10. Dax
DAX
As I bolted down the hall, I saw the sign for the stairs, and I dove into the stairwell.
Now the question was—up or down? I didn’t have as many floors to go up, but there was always the rooftop patio I could lose them on.
They had it set up for people to use and hang out, kind of like an outdoor clubhouse-type thing.
So that sealed my choice, and I went up but only two floors so it wasn’t too easy on them.
Let’s see how good these men were at tracking their prey.
Maybe Picasso learned a thing or two from our adventure to Harper’s house.
Back out in the hall, there wasn’t much cover.
This floor didn’t seem to be set up with the same potted fern bushes that mine was.
Instead, there were small stands with bright flower arrangements.
I wondered if all the floors had different things.
I guess I hadn’t spent much time exploring this place once I settled on the apartment.
I made it to the end of the hall where floor-to-ceiling glass windows gave you a splendid sight of the city below.
With all the lights on, it made it seem rather magical in its own way.
A sound caught my attention, and I whirled around to find Cognac coming out of the stairwell.
Diving to the left, I bolted down the hall on the backside of the building.
The sound of feet quickly making their way after me told me he’d caught me looking out the window.
I’d been careless to think they wouldn’t all split up and take a level, but this would help me double back if I went a floor down, waited, and went back up a few floors or even to the roof.
Back in the stairwell, I did just that, down one level and then went to the left to where the second set of stairs was in the building.
I went up to the roof when I didn’t see anyone following me.
My bare feet made little sound on the decking they had on the roof as I crouched low, making my way past one seating area to the far corner.
There was a firepit blazing and fighting off the slight chill of the night air as the breeze blew over me.
I kept my head on a swivel, looking at what was going on around me, not letting them get the drop on me just yet.
This placement gave me a perfect line of sight to the entrance but would make it hard for them to spot me past all the flower boxes that divided up the areas of the patio.
Here I was, thinking that Picasso was going to be the one to find me, but I was surprised to find Cam, of all people.
Why was he playing this game? Was he just trying to get me alone so he could turn the tables on me? No, if that was the case, he could have done that back at the FBI building. There was something he wasn’t telling me. I could feel it, but I couldn’t figure out what it was or if it put me in danger.
I watched as Cam started to investigate the patio, but it didn’t seem like he was really looking for me, more so taking in the place as a whole.
Was he playing or just exploring the building?
Part of me wanted to just call out to him and hash things out and make him talk to me like he once used to.
Before I left him, that was one thing we promised each other—never to lie to one another.
It was the main reason I left him the way that I did.
I couldn’t lie to his face and tell him we were done because I didn’t love him.
That was quite the opposite. I couldn’t stand to see what he’d think of me after what I needed to do to get revenge for Devin.
Now I didn’t know if that rule still applied or not between us with all that’s happened and how I turned my back on him.
“Do you really want me to hunt you down, beautiful, because you know that’s my kind of game? If you bring that out in me, I won’t be able to stop what happens if I catch you,” Cam called out into the night. “I’ll give you to the count of three to show yourself or answer me before I start the hunt.”
My body locked up as I remembered when we were together, and we’d play this game in the dorm or even out in the woods. I couldn’t say I wanted him to act on his primal kink urges all the time, but when it did happen, damn, that was some of the best sex I’d had.
“One… I’m going to lock the roof door so no one can stop me. Two… just know that by not stopping me, you’re consenting to what’s about to happen. Three… last chance to stop it,” Cam said, as the sound of him locking the door echoed in the night. “Ready or not, I’m going to find you.”
For lack of a better word, glee filled me as I moved from where I was, knowing being backed into a corner was a sure-fire way to get caught.
Cam started to move through the maze of patio furniture, his back to me as I followed him, keeping a good distance between us.
I watched his body language change as he removed his shirt and kicked off his shoes, leaving him in only a pair of jeans that sat low on his waist. I knew everything about this was a bad decision, but I couldn’t help myself when it came to this man.
One of the reasons I kept away from him, even after it was safe, was because I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away again.
That, and there was the same matter of being in love with Weston as well.
Now here I was, involved with six men I was totally falling for and to have my first love come back into the picture was just cruel.
“You’ve gotten better at this game, beautiful,” Cam commented as he moved to the area I’d been watching him from when he first walked out.
“But so have I. Let’s say we make a little wager, you and me.
If I catch you in the next fifteen minutes, then you have to answer me one honest question.
No lies, no sidestepping, pure honesty. If you evade me, then I’ll do the same for you.
Don’t make a sound if you agree to the rules. ”
Ha, like I was going to fall for that trick and signal him my location if I didn’t agree. The bastard practically forced me to accept the terms.
“Good, you know how I love to make things interesting. I’m setting my watch’s timer… now!”
The game was on. Oh sure, he’d been playing before, but now he had something he really wanted from me—vulnerability.
One thing I didn’t do ever, even when I was still the bright-eyed hopeful artist he met in college.
After losing my parents and going from group home to group home, it made me not trust people with my secrets, knowing they could and would use them against me.
This is why Cam and I started the no-lying policy since he had trouble trusting with a con-artist father and all.
In my efforts to keep an eye on Cam, I found myself in a place where I’d have to cross an open stretch of the patio or backtrack and get closer to him than I wanted.
Either option would be risky but staying hidden seemed the smarter choice, so I made my way back the way I came.
Now my choice was to skirt around the raised section of decking with a fabric tent for shade or duck inside the tent and wait for him to pass and get behind him once again.
The breeze was strong enough that it moved the fabric walls of the tent that someone had put down earlier, giving me the cover I needed.
Taking a deep breath, I ran, leaping over one of the flower boxes, rolled onto the raised platform, and kept rolling until I was behind the tent wall.
Grinning to myself, I sat up and found Cam sitting on one of the patio chairs, smiling at me. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Fuck!” I rolled back the way I came and tried to get to my feet as fast as I could, using the platform to push off from, trying to get as much distance as possible. How had he done that? I’d been watching him the entire time.
I ran down the clear path to the left side of the roof, knowing the pool was on that side, but it was less of a risk than trying to get past him.
Vaulting over a flower box, I landed on a padded yoga area, rolling to lessen the impact on my arm.
It was moments like this I loved the parkour classes I took on a whim and fell in love with.
Rigid hand-to-hand fighting was good, but parkour was one thing that was sure to get you out of tight spots when you were far smaller than your opponent.
Otherwise, I always had a gun on me, which typically seemed to even out the playing field.
A hand grabbed my ankle as I tried to get back up, dropping me on my face as he dragged me back toward him.
Twisting, I kicked out and connected with his shoulder, knocking him back, but his hold didn’t loosen, so I tried to kick him again.
This time he was ready and caught that ankle, trapping them together in both his hands as he pulled me to him.
Securing my feet between his legs, he started to crawl up my body with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.
“You were so close. You only needed to last three more minutes, and you would have won. Too bad, though… seems I caught you fair and square.”
Not one to give up, I continued to squirm.
But not having two arms to work with limited my options.
I surrendered when he finally lay on me, using his whole body to keep me trapped, knowing I’d hurt myself more by fighting him.
“You weren’t lying. You did get better at this game.
How did you know I was going to go for the tent? ”
“Uh-uh, I’m not going to share my secrets. Then it won’t work again,” Cam chided. “Now you have to answer one question for me.”
“You want to ask it now? That seems like a waste. I feel like holding on to it and waiting for the right moment would be a smarter move,” I said, letting my head fall back to look up at the stars.