Dare (Fighting Fate Book 6)

by Maree Green

  But aside from his incredible good looks, he was a genuinely nice guy. He was funny, intense, sweet, and sexy as hell. I was sure he had to have had some downfall, because no one was perfect, but from where I stood, he was some lucky girl’s jackpot.

  Pausing at the base of the stairs, I drew in a reassuring breath and raised my chin a fraction. I still had no clue what had gone on the night before—the test results wouldn’t come back until tomorrow—but I knew I needed to face Wyatt today. I needed answers.

  Eli hadn’t been happy when I’d asked him to drop me off after the test was complete. He couldn’t understand why I’d want to see Wyatt, but the truth was, I had no idea if Wyatt had even had anything to do with what might’ve gone on. I had no idea if I’d been drugged, and I had no idea what happened in my apartment while I’d been passed out.

  Somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of my mind, there was a slight panic over the fact that there was such a large chunk of time that I had no recollection of, but, so far, I’d done my best to keep pushing it back. My rationalization of wanting to see Wyatt stemmed from the idea that if I could just look into Wyatt’s eyes, I’d be able to see if there was something he was hiding. I hoped to God there wasn’t.

  With my pulse slightly faster than normal, I raised a hand and knocked softly. Two seconds later, the door opened, and Wyatt’s surprised face appeared before me. The smile he gave me seemed genuine enough. It was enough to calm me down a little, anyway.

  “Hey, baby,” he said, stepping forward to kiss my cheek. “I see you got my note. Sorry I had to leave you like that.”

  My brow creased. “Note?”

  Pulling me inside, he closed the door behind me. It was only then that I noticed he was in his gym gear. And super sweaty. “I left you a note saying sorry I had to leave and to come see me when you got up. Well, I said to call me, but same thing.”

  His attitude was the exact opposite of what I’d been expecting for some reason, and it only served to confuse me more. “Oh, okay. I didn’t see it. I just thought I’d come see what happened.”

  There was more meaning to my last sentence than he understood. He smiled and gave me another kiss on the cheek. “I just got back from the gym. Do you mind if I have a quick shower before I go into it?” he asked.

  Waving him off, I nodded. “Of course not. I’ll wait,” I said, happy to have the time to get my thoughts in order. I still didn’t know what I was going to say.

  As he disappeared into the bathroom, I started slowly pacing the length of his room. I wasn’t sure if I should just come right out and ask him why Zac had been at my apartment or not. I didn’t want to put myself at a disadvantage. I wanted to do this the smart way.

  Frustrated by my inability to make a decision, I sank down on the side of Wyatt’s bed. What it came down to, was whether I trusted Wyatt or not. Maybe Zac had simply been there to give Wyatt some news. Maybe that’s why he’d left a few minutes later. It was entirely possible for there to be a very logical explanation for the whole thing.

  Internally, I groaned. That still didn’t explain why I’d been so out of it. I didn’t care how potent those two drinks had been, they couldn’t have been so bad they knocked me into a coma-like state for eight hours. Alcohol couldn’t have done that on its own.

  So, what did I ask him? And what did I do if he blatantly lied to my face? Okay, first, I just needed to calm the fuck down. There was no point in thinking about a multitude of scenarios and planning any course of action until I heard what he had to say. I could do this.

  Shaking my hands out, I squealed when I accidentally knocked a pile of poker chips off the table. “Shit.”

  Dropping onto my hands and knees, I started gathering them all up and dumping them back where they were. Tension was building so high inside me, it was almost suffocating me. Ducking my head, I reached for a few coins that had rolled under the bed, my movements pausing when my gaze caught something weird.

  Sitting back on my haunches, I pulled the magazines out from their hiding place and gaped at the images on the cover. I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, but none of it seemed to reconcile with what my brain knew to be fact. Shifting the top magazine aside, I scanned the cover of the next, finding the same kind of compromising pictures on its cover as well. Then the next, and the next.

  Confusion blurred everything I believed in. But at the same time, it seemed to make so much sense. The type of magazine wasn’t a surprise. Not even by a long shot. Every guy I knew had immersed themselves in some kind of porn at least once in their life. But no one I knew—no heterosexual guy I knew—was into gay porn.

  “What are you doing?”

  I jumped at the sound of Wyatt’s voice. Crap. I gazed up at him from my position on the floor, my mouth opening and closing with no clue of what to say. Glancing down at the magazines still clutched in my hands, I tried to think, but the anger that was molding his face made me mute.

  “What the hell is that?” he asked, his tone bordering on livid.

  “I’m sorry,” was all my brain could come up with. “I knocked your wallet off the table. I wasn’t snooping.”

  Snatching the magazines from me, he shuffled through them, his jaw tightening. “These aren’t mine,” he bit out, with what sounded a lot like hatred in his voice. “Why would I have gay porn, Jess?”

  I stumbled to my feet. “I don’t know,” I said, trying to think. “I mean, it doesn’t matter—”

  He strode across the room and dumped them in the trash. “Of course it matters! That shit is disgusting. I don’t know who the fuck put them under my bed, but if I find out, I’m going to beat the shit out of them.”

  I frowned as I watched him rant. I couldn’t help but think he was overreacting. In a major way. It was only porn, for crying out loud. Who cared if it was guys or girls, or any other combination? I certainly didn’t.

  “Wyatt,” I started. There were so many things that seemed to be wrong right now. “Why was Zac at my apartment last night?”

  Wyatt’s face instantly went blank. That was when I knew. From this moment on, it didn’t matter what came out his mouth. I knew I wouldn’t be getting the truth.

  He searched my face with such an intensity, I was almost scared. “I thought you were asleep?” he said quietly.

  Instincts told me to lie—to tell him I’d been partially awake, but it wasn’t in my nature. “I was. Someone mentioned seeing him leave this morning,” I said, watching his every reaction. “Why was he there?”

  Relief flashed in his eyes. It was quick—almost too fast to catch—but I saw it. His whole body relaxed as he gave me an easy smile. “He’d been trying to call me to tell me his brother was in the hospital, and when I didn’t answer, he decided to come find me.”

  I blinked. “Oh, are you close to him? Is he all right?”

  Wyatt sighed. “Yeah, he’s okay. He was in a minor car accident. Zac was worried. That’s why he came to see me.”

  Sympathy and understanding started spreading through me, but I held it at arm’s length. Something still wasn’t sitting right. He’d seemed so worried when he thought I’d been awake when Zac had come. There was definitely more to what he was telling me.

  As I searched his gaze for the answers to all my confusion, I found the beginning of a thread of sense. Straightening my shirt, I drew in a slow, steadying breath. Mentally, I took a step back, away from the center of the problem, and as I did, I realized those weren’t the questions that mattered. The only question I needed to worry myself with, was whether I wanted to continue on this path with Wyatt. And I didn’t have to search for long before I had my answer.

  “Wyatt,” I said, clasping my hands together in front of me, “you’re a nice guy, and I know you’re going to be a success with everything you do, but your goals—the plans you have for your future—they’re not me. They’re not the kind of goals I have for myself. It’s just not the kind of life I want.” The confusion on his face grew with every word I spoke. I sighed. Th
is sucked. “I think it would be for the best if we didn’t see each other anymore.”

  Disdain fell over his features. “Is it the magazines, Jess? Because I told you they weren’t mine.”

  “What? No, of course not,” I said, confused with his rationalization. “I don’t care about the magazines, Wyatt. We’re just too different. You have these dreams of becoming this big-time lawyer, living this extravagant life amongst people of great importance. It’s just not the vision I have for myself. I’m happy with my quiet little life. I just want to settle down, go to work, hang out with my friends on the weekends, and snuggle on the couch watching a movie at night.”

  His entire being closed up as I watched him. It saddened me, but it made me see I’d made the right decision. “If that’s what you want,” he said, untouchable.

  I gave him a sad smile. “It is.” Stepping closer to him, I brushed my hand over his before stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. “Bye, Wyatt.”

  He didn’t say anything as I slipped through the door, and, if I was honest with myself, I preferred it that way.

  Chapter 14

  Eli

  Pocketing my keys, I started down the path, ignoring the annoying little fucker inside my head who was telling me I was being an idiot. There were plenty of rational reasons for me to be here. One, she was a friend. Two, I was ridiculously attracted to her.

  Catching a glimpse of auburn hair shining in the sunlight, I braced myself with a breath before soldiering on. She was sitting on the old wooden table, her feet hanging over the seat, and her head tilted back so her face was bared to the sun. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were curled up as though she’d found some tiny piece of happiness in the sun’s warmth.

  She was beauty personified.

  “Hey,” I said, hating to disturb her blissful state, but unable to stop myself just the same.

  Jess’s eyes flashed open, her gaze snapping to me in an instant. Her cheeks brightened, tingeing slightly pink as she took me in. “Eli,” she said, her voice breathy.

  Stopping in front of her, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” I said, trying to assess her overall mood.

  I watched her draw in a deep breath as she considered my question. After a while, she raised one shoulder. “I think so.” As I slid onto the table beside her, she gazed at my hands, but her eyes were unfocused. “I broke it off with Wyatt,” she said quietly.

  My eyes widened. That was the last thing I’d expected her to say. Worry crept into my gut. “Why? What happened?”

  Letting out a deep breath, her shoulders sagged. “Nothing, really. I just—” She sat forward, her feet coming up to rest on the seat in front of her. “Other than the fact that something just didn’t feel right, we both want different things. He keeps talking about the future and success, and being important, and having the power to influence people, and that’s just not what I want. I don’t care about dressing up and impressing people and hobnobbing aristocrats. I like simplicity. I like laughing and being an idiot, and chilling out in sweats, and relaxing on the couch.”

  Inside, I groaned. She wasn’t helping my cause in any way. What she was describing was my perfect woman, and God help me if I didn’t want to pledge myself to her right this minute. “Okay,” I said, sounding like a complete fucking dickhead. “That sounds reasonable.”

  Looking out at the trees, she chewed on the inside of her cheek. It was obvious something was bothering her. I was hesitant to ask, but I needed to know. “Did you get the test results back?”

  Sadness filled her eyes as she turned to meet my gaze. “It was low, but there were still traces of GHB in my system, Eli. I’ve been sitting here for the past hour trying to work out what to do with that. I just don’t know. I just don’t understand why Zac would do it. I mean, I was there—passed out—there for the taking if you want to look at it like that. And he was there. They both were. But nothing happened. What was the point? Was I just a lab rat? Someone to try it out on to see if it would work before he tried it on someone else?”

  She had a good point. Maybe that was exactly what he was doing. It was a very plausible explanation, now that she mentioned it.

  Jess straightened, her gaze narrowing in on the parking lot. Following her gaze, my jaw tightened when I saw Zac coming our way. Well, he was walking the path anyway. I wasn’t entirely sure he’d actually seen us just yet. His eyes were cast down as he walked, so I was fairly confident he hadn’t.

  When he was within earshot, Jess tilted her head back a fraction. “Zac,” she called.

  I tensed. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but if she was confident Zac had drugged her, I was sure it couldn’t be good.

  Zac’s gaze darted to where we were sitting, his expression morphing into one of confusion as he slowed his steps. “Jess,” he said, “how are you?”

  I braced myself. She was a fiery redhead, after all. But she surprised me when I saw concern cloud her features. “How’s your brother?” she asked.

  Zac frowned and paused his steps, seeming genuinely mystified. “My brother? He’s fine. Why?”

  Jess’s eyes narrowed, giving the appearance that she was also confused, but I knew her well enough to know it was feigned. “Oh, I heard he was in an accident. Is that not true?”

  “Not as far as I’m aware,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. “Who said that?”

  Jess let her shoulders relax. “I’m not sure, actually. I think it may have been Kyle? But I couldn’t be sure. It was just a passing comment I overheard. Thank God he’s okay, then,” she said.

  Zac nodded, still slightly weirded out. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

  Jess smiled, her lips tight and not at all happy. She didn’t offer a reply.

  As Zac disappeared through the trees, she let out a soft curse. Worry churned my stomach. “What was that about?” I asked cautiously.

  Her gaze was a little more than pissed off when she turned to look at me. “When I asked Wyatt why Zac had been at my apartment, he said Zac had come to let him know his brother had been in an accident. He said Zac had been really upset.”

  Okay, now I was pissed off. If Wyatt was lying to her, that increased the chance of him being involved with her drugging. But for what fucking purpose? Like Jess, I just didn’t get it. Maybe it was just like she’d said. Maybe she had been just a lab rat.

  “You know what?” Jess said, turning on that smile of hers I loved so much. “I don’t care. They’re nothing to me anymore. They can be all weird and shit. I’m not going to let them get to me.”

  Pressing my lips together, I exhaled. I understood where she was coming from completely, but something still smelled fishy to me. “I know you just want to forget about it, Jess, but I really think you should report the test result.”

  “Why?” she said, already shaking her head. “I’ve got no idea who it was, really. I can’t just walk in and say, ‘Hi, I went to a party the other night and someone drugged me. Here’s the test results.’”

  “Uh, yes, you can,” I said, not liking her tone. “Okay, so there might be a chance that nothing comes of it, but at least if you give them whatever details you have, they might have the resources to piece the rest of it together.” I sighed, trying to keep my gaze soft as I looked at her. “They’ve already got their own evidence on Zac buying the drugs, Jess. Your test results might be the missing piece of evidence they need to get a conviction. It might help them to be able to access CCTV from the party. There are lots of things you might not be aware of unless you go and report it.”

  Anxiety crept over her features, almost making me kick myself for pushing the issue, but if Zac was seriously out there drugging girls, I couldn’t just brush it under the carpet. I wanted him put away.

  Jess bit her lip before sitting forward and rubbing her hands over her cheeks. “I don’t know, Eli. It’s just . . . it sounds so serious. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

  Chewing on the inside of
my cheek, I gave her a little nod of understanding. It was hard not to keep pushing. The wannabe lawyer inside me knew she was sitting on that precipice. It would take so little for me to persuade her to do it. But I could never do that to her. I wanted this to be her decision.

  Blinking up at me, she swallowed nervously. “Can I just think about it?”

  Offering her a reassuring smile, I nodded. “Of course you can. I’m not telling you what to do here, Jess. This is your decision to make. There’s no right or wrong. I just wanted to give you a little different perspective, that’s all.”

  As I watched her draw in a relieved breath, I wondered how far she would need to be pushed into the dirt before she finally stood up for herself. It was sad to think, but I had a feeling it was a lot.

  Chapter 15

  Jess

  At the first sound of the tires crunching on the drive, I grinned. Tossing the book to the side, I darted off the couch and ran for the door. It had been a good six months since I’d seen Austin, and I was craving some serious sibling time—the kind where I was actually understood.

  Jumping down the porch stairs, I squealed, running up behind him as he waved goodbye to his ride. He turned just in time to catch me with a laugh. “Hey, Rabbit. How are you doing?”

  I squeezed him tighter, laughing at his old nickname for me. It was one I didn’t think I’d ever get him to forget. It came from the character Jessica Rabbit. Austin thought it was very fitting when we were kids, mostly because she had red hair too.

  Emotions swelled inside me as he squeezed me back. It was something that seemed to happen a lot when I saw Austin these days. Growing up, it felt like he was the only one who had any idea of what I was going through and could sympathize with me. When he moved away, it felt like I lost the one person who listened to me unconditionally. So, when I saw him now, it was as though all the things that had upset me in between his visits came rushing to the surface.