“That's all right Brick. Send her in here.”
Brick nodded his head down obediently and turned towards the door. The boom of the bass and the chatter of drunken students immediately grew louder as the door widened, before being shut off once more as he stepped into the corridor beyond and shut the door behind him.
I glanced quickly around the room and cursed myself for leaving it in such a state. I grabbed a mirror from my desk and checked out my hair, swiping it back and neatening it up a bit. I could feel my heart-rate beginning to rise at the thought of seeing her again. I wish that didn't happen. I wish I didn't have these fucking feelings for her. I wish we could just be friends like we once were. But no, things had changed now, and there was no going back in my head.
The last time I'd spent any time alone with her was 3 months ago at my birthday. It was that night when my feelings for her were fully reignited and ever since then things had been extremely awkward whenever I saw her and Cade together.
I even felt awkward when he spoke to me about her, something he'd done recently, asking for advice on how to deal with an argument they'd had. My heart had sunk when he'd told me he was serious about her, and I felt myself being torn between the love for my brother and my growing feelings for her.
I could see, as any fool could, that my own personal downward trajectory had coincided with Gemma's reappearance in my life. The irony wasn't lost on me: that this girl who I cared for deeply could have so negative an effect on me.
But it was a problem I had to deal with, and deal with alone.
The door opened ahead of me and the noise of the club spilled once again into the room. Gemma's face appeared, wearing a wide smile.
She stepped in and closed the door behind her, taking a quick look around and sniffing the air.
“You still smoking then Zack,” she said with half judgement and half concern. “Those things will kill you, you know.”
I smiled. “So could lots of things. Live fast, die young, right.”
She laughed and walked around the side of my desk, coming close towards me. My pulse continued to jump.
“As long as you don't die too soon, it's kinda nice having you around again.” She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning and retreating back around the desk, clearing a couple of boxes from the chair opposite.
“It's OK, I'll deal with those,” I said, jumping up and rushing round the desk to grab the boxes off of her.”
“Whoa, what you got in here?” she joked. “Your personal porn stash is it?!”
“Very funny Gem. No, nothing so exciting. Just some boring business files.”
I walked over to the side of the room and placed them on top of several other boxes that had begun to accumulate in the corner.
“Nice place you got here,” she said, her tongue firmly in her cheek, “real homely!”
“Yeah, well, it's not all glamor down here. This is where the real work takes place.”
I moved back around to my chair and sat down again, resisting the temptation to light up another cigarette.
I refilled my glass with whiskey and reached for a spare from my bottom drawer.
“Fancy a glass?”
She eyed up the bottle. “Sure, why not.”
I poured another glass and slid it towards her through a gap in the piles of papers covering my desk. She took a sip and coughed, bringing a laugh from my lips.
“Yeah, I didn't take you for a whiskey drinker. You want me to add some coke to that?” I spoke sarcastically, as I often did when I used to tease her.
She stared me down through squinting eyes, making me laugh once more.
“All right, all right, so what are you doing here Gem?”
I leaned back in my chair, my heart-rate now back to normal.
“No reason,” she said, entirely unconvincingly, “I was just working late so thought I'd come down and see where you work. There's lots of temptation down there on the dancefloor Zack. I hope you keep your hands to yourself!”
“Try to,” I said dryly. “So you just came down to check I wasn't hooking up with some innocent student, is that it? Cos I can tell you Gem, the students I see in here are far from innocent!”
“I'll bet. It was the same at my college. You never went in the end did you?”
I shook my head.
“How come?”
“Dad. He wanted us all working for the family business so from 18 I was working down here, being groomed to take over. The same happened with Crash and Kyle and Jude.”
“And Cade?”
“Yeah, he worked here with me for a while, until dad told him to focus only on his boxing. I guess dad thought he'd be better served winning acclaim for the family than being stuck running this club with me.”
“God you make it sound so awful,” she said lightly. “Surely it's not so bad running this place?”
I shook my head. “I guess I've just worked here long enough. There's other things I want to achieve.”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
“I dunno, I'm only just 23. There's a whole world out there.”
“I know what you mean. Sometimes you wonder whether you're in the right job.”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
She took another sip of her whiskey, grimacing slightly as it slipped down her throat. “So are you looking forward to Cade's fight next Friday night?”
Not really.
“Absolutely,” I said with feigned enthusiasm, “can't wait. It's the shot he's been waiting for. And you? You used to him punching people for a living yet?”
“Err, not sure I'll ever get used to that to be honest. So how's his training been going?”
“Hasn't he told you?”
“Well, no, we're not seeing each other at the moment.”
My heartbeat jumped. “What, you mean you're on a break?!”
She laughed. “Oh, no, we're just not seeing each other until after the fight. His coach says he's got to abstain from...you know.”
“Right, say no more. I don't wanna hear about your sex life thanks.”
“So basically, yeah, I was just wondering how his training was coming along?” She had this inquisitive edge to her voice that she was trying to hide by being casual. I knew her too well to miss it.
“Yeah, it's going well. I train with him sometimes. Despite the smoking I do like to keep myself in shape.”
“Oh, right, so you go down to the gym with him? I'll bet he's down there all day, everyday, right?”
“Erm, pretty much, yeah. He starts training ridiculously early, at like 6 AM or something stupid like that. He's pretty much living down at the boxing club right now.”
A sort of semi smile appeared on her face as she sipped her drink again. “Well that's good to know, that he's taking it seriously and everything.”
“Oh, yeah, definitely. If there's one thing in life that Cade has always taken seriously it's his boxing. Can't say the same for his girlfriends, or lack thereof.” For some reason I was finding it hard complimenting Cade without some sort of dig at the end.
Gemma didn't react or rise to the comment. She seemed a bit lost in her own thoughts now.
“So how's work going,” I asked, dragging her attention back to me. “Still finding it – how did you put it last time – 'boring as fuck'?”
Her face screwed up slightly at the mention of work. “Horrible,” she said, “my boss is a nightmare.”
“One of these Devil Wears Prada types?”
“Basically, yeah. She's so manipulative. I really don't like her.”
“What's her name then?”
“Martha Banks.”
The name rang a bell somewhere in the back of my head. I was sure I'd heard it before. Probably an associate of my father a while ago.
“And what's so bad about her?”
Gemma was shaking her head in disgust. “It's hard to explain really, without you understanding my position at work. She's just this ruthless 'screw anyone over to get what they
want' type, you know.”
“Yeah, I know the sort. My father was pretty much like that.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah, I guess you've gotta be if you want to be as successful as he was. Manipulation kinda comes with the territory sometimes.”
Her voice dampened a bit. “Yeah, maybe. God help me if I ever turn out like that.”
“Gem, you could never be like that. You're a doll, always have been, always will be.”
Her face softened as she looked at me. She looked a bit drained, as if she hadn't been sleeping that well. “That's sweet Zack. You always were so sweet.”
“Sweet. I haven't been called that in a while.”
“Well it's true. That part of you hasn't changed one bit.”
She smiled again and then glanced at her watch.
“Hey, look, I should probably go. I've got lots of work on this week so...”
I stood up as she did. “Oh sure, it was great to see you though Gem.”
I walked round the side of the desk and we spontaneously hugged once more. She clipped into my arms like the missing piece of a puzzle. It just felt so right.
“I guess I'll see you at the fight next Friday?” she said, slipping out of my embrace and looking up at me. Despite the worn look in her eyes she still looked gorgeous.
I nodded. “Yeah, I'll look forward to it.”
Chapter 12
Present Day
Gemma
I sat in my car way down the street from Cade's apartment, my eyes heavy through lack of sleep. It was just coming up 6 AM and the light of dawn had only recently hit the skies.
I waited as the minutes ticked by, watching the door to the building closely for any movement. The clock passed 6 and still I saw nothing. Maybe he's already left? Maybe Zack had been wrong about his timings?
No, there he was.
The door opened and out he stepped, carrying a large sports bag slung over his shoulder. He moved energetically over towards his car and threw the bag onto the passenger seat before rounding the vehicle and climbing in. It started with a guttural roar before cruising off down the street in the opposite direction from where I sat.
I immediately felt more alert as my heart-rate began to pick up. I opened my purse and looked one more time down at the set of keys Cade had given me to his place a month ago. He'd put his trust in me and I was about to betray him, sneak into his personal world and start digging for secrets. And all so I could put them to print and reveal them to the masses.
I felt sick at the thought, but I didn't stop.
A sense of intrigue had begun to engulf me now, one that was driving me forward, forcing me to step out of the car into the cool morning air, forcing me to walk straight towards the building and unlock the main door.
I walked inside and went straight for the stairs. It was silent inside, every other resident still sound asleep. I moved up, my pulse increasing with every step, before stopping at the 3rd floor and opening the door onto the corridor.
The sound of a hoover made me jump as I rounded a corner and saw a cleaning lady busy at work cleaning the carpets. She wore earphones and was dancing as she moved the hoover up and down aggressively to the sound of her music.
I waited for a few minutes as she moved further down the corridor in the opposite direction and eventually turned the corner, moving out of sight. I stepped into view and walked quietly towards Cade's apartment, my heart creeping closer and closer towards my throat.
I looked both ways before sliding the key in the lock and opening the door up slowly. I was so tentative, as if he'd still be inside, but I knew he wasn't. I glanced once more to my left and right before quickly stepping into the apartment and shutting the door as quietly as I could behind me.
I let out a long breath as I stood in the quiet room, the large open plan living room and kitchen drawn out ahead of me. I stayed there by the door for a couple of minutes, gathering my breath and waiting for my heart beat to slow.
Despite my moral objections to what I was doing, I couldn't help but feel exhilarated by it all. The secrecy, the stealth; it certainly got my blood pumping.
The place was messier than I'd ever seen it, with plates and glasses and boxes of food scattered all over the place. It seemed that Cade had had little time to tidy up recently. I moved forward into the main living area and looked straight over towards the desk in the corner. I saw Cade's laptop as Annie's advice swirled around in my head.
Computer files are a good place to start...
I moved quietly over to the desk and sat down, carefully opening up the laptop. It whirred silently into life, the blue screen appearing with Cade's username – Champ91. I guessed the 91 referred to the year of his birth.
Below was a blank space for his password. I knew it, I'll never be able to get in.
I sat for a moment thinking about what he could possibly use for a password. Going by his username it would probably be something boxing related.
I starting typing in some combinations but nothing worked. I tried his name followed by his birthdate, combinations with Zack's name, with his father's name, with his surname. Nothing worked.
Screw this, it's not gonna work. I shouldn't even be here anyway. What the hell was I doing!
I stood up and shut the laptop slowly, making sure it stayed in the position I'd found it, before carefully positioning the chair back in place. I had no idea whether Cade was observant enough to notice any change but I wasn't going to take any chances.
I breathed a heavy sigh as I stood in the living area looking out of the window at the rising sun. I couldn't quite believe that my life had come to this: snooping round my boyfriends apartment to find dirt to put in a fucking lifestyle magazine. I mean, how fucking low could I go.
What was next? Was clubbing baby seals to death going to become my next favorite hobby? Maybe I'd take to photography instead and become one of those stalker paparazzi everyone hates? Seriously, I'd clearly lost my moral compass to such an extent that nothing seemed beyond the realms of possibility now.
I shouldn't be here. I'd sooner lose my job that do this. This really wasn't worth it.
I turned back and started walking towards the door, stopping dead in my tracks and taking a quick intake of air.
Outside, just down the corridor, I could hear voices. Two men, talking loudly, their voices getting closer and closer, clearer and clearer, as they approached.
I recognized Cade's voice immediately. Holy shit, what do I do?
I twisted my neck this way and that, my mind thinking quick. Hide Gemma, just hide. I instinctively turned and paced as quickly, but quietly, as possible towards Cade's bedroom, the only door in the place that was ajar.
I stepped in between the small gap in the door and dropped to the floor, sliding quickly under the bed and out of sight. Cade's sheets hung low to the ground, concealing me completely beneath the frame.
I breathed deep one more time, my pulse now soaring, as I heard a scratching of metal on the other side of the front door. I could hear the mumbling of deep voices as Cade entered with his yet unknown companion.
“Bro, you need to start locking your door if you're gonna be out all day.” I recognized the voice as Kyle's.
“I could have sworn I did lock it,” Cade responded, his voice sounding a little confused. “I dunno, it's all been such a rush recently. Maybe I missed it.”
I kept my breathing shallow as Cade and Kyle moved in through the apartment and into the main living room, their voices still clear in the silence of the room.
What the hell was he doing back already anyway? He'd only left about 30 minutes ago.
“So how are things going with Alice then dude? I've gotta say, of all of us, you've got the hottest girlfriend. Alice is so smoking hot man, I can see why you went against dad to get her.”
“Yeah, well, that was a stupid fucking rule, you know.” Kyle's voice had a bitter edge to it. “I mean, I loved dad and everything, but he didn't make life
easy for me down at the club.”
“How'd you mean?” Cade asked.
“Well, you know, he had this whole 'you can't date the staff thing going on'. I mean, I understood that in a strip club, but he might have wanted to cut me some slack. You fucked just about every bargirl down at Nightshapes when you worked there and he didn't give a shit about that.”
Oh, that's nice. Just what I wanted to hear.
“Yeah, well, there's a difference between fucking bargirls and fucking strippers. Bargirls are a dime a dozen, you can find them anywhere. Those strippers you had working for you though bro, fuck me they're insane. You can't go messing around with that.”
“Well that's one thing I don't miss about dad. At least Crash understands me and Alice now.”
“Hey bro, mind your tongue about dad yeah. The guy was a fucking legend.”
“All right Cade, easy boy. You'd be the same if you'd been in my position. There's no fucking way you'd have been able to keep your hands off those girls, no way in hell.”
I could hear Cade laugh. “Yeah, well maybe I haven't.” He spoke jokingly with a suggestion to his voice. I didn't like the sound of it.
“Well,” Cade continued, moving around the apartment, “at least Crash got the guy who killed dad. You were there that night, weren't you?”
My heart-rate began to soar now as I peered out from behind the sheet. I could just about see Kyle through the crack in the door, leaning on a chair, nodding lightly, his eyes downcast.
“I was there.” he said quietly.
“So this Lithgow guy, did he squirm, did he beg? What a fucking snake. I wish Crash had brought me along. I'd have loved to have seen that guy suck in his last breath.”
Kyle kept his eyes slightly down as Cade came in and out of shot, clearly looking for something.
“Yeah, it was great,” said Kyle coldly.
Lithgow. The name sounded familiar, like I'd heard it before. Yeah, that was it, I'd heard about him on the news. He was this billionaire investor who'd gone missing and no one knew where. Holy shit, had Crash killed him? Had Lithgow killed their father?
I heard loud footsteps suddenly come close as the door opened fast. I dropped the sheet once again over my eyes and held my breath as Cade came rushing in, opening wardrobes and drawers.
The Logan Brothers - Books 1-4: (EXPOSURE, CRASH, TWIN PASSIONS, and ADDICTED TO YOU) Page 43