Kyle's Return

by L. P. Dover

  He glanced down at the knife and smiled, but it was sad. “Thaddeus. It was my father’s middle name as well. He’s the one who gave it to me.”

  I closed the knife. “Are you sure you want me to take it? I know it must mean a lot to you.”

  “It does, but I’d feel much better if you kept it with you.”

  “Thank you.” Wrapping his arms around me, he held me tight and kissed me, long and hard. “Remember, whatever I say or do is just part of the plan. You can’t let your temper get the best of you.”

  “Easier said than done, but I’m a big boy. Let’s get this shit over with.”

  ***

  Four Days Later

  I THOUGHT SPENDING a week alone would be easy, but it was really terrifying. Pretending not to look over my shoulder at every turn was hard. I thought Alex would have made a move by now but he was biding his time. I’d given him plenty of opportunities to come after me, and it was driving me insane. The worst part was seeing Kyle at the gym. I wanted to talk to him, but I kept my mouth shut, even when some of our women patrons flirted and touched him. We were playing our parts, but it sucked giant monkey balls.

  Kyle taught our Monday self-defense lesson while I went home to sit by myself. Mason had filled Tyler in on the whole plan so he’d know what Kyle and I were up to. It’d been four days and I still had the rest of the week to endure. At least, we were able to text and talk on the phone.

  “You look like you’re going to kill someone,” Tyler teased. “If I recall correctly, wasn’t this something you agreed to?”

  I glared up at him and then at Kyle who again got stopped by a woman needing help turning on her treadmill. When he leaned over to take a look at it, she stuck her fucking tits in his face. Squeezing my eyes shut, I nodded and clenched my teeth. “I did, but I didn’t think there would be women throwing their shit in his face the second he stopped paying attention to me.”

  “It looks like someone’s jealous,” he chuckled. “But I think he’s feeling the same way. I seem to recall Jared and Patrick laying it on pretty heavy the other night. Kyle was furious. There’s a hole in the storage closet wall, if you want to take a look.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yep. Speaking of which, while you’re in there, grab me three rolls of tape. I need to make a phone call really quick.”

  “Sure,” I said, getting up from my desk. He took my place and picked up the phone while I headed toward the back. I walked right by Kyle with my head held high and clenched my fists when I could hear the woman flirting with him. Once out of sight, I rushed to the storage room and slammed the door. I didn’t want to leave, but unfortunately, I couldn’t hide forever.

  I groaned when I spotted the tape rolls on the very top shelf. “What the fuck. Don’t you bastards know I’m a lot shorter than you?” I grumbled. Climbing the shelves, I didn’t get too far before I was grabbed around my waist and pulled down with a hand over my mouth.

  “Don’t scream, it’s just me,” Kyle whispered quickly in my ear.

  He let me go and I punched him hard in the arm. “What the hell are you doing? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  “I’m sorry, but these last few days have been hell.”

  “You seem to be managing pretty well. It’s amazing how fast those women pounce once they think you’re available.”

  His gaze narrowed. “The same can be said for you.”

  “Yeah, I heard you punched a hole in the wall. Tyler told me to come in here and see it. You know you’re going to have to pay to fix it.” Glancing around the room, I failed to see the hole.

  “Can’t find it?”

  I shook my head. “Did you fix it already?”

  Smirking, he grabbed me around the waist. “I just had Tyler say that so I could get you alone in here.” Lowering his lips to my neck, I melted in his arms.

  “Why did you want to do that?” I murmured breathlessly.

  He grasped the waistband of my shorts and slid them down my legs along with my underwear. “It’s been way too fucking long without being able to touch you.”

  Picking me up in his arms, I straddled his waist as he carried me over to a table sitting in the corner. Dropping his shorts to the floor, his cock was hard and ready. I’d dreamt of him fucking me this morning and woke up touching myself. That was how bad I needed him. As soon as his lips were on mine, I lost all control.

  “Please, Kyle. I need to feel you inside me.”

  He rubbed the tip of his cock at my opening. “So wet,” he moaned in delight. “We don’t have much time.” With those last words, he thrust in as far as he could go and closed his lips over mine to silence my cries. It felt like he was everywhere inside me. His hands caressed my body. I was so close. When my orgasm peaked, I latched on to his bottom lip and held him tight as he too released, trembling between my legs. It felt so fucking good that I didn’t want to let go.

  We stayed there for a few minutes—still connected—as we caught our breath. He pulled away first and lifted up his shorts before grabbing a couple of clean towels that were sitting in one of the baskets. When I stood, he helped clean me off and fetched my shirt that had somehow ended up on the floor.

  “Do we have to go back out there?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid we do.” He reached up, grabbed some tape rolls and handed them to me. “We’ve already been gone long enough. But,” he added with a mischievous smile, “how about we meet in here sometime tomorrow? You think you can get away for a few minutes?”

  “For you, always.”

  Grabbing the back of my neck, he held me close and kissed me. “Until then, love.” After straightening up his clothes, he opened the door and waltzed out. I gave it a few more seconds before I ventured out. With the rolls of tape in hand, I sauntered down the hallway and out into the gym. Tyler was still at my desk, not paying attention to me at all as I walked up.

  “Here’s your tape,” I pointed out, setting them down on the desk.

  Keeping his head down, I could see the sly smile spread across his face. “It sure did take you a while.”

  “Well, if someone didn’t set them so high on the shelf maybe I could get to them easier.”

  “I’m sure you managed to get some help. Just don’t make it a habit.”

  The heat rose to my cheeks and I blushed. I glanced back at Kyle who winked wickedly at me and smiled. Once the mess with Alex was over and Kyle and I could get back to a normal life, we needed to visit the storage room more often.

  ***

  “MEG, DO YOU need more boxes up there?” Nic called from downstairs.

  My room was a mess but once the weekend was up I’d have all of my things packed and ready to move to Kyle’s. “Yes,” I shouted. “I need about three more.” Kyle was going to shit a brick when he saw how much stuff I had.

  Nicole marched up the stairs and nudged my door open with her foot. I couldn’t see her face because it was covered behind boxes. She dropped them on the floor and blew out a breath. Her hair was a tangled mess and she still had on the same pair of yoga pants and T-shirt from the night before, just like me. What I really needed was a shower. We both had worked nonstop the past couple of days to get the house packed up. “There ya go, chickadee.”

  I giggled. “Thanks. Are you working tonight?”

  “Yep, which means you’ll be on your own. You okay with that?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to take a nice, long shower and watch some movies.” Tyler had let me take today off and a couple of days the following week so I could move my stuff into Kyle’s house.

  “Sounds good to me. Just keep the gun near. Have you heard from Mason?”

  I shook my head. “Not today. He’ll call at some point to give me an update.”

  Sighing, she ran a hand through her strawberry blonde curls and her hand got stuck. “Okay, I think that’s my cue to take a shower. I’ll say goodbye before I head to work.”

  “All right, stinky.”

  She sno
rted and started down the hall. “You’re one to talk, Miss Greasy Hair.”

  “Oh whatever, it’s not good to wash it every day,” I hollered.

  The door to her bedroom shut but I could hear her laughing. I could also hear my phone ringing but couldn’t find it through all the mess. It ended up being stuck underneath a pile of old clothes on my bed. I guess it was time for my daily checkup.

  “Lay it on me,” I said, answering the phone.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what to think at this point.”

  I sat down on my bed. “What do you mean?”

  “Alex left town. Early this morning, he was spotted putting some luggage in his car and is now headed southeast. I would’ve called sooner but I wanted to make sure.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Santa Fe, New Mexico.”

  “Oh wow. Do you think he’ll come back?”

  “Not sure. I’ll keep you posted on his position.”

  “Thanks, Mason. Have you seen Greg at all?”

  He sighed. “No, but I do find it strange. He hasn’t even been to work. I couldn’t find any relatives to contact.”

  “That is strange,” I agreed.

  “Right now, however, there’s nothing we can do until we have solid proof he’s our hacker. My only concern is that I can’t keep someone following Alex forever.”

  “I know, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I guess I’m just going to have to live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”

  “I’m sorry, Megan. I know that’s not what you want, but I really thought this plan would work.”

  “It’s okay, we tried. Just keep me posted.” We said our goodbyes and I dialed Kyle right away.

  “Hey, sexy,” he said, answering the phone.

  I giggled. “Hey, stud. What are you doing?”

  I could hear voices in the background and Zane’s loud mouth right near him. “Taking a break from kicking Zane’s ass. You done packing yet?”

  “Almost. I wanted to call and give you the Alex update. Apparently, he’s in New Mexico.”

  “Hmm, interesting. Does he think he’s coming back?”

  “He doesn’t know.”

  “So, I’m assuming you want me to come over tonight?”

  I walked to a mirror and took in my messy state. I’d need a damn hose down before he came over. “Maybe. You interested? Although, you might be climbing over boxes to get into my room.”

  “How about we move some of those boxes to my house tonight?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

  “I think that sounds perfect. Just make sure your closet is cleaned out.”

  He chuckled. “Our bedroom is ready for you, and so is the closet in the spare bedroom. I’ve seen the amount of clothes and shoes you have.” Hearing him refer to the bedroom as ours made me smile.

  “Ha-ha. When you get done with Z, just come on over.”

  “I will. Be ready for me.”

  I smiled. “I’ll be more than ready.”

  ***

  WHEN I WOKE up the next morning, Kyle’s arms were around my waist with him snug behind me. Late last night, Mason called to let us know Alex was now in Oklahoma. Kyle and I stayed up and celebrated our temporary freedom by making love all night, but not before we transported over half of my boxes to his house. I could actually walk into my room now. From lifting the heavy loads and having sex all night, my body was sore, including my nipples from where Kyle paid them way too much attention. It all felt good though.

  “What time is it, love?”

  I groaned when I looked over at my clock and realized it was midday. “It’s one o’clock. I guess we shouldn’t have stayed up so late.”

  He chuckled and nipped my earlobe. “I happened to enjoy staying up late with you. Unfortunately, I have to meet Zane and get him ready for his fight. You’re coming to it, right?”

  Turning around in his arms, I smiled and kissed him. “I wouldn’t miss it. Nic and I will meet you at the MGM. We’re going to get the rest of our stuff packed.”

  Groaning, he kissed me one more time and slid out of bed. “I hate having to leave you, but I have to make sure Zane’s prepared. He’s fighting against someone who’s undefeated.”

  I sat up and stretched. “You want him to kick ass, I understand that. I’ll see you tonight.” He put on his jeans and T-shirt from last night and winked at me before disappearing down the hall. Once downstairs, I heard Nic tell him bye before she raced upstairs.

  “It’s about time you got up, lazy ass.” She stood by the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “What can I say? I had a good time last night.”

  She cringed. “Yes, I know. I heard. Now get dressed so we can finish packing. I made you breakfast a couple hours ago.”

  My stomach growled and called to her as she made her way back down the stairs, “I’ll be right there.” I threw on some clothes and joined her in the kitchen.

  She heated up my breakfast and I scarfed it down while she told me about Zane visiting her at the restaurant the night before. They stayed in the parking lot and talked until two in the morning. Hence, the reason she came home and heard Kyle and I in the bedroom. It was payback from all the times I had to hear her rocking the bedposts.

  After I finished eating, I cleaned up the kitchen. “What movies do you want to split?” she called from the living room.

  I peeked my head around the corner and watched her sorting. “You can take them all, Nic. I don’t mind.” She nodded in response, but I heard her sniffling. So, I walked over to kneel on the floor in front of her, grabbing her hands.

  Lifting her head, she had tears streaming down her cheeks. “I just realized that after so many years together, it’s actually over. I always knew we’d go our separate ways, but I didn’t know how much it would hurt.”

  “Nic,” I cried, pulling her into my arms. “We’re still going to see each other. You’re like my sister and you know that.” I tickled her side. “You are more than welcome to cook dinner anytime. Maybe I could hire you to be our personal chef?”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course! The night’s you aren’t working at the restaurant you can come cook for us. Although, I don’t see that happening for long; especially when you and Zane start hooking up.”

  She blushed. “He asked me out next weekend since he doesn’t have a fight.”

  “What did you say?”

  Rolling her eyes, she slapped me on the shoulder. “I said yes, crazy woman.”

  “Good. I think you’ll have a good time. He’ll be happy to see you at the fight.”

  “I hope so.” She glanced at the time and then looked at me, scrunching her nose. “But you need to hurry up and take a shower and get ready. I want to get there early.”

  “Okay. I’m going, I’m going . . .” Sleeping in late threw off my whole day; it was already late afternoon. Rushing to my bathroom, I turned on the water so it could get warm. Gabby had sent me a Team Kyle T-shirt in the mail so I figured I’d wear it to show my support. She was infamous for her ‘team’ T-shirts.

  After taking a long, hot shower I hopped out to the sound of music blaring from downstairs; it was Avenged Sevenfold, our favorite band. In my towel, I danced around the room and put on my clothes, making sure to put Kyle’s knife in my back pocket. I carried it with me everywhere. After I put on my makeup and fixed my hair, I was ready to go. We had forty-five minutes to get to the arena.

  “Nic, you ready?” I shouted, putting on my lip gloss. The music was still playing downstairs which made it hard to hear. Starting down the stairs, I tried to ignore the spidery feeling crawling up my neck. “Nic?” I called out again. No answer.

  When I got down to the bottom of the steps, I found her lying on the floor with her arms and legs tied up, gagged. “Oh my God,” I cried, racing over to her. Her eyes were closed and there was blood on the floor coming from a gash on her head. “Nic, wake up!”

  “She’ll be out for a while,” a calm
voice said from behind. Gasping, I turned to see Alex, smirking with my gun in his hand. His brown hair was covered by a baseball cap, making his eyes seem darker as they bore into mine. “Surprised?” he asked. “I bet you thought I was halfway across the country by now.”

  When I didn’t answer, he stalked forward, his smile fading. “Nice try having me followed by the way. And the breakup with Andrews? Perfect. I had to admit I was hoping it would stick, but as predicted, he ends up right back here.” He pulled out my phone from his back pocket and searched through my texts. “I knew it was all a ploy to get me to come after you.”

  Shaking his head, he typed away on my phone. “I’m sure he’ll be disappointed when you tell him you’re sick and can’t make it to the fight. Or better yet, that you won’t be moving in with him. Such a shame.” After he was done, he dropped my phone on the floor and I jumped when he crushed it with his boot. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. What the hell was I going to do? “Now you can’t call for help. Pity.”

  “So it was Greg who left yesterday morning, wasn’t it? He’s pretending to be you.”

  He chuckled. “Sorry, but that fool won’t be doing too much of anything anymore.”

  I held onto Nic, feeling as if I was going to be sick. “Did you . . . kill him?”

  “You’re going to come with me. I’m done playing nice.”

  “We can’t leave Nic like this,” I shouted. “You do whatever the fuck you want, but I’m not leaving her.”

  Grabbing a handful of my hair, he jerked me to my feet and I cried out in pain. “Yes, you will leave her, or I’ll put a bullet in her fucking head.”

  He had my gun pointed straight at her so I had no choice. “Okay, I’ll go with you. Just put the gun down and leave her alone.”

  Pocketing the gun, he pulled my hair and trailed his tongue up my neck. “Now that’s a good girl. Let’s go.”

  Thankfully, he let my hair go, but my head throbbed. Gripping my arm, he dragged me out the door. All I wanted was for him to get far away from Nic. “Where are we going?”

  “We just have one quick stop at Greg’s and then it’s on the way to Mexico.”