After the Ex Games (The Ex Games #4)(17)
Author: J.S. Cooper

I walked over, pulled her into my arms, and held her tight. I closed my eyes and breathed in the flowery smell of her hair. I wanted to stop time right at this moment. I wanted to die with her in my arms. I didn’t want to let go. I was so scared of what was going to happen when I let go.

Chapter 11

Unknown

He stared at me in the small room, and I looked at the ground. All I could think about was the gun in his hands. “Are you going to kill me?” I whispered and peeked up at him.

“I don’t know.” His voice was rough. “I don’t want to.”

I looked back down at the floor, not knowing what else to say. Then my phone started ringing. “I should answer this. She’ll be anxious if I don’t answer.”

“Answer. Don’t say anything about my being here or I’ll kill you.”

“Hello,” I answered softly, hoping she would hear the anxiety in my voice, but as soon as I heard her voice, I knew that she didn’t care about anyone but herself.

Her voice sounded manic. I wanted to hang up the phone, tell her that I was done, but I didn’t know how. I owed her so much. We had this bond now. A bond that tied us together for life. A bond I wasn’t sure I wanted.

“They have discarded us like we are nothing. We can’t let them do this to us anymore. Now is the time for us to strike. Now is the time for us to blow everything up.”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Maybe it’s best for us to just let it be. Let them live their lives. We can live ours.”

“I have no life left to live.”

“You have me. You have—” I started, but she cut me off. I saw him looking at me with an intense look in his eyes. I knew that he was angry at our conversation.

“They took everything from me. I could have had a real life. I could have had a real family. They can’t get away with this. Katie is having a baby.”

“How do you know?” My voice caught as her words hit me hard. I looked over to the corner, hoping he couldn’t hear the call.

“What do you care? I was told.” She dismissed me. “I know and that’s all you need to know. Now they all get to live happily ever after. Brandon and Katie. Greyson and Meg. Little baby Harry. Next thing you know, Meg will be pregnant too. Greyson will have a child. They’ll both have kids. They’ll both have families and they won’t give us a second thought. We should have been part of that family.”

“I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“All I need you to do is take the bomb to them. Expose it. Let Katie and Meg see who they really are.”

“Then what?” Tears were running down my face as I realized that there wasn’t going to be any happy endings in this story that I called my life. Patsy had no interest in me other than to help her get revenge. I looked at the gun and part of me wished he would just shoot me.

“Then you wait for me. I’ll take care of the rest. I’m going to blow this shit up. I’m going to make sure they never forget us. Not ever. I’m going to make sure that they experience the kind of pain we’ve been living in forever, for the rest of their lives.” And then she hung up. I put the phone in my lap at looked up.

“That was Patsy, wasn’t it?” He looked grim and then satisfied as I nodded. “Does she really think she’s going to get away with it?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “She loves Greyson, you know?”

“Do you think I give a shit?” He laughed. “She means nothing to me.”

“Just like I mean nothing to you?”

“I have to go.” He jumped up. “I’m locking you in here. Don’t bother screaming. No one will hear you.”

“Are you going to kill me?” I called out after him, but he didn’t answer as he left the room and locked it.

I closed my eyes and lay down on the bed, staring into the darkness of my mind. I laughed as I realized that I still had my phone on my lap. I could make a call and get out of here if I wanted to. I could call 911. I could flee and turn them all in. Though there wasn’t really a point. If he didn’t love me and he didn’t want me, what did it matter? I meant nothing to him. Never had and never would. I was a speck of nothing to the entire universe and nothing was going to change that.

Chapter 12

Brandon

“Close your eyes.” Katie grabbed my arm as soon as I walked through the front door.

“What? Why?”

“Just close your eyes.” She slipped a thin piece of material over my eyes and tied a knot at the back of my head.

“What are you doing?” I held on to her arm as she escorted me through the room.

“Meg and Greyson are staying at the club tonight for some work stuff.” Her fingers squeezed mine and I tried not to panic.

“What do you mean?” My voice sounded stiff, and I cleared my throat.

“I mean we have the house to ourselves tonight.” I could hear a smile in her voice. “I want us to enjoy it. No Harry and no friends.”

“I thought we were going to have a sit-down.”

“I guess Greyson needs to work up the courage to tell Meg everything.” She pushed me down onto the bed. “They’re coming over tomorrow morning.”

“I see.” I took a deep breath and froze as I felt Katie’s fingers undoing my zipper. “So tonight we’re playing?”

“Don’t you want to play?”

“I always want to play.”

“So then let’s play.”

“You’re okay with waiting until tomorrow?”

“Yes.” I felt her lips gently pressing against mine. “Let’s give them a night to talk. Tomorrow they may be breaking up.” She sighed. “I know this is horrible to say, but I guess Meg should have one more night of passion before the rug is pulled from under her feet.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled and grabbed her hair, kissing her back passionately. “One more night of passion before all the secrets are spilled.”

“Exactly. Hmmm,” she moaned against my lips as my fingers played with her br**sts. “Tonight I’m going to show you what you’ve been missing all these years.”

“Don’t stop,” I groaned as she unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it off. “Do I have to be blindfolded?”

“I thought it’d be more fun.”

“I just want to see your beautiful body,” I groaned. “I want to see it and touch it and feel it and squeeze it and taste it and taunt it.”