped it.”

  Daniel stepped back when Chris looked at him again. “What happened to Emily?” he asked, this time reaching out and grabbing Chris’s forearm.

  “Do you believe in ghosts?” Chris asked, gauging Dan’s reaction.

  “What?” Daniel let go of his arm, looking at him like he was insane.

  “Okay. Did you ever wonder how all those mirrors broke?” Chris looked at him sideways, shifting gears.

  “Yes,” Daniel said. “Tom said he would tell me someday.”

  Chris laughed. “Sorry. I just find it funny that Tom would even entertain the idea of telling you what was really going on.” He looked at Daniel. “Frank’s ghost came after us,” he said and chuckled at the look on Daniel’s face. “All of us.” He raised his eyebrows to convey his meaning. “And his ghost was just as twisted as he was in real life.”

  “What happened to Emily?” Daniel whispered, his face going red.

  Chris looked at Daniel and didn’t say a word, but the look on his face said it all. “I sent him back to hell,” he finally said and walked back into the coliseum.

  Daniel’s thoughts swarmed and Chris walk away until the word rape crossed Daniel’s mind. Chris stopped and slowly looked back, meeting his gaze and sending a slight nod in his direction. All the color drained from Dan’s face.

  “Sweet Jesus,” Dan whispered and made his way down to where Chris stood.

  “You might want to block those thoughts,” Chris said as CJ turned and looked at them. “Both CJ and Eric can hear your thoughts without trying. It’s a little tougher for Jessica, since she has to concentrate.”

  “And you, what do you have to do to hear what others are thinking?”

  Chris laughed, ignoring the question. “You haven’t figured out how to block your thoughts? I’d have thought years with Eric would have made you an expert by now.”