Kade's Game (The Sterling Shore Series 1.5)

by C. M. Owens

  "Her two roommates were friends with all four of those guys. I know. I talked to them. Do you think it's feasible that they were friends, yet never met Raya? I don't. It's also suspicious that she just happened to go take a shower that late at night, considering she would have been killed had she been in her room. So many things don't add up."

  I suck in a sharp breath, but Courtney doesn't even give me time to exhale before she hits me again.

  "And she's not broke. Never has been. Her father's bank account rivals my parents'. Don't ask me how I know that. But it's ridiculous. Considering all of his money was confiscated when he went to prison, it's rather suspicious that he now sits on a padded account. He's in prison. It's a little hard for him to be making money, wouldn't you say? Especially since his profession requires for him to be out of a cell. That means someone is bringing in the cash. Daddy's girl is making him proud."

  I get dizzy, nauseated, and everything on my body becomes too heavy. But that doesn't make sense.

  "She ate canned tuna because she didn't have cash," I say, sounding crazy with that being out of context.

  But Courtney doesn't miss a beat. "I'm sure she did a lot of things to sell it, Kade. That's what they do. Her father spent a week as a gardener while he was wooing an heiress. He walked away with fifteen million dollars after that stunt, even though they never could prove it. Raya isn't broke. In fact, Lyle said she had a wad of cash with her the night they went to the bar.

  "I've also got pictures of this guy. He goes to the jail regularly. I think he's in on this con with them. He could be dating Raya."

  She pushes a picture forward, and the last breath I had heaves out of my lungs. It's the guy who was in my house the day before we went to Aspen. He was bringing her money from her father. Raya was wearing those sexy pajamas that she now wears for me. I knew it was odd, because she never ran around the house in those before.

  Is this real? Am I really some naïve sucker she's been using?

  "It just so happens that the hearing you had—which was a ridiculous event to begin with—was overseen by a judge who hated your father. And it was three days after the damn accident. Ever think about how weird and fast that was?" she continues, nailing the coffin shut as my world collapses around me.

  I almost want to strangle her just to have an outlet. This isn't happening. This can't be happening.

  My eyes scour the pages, needing one simple bit of proof for redemption.

  "Her mother still lives in a trailer," I say in a hoarse whisper.

  Her hand comes up to my shoulder again, as I sit hunched over, my elbows on my knees, my head hung low, and my hands clasped tightly in front of me.

  "Because her mother didn't know. She divorced Ray Drivel the second she learned who he was, and she never contacted him again. Raya probably didn't get involved in his scams until she was older. Much older. Her mother was the only parent she had, so she had to walk a line. She refused to take tainted money, unlike Raya."

  I swallow hard, fighting back tears for the second time in two days. Then the door opens and shuts, allowing an eerie crawl to invade the room.

  "I'll handle this," Courtney whispers, but I shake my head, unable to form words as I still try to wrap my mind around everything.

  "Kade, she'll screw with your head if she stays. You have to get rid of her now, because she knows your weaknesses. She'll have you wrapped around her finger by nightfall," she says, still speaking in a whisper.

  She gets still and quiet beside me, and I feel, rather than see, Raya behind me. I don't even know how to face this.

  "You need to go. Now," Courtney hisses, acting as though she's about to break out her claws.

  I really don't need her here right now. Not for this. I need Raya to look me in the eye and tell me the truth.

  "I'll let Kade tell me what to do," Raya says, sounding completely devoid of any emotion, making it all the harder to believe her innocence.

  The Raya I know is fragile, and she'd already be upset. This Raya? This Raya already sounds a thousand times colder.

  I keep my eyes trained on the floor, needing another damn minute to get myself in check before I lose it. "Go, Courtney. I need to speak to Raya alone," I murmur as calmly as possible.

  "No. Kade, she's a con. She can easily manipulate you into making another mistake."

  "Just go, Courtney!" I yell, feeling her jump beside me.

  She stands and goes, but I don't even glance up. I hear the clicking of her heels slow as she gets behind me, but they don't stop completely. After a few seconds, the normal pace continues and the door shuts behind her.

  Everything comes swirling around, crashing into me with truths I don't want to believe, but it's clear. Right now I feel like a puppet with too many strings attached to the girl I stupidly fell in love with.

  "So you're a con?" I ask, finally looking up, feeling a piece of me break apart. "That's what all this was? You show up, find a way to weasel yourself into my house, and then what? Make me fall for you? Take everything I have?"

  It all pours out of me as I rein in my tears, refusing to shed one over her. How could she? She's cold. Ice cold. Her face remains stoic as she stares me down.

  "My father is a con. I'm just his daughter. But I think you've already made up your mind about me. There's nothing I can or will say to try to change your mind. I've seen that look before."

  A glimmer of hope spreads when she says that, but it's not enough. The Raya I know would have already sat down and explained things to me. Or gotten fighting mad and called me a slew of names.

  This Raya is frigid and clinical, not showing an ounce of emotion right now. And she's not even denying this was a con. She's talking around the subject and deflecting. She didn't just fuck me over; she fucked us all over. That one bottle of wine is worth more than half a million dollars.

  "Deny it, Raya. Can you at least do that?" I ask in a deadly low tone, needing her to at least try to claim her innocence. "Can you say that you didn't play me? That you didn't work me over real damn well? And my father? And my grandfather? I should have fucking known he wouldn't have handed that bottle over for just any reason. You poured on the charm and he fell for it just like I did. Like we all did."

  She stands completely still, not even gracing me with a flinch. It's as though this is all so easy. Watching me in ruins is easy for her.

  "Yeah," she says at last, breaking another piece of my heart. "I talked those frat boys into bulldozing my house just so I could move in here. I cunningly whispered in your father's ear to plant the idea in his head. I conned him into buying me clothes and bringing me to Aspen. Is that what you want? I told your grandfather I love you just so he'd give me a bottle of wine he treasured. Happy? I told you I love you because I wanted to steal everything you have and disappear into the wind. There. Now you can feel good about doing this."

  Sarcasm. Anyone guilty always uses sarcasm so they can admit their sins while slapping you in the face like you're an idiot.

  She walks away, acting as though she has the right to leave here without giving me a real answer. All she has to do is tell me she didn't do this, that she never would, that she told me she loved me because she really does, and I'll believe her. That's all I want.

  But instead I get this.

  "Fucking unbelievable. Just deny it, Raya. Damn it! That's all I'm asking," I yell, waiting for her to turn around, but she doesn't.

  The girl who made love to me last night is walking away, leaving a trail of destruction behind her like a heartless tornado. My mistake was getting in her path.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The light isn't kind when you have a hangover, so it hasn't been kind to me in two weeks. Seeing Raya at school is miserable, but I keep putting myself in her path, hoping she'll do something, anything to explain herself. All I get are cold eyes and steely glances.

  It didn't take her long to retrieve her things, considering she left behind almost everything. In fact, I think she only took her school su
pplies and itchy clothing. All of her new clothes were left behind. I was gone when she came back to pack.

  Oddly enough, she left behind the wine. If this was all some big scam, why leave behind that expensive bottle?

  I can't second guess it, though. For all I know, it's part of her game.

  The pounding at the door is jarring and painful, making me cringe as my headache continues to pound. Maybe no one is really there. It could just be the thudding in my skull instead.

  "What?" I groan, praying the visitor—phantom or real—goes away. They don't. And it's a real person. One I don't particularly feel like dealing with, considering he's a Raya advocate. What the hell is Tag doing at my house when the sun is barely rising?

  "You still hiding out?" he asks in a sigh as he comes to flop down on the chair across from me.

  I turn over on the sofa where I passed out last night, keeping my back to him.

  "So I'm getting the silent treatment?" he asks in an amused tone.

  Smug bastard.

  "Go away," I growl, cursing my headache silently.

  "Can't do that. Seeing as how your family is pretty damn worried about you."

  "And they sent you?" I scoff, growing more agitated by the second. "You're the last person who could understand what I'm going through, considering you've never even given a damn about a girl for longer than it took to get into her panties."

  "Ouch," he says playfully, then he lets out a sigh. I sense a shift in his breath, as though he's about to get serious. I turn around in time to see him staring at me thoughtfully.

  "You loved her," he says simply, surprising me.

  I don't say anything as he continues staring, and then he stands up and walks out. What. The. Hell? He disturbed my morning to point out the obvious? Dick.

  I head into the kitchen and grab a much needed glass of orange juice and a bottle of aspirin. I may not be able to get rid of the hole Raya left in me, but I can banish this damn headache.

  The door opens and shuts again, and I peer past the wall divide to see Tag returning with several stacks of papers and pictures. Not this again. I really need to lock my doors before getting drunk.

  "Sit down," he says, tossing the papers onto the table.

  Shaking my head, I murmur, "I don't want to see anything else. I've already been shown what a fucking idiot I was. No need in driving me down another few notches."

  Tag looks more serious than I've ever seen him. I suppose he feels betrayed, too, since he actually liked Raya. Everyone liked her. She's good, I'll give her that.

  "You've seen Courtney's shit, now you should see the truth."

  Truth?

  Uncertain about where he's going with this, I head over to take my seat on the sofa, warily inspecting him as he starts sifting through pictures.

  "As you know, Courtney brought all the same evidence to your father. I'm sure she thought he'd make you stay away. But your dad hasn't ever been big on socialites slamming the poor folk. He dug a little deeper, and... well, you're probably going to get sick."

  My stomach churns as if on cue. He takes a heavy breath before elaborating.

  "Everything you learned about her father was true, but you can't hold that against Raya."

  That's his idea of changing my feelings?

  "I can if she condones it. Hell, she was running a scam on me."

  He shakes his head, acting as though he pities me. I don't need his damn pity.

  "No, Kade, she wasn't. Raya does love her father, she does visit him often, and she speaks to him regularly. But she never condoned his life. And that girl hasn't done anything but shine her nose too much in order to be as very little like her father as possible. Hell, she's more of a saint than you."

  Ha. That's laughable. "The last I checked, I didn't screw her over and play games with her head."

  The door shuts just as another voice fills the house. "You've never done anything but play games," my father says as he enters the room.

  Really need to start locking my door.

  Tag sits back and looks at him, seeming confused. "Thought your flight didn't come in until tomorrow."

  Dad smirks, like the smug bastard he is. "I thought this was a little more important." Then he turns his attention to me. "You've been looking for an excuse to distance yourself from Raya since she started living here. I could see the fear in your eyes. I know. I was once just like you. Your mother scared the hell out of me because she was right in the way of everything I wanted to accomplish. A distraction. That's what an idiot I was.

  "I pushed her away, using the fact that I wasn't good enough for an heiress as an excuse. She got tired of fighting for me. I don't blame her. After I lost her and found exactly what I wanted—wealth—I realized I was as hollow as a person could be. I barely managed to win her back."

  He sighs out heavily as he finishes shattering the illusion of their perfect fairytale. "You and Mom didn't have this surrounding you. Raya never loved me, Dad. I was a target."

  The words leave my mouth and steal my breath, making me nauseated. And I see a flicker of genuine concern come over my father's face.

  "No, you weren't. Raya didn't set up that damn house incident, and I'm dumbfounded as to how you think she did. It wasn't a calculated hit. It was pure luck that she wasn't killed. That side of the house barely hung on long enough for someone to get her out. And, well, you should speak to her mother. Raya has been turning down money from her father since he started sending her checks. I know this because her mother was worried sick about her not being able to afford living on her own."

  I shake my head, wishing so badly I could just believe this.

  "She took money from him. I was here when she blatantly admitted to it. Her boyfriend delivered it," I tell him, fighting the bile that rises to my throat.

  Tag chuckles while sifting through some pictures. I can't believe he thinks this is funny.

  "This guy?" he asks, handing me a picture of the bastard himself.

  "Yeah."

  I turn away as Tag continues, "That's Brody Sparks. He's the FBI agent assigned to her father. They work cases together because Ray Drivel is perfect for tracking down conmen. He brought Raya that money because it wasn't tainted."

  "How can you possibly believe this?" I ask, looking at him like he's lost his mind. It's the most ludicrous explanation I've ever heard.

  "Because," Dad says as he sits down beside me, "I went and talked to him. I was patted down, walked through security, and then taken to a lower level conference room just to talk to him at the FBI headquarters in L.A. He's not usually there, but I insisted we meet there. He's legit. Raya's father makes a killing designing impenetrable security systems. He's a coveted gem, despite the fact he was once corrupt. Raya only took the money because Brody swore it was clean.

  "According to him, Raya has better skills at the card tables than her father. And you already know she could hustle pool if she really wanted to. She never gambles, because she feels like she's stealing. Not even at casinos. That's how her father got started. Anytime someone presses her to play them, she tells them honestly how she won't be beaten. Raya is closer to being a saint than any of us, and you condemned her."

  My head spins as I try to soak it all in, and my whole body becomes too heavy.

  "But she didn't deny it. She was cold. You didn't see her that day."

  Dad cracks his knuckles as he looks down at the ground, and I see a sadness crease his brow.

  "Before I made my money, I was taunted, teased, and ridiculed for being poor. Everyone kept laughing and telling me I'd fail, including the rich assholes that kiss my ass today. I didn't succeed overnight, and I failed a couple of times along the way. But I was still a phenomenon because of how quickly I built an empire with few investors."

  He looks at me, but I don't know where he's going with this.

  "No one believed in me, and no one surprised me with their reactions. No one other than your mother and your grandfather. Had your mother turned on me, I would h
ave expected it. You did exactly what Raya expected you to do. You judged her the same way as everyone else has. And she was prepared for it. No one surprises her when they believe the worst. I can't imagine how much that must have hurt, because Margaret never did anything but surprise me with her belief in me."

  For the second time in three weeks, my world unravels and ceases to make sense. I let her down, and she probably hates me. My chest caves in on itself, making it hard to breathe. What have I done?

  "In your life, you've always wanted a challenge. You're rich, smart, and good looking. It makes things come almost too easily. So you make things a lot harder than they have to be just so you can have some challenge. Raya came too easily, because that girl had it bad for you early on. You played games, thought you had to go through an obstacle course to make her yours, and you damn near lost the girl because of it, when all you had to do was simply take her. That was too easy.

  "Now you have the challenge you've always wanted. I hope you're man enough for it, because you've got one hell of a rough road ahead of you if you plan to get that girl back."

  My stomach sinks to my spine as I drop back, covering my eyes with the palms of my hands. Why in the hell did I listen to Courtney?

  Dad's phone rings, and I look at him as he answers. When the color drains from his face, my heart almost explodes.

  "What?" I prompt when he remains speechless.

  He slowly lowers the phone while clearing his throat. "It's your grandfather. We need to go. Now."

  It doesn't look natural to see Granddad with his eyes closed as several tubes run out of him. My whole body aches from the tense position I've been in.

  "You guys want anything to eat?" Erica asks as she runs her fingers through Wren's hair. I'm glad my family is here, since I apparently have no friends.

  "Not hungry, but I could use a cup of coffee," Wren answers, and Erica looks to me.

  I just shake my head as my phone rings, and I answer Brock with a weak hello.

  "You still coming tonight?" Brock asks through the phone.

  "Can't. My granddad is in the hospital," I say quickly, clearing my throat to keep the emotion from showing up.