The Prince and the Pawn

by Reid, B. B.

  As it turned out, my friends had texted plans in the group chat this morning to meet at the fair, but I’d chosen to ignore them. I was even more annoyed at myself when I realized I’d had Tyra’s location all along.

  “I’m almost there,” I responded. “Have you seen pip-squeak?”

  “Nah, not yet. Oh, shit, wait. There she is. Who’s the chick with her? She’s hot.” There was a pause and then, “Don’t tell Bee I said that.”

  “He doesn’t have to tell me. I’m standing right here,” Bee snapped in the background. I pictured her standing with her arms crossed and her blue gaze cold as ice.

  “Aww, don’t be mad, baby. Your face is the only face I want to jerk off to,” he flirted.

  Bee said something I couldn’t make out, and then they started kissing all loud and shit as if I weren’t still on the fucking phone.

  “Guys? Guys? Are you shitting me?” I whispered to myself when I couldn’t capture Jamie’s attention. “Yo!” I ended up yelling. Finally, the kissing ended. “I’m still on the fucking phone.”

  “Oh, my bad,” he said while not sounding sorry at all.

  How much longer until they broke up? “I’ll be there in sixty seconds.”

  “K,” he replied. He then hung up before I had the chance to ask where to meet them.

  I sighed as I pulled into the makeshift lot and paid the parking attendant the ten-dollar fee. Just as I’d found an empty spot, my phone pinged. I looked down and frowned at the message from an unknown number.

  555-666-6969: Meet me by the Ring-The-Bell. :-*

  As I made my way into the fair, I considered ignoring the text, but there were only a handful of people who even knew I was coming. Obviously, it wasn’t a stranger. Since the number wasn’t saved in my contacts and the area code wasn’t local, I decided against replying until I knew for sure. When I arrived at the Ring-The-Bell, I looked around, seeing no one familiar. I was just about ready to take off when I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. Whirling around, I looked down and found the last person I expected.

  Selena’s smile was radiant as she stood before me in an off-shoulder, white tube top that pretty much only covered her tits and jean cutoffs so tight and short that I just bet her ass was hanging out. Her body made the outfit provocative—maybe a little too provocative for the fair. I knew that had it not been for Tyra, I would have gamed and cornered Selena inside one of these secluded corners by now.

  “You texted me? How did you get my number?”

  “I have my ways,” she replied.

  Okay, but why? Not wanting to be rude to Tyra’s sister, I kept my thoughts to myself while wondering if I’d imagined the flirtation in her tone. I’d fucked enough sisters to know how ugly this always ended, and none of them had ever been remotely close to being someone special to me.

  Feeling weird, I immediately started searching the area for the only reason I was even here. “Where’s Tyra?”

  “She’s in the bathroom,” Selena said before nodding toward the crowded brick building twenty feet away. “Poor thing is still a little hungover. I had no idea she was such a wild, party animal.”

  I felt myself scowl even as confusion ripped through me. Wild? Hungover? Tyra?

  I’d seen her drink but never enough to get drunk much less enough to have a hangover the next day. I narrowed my gaze on Selena. “What exactly happened last night?”

  “Nothing much.” I might have believed her if her gaze wasn’t meeting everything and everyone except mine. “Some guys we met got a little head start on the holiday weekend and invited us to a party.”

  “What guys?”

  “To be honest, I don’t remember.” She began twirling the ends of her hair. “One of them mentioned being home for the summer. I think he said something about being a Delta at NYU.”

  Just then, Tyra stepped from the bathroom, and we immediately made eye contact even across the huge crowd. She looked caught red-handed when her puffy eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but notice her brown skin, which always glowed, appeared a little dull and gray. Selena hadn’t embellished her story one goddamn bit. My first instinct was to march over there and wring Tyra’s goddamn neck. Knowing I would never forgive myself if I hurt her, I decided to walk away instead.

  Partying with frat guys? She must have lost her fucking mind.

  I didn’t leave the fairground, but I didn’t bother seeking out my friends. There was no telling what I might do if I found myself within reaching distance of Tyra. Instead, I found myself at one of the food stands and then sitting alone while I mustered the stomach to eat.

  “There he is!”

  The sound of Jamie’s voice had me tensing nearly an hour later. There weren’t too many people in Blackwood Keep with a Boston accent, so I knew it had to be him. Ignoring my uneaten turkey leg, I looked over my shoulder and found my friends, along with Tyra and Selena, heading my way. The rest of the picnic table had been empty. I think bystanders could sense my foul mood, so my friends immediately crowded around me. Tyra wisely sat on the other end of the table, but I could feel her troubled gaze as I made a point to ignore her. Selena, on the other hand, was chatting with Four as if nothing had happened.

  “Dude, you said sixty seconds, not sixty minutes,” Jamie fussed before snatching my turkey leg from the plate and biting a large chunk out of it. Usually, I’d punch him in the throat for poaching, but my stomach was still in knots.

  Had Tyra finally figured out that she was too good for me and was looking for someone to give her what I couldn’t?

  “We’ve been looking all over for you.” Jamie became distracted when he caught Bee glaring at him for talking with his mouth full. Grinning, he offered her a bite of the turkey leg, which she responded to by rolling her eyes before turning her head to talk to Lou.

  Wren, to no one’s surprise, was absent again.

  I just hoped he lived long enough to give Lou the ring I was currently keeping safe for him. At least then someone would get their happily ever after. Lou stood, her expression tight, before announcing she had to go to the bathroom. Bee, deciding to join her, stood too.

  “Did you guys hear the news?” Jamie blabbed the moment they were out of earshot. “Wren and Lou are getting hitched.” I shook my head. News traveled too damn fast in this group, but this time, I only had myself to blame.

  “He hasn’t asked her yet,” Four deadpanned.

  Ever snorted. “Like she’s going to say no.”

  I was both surprised and relieved to hear that coming from him. Ever hadn’t spoken two words to Wren since finding out they were half brothers. After blackening his eye first, of course. I could only imagine the tension whenever they were in the same room. Both were bullheaded and prideful, something they must have inherited from their father. Ironically, Wren and Ever started out hating each other, and it looked like they were back to square one. Although, I didn’t think that Wren hated Ever. I think he was more frustrated than angry. Maybe he thought he’d been doing the right thing by keeping their familial ties a secret.

  “I know why he wants to put a ring on it so soon,” Jamie claimed even though no one asked.

  “Um…” Of course, the sound of Tyra’s voice drew my gaze as she crossed her arms defensively, “because he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her?” I knew she felt me watching her when her gaze nervously flicked my way before shifting in her seat.

  “That, and he’s tired of wearing a rubber.”

  “He doesn’t need to marry her for that,” Tyra argued. Usually, I found it funny whenever the two of them had their little squabbles, but all I could still think about was choking the life from her. Just wait until I get her alone. “That’s what birth control is for.”

  “But he’d still have to worry about diseases if she stepped out on him. He puts a ring on it, and I guarantee she’ll have stars in her eyes for the next three to five years. She won’t even look at another dude.”

  “And what happens after that?”

>   Jamie smirked. “She’ll realize she should have married me when she had the chance.”

  “Wow. Your view on marriage is quite, um, deluded. By any chance, did you tell Bee any of this?”

  Jamie suddenly looked down his nose at Tyra. “Bee and I are the exceptions, not the rule. Besides, my dick game is hypnotic. Just look at her walk when she comes back. She’s still dizzy.”

  I snorted though it was too low for any of them to hear.

  “You and Lou would have never worked,” Tyra insisted. She’d wisely chosen to ignore Jamie’s comment about his dick. I probably would have flipped this fucking table over if she’d fixated. I was still questioning how Jamie hadn’t gotten to Tyra before I did. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. Girls fell over themselves for him until he opened his mouth. “You and Lou are too similar. One of you would have ended up buried in the backyard.”

  Jamie gave a sad sigh, but he didn’t look all that sorry as his gaze wandered, drawn to Bee just as she stepped from the bathroom nearby. Their gazes connected across the way before he responded to Tyra. “You’re probably right,” he conceded in a low tone. He sounded distracted when he added, “I’m glad we never got to find out.” Standing, he took off after Bee when she and Lou hooked a right, stepping out of sight rather than coming back to the table.

  Like a moth to a flame, my gaze returned to Tyra and found her already watching me. It was all I could do not to flip her ass off, so I reluctantly rose to my feet instead. “I’m going to take off,” I mumbled.

  I didn’t wait for anyone to respond, least of all Tyra, before I got the fuck out of dodge.

  “DID YOU SEE THE LOOK on his face when I told him we’d been partying with frat guys all night long?” Selena squealed as she played with my makeup without a care in the world. I, on the other hand, was squeezing the life out of Mr. Bear as I sat on my bed with my knees to my chest. “He was so jealous.”

  “He seemed more than jealous, Selena. He looked really hurt. Are you sure this is going to work?” The truth was, Selena and I had been drinking but not with some frat guys. It had taken her plying me with alcohol until I was ready to puke before I could share with her the intimate details of my relationship with Vaughn. Even now, I felt like I’d made a huge mistake. I just didn’t understand why.

  “Like a charm,” she responded confidently. “I know it seems bad, but listen, Vaughn is an alpha male who grew up an only child fed with a silver spoon. Those are not the characteristics of a man who likes to share. Trust me. He’s going to be eating out of your palm before you know it.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Well, I do.” She proceeded to touch up her mascara. It was almost midnight, so I wasn’t sure why she was even bothering. We’d blown the entire day at the fair despite Vaughn storming away and leaving everyone confused. I remember how they’d all turned their expectant gazes on me, waiting for me to chase after him. I almost did until I caught the subtle shake of Selena’s head. “I’m your big sister, sweetie. I’d never steer you wrong.”

  “Maybe we should call my father and let him know you’re here.” Last night, while I was drunk out of my mind, Selena had invited herself to stay the summer. Wanting to be a good sister and get to know her, I ignored the queasy feeling in my gut and obliged.

  “Why would you want to do that?” Her cheerful tone didn’t match her question.

  “Because you came here to speak to him?”

  “And meet you,” she reminded me. “Look, you said he’s going to be back in a few weeks, right?” At my nod, she added, “Well then, I say we use the time to bond as sisters, and when your father gets back, I can meet him then, okay?” She stood and flounced out of my bedroom as if the discussion was already closed.

  Sighing, I picked up my phone, and after taking a deep breath, I started to dial. I didn’t care what Selena said. Vaughn Rees couldn’t be manipulated so easily. If he could, we would never have gotten this far. For months, I’d endured the whispers and opinions of my peers whenever Vaughn walked proudly beside me, a nobody, in Brynwood’s halls. And now it felt like I was turning him into someone he wasn’t just to get what I wanted. I felt like I could throw up.

  It all seemed so harmless when Selena laid out her plan. I thought that I was stealing his heart once and for all. What if I’d broken it instead?

  My stomach was all in knots as the phone rang, and my bile rose. The wait for Vaughn to answer was pure agony. When the pause came, and I heard Vaughn’s voice rather than the automated response of the voicemail, I almost cried tears of joy.

  “What?”

  Even though I expected it, I flinched at the coolness of his tone. “I-I was just calling to see how you were. You didn’t talk to me at the fair.”

  “You didn’t talk to me either, Tyra.” I couldn’t help but notice how he hadn’t called me pip-squeak. I thought I hated his pet name, but now I wanted nothing more than to hear him whisper it to me. “Tell me why that is,” he demanded. “Is it because you had something to hide?”

  “What? No!” Yes. I squeezed Mr. Bear even tighter as my guilt grew. “What would I have to hide?”

  “You tell me.” And then he hung up.

  I immediately yanked the phone from my ear, thinking I was mistaken and ended up staring at my home screen. It was a picture of us together as he stood in his bathroom mirror at the beach house, lifting me high over his head like a barbell or whatever.

  He’d actually hung up on me.

  I told myself that I understood, that it was all my fault, but seconds later, I was shoving on my shoes, grabbing my keys, and ignoring Selena’s questioning look as I stormed out of the front door.

  Vaughn knew I had a temper. He’d stumbled upon it by accident during the beginning of his courtship. Why he thought I’d take him hanging up on me lying down was a mystery. My meek little Honda couldn’t quite get up to the speeds that his Aventador could, but I damn near topped out all the way to his castle looming on the hill.

  It might as well have belonged to Vaughn since I doubted his father was ever around. Vaughn had way too much freedom to have any sort of regular parental supervision. It made me wonder more than ever what his father did for a living. Some jobs required parents to be absent often and for long periods, but not even pilots and flight attendants were gone as much as Franklin Rees. And where the hell was his mom? These thoughts continued to wreak havoc as I flew through the open gates and up the winding drive. I then slammed on the brakes, parking next to Vaughn’s Lamborghini.

  Questions that still needed answers.

  If Vaughn wanted to touch me again, he had better well start answering some, and I meant it this time, unlike the forty times I vowed to leave Vaughn’s ass alone. At least once a week for the last ten months, I’d convinced myself that I was done only for Vaughn to pull me back. Sometimes all it had taken was a smile. He might as well have just snapped his fingers.

  Storming up to the big iron doors, I started pounding.

  I pounded until my wrists were sore, my skin was red, and my fists throbbed. I was breathing fire minutes later when there was no answer. Even if there was a slim chance Vaughn had left with someone, he wouldn’t have left the gates open, especially at this time of night. Trying my luck, I gave up being polite and twisted the knob. I blinked in surprise when the door opened. Taking advantage of my good luck, I stormed the threshold and closed the door behind me. I would have slammed it if it hadn’t been so heavy. Looking around, I waited for a housekeeper or a gardener or someone to appear and kick me out. Then I remembered the holiday and the fact that it was midnight.

  The house was dark and quiet, and if it hadn’t been for the polished surfaces, elegant furniture, and the smell of fresh flowers, I would have thought the place was haunted. I’d only been here twice before, and even then, I hadn’t ventured beyond the first floor. The last time was a few months ago when we’d staged an intervention for Ever, Four, Bee, and Jamie. Thinking about that morning, I shook my head. I was glad to s
ee their little weird love square come to an end. The icing on the cake was that Jamie was almost bearable now. I’d never seen someone so obviously in love and yet so haunted by it.

  The cherry on top had been witnessing one of Vaughn’s rare fits of jealousy after Jamie alluded to sleeping with me to get under his skin. And when no one else was looking, the busybody had smugly winked as if he’d proved some great argument. I remembered feeling the butterflies fluttering in my stomach the rest of the day and grudgingly admitted that Jamie definitely had given me a rare peek inside Vaughn’s mind.

  My footsteps were quiet as I climbed the four marble steps leading up the two-story foyer. Even in the dark, the chandelier shimmered, highlighting the dining room’s entrance on my right and the seriously impressive library to my left. I knew that if I crossed through the dining room, I’d find a narrow hallway on the other side that led into the kitchen.

  I remembered being in awe and couldn’t begin to imagine how the rest of this castle looked. The kitchen was state of the art and the shape of the room unique—like an octagon with fewer sides or whatever a square with round corners was called.

  Maybe a squircle?

  Laughing to myself, I pulled my phone from my back pocket, ready to patent my genius and googled:

  A square with rounded corners is called a squircle.

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

  I made a mental note to pen a letter to whoever had beaten me to it when I heard what sounded like metal clang in the distance. Returning my phone to my back pocket, I followed the sound until I reached two sets of stairs situated between the foyer and an even larger room that resembled a small ballroom. The double sweeping staircases on each side of the small gallery led up to the second floor and down to what I could only assume was the basement.

  Crossing to the side where the stairs led down and the sound of music playing heightened, I stood on the first step and wondered if this was a good idea. What if Vaughn wasn’t home after all, and it was his father I was disturbing? Suddenly, the rumors didn’t seem so farfetched as I stared into the shadows waiting for me below.