by C. Shell
“You can’t tell anyone. Not Nate, Cammy, and especially not your sister.”
He shrugs me off. “This isn’t my first rodeo. Stop stalling and tell what we’re doing.”
Reaching into my gym satchel, I pull out a small baggy of little white pills and show them to him. Jimmie shoots me a suspicious look. “Is that…?” He trails off, as if he’s too scared to say the word Rohypnol.
“Yes, the date rape drug. And before you have a coronary, we are not using them to rape anyone.” I slip the baggy back into my satchel before anyone can see and call the cops on us. It’s amazing the types of drugs you can buy off kids these days. These babies came from one of the top football players at a school one town over.
“So, what are we doing with them?”
“The pill should make Lacey agreeable enough that I can get a confession out of her.”
“You’re going to tape it, right?”
I let out a breath of air. “Exactly.”
“And how do you plan on getting this into Lacey’s drink?”
“New Year’s Eve at Nicole Taylor’s big bash. Everyone will be there.”
He looks at me pointedly. “You do realize that is the worst plan ever. There are so many holes in what you just said that it’s sure to go wrong. Are you prepared to lose Addison if this blows up in your face?”
“I don’t see another choice, Jimmie.” I run my towel over my face, soaking up the sweat that always comes after a long day of working out. “School starts back in a week, and with the hectic soccer schedule, we have coming up, there will be too many instances where Addison will be alone and vulnerable. I need to make sure she’s safe.” I slap him on the shoulder to make sure I have his full attention. “Are you in or are you out?”
“I’m in.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Addison
“You want to dance”
I glance over at Cammy and shrug. The New Year’s party has been going for over an hour and between the deafening blare of the music and the multiple death glares I’ve received from Lacey and her friends, I’m about ready to call it a night.
“How much longer until midnight?”
Cammy glances down at her phone before answering, “We’ve got about fifteen minutes.”
I sigh in relief. “I think I’m going to leave after that. I’m tired, plus I’ve got to work at the rink tomorrow.”
“Jimmie and I will probably go when you do. The music is good, but I don’t want to hang out here longer than needed” She points to the group of cheerleaders in the far corner giving us the stink eye. “This isn’t the type of people I like hanging out with. Whose idea was it to come to this party?”
“This was Dex’s idea,” Nate gripes. “I wanted us all to go have dinner and then pop off some fireworks at my house.”
“Where did Dex say he was going?” I look around the room but don’t immediately see any sign of him. “He’s been gone for a while now.”
“I remember he said something about finding a bathroom,” Cammy replies. “It’s almost kissing time. You want me to go help you find him?”
“You stay here, sis,” Jimmie says, his words slurred from the amount of alcohol he’s drunk tonight. “I got this.”
I guffawed at the idea of him being an ounce of help. He can’t even stand up straight without doing a drunken sway. I chuckle and lock gazes with Cammy over his head, giving her a nod as I silently ask her to keep an eye out for him for me. Cammy winks back at me, and I grin.
Tossing back the rest of my drink, I slowly rise from my seat so as not to draw attention to myself and slip away from our little group in my search for Dex. I’ve been to Nichole’s house a time or two during the year, so luckily for me, I know my way around.
After checking the downstairs bathroom, kitchen, and backyard, I take the stairs and head on up to the second floor. It isn’t as crowded upstairs as it is downstairs, but it is filled with couples making out. I dip my head down and slip past two teenagers going hot and heavy on top of the pool table and once I’m in the clear, I make a beeline for the bathroom at the end of the hall.
Reaching the door, I give it a solid knock. “We’re busy. Go somewhere else.” The voice is female which shoots down any luck of Dex being in there. Running out of places to check, and with less than five minutes before the strike of midnight, I pull my phone from my back pocket and dial his number.
My call goes straight to voicemail. A knot of worry takes form in my belly. I try his number again and get the same result. Where the hell is my boyfriend?
“What are you doing wandering around up here by yourself?”
I practically leap into Nate’s arms. The relief of seeing a friendly face has my body sagging against his. He cocks his head and gives me a once over as if checking to make sure I’m not physically hurt.
“What is wrong?”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I speak up. “I can’t find Dex. Cam thought he was going to the bathroom, but I’ve checked all the ones allowed for the party and he isn’t there.”
“He probably went outside for some fresh air.”
“Already checked there,” I counter. “And he’s not in the kitchen either.”
Neither of us speaks and the silence between us thickens until each breath I take feels like I’m sucking it through a straw.
“Have you tried calling him?”
“Goes straight to voicemail.”
I slump back against the wall and that kernel of worry in my stomach grows. “Do you think you could use your phone to find his? Don’t you have that app that can find a phone when you lose it?”
Nate dips his head down closer to me. “I can try, but do you really want me to do that?”
I give him a quick nod. “Yeah. If you don’t mind. I’m kind of worried about him.”
Relief floods my mind as I watch Nate type on his phone. From my short stance, I can’t see exactly what he’s typing in, but when I notice the compass come onto the screen, I know we’ve hit pay dirt.
I latch onto Nate’s side as he begins following the direction his phone sends him in. I’m not paying much attention to where we’re headed, but when we stop in front of a large set of double doors, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach.
I know these doors, they belong to Nichole’s parents. This is their bedroom. Why would Dex be in there?
From our close proximity to their stair, I can hear everyone below us start the countdown to the New Year. Nate grips my shoulder and tries to steer me away from the door, but I’m not having it. I meet his worried gaze and silently beg him to back off. I have to know why Dex is here. For my own sanity, I need to see what’s on the other side of these doors.
With shaky fingers, I slowly twisted the door handle, surprised when I find it unlocked. The door opens on noiseless hinges. Entering the room, the first thing I notice is how large it is. The second thing I notice is the sound of Dex’s voice.
Standing in what must be the sitting room, I bypass a lounge sofa and a small bookshelf with a little lamp perched on the top shelf, giving me just enough light to see where I’m going. Ignoring the feel of Nate at my back, I move forward and follow the low sounds coming from the bedroom.
The moment I walk in, I wish I hadn’t. Horror washes over me. Lying in the middle of the bed in nothing but a red see-through bra and matching little panties is Lacey and sitting to the side of her is Dex.
My Dex!
His shirt is off and the top two buttons of his pants are undone. Dex is holding a camcorder in his right hand, with it positioned on Lacey as if he’s recording her. They’re talking to each other, but I can’t hear a word they say. I can’t hear anything over the roaring in my ears. I watch as she reaches for him. Her hand is sluggish in its movements as it caresses his abs then moves down to grope his dick. I can’t tell if he’s even hard, not that it matters.
Nothing matters anymore.
My lips part as if to say something, but instead of words, only a hic
cupping sob comes forth. Nate is quick to step in and with an arm around my shoulders, he starts guiding me out of the room. Dex shouts my name, and my footsteps quicken.
Nate glances at me with worried eyes. “Do you want to talk to him?”
I close my eyes for a moment, desperate to get my emotions under control. When I re-open them Nate and Dex are both standing on either side of me. I have no clue where Lacey is, not that I give two fucks about her.
“Jelly Bean, I know this looks bad, but you’ve got to let me explain.”
My throat burns as I swallow. ‘No, Dex. I really don’t,” I snarl, pushing my hands against his chest. “I don’t have to do shit for you.”
Dex takes my arm and tries pulling me closer, but Nate isn’t having it. He steps in between Dex and me, forcefully pushing him back. “Listen," he growls, drawing Dex’s attention, “she’s emotionally raw right now. If you want to talk to her, fine, but no putting your hands on her.”
“Fuck you,” Dex shouts back. “That is my girlfriend, Nate, not yours. You lost the chance to claim her years ago.”
I’m lost as to what they are talking about, and truthfully, I don’t care. My head aches just as much as my heart does. I just want to go home and crawl into bed and forget this night ever happened.
I fold my arms over my chest and give Dex a flat glare. “If you want to talk, we’ll do it tomorrow or whenever I feel like dealing with the shit you did tonight. I’m going home.” When Dex tries to take a step in my direction, but I push him back. “Alone,” I add, for good measure.
“I did this for us.” His confusing words and lies only make me cry harder.
“So, what? I should be thanking you for cheating on me?”
“I didn’t cheat. It just looked that way, baby. Lacey is on something right now. I made her think I was interested in her again so I could get a full confession out of her. I’ve got it all on tape.”
I glance at the camcorder still in his hands with disgust. Swallowing down the bile I feel at the back of my throat, I lock down my emotions and meet Dex’s gaze head on. “I loved you with all I had and instead of believing that I could handle this myself, you go behind my back and make things worse. I don’t care about a confession. What I do care about is my half-naked boyfriend in bed with his ex-fuck buddy.”
I throw my hands up in the air and yell out my frustration. “I can’t deal with this shit right now.” I point to the other room where Lacey is still sprawled out in her underpants. “I hope it was all worth it for you, Dex.”
Turning on my heel, I run down the stairs and out the door.
To be continued.....
CW Boys: Tell Me No Lies - Book Three
C. Shell
Copyright C. Shell 2018
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. IF you are reading this book and didn't purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance between persons living and dead, establishments, events, or location is entirely coincidental.
CoveDesign: ©Sean Nel
Chapter One
If there is one thing I have learned about myself over the past month, it’s that I would be a terrible spy. My sleuthing abilities are severely lacking to the point where I’m starting to think I have a bell tied around my neck, or someone snuck a GPS tracker on my back when I wasn’t looking. That would explain so much.
After the horrible showdown with Dex at Nicole Taylor’s house I have been doing my best to avoid him, which is harder than you can imagine. He’s everywhere these days. For example, if I go to the store to get mom some eggs, he’s at the checkout, or if I go wash my car I find him next door grabbing a burger at the diner. I would call it a crazy coincidence, but I’ve never believed in such things. I try and hide when this happens and get away before he catches sight of me, but it never happens. Sometimes we just stare at each other, and other times we end up in a heated conversation that goes nowhere fast.
This leaves me with a lot of questions and a heart that can’t heal. I relive that night every time I see his face, and it’s excruciating. The things I saw in that room can’t be unseen. I thought our love could endure anything, and then Dex had to go and prove me wrong. Some days my anger overrides my sadness and then other times I feel like I’m drowning in my own tears. I hate this feeling of hopelessness.
That brings me to my current predicament: I came to the library this morning to do some research for a paper I’m doing in English on the difference between jails and prisons. While searching for the books I need, Dex showed up. Forgetting that he probably already saw my bright red car in the sparse parking lot, I hightailed it to the children’s section in the back of the library where I am currently hiding behind a huge cut-out poster of The Cat in the Hat. Running away was a knee-jerk reaction, and one I’m not very proud of.
Kneeling on the worn-out carpet, I count to ten to calm my racing heart. The poster is barely large enough to hide my frame which means I can’t move an inch without exposing my hiding spot. My embarrassment only gets worse when a little girl comes into the area and notices me, her little face scrunching up with confusion. A smile cracks my face, and I give her a little wave, trying to act as if a grown girl sitting behind a big cat with a hat on isn’t weird.
The little girl’s puzzled expression slowly breaks into something closer to accepting before she loses interest in me altogether and goes about her business. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here, but my legs are beginning to cramp and my anxiety over seeing Dex has depleted to a bearable nervousness. If I don’t get out of here soon, I will be late for work, and Seth, my new manager, has a permanent stick up his butt over the simplest infractions.
I listen keenly but don’t hear a thing beside the chatter of little children and the gentle hum from the overhead lights. I inch out of my tight spot and crawl my way to the entrance of the book section where I stick my head out to check that the coast is clear. The shock of seeing someone leaning against the nearest column and staring straight at me pulls an alarmed squeak from my lips.
“What are you doing crawling around on the floor? This is a children’s area which means there is no telling what kind of gross things are stuck in that carpet.”
Yuck. I glance down at the carpet beneath my hands with worry. If cooties are a real thing, then I’m a goner. Oh, geez. I’m torn between running from the building or standing my ground and acting as if my extreme reaction to keep from seeing him is normal. I go with the latter option and stand, hoping I look relatively calm despite my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest.
“I…um. I lost my earring and was down there looking for it.” The moment the words are out of my mouth I want to take them back. I don’t know where the lie came from, but there is no turning back now. It’s full steam ahead.
A single brow arches. “You’re not wearing earrings.”
My brain stutters to a slow grind. On instinct, I reach up and feel my naked earlobes. How did I forget that vital nugget of information? Too late to change my story now. “I was wearing them until I lost them. Both of them,” I add with a definite nod. “Now, I’m searching for them.”
“In the children’s area?” He rolls his eyes and changes his stance, giving me a good look at his muscular frame. Jimmie said that he had been spending more time working out since the break-up and judging from the new definition in his arms, he wasn’t exaggerating.
I fold my arms and find a way to lean against the cat in the hat poster without falling on my ass. “I like children. They laugh, play, and act silly. I was wandering by when my earring
s fell off. That kind of stuff happens. You’re not a girl, so you don’t know.”
“Was that before or after you ran from me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously?” The rise in his voice has the librarian turning and shooting us a warning look. Dex ignores Mrs. Dixon and keeps on. “The gig is up, Addy. Why is it so hard for you to admit that you were running away from me?” He leans back, daring me to contradict him. “It’s not as if it’s the first time you’ve done it. You’ve been getting better at it since the party. I’m starting to think I stink or something.”
The answer should be simple, except it’s not. Nothing about us is simple, and it never has been. I lean back and swallow my pride. If he wants to have this conversation in public, in the middle of a library, then so be it. At least I don’t have to worry about him yelling at me in here.
“I’m running because I don’t want to see you or be anywhere near you, right now. And you aren’t wrong about smelling bad. You carry the stench of betrayal.”
Dex steps forward. He’s careful not to touch me, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get right up next to me. It takes everything in me not to reach out and grab him. I might be mad and hurt by what he did, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. The kind of love we have doesn’t go away overnight. Or ever.
“I did it to protect you. If I could’ve found another way to get her confession, I would have.” He blows out a frustrated breath. “It guts me that you got hurt, but you have to know that I would never have taken it further than I did.”
Anger slices through me. “What was the point, Dex? You have a confession that you can’t use,” I tell him. “I did a little digging of my own and found out the courts can’t use your tape because of the way you obtained it. Doesn’t help that her case has already been settled and closed.” I glare at him, letting him see the deep festering wound within me that he’s created. “You ruined us for nothing.”
