End Game (Games Thriller Series)

by J. E. Taylor

  “Make love to me, Ty.”

  He grinned. “I plan on doing that every night for the rest of our lives.” He kissed her and she began to unbutton his shirt, and he chuckled. “You would think we were teenagers.”

  Jessica pulled away and looked at him with a sexy smile. “One would think.” She unbuckled his belt, slowly pulling it out of the loops and tossed it across the room. “I just can’t get enough of you.”

  “If I could spend the rest of my life in bed with you, I would die an extremely happy man.”

  Jessica playfully pushed him against the side of the bed planting butterfly kisses across his chest. “You are way too talkative tonight.”

  “Then shut me up,” he whispered and surrendered when she pushed him back onto the bed, her mouth finding his, the kiss taking his breath away. With a glance, the stereo turned on, “If You Could Only See” by Tonic came pouring out of the speakers, and he smiled. “I love you, Jessie.”

  “God knows how much I love you,” she sighed.

  He pulled her close, rolling and maneuvering them fully onto the bed. Tracing her face with his fingertips, he drank her in like never before and his smile faded. The joy of the day overshadowed by his past and his eyes misted. “Is this real?”

  She nodded.

  A torrent of emotions hit him like a brick in the chest and he inhaled, burying his face in the crook of her neck so she wouldn’t see the tears sprout. Over his whole life, whenever happiness was within reach, it was snatched from him, crushed to a pulp before his eyes and fear bloomed. Fear of losing her, of losing his children, but most of all, fear that he’d wake and find himself alone and still working for his brother in that godforsaken prison.

  She tilted his face so she could see him and at the sight of his tear-stained face, she whispered, “Oh, babe.”

  “I don’t understand why God would ever allow me to be this happy.”

  “Because you asked for redemption.” Jessica pressed her lips to his forehead.

  “Do you really believe I’ve been forgiven?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if I’m capable of forgiving you, I’m sure God is too.” She gently kissed him. “The only one who hasn’t is you.”

  He looked at her for a long time without speaking. “Tom made me a hero. I am so far from a hero it’s not funny.”

  “You are a hero to me. You’re my heart and soul.”

  He kissed her. “You’re my everything,” he whispered and slid inside of her.

  Chris took his time with her, savoring every second as if this was the last time he would be one with her, feeling her emotions intermixed with his own. He controlled himself, pausing when he felt the peak coming until it subsided again, allowing Jessica to hurdle through hers over and over again. After what seemed like hours, he finally lost control over his body and exploded deep inside her.

  “Okay, that made up for the rest of tonight,” Jessica said as he lay spent with his head on her shoulder.

  He laughed softly, propping himself up on his elbows and traced her lips with his fingers before leaning over and playfully biting her lower lip.

  “I don’t have the energy for any more,” Jessica yawned.

  “I finally tired the Energizer Bunny?”

  “Yes.” Jessica nodded and he rolled, pulling her on top of him. Jessica laid her head on his chest, drifting into a peaceful sleep in his arms.

  Chris absently ran his hand through her hair, a habit that seemed to put him into a deep state of relaxation. He smiled and drifted into the darkness of slumber.

  He opened his eyes to a room he didn’t recognize and he was in agony. With his arms spread wide holding his weight, exhaling seemed impossible and pushing with his feet to lift himself far enough to exhale brought on shards of pain that shot up his legs with a force almost enough to bring on the blessed blackout. He blinked and his eyes finally focused on the room below him. His family, lined up in different phases of torture and the psycho bitch plotting which one was next on her hit list. They were past the point of danger and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do. He inhaled deeply, and pushed himself up again despite the pain, letting out a blood-curdling cry of despair.

  Chris shot up in their bed, his entire body bathed in sweat with the scream still coming from his mouth.

  Jessica flew out of the bathroom, her eyes wild and darting around the room, expecting to see what prompted her husband to scream like that. Once the recognition that nothing was in the room with them set in she turned off the bathroom light and climbed into the bed next to him.

  The entire bed shook with the tremors coursing through him. The dream replayed itself in his head like a broken record, skipping from the end back to the beginning over and over. In the dream, he was void of the power he felt throbbing in his veins for the past five years.

  “Chris, it was only a dream,” Jessica said as she rubbed her hand gently over his sweat-soaked back.

  He nodded but still trembled. Witnessing his own death was far from pleasant and he couldn’t shake the vision from his mind. Chris took a few deep breaths trying to calm his nerves, but it wasn’t working. What he saw in the dream was a worse death than being pulled apart by chains or bleeding to death in a chair; it was slow and agonizing and bought him more than enough time to see everything he loved destroyed.

  “It was only a dream,” Jessica said again, but the thoughts flying through his head, while broken and sporadic still sent chills down her spine. “Chris,” she said an octave louder and he turned to look at her.

  “I’ll be all right,” he said and slipped out of bed, grabbing his discarded underwear off the floor and slipped it on before heading into the bathroom. The cold water bit at his face and looked up into the mirror. His eyes still held that haunted look and he closed them, trying to shut out the vision, but it wouldn’t go away. He grabbed the bathrobe on the back of the door, slipped it on and headed for the bedroom door.

  “Where you going?”

  “I need some air.”

  Before stepping out on the balcony, Chris filled a glass with scotch. The frigid breeze slapped at his face and his bare calves calming the panic gripping him and he slammed back the drink, letting it warm him from the inside.

  “You’re going to catch a cold,” Jessica said from inside the slider.

  Chris laughed; that was the least of his worries. “I’ll be fine. I just had a really bad dream.”

  “I gathered that. Want to tell me about it?”

  “Not particularly.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “It was much more unsettling than yours.”

  She went out to him, taking his hand and leading him back into the warm apartment. Taking the drink out of his hand and putting it on the bar next to the table, she motioned for him to sit on the couch next to her. “Nothing is going to happen to us.”

  He rolled his eyes and looked at her. “You don’t know that.” You weren’t hanging from a cross.

  “What about a cross?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, blocking her from hearing anything further. “It might have been just a carry-over from our conversation. I’ve had the most amazing five years with you and I’m feeling a little insecure.”

  “I married you yesterday.”

  “I know, but still.” He shrugged. “It could all end tomorrow.”

  “That’s a little morbid.”

  He nodded and glanced at the clock. “We need to get some more sleep before the kids wake up.” He stood and walked over to the bar, downed the remaining scotch from his glass and closed the bottle, hiding it away.

  She waited for him and took his hand as they walked silently back to the bedroom.

  Chris looked around at the clothing carnage and tilted his head, exercising a bit of power to clean up the room. He glanced at her with a small smile, sliding under the covers as the last of the discarded clothes folded on the chair.

  “You have no idea how
much I’d like to have that back sometimes,” Jessica said, burrowing under the covers next to him.

  Chris’s smile disappeared as the dream etched further into his consciousness. He considered her comment for a moment and then rolled her toward him and kissed her, pushing a majority of his power back into her. “Is that what you really want?” he asked, pulling away.

  Jessica gasped and her eyes widened. The power consumed her, making her entire form quake. “Holy shit.”

  “Didn’t think so.” He kissed her again, this time pulling most of the power back, leaving her with a trace, locking it deep in her subconscious as a precaution. He broke the kiss and smiled.

  Jessica eyes filled with awe. “How the hell do you control that?”

  “Discipline.” He shifted, spooning her. “Now get some sleep.”

  * * * *

  The early morning sun woke her out of a sound sleep. He still had his arms firmly wrapped around her and his head buried in her hair, his breath tickling her neck as he snored softly. Jessica shifted and his grip tightened a fraction before his eyes fluttered open.

  “Morning, Mrs. Ryan.”

  “Morning, Mr. Ryan.”

  “What time is it?” Chris asked, still with her firmly in his grip.

  Jessica pushed the edge of her pillow down so she could see the clock. “A little after nine.”

  “We should get up,” he said but made no attempt to move.

  “We should,” she agreed and wrapped her arms around his, snuggling closer to him. “What are we doing today?”

  “I don’t have anything planned.”

  Jessica thought for a few minutes. “You know, I never made it to the Met.”

  Chris smiled. “I think the Museum of Natural History would be better suited for them,” he said, referring to the boys. “I can’t see them being really interested in art for any period of time.”

  Jessica nodded. “I think they need to get out of the apartment for a while.” She slipped out of his grip. “I’m going running. Are you coming?”

  Chris sighed, he didn’t really feel like running this morning, he just wanted to lay in bed with her.

  “I know, but we can’t stay in bed forever,” she said catching his thought process. “And I missed exercising yesterday.”

  Chris grinned. “You got a little in.”

  Jessica’s cheeks heated and she grabbed the sweats hanging over the back of the chair. “Not the same. I’d like you with me today, just in case Tom ambushes me again.”

  Chris took a deep breath and swung his legs out of bed. “I’m coming,” he muttered, passing her on his way to the bathroom. When he returned to the bedroom, Jessica was tying her jogging shoes. She watched as he pulled on his clothes and milled through the closet for his running shoes. “Only for you,” he mumbled under his breath as he slipped them on and tied the laces.

  “You’re still muttering under your breath?”

  “It’s cold out there.” Chris glanced up at her. “And I was real comfortable in here with you in my arms.”

  “Suck it up, babe.” She grinned and picked up her MP3 player.

  He caught her before she reached the door, spun her around and kissed her. “I’d rather suck face.”

  Jessica laughed. “I’ll bet, but right now, I need a run.”

  He gave in and let her go, following her like a scolded puppy.

  “Stop sulking,” she said as the elevator closed on them.

  “You have to make this up to me,” he said as they stepped into the lobby.

  “Good Morning, Mr. Ryan.” The doorman smiled at Chris. “Mrs. Ryan.” He addressed Jessica, much to her surprise.

  “Very good morning, Fred.” Chris smiled and ushered Jessica through the front door.

  “Good morning.” Jessica replied and smiled as Fred held the door for them.

  “How’d he know?” Jessica asked when she handed Chris the earphone.

  “He asked what the occasion was yesterday,” Chris replied, slipping the ear bud in after they crossed the street.

  The temperature dropped significantly during the night and the late February cold bit at both of them, the wind stinging their exposed cheeks, making them bright red from both the physical exertion and the cold. Jessica cut the run short looping back toward the apartment building.

  “Wus.”

  “It’s freezing,” Jessica replied.

  Chris just smiled. He loved being right and he let out a little laugh when Jessica smacked him lightly on the arm.

  “You are only partially right. I still needed the run and it feels good.”

  “Better than morning sex?” He nudged her as they slowed their pace and crossed the street.

  Jessica laughed and looked over at him. “No, nothing is better than morning sex with you.”

  “Then what the hell are we doing out here?”

  “I needed the run. I needed the peace it brings me.”

  Chris tilted his head a little, his eyes searching hers.

  “I lose myself when I run. All I am aware of is the music and the pounding of my feet and it centers me. Kind of like karate does for you. I needed that after last night,” she said as the elevator began to rise.

  Chris put his arm around her shoulders and nodded, kissing her temple. “We have some things to take care of this morning before the banks close.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like getting you on my accounts,” he said looking at her like she was nimble-minded.

  Jessica hadn’t done that since she was married to Daniel. She and Tom kept their separate accounts, which made the divorce so much cleaner. She just assumed that would be the same with Chris.

  He laughed at her expression. “What’s mine is yours. Everything—including, my homes, my cars, my kids, right down to my net worth—is yours.”

  “How many homes do you have?”

  “This place, the place in Maine and I have a villa on the French Riviera and a cottage in the Caribbean.”

  Jessica raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

  “Yes. You really have no clue, do you?”

  “Clue of what?”

  “How much you are worth now that you are Mrs. Chris Ryan.”

  “No. I didn’t marry you for your money.”

  Chris chuckled and opened the apartment door waving her inside. The children were up and ran to them, grasping their legs in little bear hugs as they made their way inside. He leaned over and whispered a figure in Jessica’s ear.

  Her gaze shot to his, and the sudden pressure behind her eyes made it feel like they would pop any minute. Did you just say what I think you did? Her jaw loosened, mouth dropping wide, as wide as she imagined her eyes were. “Fifteen Billion?”

  “More or less,” Chris managed to say through the gales of laughter. “I’ve done real well with my investments over the last ten years and it’s now yours. Well, technically, if anything had happened to me over the past ten years it was always yours; you have been my sole beneficiary since the day you left the complex,” he sputtered. “Well, until the kids came along anyway.”

  Jessica sat down on the floor in shock, which sent Chris into another giggling fit.

  “I’m sorry, babe, but the look on your face is absolutely priceless,” he said as he wound down.

  “Did you say fifteen billion dollars?” Eric asked, mirroring his mother’s expression.

  “Yes.”

  “What’s fifteen billion dollars?” Emily’s eyebrows scrunched together.

  “That’s what our new stepfather is worth,” Eric said.

  Emily dropped the glass in her hand and it stopped just shy of the entryway tile.

  Chris caught it in his hand and raised his eyes to Emily. “You might want to sit down before you follow the glass.” All color completely drained from her face and she took a chair as he directed. Chris looked back at Jessica. “You really didn’t know?”

  “No. I knew you sold the company, but...” She shook her head.

  “I g
ot the whole shebang. Frank, Marian, and Ty had me listed in their wills.” He looked at her. “So not only did I get the company, I got all the other assets as well. I sold everything. Ninety percent of the proceeds of their personal assets went to the survivors of their victims.” He looked around the room. “Between the company assets and the ten percent left, I ended up with close to eight billion dollars. Ten years later and some damn good investments have made that number grow to roughly fifteen billion.” He shrugged. “We live off a fraction of the interest.” He smiled. “Welcome to the world of the obscenely rich.”

  Jessica shook her head. “You’re shitting me,” she said and covered her mouth, her eyes swiveling to CJ and Tommy who were now laughing at her faux pas.

  “I kid you not.” Chris made a cross over his chest.

  “But, but...” she trailed off.

  “There is a distinct difference between being rich and acting like a rich snob. I saw enough of the rich snob attitude living with the Aris family and there is no way I am ever treating people the way they did.” He paused and she slightly nodded. “We could live in a palace if you wanted to, but then again, that isn’t your style either.” He stood and helped her up. “We can buy anything we want, but that doesn’t mean that we will, got it?” He looked at the four children.

  Four heads nodded, although only two really understood what Chris said.

  “And money can’t replace someone’s life.” He glanced at Jessica and then over at Eric, and studied the floor for a moment before glancing at Emily.

  “No it can’t.” The color had found its way back into her cheeks. “It also doesn’t mean that you are above the law either.”

  Chris nodded at the barb. “I’m going to clean up,” he announced. He pecked Jessica on the cheek and headed down the hall.

  Jessica glanced at her daughter and then headed in the same direction, closing the bedroom door behind her. The shower was running and she stripped, stepping inside and wrapped her hands around his waist as he stood with his head back under the water. He ran his hands down his face and opened his eyes. “She really doesn’t like me, does she?” he asked his wife.

  “She loves you, Chris. She just has issues with the injustice of you getting away with everything that you have done.”