by L. P. Dover
I sat down in one of the chairs while Kyle and Nic took a seat to either side. Kyle held my hand as we waited for Ryan to enter. When he did, I moved to the edge of my seat. There was a camera in the top corner of the room, but he shut it off and the red light disappeared.
Alex stood up straighter, narrowing his cold, dark eyes. “You can’t keep me in here, officer,” he challenged.
Ryan chuckled. “Actually, I can and I will, at least for a few days. It looks like you’ve been busy since you came into town. I guess you must really miss being ass raped.”
“What the fuck ever,” Alex spat.
“Hey, I know what goes on. You know what happens if you violate your restraining order, you go back there to being someone’s bitch.”
“Look, I didn’t know she was in Vegas.”
“You expect me to believe that? Just like you expect me to believe that it wasn’t you who tried to run her and Mr. Andrews over?”
Alex tilted his head to the side with that same evil smirk on his face. “You can’t prove shit. I don’t have a car that fits the description.”
Ryan’s smile faded. “You’re right, you don’t. But someone you know does.” He walked around the table and stopped behind Alex. “You want to know what I think you should do?”
Alex scoffed. “Not really.”
Ryan smashed his hands on the desk. “I think you should leave town and get as far away from here as possible. If you so much as get near Megan again, I’m going to make sure you get beaten and ass fucked every goddamned day for the rest of your life. You got that?”
“You can’t threaten me.”
Clenching his jaw, Ryan pursed his lips and stopped behind Alex again. What happened next made me gasp. In one swift move, Ryan grabbed Alex by the throat and slammed him down onto the floor. I jumped to my feet and watched as Alex’s face turned blue. He tried to fight back but he was handcuffed.
“The thing is, shitdick, I can threaten you if I want to. You can’t prove shit. How does it feel to be helpless? You are one sick bastard and you’re going to pay for everything you’ve done. Now take my advice and leave town. I see men like you disappear all the time. I can guarantee no one will miss you.”
Alex gasped for air as soon as Ryan let him go and walked out of the room. We watched as two of Ryan’s men came in and tossed Alex and his chair in an upright position. He looked a little wary of the men on either side of him. Maybe Ryan had rattled his cage?
The chief came into our room and I turned to him. “What do we do now?” I asked.
“We wait, I guess. I’ll have a tail on him for a while to make sure he leaves town. If you suspect he’s come back at any point, I want you to contact me directly.”
“I will.”
He nodded and left the room, leaving the door open behind him.
Nicole hugged me tight. “Do you think this is the end?”
I looked up at Kyle and sighed. “I don’t know, but I truly hope so.”
***
Two Months Later
“SOME OF THEM are pretty hot aren’t they?” I said, bumping Nic’s arm. We were in our seats at the MGM Grand, waiting for Zane’s first official UFC fight.
“You got that right.”
“What about Zane? He’s a good looking guy too, don’t you think?”
She turned her narrowed gaze to me and pursed her lips. “Are you trying to set me up with him?”
“No, why?” I asked innocently.
“Yeah, yeah, you expect me to believe that. You’ve been talking about him a lot around me. I started getting suspicious about a month ago.”
I shrugged. “Can you blame me? He’s a good guy and you’re both single. I thought it could work.” Besides, she needed to get over Greg. It’d been over a month since she last heard from him. The fucker broke up with her through a text. My goal now was to get her cheered up and back in the game.
“What does he say about it?”
“He doesn’t need to say anything. I can tell by the way he looks at you. Watch,” I said, pointing to the curtain.
Zane’s fight song blared over the speakers and he marched out with Kyle right behind him. I whistled and shouted and so did Kacey, beaming as her brother proudly walked down as not the fighter, but the coach.
This was the first time Kyle would be acknowledged as a coach. He was nervous on how the crowd would take his return, but that was why he had his friends and family there to watch. Kacey sat beside me with Tyler on the other side of her while Nic sat to my right.
When Zane got up into the ring, he waved at the crowd and took off the red robe Kyle had given him. It was actually the robe Kyle used to wear. Zane strutted to the middle of the ring to wait for his opponent and just as I expected, his gaze landed on Nic.
She gasped. “Oh my God, he looked straight at me.”
“Yep, just like he does every day at the gym. Maybe you should hang out with him tonight at the party. I think you’ll really like him.” Kacey and Tyler would be having a celebration party for Zane and Kyle at their house tonight. We were all going to celebrate his first UFC fight, win or lose.
She bumped me in the shoulder. “I think I just might.”
His opponent was finally announced and he entered the ring. Once the bell rang, the fight was on. I wanted to watch the fight, but I enjoyed watching Kyle more. The way he watched Zane’s every move and shouted encouragements and advice, made my stomach flutter. He worked hard with Zane and I could see Kyle’s own style in his fighting.
The first round ended quickly, but once the second began, Zane went on full attack. He knocked his opponent out in the first thirty seconds. We jumped out of our seats and cheered for him as his hand was lifted triumphantly in the air. And then we cheered even harder when Zane grabbed Kyle’s wrist and lifted his arm in the air as well.
“He looks good up there,” Kacey gushed, staring at Kyle.
He glanced down at me and winked. “That he does, and it’s only the beginning.”
“Do you want to go outside and get some fresh air?” Kyle asked, handing me a bottle of water. I took it and guzzled it down.
The party was a huge success. After hours of dancing, drinking, and celebrating, I was tired and ready to call it a night. Kyle and I had our own celebrating to do.
“Of course, after you.” I squeezed his hand.
He put his arm around me and grinned wide. “There’s just something I’ve wanted to talk to you about and I don’t want to wait any longer.”
We walked out the back door and sat down at the patio table. It was November and the air was chilly, especially now the sun was gone. I loved not being a sweaty mess every day. When Kyle sat across from me, he took my hands and kept his gaze on them as he traced my knuckles with his thumbs.
I laughed. “Are you going to leave me in suspense, or do I need to guess what’s on your mind?”
“Go for it,” he said, lifting his head. “I’d like to hear this.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jared and Patrick through the window. “You’re not gay, are you?” I teased. “Because you got awfully mad when the boys asked me to dance earlier. Maybe I had it wrong, and you were just jealous they didn’t ask you.” Instead of laughing, he stared hard at me, clearly not amused. Rolling my eyes, I squeezed his hands and smiled. “I was just kidding.”
With a small grin, he shook his head. “I know, love. But what I want to talk to you about is serious.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “What is it?”
He looked straight at me and breathed deeply, letting in out slowly. “I love you, Megan. Over the past couple of months, I’ve felt things that both scared the shit out of me but also turned me into a better person. It’s because of you that I’ve had a second chance at everything. What I want to ask is if you’d be open to taking it one step further.”
“One step further?” He didn’t have a box in his hands with a ring in it, so I knew it couldn’t be that.
He nodded. “I want
you to move in with me. We’re together every day and night anyway. This would just make it official.”
“Oh, wow,” I gasped. “What about Nic? I can’t just leave her high and dry.”
“You won’t be. I’ve already talked to her about this. Instead of renewing your lease, she’s going to get an apartment so it’ll be more affordable.”
Eyes wide, I stared at him, shocked. “You’ve already talked to her? I can’t believe she didn’t say anything.”
He winked. “Nic and I have an understanding.”
“Really? Well, I’d like to know what that is.”
Standing, he helped me to my feet and pulled me in close. His fingers caressed my back as he leaned in to kiss me. “I’m sure you will soon, but right now I want your answer. What do you say? Are you ready to take that next step?” He stared at me like he was afraid I’d say no.
Grinning from ear to ear, I squealed and latched my arms around his neck. “Are you kidding? Yes! But I honestly don’t think you know what you’re getting in to.”
He chuckled. “That might be true, but I’m willing to take the risk.”
“I see you popped the question,” Nic called out from behind. Kyle turned us around and let me go. She giggled and shook her head. “It’s about time you got the balls to do it.”
Kyle shrugged. “What can I say? I had to make sure the time was right.” Leaning down, he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear. “I’ll leave you two alone so you can talk.” He started toward the door and bumped his shoulder playfully into Nic in passing. She shook her head and punched him on the arm in return. I liked seeing the playful side of Kyle.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared at her. “I can’t believe you knew the whole damn time and didn’t tell me. Not even a clue!”
“He made me promise, Meg. Besides, I thought it was really sweet how he asked my permission first. There was no way in hell I was going to tell him that I didn’t want you to go.”
Reaching for her, I drew her in for a hug. “Thanks, Nic. At first, I thought he was going to ask me to marry him.”
She giggled and let me go. “I’m sure that’ll be coming soon enough.”
“Wait. Do you know something else and just can’t tell me?”
“No!” She laughed and shook her head. “No. It’s just, I have no doubt it’ll happen someday.”
Just the thought made my stomach flutter. I could see myself with Kyle for the rest of my life. “So where will you live? Our lease runs up at the end of December.”
She grinned wide. “Kyle helped me find an apartment and I already put the deposit on it. I can move in anytime. So whenever you’re ready, we can pack up the house.”
I glanced inside the house at Kyle who was busy talking to Kacey and Tyler, most likely giving them the good news. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Well, it is, my friend. And I have to say that Zane is growing on me. He’s actually a pretty cool guy.”
“I told you,” I said, bumping her in the arm. “Why don’t we go inside so you can talk to him some more?”
Taking my hand, she winked. “Let’s go.”
Before we could go inside, Mason came out the door, his concerned expression giving me pause. “Good, I caught you. We need to talk.”
“What’s wrong?”
Nic started for the door. “I’ll just go inside so you can have some privacy.”
Mason held out his arm, stopping her. “This concerns you as well, Nicole.” We moved over to the patio table and took seats. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. “All right, I’m just going to get right to it . . .”
“He’s back, isn’t he?” I said, interrupting him.
He nodded and sighed. “I guess this comes as no shock to you.”
“No. I knew he would. It was just a matter of time. How long has he been back?”
“Two days. The agent I have following him says that Alex has been watching you. We think he’s waiting on a time to get you alone.”
“Well, thank God that’s not possible. She’s never alone. Kyle’s always with her,” Nic informed him.
Mason blew out a frustrated breath. “And that might be the problem.”
Nic glanced over at me, confused, but I knew what Mason was getting at. I could read it in his expression. “Kyle will never agree to it,” I said.
Mason nodded. “You’re right, he won’t. But what other option do we have? This needs to end now. What concerns me more is where Alex has been staying.”
“And where would that be?” I asked.
He glanced over at Nic and then back to me. “Does Greg Mullen ring a bell? I do believe you all are friends.”
Gasping, Nic paled and threw a hand over her mouth while I stood there, my mind reeling. How could that be possible? “Greg, Greg? As in the guy Nic dated for a couple of months? Are you saying he’s connected to Alex?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’ve worked nonstop the past two days to figure out what was going on. From what I could gather, it looks like your buddy, Greg, might have been the one to hack into the computer system. We don’t know for sure, but we have our tech team looking into it. I don’t think it’s a coincidence he lives a neighborhood over from you.”
Nic had tears falling down her cheeks. She’d cared about Greg and to know he deceived us hurt her. “He used me,” she cried. “All this time we were together, it was just to get information.”
Putting my arm around her, I let her cry on my shoulder. “It’s okay. We didn’t know. He fooled all of us, sweetie. At least we know to stay away from him now.” Then to Mason, I said, “When does your plan start?”
“Tomorrow. I’m going over to Kyle’s first thing in the morning to tell him the plan.”
“I’ll be there. That way I can keep him from trying to kill you.”
***
“ARE YOU OUT of your fucking mind?” Kyle shouted, glaring at Mason.
After the party, I stayed the night at Kyle’s and enjoyed our last night of lovemaking. It pained me to keep the news about Alex a secret, but I didn’t want to ruin our night. Especially after he just asked me to move in with him.
Mason sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “It’s the only plan that has a chance of working. Alex isn’t going to go after Megan unless he knows he can get her. If you’re up her ass twenty-four-seven, he’s going to wait. He has nothing but time on his hands.”
“Then let him wait,” he hissed, shaking so bad with rage even Mason grew wary of him.
I approached him slowly and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. “Kyle, I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s a good idea. If we don’t do something, it’ll never end. I don’t want to constantly look over my shoulder. Please say you’ll agree to this. I can’t do this without your support.”
His body tensed and jerked out of my arms. “How long do we have to put up with this charade?”
“Two weeks,” Mason suggested.
“One,” Kyle growled. “After that, I’ll hunt the fucker down myself.”
I half expected Mason to challenge him, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded. “Okay, one week.”
“Really?” I asked, wide-eyed.
Mason backed up and sighed. “If it was Claire in this situation, I don’t think I’d be able to do two weeks either. Hopefully, we’ll draw him in quickly.”
“And if we don’t?”
“Then you’ll constantly be looking over your shoulder. That’s not a way to live.” His phone beeped and he looked down at it. “It looks like Alex is headed back this way. With your car out front, he’ll be watching.” He opened the door and left, leaving me with Kyle who was still fuming.
Sitting down, he angrily ran a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”
I sat down on the couch, wishing he’d look at me. “I didn’t want to ruin the night. You had just asked me to move in with you.”
“I can’t believe you want to do this.
”
“It’s the only way we can get Alex to come after me,” I said, kneeling on the floor in front of him.
He finally looked at me and pulled me into his lap, burying his face in my hair. His grip was tight as he breathed me in. “I don’t want to let you go.”
A tear slid down my cheek. “I don’t want you to either, but you have to. As soon as this week is up, I’m all yours. Consider this week a vacation.”
Shaking his head, he cupped my face in his hands. “No, love. It’s going to be a week of hell for me.”
I lifted up on my toes and kissed him. “That goes for me too. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can find our way back. Besides, we’ll still be able to call each other and text. It won’t be that bad. Maybe we could even have our first sexting.” I smiled.
He smirked and grabbed my ass. “With pictures?”
“I think that’s a strong possibility.” I bit my lip and laughed when he did a little celebratory dance. Grabbing him, I kissed him one more time before it was time to go.
“Promise me you’ll call if something happens, or you feel scared.”
“I promise. Mason will keep me updated on Alex’s location. He won’t be able to sneak up on me. And if he makes a move, I’ll be ready for him. I’ll have my gun with me at all times.”
He nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Wait right here for a second. There’s something I want to give you.” Turning on his heel, he took off for the stairs. He rummaged through his drawers upstairs and then came barreling down the steps. Something was in his grasp and when he got closer, he placed it in my hand. It was a knife. “I know you have your gun, but it’s much easier to conceal a knife. If he gets you down, all you need to do is stab him and get away. And if he doesn’t get up, just keep ramming the knife into him.”
The handle was black and when I released the blade, it too was black, swirled with a silvery white finish. I traced the initials on the blade . . . KTA. “We’re about to move in with each other and I just realized I don’t even know what your middle name is.”