Chapter Thirteen
TYLER
Freshly showered, I toss a log into the crackling fire while my coffee steeps in the french press. After a morning spent in the gym with Cole and time in our downstairs interrogation room, a shower was necessary to wash the blood and sweat off my body.
We’ve made it to man two out of four. I want it as a slow burn so they each know what’s coming their way—anxiously anticipating who is next and how it’ll be done.
They can run, but little do they know we find fulfillment in finding them.
The guy who threw the drugs in Sam’s drink will be my final kill.
I have the perfect way to put an end to his existence—everything will come full circle.
Once my coffee is poured, I make my way into my downstairs office. The panoramic windows behind my desk give view to the gloomy day. The still heaviness of the dark clouds threaten a storm, only encouraging me to stay in my home rather than go to the event Mitchell dumped on me tonight.
I leisurely type and scroll away on my computer, waiting for my coffee to give me the energy necessary to pull my tired body upstairs and slip into a suit that’ll be close to suffocating me all night.
With a sigh, I rub my tired eyes. There’s only so much you can do with a name. Multiple monitors face me with an abundance of information, and yet it all does nothing for me.
All the tools in this room help me in my hunts. From the books lined on one wall to the weapons displayed on the other. Guns, knives, bows—each perfectly placed with a specific purpose behind them. Even in my place of peace that is my home, I need to be prepared.
After working on my computer for a few hours, I make my way to my bedroom to trade my sweatpants for a suit. I place my coffee on my dresser and go into my walk-in closet to sort through my selection.
Hearing my phone buzz on my nightstand, I pick it up to see two texts from my sister.
Brace yourself, Shelby is making an appearance tonight.
I clench my jaw, regardless of the fact I knew this would happen. Shelby is chasing her forgiveness by showing up to events and putting a show on for what a good little wife she’d make. We didn’t have a relationship, we had an obligation. One that still lingers over my head.
If she was a smarter woman and waited, we probably would’ve married for the sake of name and game. But she did what she did, and I met my little fire.
I read the second text.
Also, I’m bringing Sunny as my date. I somehow convinced her LOL
I smile. Sorry Sam, she’s going to be my date soon.
SUNNY
This time around, I was able to choose my own outfit. No longer falling victim to those dazzling amber eyes Sam utilizes as a lethal weapon.
My triumph faded quickly when my cream sweater dress not only failed to fight off the cold October air, but also made me look severely underdressed to the suits and cocktail dresses before me.
I instinctively wrap my arms around myself as we walk in.
Meanwhile, Sam is wearing a fiery red cocktail dress that clings to her body with a black peacoat to fight off the creeping winter that is upon us.
Her normally crimped hair is now straight in a high, tasteful ponytail.
A glimpse at her gives me a mental note to allow her to dress me for the next event.
As a restaurant opening, I assumed the attire was casual, but the diamond studded necklaces and watches that are six months of paychecks scream otherwise.
Much like a lot of the city’s architecture, the building has walls of red brick with wine bottle fixtures hanging from vaulted ceilings.
Despite the cold night, the outdoor patio has numerous people talking and sipping their cocktails under twinkle lights and heaters.
It’s beautiful. Grander than any fancy restaurant from my hometown.
We check our coats, which I only ever thought was something that happened in movies, and make our way into the chattering crowds.
After living in such a small town, where our world seemed so small, I sometimes feel this version of my life is a dream. And I’ve just barely dipped my toe into it.
I stare into the crowd as memories wrap around my throat, taking hold of me and all my attention.
Most nights I wake in a panic, thinking all this time I’ve been asleep, and I’ll wake with Ryan still next to me.
Then I spend the rest of the night having to touch everything in my apartment to assure myself it’s real.
Bringing me back to reality, I feel Sam’s arm link through mine as she guides us through the masses of people. “I think Tyler and the rest are here already.”
I already know because I feel it. I feel him. It’s an indescribable, yet palpable sensation. My gaze is pulled to the patio where he stands, talking to a group of business partners. As we approach the patio to greet him, Sam is pulled by a man dazzling over her outfit.
I feel a drink get placed in my hand by Sam as she continues to entertain him. She introduces us, but it all feels like background noise to the beautiful outfit he wears of sequins and glitter.
I soon forget his name as my eyes trail back to where Tyler still stands, engaging in conversation. The businessman in him at the forefront while the Tyler I know isn’t even an echo in existence.
A woman approaches from the crowds with a red lipped smile that matches her nails, and bleach blonde hair that looks too good for the color of blonde she is. She is practically a life size barbie. Stunning, with no flaws that the human eye can point out even if they try.
As she nears Tyler’s side, she reaches her arms to him, slithering up his bicep and clutching him as she rests her head on his shoulder. I stare blankly, trying to decipher between the feelings that are fighting one another inside me, and why I’m allowing myself to feel them in the first place.
He looks unbothered, save for the slight flex in his jaw. She laughs, throwing her head back, baring perfect teeth, which was expected, and then continues her roaming hands on his body casually.
A primal rage sparks in my chest, ready to ignite. That festering flame warming as it flickers, getting bigger with each beat of my heart. A yank happens in my chest, something that feels so visceral. Tyler looks at me as soon as I feel it, almost like he feels it, too.
That invisible string.
When we lock eyes, it’s almost like I can see it. That palpable thing I can’t quite discern, manifesting into something just for us. Something only we can understand as we stare at one another from across the venue.
A smirk pulls his lips slowly. He keeps his eyes locked on me while he takes a sip of his drink, despite the fact the barbie and the men surrounding him are vying for his attention.
I arch a brow with a tilt of my head. His grin grows wider. The heat of his stare has my toes curling, but I don’t break it. I hold those emeralds, determined to break down the man who screams predator to show I’m not afraid.
I won’t let you win.
His smile only grows more, curving that scar that goes through his lips. And I like it. I like that his attention is stuck on me despite the fact everyone else is desperate for it.
He cheers his drink to me, but I don’t exchange the offer as I hold his stare. A laugh sounds from him, only egging on the desperation of the barbie for his attention. Her red nails run up the lapels of his suit and then around his neck. And yet, he is still watching me.
When that doesn’t snag his attention, her red nails sink into the skin of his cheek, forcing his head in her direction.
I grip my glass tighter as the fire that settles inside my chest rages to an inferno.
It’s when he looks down at her with disinterest, I almost feel relief.
I don’t know why. Maybe I don’t like the idea of him liking someone like that.
Maybe I don’t like the idea of him liking anyone at all. No matter, I finally pull my eyes away.
“Fuck. Shelby is here,” Sam says next to me.
“Shelby?” I ask, the name sounding distantly familiar.
“Her father is the governor. So naturally, our parents had to pawn Tyler off to wed her so they could place their foot deeper in the political realm. He hasn’t actually done it yet.
I think he is prolonging the inevitable, or he is formulating some sort of plan to get out of it.
The parents gave him until thirty years old. ”
“What happens then?” I ask.
“I have no clue, but I also really don’t want to find out,” she says, eyes wide and off somewhere that isn’t here.
“They can’t do that. I mean, it’s the twenty-first century.”
“History repeats itself. It’s been accomplished before, it can be accomplished again. Our world is very different from yours, Sunny.”
I glance back at the couple. They do look good together. Their children would be stunning.
“Tyler tried for a while with her so that when they married it wouldn’t be just for convenience.
Also because a part of him thought maybe he could find something deeper to her than the bleach in her hair.
But Shelby did something that Tyler refuses to speak about.
So he broke it off and has been essentially biding his time since.
Makes me feel like he has something up his sleeve. ”
“Do you think Tyler will change his mind and forgive her?”
Sam laughs. “No. If there's anything I know about my brother, you don’t cross him. He’s a powerful motherfucker. And a scary one. He’s planning something, I’m sure of it. Regardless of the fact that Shelby’s parents still have a deposit on the wedding venue.”
They have a wedding venue.
“Understandable,” I say. “She is gorgeous though.”
“Gotta love plastic surgery,” she laughs. “Come on, let’s go snag a bar table. I’m hungry.”
I take my time down the long, dark brick hallway from the bathroom to the main dining area. The sounds of the venue are muffled in here, a moment of relief before it’s time to paste a smile on my face and be introduced to names I’ll soon forget.
In the shadows, a tall figure emerges. “You didn’t come say hi,” Tyler’s voice echoes through the muffled voices reaching through the hall.
“Mmmm,” I hum as I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hide the clear difference in attire between us. “You seemed preoccupied.”
He arches a brow as he walks towards me with his hands in his pockets. “Preoccupied, or annoyed?” He leans against the wall. A lazy smile sits on his lips, his greens softer in the dim lighting of the hallway.
“I guess you're the judge of that one.”
He flicks his eyes to my dress, half covered by my arms. “I like that dress.”
Despite myself, I feel a blush cover my cheeks. “I feel a little underdressed. Especially compared to Shelby.”
Why did I say that?
Tyler laughs. Actually laughs. “So, Sam told you who that was.”
“Why do you let her treat you like that? So maybe you could get laid tonight?”
Tyler’s smile fades as fast as it came. “Why does it bother you, Sunny?”
He knows what he is asking. The right questions to reveal an admission of something I refuse and will keep sealed on my tongue, despite the words desperately pressing to get out.
“Because you spend all your time saving everyone else but yourself.” I want to suck the words back in as soon as they are spoken, but what’s done is done.
Tyler winces as if my words actually mean something to him.
“I don’t need saving, Sunny. Why does it bother you, how she treats me?”
My brows crease, and anger kindles inside my chest. “Who touches another human like that? You expect me to not tolerate Ryan, but you tolerate her?”
It’s how it started with Ryan. Small aggressions here and there. Grabbing my arm too firmly. Grabbing my face too firmly. Slamming a door too aggressively. Throwing an object near me but never at me. It’s the same thing I told myself over and over—it wasn’t anything serious until, until it was.
“There is nothing I can’t handle.” He smiles. A symphony of laughs rings from the dining area, taking our attention for a brief moment. We both look at one another again.
“Duty calls,” I say.
He lulls his head against the wall and pushes off, slowly making his trek to the dining area in slow, measured steps.
“Tyler,” I call out.
He turns around, his hands in his pockets. He keeps silent, allowing me to finish my sentence.
“You’re…you’re getting married,” I say, the question desperately hanging on the end of the statement, hopeful a choice is an option.
“Yeah.” He nods, walking backwards with a grin. “But not to who they think.”