Endgame: An Ocean Bay standalone novel

by Chloe Walsh

  “And that, little Molly, is how you sink Rourke Owens!” Daryl snickered, thoroughly enjoying the floorshow Six and I had just given him.

  Turning my attention back to him, I narrowed my eyes in warning. “Don’t go there, D.”

  Daryl threw his head back and laughed. “You’re so fucking screwed, Rourke.”

  No, I wasn’t. “Shut the hell up,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

  “Wait – do you like Mercedes?” Molly squeaked excitedly.

  “No,” I replied at the same time Daryl said, “Yes!”

  “Dude,” I snapped, feeling flustered. “Shut the fuck up.”

  Daryl raised his hands in defense. “The sooner you accept it, the sooner you’ll be back to your old self on the field.”

  He was right about that.

  If I didn’t get inside Six soon, I was going to explode.

  Britt walked over to us then, causing the smile on Daryl’s face to transform into a snarl. “Put your tongue away, Daryl,” she sneered, leaning against the table so I had a full view of her barely covered tits. “You look desperate.”

  “No, Britt, that title will always go to you,” Daryl shot back coolly. “Run along now.”

  “Screw you, Daryl.”

  “No thanks, Britt,” Daryl shot back without hesitation. “I wouldn’t touch you with Mason’s dick.”

  Molly sniggered and I bit back a smirk.

  “Are we hanging out after practice tonight?” Britt asked then, tone huffy as she turned her attention to me.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t think so?” She looked at me with an incredulous expression. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means he’s done with your ass,” Daryl chimed in happily.

  “I am not talking to you, Daryl King,” Britt shot back.

  “Tough shit, because I’m talking to you,” he countered. “Rourke here? He’s done messing around with your trashy ass.”

  “Daryl,” I growled in warning. “Leave it alone.”

  “Rip the band aid off, Rourke,” Daryl shot back heatedly. “Quick and painless, man, and be done with the bitch.”

  “Rourke,” Britt snapped, clearly furious. “Can we talk outside for a minute? In private.”

  “Don’t do it, man,” Daryl warned. “You don’t owe her shit.”

  I knew I didn’t owe Britt anything. She’d done me wrong on more occasions than I cared to remember. But she was looking down at me with those blue eyes and I felt my resolve waver. Reluctantly, I shoved my seat back and stood up.

  “You dumbass,” Daryl muttered.

  Britt smiled victoriously and walked ahead of me as we left the lunch room.

  I didn’t look back at Daryl. I knew he thought I was a fucking idiot for hearing her out. He didn’t get it though. Deep down, I hoped he never would. I wouldn’t wish the pain of what I’d been through with Britt on anyone.

  “I can’t believe you let Daryl King speak to me like that,” Britt hissed the moment we were in the hallway outside of the lunch room.

  I shrugged. “He’s my best friend, Britt.” I wasn’t making excuses when I said that. I was simply explaining. “You know what you did. So does Daryl.”

  “Really?” Britt cocked a brow. “Five years of being your girlfriend says you should have defended me to him.”

  I bit back the urge to growl. “Pity you didn’t remember you were my girlfriend several times during those five years.”

  “Is that what this is about?” She pouted. “Payback for cheating?” She took a step towards me and placed her hand on my chest. “Because I’ve said I’m sorry, Rourke.”

  “I know.”

  “Rourke.” Curling her fingers around the fabric of my shirt, she tugged me closer. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “But you did.” Holding my hands up, I took a step back, putting space between us. “I loved you, B, and you screwed me over.” That was the truth and it hurt. “You made a fool out of me,” I added, tone gruff. “Out of my feelings.”

  “But…” She blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what I needed to hear to get over her betrayal. There was nothing she could say, but she tried anyway. “You forgave me,” she pressed. “We’ve been together many times since.”

  We had and it was only now that I was beginning to see how fucking bad that was for me – how toxic she was to me. “That’s done with,” I told her, refusing not to look away when her eyes flared in anger.

  “Is this because of her?”

  “Who?”

  “The bitch responsible for bruising my face,” Britt snarled. “Is it serious? Do you love her?”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “That’s none of your business, Britt.”

  “Then why can’t we just go back to the way we were?”

  “Like when you were sneaking around behind my back and I didn’t know anything? Is that what you’re talking about?”

  “But…”

  “I think it’s too late.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Sorry, Britt, but I’m moving on.”

  “With her?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “I’ll ruin her.”

  “You’ll stay away from her,” I warned in a deathly cold tone of voice. “I mean it. I’m not fucking around here. You mess with her and I’ll come down on you like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”

  Mercedes

  THE COFFEE SHOP WAS hectic when I arrived for my shift after school. Apparently, the kids that went to The Academy liked to cram into the tiny, ten table establishment after school for coffee and a gossip. I’d lost count of the number of stares I’d received from kids from school when I served them. I shook my head every time. Entitled little brats.

  One upside to the bustle was that time went quickly. Between taking and filling out orders, I didn’t notice my four-hour shift passing. Before I knew, it was nine and Alec was turning the open sign on the door to closed.

  “That was insane.” I sighed and leaned against the counter. “I must have made at least seventy coffees tonight.”

  “The first week school reopens is always manic,” Alec explained with a knowing smile. “It will settle down. I promise.”

  “I don’t mind,” I assured him, ripping off my apron and hanging it back up. “The busier we are, the faster the time goes.”

  “Should I be insulted by that statement?” he teased, warm brown eyes twinkling, as he walked towards me. “Am I that horrible to work with?”

  “Are you fishing for compliments?” I cocked a brow and smirked. Having worked together for over a month, I was used to Alec’s banter. In fact, I looked forward to it most days. “Wow, Alec. I thought you were smoother than that.”

  “So it’s smooth she wants?” He grinned. “Alright. How about I take you out some night and wine and dine you?” He winked. “Smooth enough?”

  “You know the answer to that.” Grabbing my backpack, I slipped it on and headed for the door. “Sorry.”

  Alec had been asking me out for a few weeks now. And while he was insanely hot and fun, I continued to decline. I told myself it was because of the age gap. I told Alec that, too. Thing was, I had a feeling it had less to do with age and more to do with my unwanted feelings for Rourke.

  “You’re wounding my pride here, Mercy,” Alec called out good-naturedly – like I knew he would.

  “I’m sure you’ll manage to survive somehow,” I chuckled, pushing to door open. “See you tomorrow.”

  SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT. I felt it the moment I stepped foot inside the house after work. What it was, I had no idea because everything looked exactly the same as this morning, but there was a different atmosphere in the place. That sounded verbose but I honestly felt it.

  Kicking off my shoes in the hallway, I trudged into the kitchen only to pause in the doorway when my eyes landed on Rourke.

  He was leaning against counter with his back to me. He was laughing.


  Genuinely laughing.

  It wasn’t a sound I had heard too often and I soaked it in. The woman standing in front of the stove wasn’t Britt, or any other boney ass blonde from school – I presumed Rourke went for the anorexic blonde look.

  No, this woman was old and grey and wrinkled. She was low in height and slightly hunched over the stove. She was using one hand to stir a pot with a wooden spoon. The other, she was using to pinch what I presumed was Rourke’s cheek.

  I cleared my throat, not wanting to startle the old lady, and was immediately met with a pair of piercing blue eyes.

  “Hey,” Rourke acknowledged in an actual civilized tone. “You’re home.”

  Home? I almost laughed at the way he worded that sentence. The curious pair of grey eyes were what halted me in my tracks. “Hey,” I replied lamely instead.

  “Oh,” he muttered when he noticed me eyeing up the old lady. “You two haven’t met yet. Frannie, this is Six, Cassidy’s daughter.” He smiled fondly down at the old lady. “Six, this is Fran. Our…” He paused for a moment, obviously thinking about her title. “Fran brought us up,” he finally settled on.

  “Hello, Fran.” For some strange reason, I was incredibly nervous meeting this lady. I had no idea why, but I had a very strong feeling that I needed to make a good impression. “It’s nice to meet you.” Gabe had mentioned a lady named Fran would pop in and check on us once a week while he and Mom were away, but he had described a housekeeper. It was obvious to me that Rourke held this little old lady in much higher prestige.

  “Now, boy, I know you ain’t gone and christened this pretty young thing a dang number like the others,” Fran said. Rourke shrugged sheepishly and she slapped his hand. “Dang it, Rourke,” she muttered when he didn’t deny it. “What’d I tell you ‘bout name calling?”

  “It’s fine,” I heard myself say. “It’s more of a running joke between us.”

  “See?” Rourke looked oddly relieved as he looked over at me and winked. “It’s my pet name for her.”

  Fran walked slowly towards me and took my hand in both of hers, smiling the entire time. “Good to finally meet you…”

  “Mercedes James,” I filled in awkwardly.

  “Mercedes James.” Fran beamed at me, her frail hands shaking as she held onto my hand. “What a fine name that is.” She looked back at Rourke and winked. “What a fine young lady she is.” Immediately, I turned scarlet. “You got a young man calling on you, Mercedes James?”

  “Ugh…no,” I spluttered, mortified. “Not at all.”

  “Ya hear that, Rourke?” Fran said, not one bit conspicuous. “Mercedes’ here’s a free agent. Same as you.”

  Rourke looked uncomfortable as he spoke. “Six is Cassidy’s daughter, Fran. You remember Dad’s wife Cassidy?”

  “I ain’t lost my mind yet, boy,” Fran shot back. “Course I remember Cass.”

  “Mercedes is my stepsister, Fran,” Rourke clarified with a frown.

  “Pssh. Step-whepp.” Fran batted the air. “Ain’t no mixed bloodlines here.”

  “Christ,” Rourke muttered under his breath before running a hand through his hair. “Are you staying for dinner, Fran?” He was desperate to change the subject. It was obvious.

  “And miss my program?” Fran replied incredulously. I watched as she snatched a large brown purse from the counter and tossed it over her shoulder. “Hell no.”

  I laughed out loud. I probably shouldn’t have, but there was something warming about hearing an old lady cuss.

  “You take good care of yourself, Mercedes James,” Fran ordered with a smile before pottering over to Rourke and placing a loud kiss on his cheek. “Rourky Porky, you make sure you eat your dinner now, ya hear?” He turned bright pink. I snickered at the endearment. He loved this old lady. It was obvious.

  “You sure you’re okay driving home, Fran?” Rourke called after her.

  “Boy, I was driving long before you were a twinkle in your daddy’s eye,” she called back. “Nighty-night.” The sound of the front door closing filled my ears and I snickered loudly.

  “Omigod,” I laughed, unable to smother my grin.

  “Don’t say a word,” Rourke warned me with a reluctant smirk on his face.

  “Come here, Rorky-Porky,” I teased as I prowled towards him with my hand out, fingers positioned like pincers. “Gimme a squeeze.”

  “Six, I’m warning you.” He laughed and jerked backwards, unintentionally backing himself up against the counter. “Don’t you dare.”

  “Oh, wassss wonnng?” I cooed. Stretching up on my tiptoes, I pinched his cheek. “Poor baby need a kiss?”

  Reaching forward, he caught ahold of my hands, stopping me from pinching him further. “You think that’s funny?”

  “You think it’s funny telling half the school about Rourke Jr.?” I shot back with a raised brow.

  He frowned and said, “Okay, fair point,” before his frown disappeared and was replaced with a shit eating grin. “You called your dick Rourke Jr..”

  “Only because you did,” I shot back, blushing. My hands fell to my sides, but he was still holding them.

  “Are you embarrassed?” he asked, tone low and gruff.

  “I’m confused,” I corrected. I was embarrassed, but my confusion was trumping all other emotions. “The other night you were…” My words trailed off. Rourke knew what he was the other night. A huge asshole. “And then today at school, you come and sit with me at lunch?” I shook my head, at a complete loss. I knew what I should be feeling for him; anger and resentment. I wanted to feel that way. I willed those emotions to come. But they didn’t because I couldn’t feel anything but want for this boy. It made me pathetic and sad and I couldn’t change it. In the back of my mind, I knew what I felt for Rourke was more than lustful longing, but right now, I wasn’t ready to acknowledge anything more.

  “You’re…different to what I expected,” he offered.

  “Yeah, well, I usually am.”

  “I think I like you, Six.” He looked disappointed in himself as he said it.

  “Wow. Thanks?”

  “And I’ve been thinking about some stuff,” Rourke added.

  “Did it hurt?”

  “Funny.” He shot back, entwining his fingers with mine. “No. I’ve made a decision.”

  My heart leapt in my chest. “About what?”

  “Us.” He pulled me closer so that our bodies were completely aligned and flush against the other.

  Breathe, Mercy. Breathe. “Oh?”

  “Yeah.” Rourke looked deep into my eyes. “I think we should fuck.”

  “I beg your pardon,” I strangled out. I had to have misheard him because there was no way Rourke just said…

  “I think we should fuck,” he repeated.

  Nope, I’d heard exactly right. “No!”

  “No?” Rourke frowned like he’d never heard the word in his life. “Six, I just told you I’m willing to fuck you.”

  “You’re willing to fuck me?” Snatching my hands back, I quickly retreated from him. “Wow.” Was he serious?

  “What?” Rourke shook his head. “No. Six, not willing.” He took a step towards me. “I’m offering to fuck you.”

  Offering to fuck me?

  Was he serious?

  “You complete asshole,” I hissed, hurt and furious. He couldn’t have hurt me more if he slapped me across the face.

  “What?” Rourke threw his hands up in the air. “I thought that’s what you wanted the other night?”

  I did. I wanted him the other night. But I also wanted… oh god, I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew it was more than a fuck.

  “Six,” he tried again. “I’m not trying to be romantic here. I’m trying to be honest.”

  “Well, you’re certainly that.”

  “Stop it,” he growled. “What I mean…Fuck!” He rubbed his face with his hand and sighed. “I want you. Okay?” He looked me square in the eye as he spoke. “I want to be inside you so fucking bad. You
have no fucking idea how much I regret walking away the other night.”

  “Then why did you?” I whispered, asking the question that had been haunting me.

  “Because all it will ever be is sex to me!” Rourke shot back heatedly. “And you?” He shook his head. “You’re the kind of girl that needs more – deserves more. I don’t have more to give!”

  “Then why are you offering now?” I screamed.

  “Because I’d rather it was me fucking you!” he roared. “I’m not blind, Six. You’re gorgeous. Christ, you should have seen the look on half the guys’ faces when you walked your ass into school this morning. They all want you,” he snarled. “And I can’t fucking stand the thought of you with anyone else.”

  “So, you don’t want me,” I said shakily. “But you don’t want anyone else to have me?”

  “No, Six. I do.” Rourke growled and threw his hands up in the air in obvious exasperation. “I do want you.”

  “For sex?”

  Rourke shrugged almost helplessly, but had the good sense not to respond.

  “Well, thanks for the offer,” I said shakily as I retreated to the door and forced down the bile rising in my throat. “But I’m afraid I am going to have to regretfully decline your offer to fuck, Rourke.”

  Rourke

  WELL, THAT COULD not have gone fucking worse. I watched Six stalk out of the kitchen and I wanted to kick my own ass.

  What the hell was wrong with me?

  What was I supposed to do now?

  Chase after her and beg? Hell no.

  I was too damn prideful for that.

  But I wanted her and I was done denying it.

  I’m offering to fuck you? Smooth, Rourke. Real fucking smooth.

  Feeling irritated, I paced the kitchen and plotted my next move. She wanted me the other night; I was sure of it. I wasn’t willing to give her the words or make promises I wouldn’t keep, but I was more than willing to give her my body. She’d turned me down.

  That made me think about things. What else was I willing to give? How far was I willing to go to have her?

  Six was funny and sweet and sarcastic as hell. I knew it wasn’t just her body I was attracted to either. She intrigued me and challenged me daily and I felt an abnormal swell of jealousy whenever I caught any of the guys looking at her. I didn’t like it. In fact, I couldn’t fucking stand it. Usually girls bored me, but not this one. This one, I was drawn to.