Page 38 of One Bet

When I turned to look at him, he tilted his head and a tear slid down his cheek. I didn’t have any grand illusions about life, or ideals that made me more or less than anyone else. I also knew he could probably turn his tears on and off like a faucet if he needed to, but that one tear sealed my fate. I leaned over the seat to speak with the driver. “Could you take us back to the marina?”

By morning, I’d forgotten everything else except how Keaton Shaw took me in his arms, first in the back of that cab then later after we made love on the boat and said he loved me. Over and over he’d told me, and over and over I said it back. I’d been naïve enough to think love was enough and the future would work itself out.

22

Keaton

Avery stayed away until dawn. I knew because I sat on her porch waiting, watching the light breeze stir the branches on the maple tree in her yard, counting the stars and the hours, hoping I could see her one last time since the job offer here would likely be retracted as soon as the administration got word of my most recent fistfight with Ryder.

She pulled her car in front of the cottage and stared at me for a couple of seconds before she opened the door and walked toward me. She waited until she stood at the bottom of her porch steps before she shook her head. “What are you doing here?”

I wanted to be honest with her. To tell her how badly I wanted to be with her. Instead, I smiled. “I missed you.”

She didn’t walk past me, but sat beside me, looking out at her yard, which needed to be mowed. After a silent minute, she turned her body toward mine and ran her hand down my cheek. “I know what you wanted me to say yesterday, that I want you to stay, that I want us to be…more.” Neither the words nor the tone she used inspired visions of happily ever after and then there was the long, slow sigh.

“I would love for you to stay, for you to be…in the same state at least” she smiled but it was the saddest thing I’d ever seen. “On the same coast, maybe, but the job in Los Angeles is…I can’t ask you to give that up for me.”

She paused, again. “I think you should take it.”

And now, because of my fight with Ryder, my choices were limited. “Why?”

She sighed. “I saw you with Ryder. Fighting.” I didn’t read her expression as disappointment as much as admiration and it made me smile. If anyone deserved to hit Ryder, it was Avery. I couldn’t really blame her for the grin if the thought of punching him again gave her that satisfied look. After a second, she let out a slow breath. “What’s he doing here anyway?”

She deserved to know, but I didn’t have any idea beyond the fact it would be something shady and quite possibly illegal.

“I don’t know.” I wished I did.

Ryder’s motives weren’t something I could guess, but it didn’t take a genius to figure it wouldn’t be good. In his mind, transparent as it was, he had plenty of reason to be angry. At me, at Avery, at anyone who’d spoken against him. Which also put Jameson and Finn on the block. But right now, I couldn’t worry about anyone but Avery.

She shook her head and waved a hand. “Unless he’s up to try his hand at murder, there isn’t much he can do to hurt me now.”

Murder? The word sliced through me with all its implications. “He’s too chicken shit for jail and I don’t think his daddy would be able to buy him out of it if he kills someone.” The way he had with the situation ten years ago. And if he hurt Avery, there was no way he’d live long enough to go to trial. “Chances are, he’s going to go after me and not you.”

Unless he happened to remember the way to cause the sharpest pain for me would be to go after Avery and I should’ve told her just so she could be prepared, but I didn’t want to give her an excuse to make me go away. I didn’t want her to protect herself by throwing up a wall between the two of us. This time, I would be the one to protect her.

One Decade Ago

I couldn’t wait to find Avery, couldn’t wait to tell her about my day, the contract offer, the agent, the money. She’d be mad my meeting went long, madder still I was late meeting her, but it was our way out of here. Our future…

Someone handed me a beer, someone else pushed me down the hallway and into Ryder’s room. He handed me a wad of cash. “Bad news, bud. Sigmas won’t have her. Said they prefer to take the trash out not let it pledge, but a bet’s a bet, so here’s the money I owe you. You earned it, if you ask me, you deserve a lot more for fucking that one.”

I wanted to punch him for talking about Avery that way. Instead, I shoved my hand and his money against his chest. And then he laughed.

A second later the hooting began. “Lick my pussy, Keaton.” The voice, Avery’s voice, came from the living room. Through speakers turned at top volume.

I wheeled around through the kitchen, then into the living room where an image of Avery, naked and more than life-size, on her knees while I pounded into her from behind, played on the four TVs simultaneously. Someone howled, then someone else howled and it took about three seconds before everyone in the room except Avery was making fun of the video. Avery stood, mouth open, tears streaming down her cheeks until she turned and ran out.

Ryder chuckled behind me. “Always best to go out on a high note. I think this was the best video yet.”

I drove my fist into his jaw and dove on top of him when he fell backward. The satisfying crunch of his face under my knuckles didn’t calm me down much, didn’t take away the feeling of loss, didn’t make me want him dead any less. Someone pulled me off and dragged me outside.

I shoved away the hands holding me. “Get off me.”

Finn yanked me back when I went back for the door.

“Keaton, stop!” He moved to stand in front of me. Bigger. Sturdier. Could have probably bench-pressed me with one hand. No way was I going through him, or around him since he was quick for a big guy. “You can’t go after him. For her sake.”

He shook his head. “Think about it. He’s already gone after Jameson and me.”