Page 103 of Devious Gambit

I turned to look at that handsome face. Normally, I was too shy to hold my gaze, but this time I needed to brush aside his baby blues to read what lay beneath. I searched for lies and deceit, and instead found pain and sorrow that encompassed him like a stifling chrysalis. I also detected something else, a hunger for a lifeline and that lifeline was me.

“Why are you so sad?” I whispered.

He pulled his eyes away from mine to glance at someone walking by. “Confession time,” he stated softly, meeting my gaze again. Our faces were only a few inches apart and I could feel his finger stroking my gloved hand. “While I was playing the game of betrayal, and reading you The Divine Comedy, and enjoying your body,” he closed his eyes and exhaled as the sun danced on his dark eyelashes, “against all probability, I fell in love with you.” He flicked his eyes back open to see my stunned face. “Your turn.”

We were enclosed in this little bubble, just him and me, on a freezing, damp park bench on a clear Winter’s day. A steady traffic of students crunched their way past us chatting and giggling and rushing to their destination.

Nothing seemed real, apart from him.

“Confession time,” I whispered slowly. “He’s not you. You ruined my chances of ever being happy with another man.” I sighed. “He’s not you. Hayden’s not you. I’m trying really hard to feel the same way about him that I do for you. And I can’t do it. I pushed you away, because I fell in love with you and I didn’t,” the tears were streaming at this point, “want my heart broken…again.”

He stroked my chin with a single finger, leaning in to kiss the tears from my cheeks. “Be my girl,” he breathed into my skin.

I exhaled. “Yes.”

“That wasn’t a question.”

I punched him in the stomach and he cracked up laughing.

“You know what Santa does when the elves are naughty,” he said, squeezing my hand. “He fondles them in the sack.”

I giggled. “Not quite how the joke went.”

FORTY TWO

Jace

Rhys had to break it off with Hayden, before she and I could go public. That week was the longest week of my life. She wouldn’t let me near her, so we’d message each other sweet nothings and shoot secret smiles to each other at school. At night I’d zoom call her as I lay in bed. She was on my mind continuously every waking moment. And at night, I’d dream of her. It had been this way for weeks and I needed to be put out of my misery.

We were starting from scratch and that meant me taking her out on our first date. I booked a fancy formal restaurant, which sent Rhys in a panic because she had nothing to wear. When I rolled up outside her garage apartment I was so excited to see her, I almost split in two.

There was the girl that saved my life and helped me to see past tomorrow. There was the girl that broadened my mind and stirred my heart. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. She was mine. The gorgeous bookhugger with the dreamy green eyes and shy smile was finally mine. I scraped together my best clothes short of a tuxedo, white buttoned shirt, black dress pants, black jacket and a tie.

Just as I was about to climb out of the car armed with a large bouquet of flowers and a box of expensive chocolates, a notification came through on my phone.

Unknown: Heard u want info on the Southside field rapists

Me: Who is this?

Unknown: I know who they r.

Me: Who? Give me names.

Unknown: Meet me at the Athenaeum tonight 11pm and I’ll tell u. Come alone.

I paused a second to think it over. It could be a trap. I rang Cody.

“Sup.”

“I need a favor, man.”

“Name it.”

“Gonna meet someone eleven PM tonight who’s got information for me.”

“On what?”

“Not important right now. I need your back. They want me to go alone and I smell a sewer, so I need you there in case the shit hits the fan. Got it?”

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