Page 17 of Forbidden Game

Parker slips into the driver’s side before reaching over and grabbing the gloves that I am still absentmindedly clutching to my chest. He tosses them into the backseat and then starts the engine.

“You all right?” he asks, his right hand coming down to squeeze my knee briefly. The movement causes electricity to crackle up my thigh.

“I’m fine.” Honestly, I’m more concerned about him. It’s not like I wasn’t catcalled on the street just last week. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m brilliant.” He shoots me a bright smile, bringing his hand back to the steering wheel as he peels out of the parking lot.

“Really? Then what was that whole thing back there?”

“Just a bit of friendly conversation.”

“Sure. And I’m the Queen of England.”

“Sensitive subject, Sydney.” He throws me his hurt puppy dog eyes.

“Just don’t do anything stupid,” I huff.

“Never,” he replies.

The smile tugging across his face tells a different story. There’s a serpentine quality to it.

Against my better judgment, I push the uneasy feeling aside. I pop the glove box and pull our cellphones out. Our one rule is that we never bring them into the gym with us. It’s another one of the reasons why I’m able to decompress there…normally.

Today, I’m not feeling as relaxed as I usually am when I leave the gym.

Both of our phones are littered with notifications, but that’s nothing new.

I place Parker’s phone on the center console before unlocking my own and scanning for any pressing updates. There isn’t anything glaringly obvious, and I silently thank God that the world, once again, didn’t burn down during my boxing lessons.

Parker snatches his phone up immediately and begins typing something. My heart lurches, and I snap it out of his hand.

“Don’t text and drive.” My panic is thinly veiled.

Guilt flashes in his eyes as he regrips the steering wheel with both hands. “Sorry, Syd. Sorry, I forgot.”

I will my heart rate to calm down. Driving safety is my one nonnegotiable. There are enough idiots on the road that you can’t trust, that you can’t control, that you can’t stop. The only thing you can control is how you drive. Even a moment of distraction can end everything—has ended everything.

I let the pain wash over me and follow my old therapist’s advice to tap my fingers against one another rhythmically. It’s practiced at this point and keeps me grounded in the present. Years have passed, but there are still moments that trigger me.

One of the only reasons I reluctantly get in the car with Parker is that, despite his speed limit aversion, he’s an extremely safe driver and has certificates to prove it.

Except right now.

“Syd, I’m really sorry.”

There’s nothing but pure regret in his tone, and I let out a sigh. Even I can’t stay mad at him for long. My heart has a soft spot for him no matter how hard I try to harden it.

“It’s fine. What were you doing anyway?”

His lips thin, and my senses go on high alert. I hold up his phone and key in the code. An unsent text message sits on the screen to a contact name I don’t recognize. The words Parker typed, however, I do recognize.

BOYD FRENT.

“I literally just told you not to do anything stupid.” I click the phone off and toss it back onto the center console.

“Dealing with Boyd is not stupid. In fact, it’s very smart.”

“Oh yeah? And how exactly do you plan to deal with Boyd? Get his body chopped up into tiny pieces and thrown into the bay? Or maybe you’ll feed him to the pigs. They are one of the most effective methods of body disposal.”

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