She shakes her head, making her dark brown, almost black hair, fall in front of her face. She giggles and brushes the long strands back.
“So this Duke guy, is he smoking hot, too? You know hot guys run in packs, right?”
I bark out a laugh before covering my mouth. I can see the people behind Jade’s back glance over at me. Before I can answer, I see Jade’s eyes widen slightly as she looks at someone or something over my shoulder.
“Do they now?” asks a familiar deep voice from directly behind me.
I roll my lips in to stop from laughing. The look on Jade’s face is priceless. I can see the flush creeping up her cheeks. I glance over my shoulder and look up at Duke’s smiling face. He leans his hands on the back of my chair and gives me a wink.
“Hey, Beautiful,” he murmurs softly.
Dammit! Now he’s got me blushing! “Hi.”
“What are you ladies up to?”
“Working on the seating chart for the wedding,” I tell him.
He nods but doesn’t say anything. I don’t know if that’s good or bad or indifferent. He’s actually very hard to read. He’s very good at keeping his face neutral.
“What are you up to?” I ask in return.
“I dragged Denny out. Fucking dude is in a shit mood, but he needs some fresh air,” he grunts and motions with his head to the counter where Dennis is ordering. His left foot is still in a cast and he’s still using crutches.
Dennis, who I went on a couple of dates with, was in a car accident not too long ago and broke his ankle. Dennis is actually now in a relationship with Tucker, who I had also dated for a while, years ago. And Duke is good friends with the both of them. It's funny how things work out like that.
“Is everything okay?” I ask with a frown.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ve got it under control,” he states.
Dennis glances over his shoulder in our direction. I catch his eye and give him a small wave and a smile. He gives me a tight, barely there smile and lifts his hand for only a second. He looks scruffy and out of sorts. I wonder what's going on with him.
“So, you never did answer your friend’s question. Is this Duke guy smoking hot?” he asks with a rakish grin, pulling my attention away from Dennis.
My stomach flutters. I do not want to answer that out loud. Is he? Yes...yes, he is. But he doesn’t need to know that I think he is. “Duke, this is my cousin Jade. Jade, this is Duke,” I introduce, ignoring his question completely.
The glint in his eye tells me that he totally knows why I did that. Shit.
Duke reaches across the table and shakes hands with Jade. “Nice you meet you, Jade.”
Jade gapes at him for a moment before finding her words. “Y…you, too.”
“Duke,” Dennis calls.
“Alright, ladies, I gotta go help out my boy. Arianna, I’ll talk to you soon,” he says and gives my shoulder a squeeze before walking off to carry Dennis’ coffee for him.
As soon as they leave, Jade turns to look at me.
“Really? Are you fucking kidding me? That’s Duke?!” she squawks.
I nod. “Yep, that’s him.”
“Good lord! The man is…I don’t even have words...damn, he's gorgeous.”
“I know.”
“He’s totally into you, you know.” She smirks.
“What? He is not!”
“Yeah, he is. He called you ‘Beautiful’ instead of your name and he couldn’t take his eyes off of you,” she says matter-o-factly.
“Whatever. He might find me attractive, but that’s about it. He’s had two bad marriages; I don’t think he’s looking to get married again.”
“Who said anything about having to marry the guy? I’m talking about taking him for a spin in the bedroom. Who the hell wouldn’t want to do that? If I were single, I would be all over that.”
“Jade, I’m not single,” I huff.
She sneers. “Not yet.”
I sigh heavily. “Don’t start. This is why I hired Duke. He’s going to find out the truth.”
“Either way, I'm still suspicious of Kyle. I just have a feeling that he's up to something," Jade says.
“Well, I love him.”
“Do you?” Jade asks, something odd in her tone.
“What do you mean, ‘do you?’ Of course I do. I wouldn’t be marrying him if I didn’t,” I snap.
“It’s just that this whole thing happened so fast. I’m afraid that you love the idea of him. He’s a doctor; he can offer you stability and the life you desire. All you’ve ever wanted to do was get married and have a family. I feel like you’re clinging to him because he’s the first guy who’s offered you exactly what you want, not because you’re actually in love with him and want to spend the rest of your life with him.”
I blink at her, completely dumbfounded. Could that be true? No, why would I marry someone I don’t love? That’s ridiculous. I shake my head at her.
“No, you’re wrong,” I insist.
She frowns but doesn’t argue with me. We go back to assigning seats without another word. Jade’s words continue to ping around in my head. I really don’t like the way they are making me feel. I'm doubting myself and my intentions behind marrying Kyle. That's not really something I want to be doing weeks before I marry the guy.
~ Duke ~
Three days into following Kyle Leonhart around hasn’t produced much. He’s mostly been at work. What he’s doing while he’s in work, I have no idea. For all I know, he’s fucking one of the nurses in a closet. I can’t really go hang around inside the hospital without raising suspicions. I did acquire a copy of his phone records, though, which tell me that there are other women he’s been awfully chatty with. And I’ve cross-checked their names and they’re definitely not his relatives.
While he’s in work, I was able to put a little GPS tracker in his car, so I can follow him without any problems. Right now, I’m waiting for him to get done with his shift. We’ll see if he stays for overtime, goes home, or goes out. I told Arianna to text me if he contacts her about his whereabouts or intentions.
My phone dings with an incoming text. I glance down at the message from Arianna.
He said he’s working another shift and won’t be home until morning.
Okay, thanks.
Now it’s a waiting game to see if he stays or not. I should have my answer within the next few minutes. I watch the doors leading from the hospital to the parking garage where his car is parked. I have my car in the perfect spot where I can see the doors and his car.
Ten minutes later, the door opens and Kyle walks through. Gotcha, bitch! I snap a couple of pictures with my expensive digital camera that takes some seriously awesome pictures from a distance. Kyle isn’t dressed in his scrubs, rather in clothes to go out in. He goes to his car and tosses the backpack that’s slung over his shoulder into the backseat. I jot down the time in my notepad then get ready to follow him to wherever his destination is.
I pull into the parking lot of a popular restaurant. I park my car and catch sight of Kyle just as he walks into the restaurant. Looks like I’ll be dining alone tonight. I walk into the place and make my way to the podium where the hostess is standing, waiting for the next customer. I quickly scan the room and find Kyle snuggled up in a booth with a woman who is not Arianna.
I ask the hostess to be seated on the other side of the room. She agrees easily and escorts me to a small two-seater table on the opposite side of the room from Kyle and his date. I take the seat that is facing him. I can see him through the crowded room but be inconspicuous enough to not be caught watching.
I’m going to have to use the camera on my phone to get a picture. There is no way I can break out my big digital camera and take pictures without being questioned.
The waiter comes to the table and gives me a friendly smile. “Good evening, Sir. Will you be dining alone tonight?”
“Yep, just me,” I tell him.
“Great…” he goes on to tell me t
he specials and to take my drink order.
After he walks away, I take a moment to check out what Kyle’s doing. I’m hoping that whoever this girl is doesn’t know that he’s engaged. That would be really shitty of her if she knew and went out with him anyway. He’s being very flirty, very touchy-feely with her. Yeah, he’s definitely cheating. No doubt. I take out my phone and pretend to mess around on it while I’m actually taking pictures of them touching and sneaking kisses when they think no one is looking. Fucking dick.
I know Arianna is hoping for the best, but it’s pretty obvious that he’s cheating. I’m really going to hate telling her. I don’t want to see her heart break. I know how much being cheating on hurts, and I’m dreading having to be the bearer of bad news.
My cell vibrates in my hand while I’m snapping a picture and a text pops up at the top of my screen. I bite back a groan. It’s Arianna. I open the message to read it.
So? Is he still working, or did he go out?
Shit. I can’t tell her this shit through a text message. Plus, I don’t even have all of my evidence compiled yet.
I can’t talk right now, Arianna.
I hope that will dissuade her from pushing for more information.
If you can text me that, you can answer my question.
Dammit. What the hell do I say that won’t give away what’s going on? I’m not going to respond at all. That way, I give nothing away. So I ignore her and go about my business. I jot down a couple of notes, order my dinner when the waiter returns, and go about snapping pictures of Kyle.
I just take my first bite of my dinner when my phone vibrates on the table next to me. Fuck. I swipe my finger across the screen to open my phone.
Duke, please. I can’t take not knowing anymore.
Arianna, I need to finish my investigation before giving you any information.
There, that should be sufficient. She can’t argue with that.
I’m met with silence through the rest of my dinner. Thank God. After I finish and pay my bill, I leave even though Kyle is still there. I’ve got enough info and pictures for tonight. I’ll be on him again tomorrow.
~ Chapter Four ~
~ Duke ~
“Hello?” I answer my ringing cell phone. I'm not sure of the number. Maybe it's another possible client.
“Hey, Duke, it’s Keith.”
“Oh, hey man, what’s up?” I reply, lounging back on my couch.
“I’m having a little pre-Christmas get together at my house on Saturday. You free?” Keith asks.
“Yeah, I don’t have anything going on.”
Which is true. I really don't have anything else going on.
“Sweet! Come by around six, I’ll text you my address,” he says, a little more excited than I would have expected.
“Okay, great. See you then.”
“Later.”
“Bye.”
Cool, this should be fun. I’ll get to hang out with someone other than Dennis and Tucker. Not that I don’t love those two, but it’s nice to have other friends also. A minute later, I get the text with Keith’s address. I text him back asking if I should bring something. His reply: Beer. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun. Maybe there will be some single ladies there that are looking for a hookup. It’s definitely been a while since I’ve gotten laid. It needs to happen, and soon.
Saturday rolls around fairly quickly. I’ve pretty much compiled enough evidence against Kyle. I’ve got pictures of him kissing a few different women. Every time I’ve followed him out, he’s hooked up with someone different. It’s never been the same woman twice. I also found out that he has a Tinder account, which is where he’s been finding all of his hookups. Dickbag. I plan to tell Arianna everything on Sunday morning.
I semi dress up for the “get together” as Keith called it, wearing nice jeans and a button down shirt. I knock on the front door of Keith’s townhouse, holding a case of beer under my arm. Keith opens the door a minute later and smiles brightly when he sees me.
“Hey buddy! Come in!” he says and steps to the side, opening the door wider.
I enter the house, stepping into a little foyer. Keith shuts the door and gives me a slap on the back.
“Glad you could make it,” he says.
I smile. “Yeah, me, too.”
I hold up a case of Heineken.
“I brought booze.” I grin.
He chuckles. “Nice. Let’s go stick them in the fridge.”
He takes the beer from me and motions with his head for me to follow him. So, I do. We walk into the kitchen where Arianna, Kyle, Jade, and some other guy are sitting around a table. Dammit. I really don’t want to be interacting with my client and mark socially. It’s just weird. But I had no idea they were going to be here.
“Kyle, Arianna, you know Duke, right?” Keith says as he puts the case of beer on the counter next to the fridge.
Arianna’s eyes widen slightly but she quickly covers up her surprise with a warm smile. “Oh yeah! Hey, Duke,” she exclaims with an over the top wave.
I bite back a laugh and wave back. “Hey, Arianna. Kyle.”
I shake the dirtbag’s hand, not because I want to, but for show. I can’t act like I hate the motherfucking cheater, that probably wouldn’t go over well.
“Hey, Jade…right? You were with Arianna in the coffee shop last week.” I fake ignorance. I met Jade once before and Arianna has talked about her a few times. I know who she is. But no one else needs to know that.
“That’s right. Hi again,” Jade says with a smile. “Duke, this is my boyfriend, Justin.”
“Hey, man, nice to meet you,” I say and shake his hand.
“You, too, Duke,” Justin replies.
“Damn, I feel like I should have brought a date,” I joke, making everyone chuckle.
“Nah, no worries.” Keith says. “I don’t have one either.”
“Oh great, so I’m your date?” I scoff.
Keith grins mischievously. “Only if you want to be,” he replies and sends me a wink.
I laugh, but I really don’t know if he’s fucking with me or if he really means it. Something makes me think that he may have been serious about that last comment.
Arianna pulls out the empty chair next to her. “Have a seat, Duke.”
I take her up on her offer, slip my coat off, and hang it on the back of the chair before I sit down next to her. Keith hands me a beer.
“So is this everyone?” I ask after taking a sip of my beer.
“Yep. You cool with playing some games?” Keith asks me.
I shrug. “Sure. I’m up for whatever.”
“Awesome. Be right back.”
Keith leaves the kitchen.
“I gotta take a piss before we start,” Kyle says then also leaves the room.
That’s Arianna’s cue to turn toward me and whisper harshly, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I was invited! I didn’t know you were going to be here!” I reply in my own fierce whisper.
Across the table, Jade face-palms and her boyfriend Justin smiles curiously.
“What is going on over there?” he asks even though he most definitely heard what we said.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Arianna mutters, waving a dismissive hand at him.
Keith returns with a box. I’m assuming it’s the game. I catch a glimpse of the name and groan.
“Hedbanz? Really? What are we? Five?” I complain.
“Oh, come on, Duke, it’s fun!” Jade giggles.
“Fine, but I need more beer,” I mutter.
Many beers and rounds of the game later, I’m feeling pretty good. And I’m actually having a great time, other than the fact that I’m sure as shit that Keith has been flirting with me. He’s been kind of touchy-feely with me and it’s starting to freak me out. He’s sitting next to me and his thigh keeps brushing mine. He's been grabbing my shoulder a lot, and he’s been bumping me with his shoulder, too. I don’t think it has anything to do with him bei
ng drunk.
“Uhhh…am I famous?” I ask when it’s my turn.
“Yes,” everyone answers.
“Am I…am I in movies?”
“No.”
I glance at the timer, shit! It’s moving too fast!
“Do I sing?”
“Yes!”
“Uh…uh…famous singer…John Cougar Mellencamp!”
Everyone busts out laughing while trying to say no.
“Time!” Arianna calls.
“Dammit!” I growl and bang my fist on the table.
I glance over at Arianna to see that she’s watching me, her brown eyes sparkling with humor.
“John Cougar Mellencamp? Really?” She chuckles.
“What? He’s a famous singer!”
“Yeah, back in the 80s and 90s,” she scoffs.
“Still famous,” I say smugly.
She rolls her eyes at me.
Everyone takes their turn but no one can guess what or who they are. Playing this drunk is ridiculous. Some of the things coming out of everyone’s mouths are so off the wall, it’s hilarious. It’s my turn again and I am determined to get this.
“I’m a famous singer…do I sing pop music?”
“No.”
“Do I sing country music?”
“No.”
“Do I sing rock music?”
“Yes!”
“Oooh! Can I dance?”
“Sorta?”
“Could be?”
“If you consider it dancing,” Jade mutters with a roll of her eyes.
“Jade! You can only say: yes, no, could be, or I don’t know!” Arianna scolds.
I’m getting close, I can feel it!
“I’m a famous rock singer who can kinda sorta maybe dance? Hmmm…”
I rack my drunken brain. It’s really hard to think when you’re drunk. A name comes to my mind and I spit it out, right before my time runs out.
“Am I Mick Jagger?!”
The table erupts. Keith is on his feet yelling, “He got it! He got it!”
I’m also on my feet. I do my best impression of Mick Jagger dancing that has everyone pissing themselves laughing. After a minute, I’m laughing so hard that I’m doubled over clutching my stomach. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun, especially playing a silly kid’s game. After we all calm down and sit back down, we continue with the game.
War Wounded (The War Trilogy #2.5) Page 3
