Page 30 of Kortlek

“Alright,’’ Blair says, getting off the bed and grabbing her purse, “let’s head out.’’ She opens the door of my room. Rose is the first one to leave, and I follow suit. Blair has a key to my apartment, so it’s her job to lock up for the night.

Rose is the designated driver, taking a seat and pushing the key in the engine. Blair sits next to her, while I’m in the back. A random song blasts through the speakers as Rose rushes through the streets of New York City.

It’s late, just around midnight.

And it’s been four days since the Kortlek game.

Cove’s nowhere to be seen. I tried going to his place, to the basement where the illegal fights happen, but no luck. Arlo’s not much better, either. He hasn’t confronted me yet for sucking his best friend’s cock, though I suspect it’s because he’s still debating how to approach the situation without actually asking me the question.

That’s the least of my worries.

My main concern is Cove.

I’ve no doubt that Dad and Arlo didn’t go to his place to just talk to him. If my gut feeling is correct — which it always is — their fists did all the talking. Don’t get me wrong, Cove is a phenomenal fighter, one of a kind. But my father? He’s a man of experience and balls. He definitely was a little threatening, too.

With Rose’s help, I did something I’m not proud of, which is why I didn’t include Blair in the plan. She’d be on board to help, but she’d nag, scold, and groan all the way, and that’s not something I wanted to deal with.

I broke into Cove’s apartment.

Oops.

To be more precise, Rose picked the lock, and I held guard. He lives in a good part of the city, and his building has a porter. He wasn’t keen on letting us pass, so I gave him a hundred bucks to keep his mouth shut. He accepted, and we managed to go to the fifth floor.

The moment I stepped inside, it smelled like him,and I swear, I didn’t want to leave. Rose laughed at me, but she’s even worse than me when it comes to her man.

Discreetly, I snooped through his things. My goal was to just find where he’d go and why he’d disappear for a few days. The food in his fridge was fresh, his clothes were neatly folded on the chair in his bedroom, and the heater was turned on.

Who just… leaves like that?

I was a little mad. I didn’t find anything incriminating. He’s squeaky clean, which just makes me believe that the closet in which he keeps his skeletons isn’t in his primary residence. He has to have another spot because a man like Cove is bound to have a monster or two he’s hiding.

More than anything, I’m disappointed.

What happened in the forest is something I’m still dreaming about. It’s… almost surreal. It felt so good, but now that the act is long over with, I feel confused. I didn’t expect him to marry me after I sucked his cock once, but I did expect the motherfucker to either reach out to me or at least send me a text if he was going to leave abruptly.

Rose’s theory is that he’s gone because Arlo and dad gave him a good beating.

But I don’t think that’s the case.

Cove’s not someone who’d give up after being beaten. If anything, I’d expect him to challenge my Dad, then Arlo, or both at once. That’s the kind of a stubborn man he is. It’s unlikely the relationship between Arlo and Cove will change.

Arlo trusts Cove.

Because their bond is so deep, built on mutual respect, trust, and common ground, I know Arlo won’t just burn the bridge over this. He’ll get his anger sorted eventually, like always does. I’m just curious what it will mean for this little game Cove and I are playing.

I’ll bet my money. Arlo thinks I’ll be bad for Cove.

My fingers tap against my bare thigh, the music volume lowered down. My eyes flicker to Rose, and she gives me a quick glance through the rearview mirror, both hands on the wheel, and then turns her attention back to the road.

“What’s on your mind, Ari?”

I lean back, contemplating whether to be truthful or not. Rose’s words hold a certain amount of worry, though she’s probably trying not to pry or sully my mood further. She knows me better than I know myself. She’ll probably continue to keep an eye out for me the entire night if I don’t speak.

“I want to know where Cove’s gone.’’

“Still nothing?”

I shake my head.

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