Stepbrother: The Game He Plays

by Lucy Ivey

  Sarah was too close to home. I know that. But I had no choice. He understood that. He was the only one who ever knew about us—although I think that fucking maintenance fuck that has a hard on for Karley saw us together a few times. But he was too afraid of saying anything about the boss’ son so he kept his mouth shut when the police interviewed him. Sarah was good at keeping secrets too. She was good at a lot of things. She was fun for a while. But after a few times, fucking her wasn’t even fun anymore. She wanted more. When I told her I didn’t, she threatened to tell Karley everything that happened between us. She would have ruined everything. I wasn’t going to let that happen. She deserved to die.

  Fuck! I shouldn’t be doing this … not to him. I told him Sarah was the last one. I promised him. I’ve never broke my promises to him, either. Until now.

  Karley.

  I told him to stay away from her! I told him I would, too. We agreed to it. It was impossible. She made it impossible for both of us to stay away from her. She made us both break our promises to each other because we both wanted her.

  But we wanted her for different reasons … he loved her. I knew how killing her would make me feel. I needed to see the fear in her eyes when she realized she had been wrong by second-guessing herself … I always loved that look in their eyes.

  But after tonight—when she finds the box and all of my memories of the others—things will never be the same between us again. She won’t understand. He won’t either… and he’ll have to choose again … to keep my secret and prove his loyalty to me… or to protect her from me.

  I know he will choose me … like he’s always done … but he may never forgive me … I may never forgive myself.

  Fuck! This isn’t my fault! He fucking knows me. And he knew this would happen. He shouldn’t have let her get this close to me. He shouldn’t have let me get this close to her …

  Chapter 22

  The Darkness of the Knight

  “What are you doing?”

  I jumped, dropping the box and most of everything inside it. He was wearing a pair of jeans and still had the towel in his hand trying to dry off his wet, bare chest. Nervously I looked down at the scattered pictures as he calmly began drying his hair, waiting for my answer.

  “Nothing.”

  “It doesn’t look like nothing.” His tone was lighthearted.

  “I didn’t mean to go through your stuff,” I said quickly putting the pictures back in the box and closing its lid. I held it tightly in my hands and slowly looked back up at him.

  He tossed the towel on the bed and leaned his body against the doorway of his bathroom.

  “I don’t mind you going through my stuff,” he confessed with a smile. “God knows I’ve gone through everything of yours. I think it’s only fair. But I’m not sure what you’ve found.”

  My eyes scanned the room quickly not wanting to meet his again.

  “I found … I found my phone,” I whispered.

  “Yes, I took it.”

  His answer was matter-of-fact. The fear was building inside me as the whisper escaped my quivering throat.

  “Why?”

  He didn’t respond. There was no need. I tried to control my breathing, but the explosion of fear interfered with my thoughts and I began to breathe uncontrollably. He was unaffected. Calm. In control. Though he seemed confused by the box as if he was unsure what it was or what was inside it.

  “What is that?”

  The box was shaking between my trembling hands.

  “Nothing,” I said quietly.

  “Nothing?” he echoed cynically.

  “A few pictures … and some newspaper clippings.”

  He was still curious but unmoved by my nervousness.

  “What else is inside it?”

  “I don’t know,” I whispered.

  “Give it to me.”

  I did what I was told. He paid no attention as he sifted through the box with confusion on his face as if he’d never seen any of the contents before this moment. His hands had a slight tremble to them staring down at it with wide eyes. When his eyes met mine again, they were dark and rimmed in tears. His lips trembled slightly, holding in his anger. Silence surrounded us for a few moments until he composed himself. His intense eyes were cold and narrowed.

  “Why are you holding on to your necklace?” His tone was dark now too, unnatural to his character. It frightened me. I didn’t realize I was until he mentioned it. I looked down at my white knuckles.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you think I’m gonna take it back?”

  He hid his laughter well behind the eerie tone of his question.

  “No,” I whispered standing up slowly. “Why would I think you would take it back?”

  But we both knew the answer. He’d already given it to another girl and taken it back when she didn’t need it anymore. He’d done the same to all of them. My head started spinning and I wanted to cry but I didn’t. I still tried to make sense out of everything that was going on, but it was so unbelievable to me.

  It can’t be him.

  It couldn’t be. Not him. But it was.

  The pieces fit together too easily. Too perfectly now to deny it.

  Hours before I was beginning to think Joe was the one too close to all of the girls, underestimating Justin’s involvement. Yet here he was in front of me, exactly where he had been the entire time. Only now he was no longer hiding, no longer pretending to be someone else.

  “I never wanted you to get hurt—”

  “Then don’t hurt me,” I begged.

  He lowered his head fighting back something growing inside him—sadness, fear, regret? I didn’t know. The single tear that fell from his eye when he lifted his head didn’t reveal the answer either. He lifted the box as if it was the reason.

  “We both know I have no choice now.”

  He continued to stare down at the box in anger. Disbelief. For a moment, I wondered if it even belonged to him.

  “I won’t tell anyone,” I sobbed.

  His face lost all light when he looked up from the box.

  “But he will know.”

  He?

  My thoughts raced in confusion.

  His brother.

  “I thought he loved me.”

  He sounded brokenhearted, and his words were not spoken for me.

  More of his tears fell because his brother would know what he had done to all of those girls—to Lizzie. To Maddie. He would not be able to forgive him … he would not protect him this time.

  I looked over at the door and thought about running.

  “You’ll never outrun me,” he warned in a relaxed tone, wiping his eyes and setting the box on the dresser beside him. The fear filling my lungs made it hard for me to breathe.

  “Justin, please!” I begged in broken breaths.

  He seemed unsure of his choice.

  “Come here,” he said quietly.

  “No,” I whispered through quivering lips. “Please.”

  Hurt filled his eyes. His confidence faded as his shoulders sank and he walked over toward the bed. He sat down and looked up at me. My stomach twisted as hot tears fell down my face.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to you… we made a promise to each other,” he confessed quietly, running his fingers through his still damp hair. I had to hold my hand over my mouth to stop the vomit rushing up from my unsettled stomach. “Come here. Sit beside me.”

  His charming smile and invite would have been irresistible—had I not known his true intentions—as he sat up and reached his hand out to me. My fingers locked together and my arms clenched tightly in front of me, but fear kept my feet frozen.

  He was still beautiful but whatever he had been keeping from me the entire time was seeping out and darkening everything about him, from the sound of his voice to the color of his eyes and especially in the way they were looking at me.

  Conflict filled his glistening sapphire eyes.

  He may not have wanted t
o kill me. He had no choice. We both knew that. He had to save himself. Save his secret. Save his relationship with his brother.

  “Everything I’ve done has been for him.”

  His eyes sunk in sadness. He ran his hands through his hair again. Torn and uncertain of his choice. He was thinking about his brother. After a few moments and with one deep breath, the conflict and uncertainty were gone. His cold, crystal-blue eyes were back on me and I was frozen under his stare.

  “Everything,” he repeated before sitting up slowly, “has been for him—to prove myself my love. To show my loyalty.”

  Everything inside me tightened and blurred around me before fading to black. I saw nothing but him. I had to get away.

  “He really did want you for himself, you know. You were perfect for both of us. Kind. Caring. Challenging. Everything we both needed. Him more than me.”

  His voice sounded merciful. He took pity on me. For a moment, I thought he’d changed his mind.

  “But you’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse … you should know, the cat always wins.”

  His choice had been made. To him, I was already dead.

  Concentrate, Karley.

  You need to get out of here.

  His words continued to interrupt my thoughts of escape.

  “That first night you arrived, he wanted to meet you but I think you were already asleep or something … I don’t know,” he said, absorbed in the memory. “Then, the next morning, when you bumped into him, he was hooked. I remember him telling me to stay away from you. I couldn’t. You were so beautiful that morning. You looked lost and frightened staring up at him in the hallway. I like that characteristic in women. I like making them feel safe with me.”

  I could taste the vomit in my mouth again.

  “But the way he stared at you … he wanted you. It actually made me happy. I hadn’t seen him look that way at a girl in a long time. It was like he scratched an itch. Instant relief from all the pain he suffered.”

  My tears began to fall.

  “The night the three of us went out to dinner, you walked down the stairs and I looked at him. I think he could already taste you in his mouth he wanted you so badly. But you couldn’t take your eyes off me. He saw it, too. He told me he would stay away from you, but I knew over time he wouldn’t be able to and he would have to make a choice.”

  My thoughts went back to my first night here, rolling over and pretending to be asleep when my mother opened the door and told the person with her I was asleep. I assumed it was Justin. Until now, I never really believed Joe wanted to get close to me. I was angry. Angry at Justin for tricking me. Angry at myself for being so stupid.

  This had been a game to Justin the whole time. It was what he did to girls. The beautiful man in front of me, with his loving tone, his flawless face, his perfect smile—wouldn’t allow me to beat him at his game.

  I would try.

  Don’t focus on his words …

  “You know, that’s why he got drunk with those stupid bitches at the bar that night. I realized then he would let me have you and he would stay away from you … but you couldn’t stay away from him, could you?” A low desperate chuckle escaped his throat. “That’s what changed everything. You wanted him, too.”

  I felt lightheaded. I had to stay strong.

  Unlock your body, Karley. Get ready to run.

  I did. I prepared myself by unlocking my fingers and releasing my arms to my sides and slowly glancing at the door.

  “God, you’re such a stupid girl!” he snarled shaking his head. He was disappointed in me. “I thought you knew how much I wanted you… but you couldn’t stay away from him. You couldn’t make the choice between the two of us.”

  He pointed his stern finger at me.

  “You did this to yourself.”

  He was angry but calm. Determined. His choice was made.

  “I love you. I do.” I felt sick. His voice was no longer shaking. “But the truth is, I love him more than I love you.”

  Chapter 23

  Fight!

  The beauty in his face was gone.

  There was emptiness in his eyes staring down at me.

  Desperation in his voice telling me to stop moving.

  Determination in his hands tightening around my neck.

  I couldn’t get his name from my throat as my body flopped like a speared fish out of water under him. He was strong, too strong for me to fight off. The more I fought against him, the deeper the burn I felt inside me.

  I could barely see his face anymore.

  I could barely hear his voice.

  I could barely feel his touch.

  I was dying.

  Finally, everything went black. I couldn’t see or hear or feel, but I knew I wasn’t alone. He was still there—rocking back and forth beside my near-lifeless body. He looked scared. Almost uncertain about what he’d done to me. It confused me even more.

  No.

  I wasn’t going to let him kill me and get away with everything he’d done to all of them. To me! I watched with motionless eyes his watching me, still touching me … still trembling as he held the box in his hands. Crying.

  It angered me.

  I had to fight. I had to try. I had to take one more breath.

  When the air hit my lungs like a hammer to my chest, it surprised him, too.

  Immediately, he stopped rocking and wiped his tearing eyes. He took his time slowly laying the box down at his side. The trembling was gone from his body. His eyes went black again as he tightened his jaw and slowly knelt over me, adjusting his hands firmly around my neck and began squeezing again.

  His warm falling tears splashed off my face.

  He looked merciless yet determined, clenching his teeth together.

  The pendant of my necklace pierced my skin but I ignored the pain and reached my hands up to his face. With the little strength I had left, I dug my nails across his face, scraping away his flawless beauty. He turned his head away quickly, wincing in pain and releasing his hands from my neck to cover his freshly cut wounds.

  I stumbled to my feet gagging and gasping for air. I fell into the dresser but got up immediately. I had to keep trying. I had to keep fighting.

  Before I made it to the door, he grabbed my legs forcing me once again to the ground.

  If he got his hands around my neck again, he would not be as careless this time. Before he stopped choking me again, he would make sure I would never take another breath.

  I kicked and screamed through the pain and fought him off me. With every move I made, my head throbbed from front to back and side to side. It felt like it was going to explode. And with every breath of air I swallowed, the pain in my throat made it even more difficult to breathe.

  I crawled quickly out the door. My palms and knees ached against the wooden floor but I continued. He would be coming for me soon. I held on to the railing of the staircase and pulled myself up. I looked back toward his room to see him slowly walking up to me.

  “Justin, please!” I begged falling back down to the ground. “Please, don’t!”

  He said nothing. It was as if he didn’t even hear me begging for my life. He was determined to kill me, and nothing was going to stop him. He reached down for me and I put my hands over my face. He grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me to my feet.

  I wanted to give up.

  I couldn’t fight him off any longer.

  I had already done everything I could to save my life but it wasn’t enough.

  I was going to die.

  “Justin!”

  I heard his name being called but it wasn’t coming from me.

  “Justin!”

  The quick, heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs.

  “Justin!”

  I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him screaming for his younger brother to stop. When Joe’s body hit Justin’s from behind, it made a thunderous boom as the two of them fell to the ground, forcing me out of Justin’s grip and the back of my head
into the thick, wooden banister.

  Chapter 24

  His Choice

  I’m not sure how much time passed before I finally woke up, but they were still fighting each other. My leg felt awkward under me. I knew right away it was broken. I tried lifting my body with my arms to adjust it, but each time I let out a scream from the excruciating pain shooting across my knee. I sat terrified watching Joe defending himself from Justin just a few feet away.

  Justin was once again the aggressor, but unlike before, Joe was not the instigator.

  I felt helpless watching the two of them exchanging punch after punch, as their tangled bodies rolled across the floor. Joe appeared to be in a lot of pain trying to restrain his brother, while Justin looked immune to the pain he was causing him. He was in a place neither of us could get him out of … he was enjoying it too much.

  “Justin! Please!” Joe begged. “Let me help you.”

  “No!” The violence in his word strained his voice. “I need to prove you mean more to me than her!”

  “I know that already,” Joe pleaded. Instant relief splashed over his younger brother’s face before the emptiness quickly returned.

  “But do I mean more to you than she does?” he asked quietly.

  Joe didn’t respond.

  Justin was hurt. He expected his brother to choose him.

  “I underestimated you, brother,” he whispered. Joe remained silent. Justin inhaled deeply before he spoke. “You know as well as I do, one of us has to die, too.”

  His hollow diamond eyes stared into Joe’s glare. There was an unspoken understanding between them.

  As Justin slowly advanced toward his brother, Joe looked at me. He understood what his brother was silently telling him. He was going to kill me, and he was daring his brother to stop him.

  I watched the light in Joe’s eyes leave and something unexplainable take over.

  He stood up slowly in front of his younger brother. His body no longer restrained as it had been their entire fight. He was no longer going to hold his strength back against him. He would be uncompromising. Justin saw it, too.