“That she loves me?” I croak out the words, each one filling an empty part of my heart. The dagger eases, giving me a moment’s reprieve from the pent-up pressure and dull, aching emptiness that’s been there all week.
Wendy nods, slams the laptop shut, and flicks her hand. Her gaze turns wild with excitement, eyes bulging as energy bustles around her petite form. “Yes! Oh my goodness, Park. This is so awesome! See, I told you she loves you!” Her smile is huge and beaming.
Someone pounding on my door calls my attention. Knowing it’s one of two people, I fling the damn thing wide and walk away from it to continue my pacing. My mind is filled with flickering thoughts running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Why would she admit she loves me on TV?
How does this change what’s happening between us?
“Shee-it, brother,” Royce says as his large suit-clad form enters with a gentleness in his expression I absolutely do not want to see, because it means he’s seen the piece and is expecting me to lose my shit.
I am losing my shit, but I don’t need the guys to know that. However, with the wild thoughts about Skyler dashing through me, not to mention where I went with Alexis yesterday and the guilt that comes with it, I have no chance in hell of keeping my cool.
“Brother . . . shit just got real!” Bo chuckles, coming in behind Roy and shutting the door.
The three of them stand before me like the three amigos.
“Guys . . . I . . .” I lose my train of thought as the one thing, the single most important question that’s been plaguing my every movement, assaults me. “Is it possible she didn’t cheat? I mean really. You know my history . . .” I go back to pacing the room, though the space I now have to do it is significantly decreased by three additional bodies.
“Um, I have an admission . . .” Wendy holds up her hand. I glance her way, and her cheeks pinken as she averts her gaze.
“Uh, yeah, brother . . . me too.” Royce clears his throat and shifts back on his heels and then to his toes, back and forth in a move I’ve seen him do a thousand times. He’s got a secret that’s making him uncomfortable.
“No way are you guys going first!” Bo cuts in, anxiety and irritation clear in his scratchy tone.
Before my eyes, the three of them look at one another and then start bickering . . . loudly, as if I wasn’t even in the room.
“I have to tell him first!” Wendy demands with a childish foot stomp.
Royce shakes his head. “Naw, no way, nohow. My boy deserves to hear from me, true?”
Bo makes a choking sound. “Absolutely not. I’ve known him longer . . .”
“By an hour. You had one class with him before the class we all shared,” Royce fires back, and crosses his arms over his massive chest.
Wendy groans. “I’m the newest. I could be fired!” she says, wading back in, her voice reaching hysterical levels.
“We’re not going to let him fire you,” Royce states flatly.
“Don’t worry, Tink, I’ll take care of you if you’re out of a job. You can manage me, if you know what I mean.” Bo waggles his eyebrows.
Wendy’s face contorts into an expression of disgust. “Gross! This is not the time to joke!” She points at Bo, her cheeks turning beet red.
I wade in between them. “Will the three of you shut the hell up! Criminy. I need my best friends right now. The woman I love—who I believe cheated on me with her ex, stayed overnight with him, put herself at risk, paid off said asshole’s debts—just stated on national television that she’s in love with me. And . . . I kissed Alexis last night.” I let the final admission spill out of me as though I’m purging the ugly truth from my heartbroken soul.
All three of their heads turn toward me. Expressions of . . .
Shock . . . Wendy.
Surprise . . . Royce.
Irritation . . . Bo.
“What!” The word sounds so loud when three people are screaming it.
“How could you?” Wendy chokes back the emotion as if I’d cheated on her.
“Aw man . . . you done fucked up,” Royce adds.
“Totally fucked yourself.” Bo nods. “And I wanted Alexis for myself, dammit!” He scowls.
I fall back on the bed and hang my head, cradling the heavy weight between my palms, elbows to my knees. Guilt, shame, and fear are the predominant emotions spiraling through my system. Then, out of nowhere, there is the pinprick of happiness, excitement, and anticipation as I remember what Skyler revealed. The woman I love loves me back.
I should be elated.
Should be shouting my joy from the rooftop of the tallest building.
Falling down on my knees and thanking God for bringing me “the one.”
Only I can’t. The knife she stuck in my heart pierces a bit deeper, more blood pouring out, filling me with dread.
How can she love me and cheat on me at the same time?
Wendy falls to her knees at my feet and places both of her hands over my bicep. “I’ve been texting with Skyler.” Her voice shakes. “I-I uh, I asked her point-blank if she cheated,” Wendy admits in a rush, her eyes clouding with tears.
I blink slowly and focus on her gaze. “And w-what did she say?” I hate myself for needing to know, needing to hear her reply like a dying man receiving last rites. All I can do is wish and hope against all odds my initial response is wrong. At this point, I’m so far down the rabbit hole, I’d rather spend my life apologizing to Skyler and making it up to her than live a life without her love in it.
Wendy licks her lips and peers up at me from her position at my feet. She looks so small, delicate, honest. “She swears she didn’t cheat.” Matching tears fall down Wendy’s cheeks at the same time. I wipe the first away and then the second.
Roy clears his throat. “She told me the same. Except I called her.”
My head flies up as if it’s being self-propelled. “You spoke to her?” My voice cracks.
He nods. “Yesterday. After our night on the town, I couldn’t help myself. You’re hurting too much, brother. Too much. And every day seeing you like this kills me. I was angry. Mad that she had such control over my boy. Upset that she could break my brother’s heart. I wanted her to feel pain. To tell her how much she screwed up.”
I swallow down the Wiffle-ball-sized lump in my throat. “A-and?”
He shakes his head. “She admitted she went to Johan’s hotel in the hopes of settling their dispute herself. Promised me she didn’t cheat.” Roy bites into his plump bottom lip and rubs it with his thumb, I imagine to soothe the ache. “Man, I believe her, but I’m not going to tell you what she said. You need to hear it direct from the source.”
I close my eyes, and the pain of not being with her and the possibility that she didn’t betray me roll over my body like a gust of warm air. Opening my eyes, I focus on Bo. “You too?”
He tips his head, lets out a long, tired breath, and puts his hands into his jacket pockets. “Well, I figured since she was available, I’d ask her out on a date.”
I laugh loud and hard at Bo’s absurdity. The brother means well, and his go-to method of making someone feel better is to crack jokes.
Royce smacks the back of Bo’s head so fast I could swear it was magic propelling his arm.
“Ouch!” Bo growls. “I hate it when you do that! You’re messing up my perfect coif.”
“I’ll give you perfect coif with my foot up yo’ ass! Tell the truth, and stop with the wisecracks. Can’t you see Park’s hurting?”
Bo rubs his head, and his dark gaze meets mine. “She called, I answered. She wanted to know how you were doing.”
Anticipation squeezes my chest like a vise. “And what did you tell her?” I’m hanging on his every word.
He rolls his lips between his teeth. “Told her you were doing fine. Better than ever,” he says flippantly, even haughtily.
“Really?”
He scoffs, “Fuck no! I told her you were hurt. Pissed off. Angry. And if I found
out that she did cheat, I was going to find a way to make her pay for fooling you, me, all of us.” He waves a jaunty arm around the room.
I narrow my gaze and tighten my fist, straightening my spine, ready to charge. I can feel my nostrils flare as anger ripples along every nerve ending. My body heats up, and my gut clenches tight. “You did not say that to my woman!” I glare at him, protectiveness for Skyler still running strong through my veins.
He nods. “Yeah, yeah, I did. Because when she hurt you, Park, she hurt all of us. We all accepted her into our arms. Into our team. And if she fucked us over, I wanted her to feel that hurt too!” he snarls.
“Christ!” I run my hand through my hair and drop my head back down, clenching my teeth so hard I could crack diamonds with my molars. “This is such a clusterfuck.”
“Sure is. Now tell us about why the hell you kissed Alexis Stanton?” Royce demands, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “Were you thinking at all?” Royce’s tone is weighted with disappointment.
Bo, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, chuckles. “Yeah, he was thinking all right. With his little head and not his big one.”
I point at Bo. “You leave the beast out of it.”
“Ew . . . the beast.” Wendy blanches and makes a gagging sound from the back of her throat. She murmurs a few other choice words and eases back onto her heels, petting my thigh back and forth in a show of her support.
I spend a few moments thinking about why I finally gave in. “I don’t know why I kissed her. She’s been all over me since we got here. And at the time, I was vulnerable, okay? Missing Skyler, feeling hungover, lost, tired, all of the above. Hell, I don’t know. The old me would have jumped into the sack with her in a minute flat. The woman is sex on legs . . .”
“She really is.” Wendy nods frantically. “I’d kill to have her body. All boobs and hips and long legs. Golden hair. Plus, she’s extremely smart. Knows her stuff.”
Royce sighs. “I’ll give you she’s a honey. Doesn’t give you an excuse to give in, though, especially when you’re trying to work shit out about your feelings with Skyler. Bad move, brother. Bad. Freakin’. Move. Because if you clear this thing up between you and Sky, and I have no doubt that you will, you’re gonna have to come clean about Alexis.”
I groan, hating every second of the idea that I’ll have to admit to my weakness with Alexis. Then again, if it weren’t for Skyler’s own betrayal, it would never have happened in the first place! “Yeah, got it. I’ll deal with it when the time comes. For now, I need to figure out what I’m going to do about Skyler.”
Bo inhales loudly while plucking away at his goatee. “Surprise her again. Head to New York when the case is over. Have it out once and for all. And if you still believe she cheated after talking to her, hearing her side, then by all means, cut her loose. We’ll back your play all day every day.” Bo holds out his fist.
I knock the top of his with my own, and he repeats the gesture.
“We got you. No matter what you decide. Yeah?” Royce holds out a fist turned sideways.
I bump his fist.
Wendy eases up onto her knees and grabs my hand, squeezing tightly. “We’re here for you.” She leans forward and kisses me on the cheek.
I hold her in a close hug, enjoying a female’s comfort. I pat her back and let her help me stand up.
A rush of solidarity and pure love fills my chest as I look at my three friends, two old, one new but no less important. I hold out my arms. Wendy hooks me around the waist and snuggles against my side. Bo takes up position at my other side.
“You know I never give up the opportunity for a bromance,” he jokes, clapping me on the back and squeezing the top of my shoulder where my neck and clavicle meet.
Royce sighs and rolls his eyes. “You’re going to fuckin’ make me do this, aren’t you?” He looks down at his shiny name-brand shoes.
I wiggle my fingers. “Come on, brother, group hug. Take one for the team.”
“Goddamn team, I’m always taking one for the team,” he mumbles stubbornly, but moves against my front and dips his head, so my forehead touches his, not our chests. That would be a bit too far for Roy. Wendy hooks him around his waist and presses herself against both of us, her coconut scent filling the space between all of us. Bo curves his body forward and nudges his head against ours.
“I always wanted to be on the football team. I imagine this is what it was like during the group huddles, only a little less stanky.” Bo chuckles.
“Shh! You’re ruining the moment,” I grit through my teeth. “I just want to say, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”
“What you’re suggesting is ludicrous! My brother would never screw up so badly that a product launch set to make us millions would be at risk.”
I clasp my hands over my waist and look at Alexis with compassion. “I can only give the information my team has assembled and allow you to decipher what we’ve found so far. We’re not done with our investigation by a long shot; nevertheless, the evidence we’ve found so far is damning.”
“Yeah, toward my kid brother!” Alexis paces her big office, her stilettos making clacking noises on the concrete floors, the sound disappearing when she walks on one of the many area rugs scattered around. She rests her arms on the back of the couch Bo is sitting in. Royce is in the chair opposite me.
“Alexis, we’re not saying your brother is intentionally trying to hurt you. As I told you before, we have found nothing in any of the employees’ financials, including Kidd’s, to suggest a payout of any kind. However, we can’t ignore the bugs in the system and the bad coding Wendy’s found that matches your brother’s unique style.”
“As someone who knows coding inside and out, who mentored and trained him in the art, I’ll need to see the evidence myself. Exact locations.” For the first time since I met Alexis, her gaze is piercing, her tone agitated, and her jaw tight as a drum. She is not happy that we are suggesting her brother might have something to do with the leaked information.
I stand up and place a tablet on her desk. “We figured as much, which is why we had Wendy scout out some locations for your review and verification. There is one more concerning issue.” I say this with as much professional tact as I can muster.
“Which is?” She flicks open her laptop and brings up her system. She glances at the tablet and pulls up a section of her back-end coding that Wendy marked.
“Apparently, Eloise Gagnon has found a bunch of errors in the system and has been cleaning them up, fixing the coding on Kidd’s behalf.”
Alexis’s eyes narrow into slits. “Why in the world would she do that?” She turns back to her big screen and pulls up a section that has a black background with a bunch of numbers and letters. The image on the screen reminds me of something out of the movie The Matrix.
“I get the impression that they used to be an item and she still has a fondness for him. She did not seem happy about his pending nuptials.”
Alexis huffs. “She wouldn’t be. I helped split those two up years ago.”
“How do you mean?”
“They were a couple the first year Kidd started here. Except Kidd was young and dumb. He led with his dick, not his brain.”
Bo chuckles from where he sits. “Can’t blame the youngster.”
Royce bats the zinger right back at him. “The youngster? Hell, brother, you’re one to talk.”
Bo smirks. “’Tis true. Only I’ve learned along the way.”
Roy sucks in a breath through his teeth. “Shoot, I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“If you two are quite finished . . . ,” I chastise them.
Both sets of eyes seem to grow bigger. Royce scowls, miffed that he got caught being unprofessional. His professionalism is something he prides himself on, so even a simple slipup is going to hurt, especially after the Rochelle debacle. In this circumstance, though, I can’t blame them. Alexis keeps a chill environment where pretty much anything goes. Especially i
f you take into consideration the number of times she’s attempted to pick me up. Although since our chat yesterday, she seems to have gotten the hint that, even though I find her attractive, I’m not willing to go there with her.
Which reminds me of what I still need to do with Skyler. I’m itching to get this case over with so I can do as Bo suggests. Hightail it to New York, show up at her door, and demand answers. And so help me God, she will listen to me, and tell me every last sordid detail of what went down with Johan if she has any hope of a future together.
A future together.
My heart bleeds at the thought. I’m so close to getting some answers and settling this emptiness inside me. I just need to be done with this case. Part of me is considering leaving the details up to the rest of the team and catching the next plane out, but it wouldn’t be right. I can’t leave my team hanging in the wind when we’re so close to solving this case and leaving Montreal with a happy client. Or at the very least, a satisfied client.
“When you say you split them up, how did that go with Kidd?”
Alexis shrugs. “He was fine with it. He’d been spending too much time following Eloise around. She’s a few years older, and honestly, she had way too much control over him. I put a stop to it. Separated them by putting her in a different department and suggested if he were serious about his job with Stanton Cybertech, he’d cut the woman loose and focus on the work. He made his choice. To be honest, I was proud of him. Kidd never went back on the decision either.”
“Huh, that’s interesting.” I crack my neck, allowing some of the day’s tension to ease.
“How so?” Alexis asks but stares at the monitor, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
I cross my arms and cradle my healing hand. It feels a whole helluva lot better, but it’s still sore, and the two fingers will be splinted for quite a while yet. “She claims to be fixing his errors that she finds because she thinks he’s lost focus due to his girlfriend.”
“Really.” She laughs dryly. “I sincerely doubt that. Kidd has been on top of his game since he met Victoria, not wanting to let history repeat itself. If anything, he’s more focused on work and securing his future for the family he wants to create with her.”
Montreal (International Guy Book 6) Page 10
