His End Game (MMG #1) (42 page)

Without thinking, I said, “Jack has not made it in tonight. Is he expecting you uh…?”

“Priscilla Newman, but my friends call me Cilla and to answer your question, I was with Jack last night and again this afternoon. He mentioned heading this way, so I thought I would catch up with him here and have a drink.”

What does she mean she was with him last night and today? Who the hell is she
?

Dillon was looking at me as if I had grown three heads. Mumbling under his breath he asked, “Do you really know a Jack Barnett or are you just fucking with her?”

“Oh, I know Jack all right,” I told him and had the sudden urge to run.

While Dillon and I were quietly conferring behind the bar, Priscilla was taking stock of her surroundings. Suddenly she cried, “Hey! I know you guys. You were at the party at that mansion in Texas, weren’t you? Gage is it? And I remember one of
you was named Lighter and Hammer…. or something like that.” She paused, as if looking for something else to say. “Uh…are you guys here visiting Jack too? What a coincidence! I’ll have to make sure we invite you over for a cook out or something real soon.”

She was in Texas with Max? And now she’s planning get-togethers? What…The…Hell
?

Clearing my throat, I managed to say, “Gee, sounds like you
all
had a great time in Texas. When did you say you were there again?” I cut my eyes at Gage and Zippo. Zippo flinched and I wanted to throw up.

“Oh…maybe four or was it five months ago? I forget,” she shrugged.

I closed my eyes and rubbed the ache that had set up residence deep within my chest. When I opened them back up Gage was watching me with an anxious look on his face and it clicked.

He knew that Max was in Texas… with her. This is what they were talking about the night that Dillon played. Max flinched at my touch and hasn’t talked to me since he’s been back because he’s been with her. I am such a fool
.

I heard Gage curse.

I had to know, so I looked her straight in her cobalt blue eyes and asked, “So, you and Jack are…together?”

I can see why he would want her
.

“Ellie,” Gage warned.

She threw a breathtaking smile at me, as if completely oblivious to the destruction that she was causing. “Well, Jack and I have been friends for about two years now, but we started seeing each other seriously about seven or eight months ago. I saw him when he was home a few days ago, but he barely had any time for me.” She puckered her lips into the perfect little pout and I wanted to curl up and die. “He told me he was coming
here to work on MMG Charlotte so,” she threw her hands in the air, “here I am.”

This wasn’t happening. I could not be this unlucky in love. Was anyone this unlucky? Placing a hand on my chest, I tried to catch my breath.

It was all a lie… all of it
.

“What the fuck?” I heard Dillon say but it sounded like he was under water.

“Is she okay?” Priscilla asked. Her voice also sounded far away.

“Get her head down between her knees,” Gage said.

Before I knew it I was lifted into someone’s arms and was moving fast. “Hang on baby,” I heard but wasn’t sure if they were talking to me or not.

When I came to I was lying on the break room sofa with a cold cloth on my head. “I’m okay,” I said.

“Ellie, what the fuck is going on here?” Dillon asked. He raised my legs, sat down and draped them across his lap.

Gage stepped into my line of sight. “Don’t you think you’re getting a little too personal with someone else’s woman?” he directed at Dillon.

Dillon narrowed his eyes at Gage and snapped, “I don’t see him here? Do you?”

“Who is manning the bar?” I asked, trying to distract them.

“Zippo and Harry,” they both replied.

“Don’t worry about the bar El,” Dillon assured.

Gage squatted down beside me and wiped the cold cloth across my face. “Sweetheart, sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”

My eyes filled when he said this and I couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. “And sometimes, as much as we don’t want them to be, they are.”

I watched his eyes close. When he opened them back up they were filled with such agony that I had to look away. Apparently he, too, had been hurt before.

I felt the need to explain. “The man I have loved for most of my life has spent the last five weeks lying to me. If that’s not enough, he has also been cheating on his obviously sweet and beautiful
girlfriend
, who is currently standing out there waiting for him to show up. I’d say it is exactly how it looks. What I don’t get is
why
?” The backs of my eyes were burning and I was having a hard time stopping my voice from shaking.

I need to get out of here before I completely lose it, but have nowhere to go
.

Dillon reared back. “Are you trying to tell me that your Max is her Jack?” He was beginning to catch on which meant that he was about to flip out. When I didn’t answer, he picked up my legs, stood up and gently set them back on the sofa. Then he stalked over to the sink, picked up the soap dish, shouted “Mother Fucker!” and hurled it against the wall. Pieces of it flew everywhere.

That’s exactly what my heart feels like
.

Jerking his hands through his hair, he pierced me with his silver eyed stare. “He split us up knowing that he had some snatch waiting for him back in Kentucky?” His voice was full of disbelief.

Gage scowled at him. “You are not helping here, Dillon. Don’t make this about you.” He pointed at the door. “We’ve only heard her side of the story out there and we don’t even know her. Ellie needs to talk to Max.”

“Yeah, except that he won’t talk. He has been avoiding me since yesterday and now I know why. I do not want to see or talk to him right now and I
certainly
can’t go home because he could be there. What do I do?”

“Here,” Dillon said handing me his keys. “You know where I live. I’ll close up here and meet you back at my place. If you get hungry eat something and if you get tired you can crash on the bed. I’ll take the couch. Stay as long as you need.”

Frowning, Gage shook his head at me. “This is not a good idea.”

“She needs a place to regroup. You got anything better?” Dillon responded.

“Call your girls when you get to Dillon’s. That way, if this isn’t how it looks, you won’t be making it worse,” Gage directed at me.

“Okay, I’ll call Piper and Joss when I get to Dillon’s,” I assured him.

“How ‘bout this, I’ll drive you over in your car and get Ax to follow. I can catch a ride on the back of his bike.”

Dillon pulled me off the sofa. “Go out the back so you don’t have to walk through the bar. I’ll see you in a while and El?” I looked up at him. “I will do my best to help you through this okay?”

“Don’t tell Max where I am, Dillon. Promise me that if he comes looking for me, you won’t tell him okay? You too, Gage.” After they both agreed, we left for Dillon’s.

You are my end game, you always have been
.
You are it for me
.

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

I didn’t realize I had spoken out loud until Gage reached over the middle console of my car and grabbed my hand. “Hey, nothing is definite until you hear it from Max okay?” I could feel the tears coming and knew that I wasn’t going to be able to control them for much longer. All I did anymore was cry. I
wanted to tell Gage that I was pregnant. I wanted someone to understand how serious the situation was, but I couldn’t.

“I just got him back Gage. Of all people, h-h-how could he do this to m-m-me? Wasn’t it e-e-nough that he left me to begin w-w-ith?”

He squeezed my hand and spoke in a low calming voice. “Don’t know the details of your past relationship, but what I do know is that Priscilla is not who she’s pretending to be. I met her five months ago in Texas and she did not give a favorable impression.”

“Evidently he sees something in her,” I sniffled.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. After seeing him with you, I think we’re missing something. I can feel it in my gut.”

“It looks pretty damning, Gage. She is so beautiful. It kills me to say it but I totally see why he would want her.”

He laughed. “There is nothing hotter than a woman who underestimates her own beauty. I know you are hurting and how it looks right now. I’m sorry. What you need to do now is pull out your phone, call your girls and get them over here. Then you need to sleep on it. Before you walk away though, you need to hear Max out. You owe him the chance to tell his side okay?” I nodded. “Good, now call your girls.”

Normally I would have called him out on his bossiness, but I couldn’t muster the energy. I reached down between my feet, snagged my purse off of the floorboard, found my phone and powered it on. My phone dinged, indicating that I had missed messages. Ignoring them, I called Joss and Piper. Both girls swore up and down that they wouldn’t tell Max and both were now heading my way.

Gage motioned for Ax to hold on, let me into Dillon’s apartment and hugged me tight. I thanked him and promised to call if I needed anything.

Joss was the first to show. When Piper arrived, we were sitting on Dillon’s sofa sipping Sprites.

“Sheesh your dad is a giant pain in the ass,” she complained.

“Did you tell him where I was?” I knew he would tell Max.

“No, I told him you were upset with Max and needed some space. He wouldn’t let me walk out the door until I promised to have you check in.”

“Thanks.” I let out a sigh of relief and shot him a quick text.

“Now tell us what this is all about, Ellie.”

I told them everything from Max’s distant behavior to Gage dropping me off at Dillon’s apartment. I managed not to cry until the end.

“She was in Kentucky with him,” I choked out. “He was never going to be mine. I have spent five years thinking that no matter where he was, he was mine and I was his. I was good with that. I am not good with this.
This
makes me sick inside. I cannot watch the man I love more than anything in this world… loving someone else. I can’t,” I sobbed.

“I am so sorry,” Piper said, hugging me.

Joss let out an angry snort. “I’m telling you that this is not right.” She was gearing up for a lecture when her phone rang.

She held up her hand for silence and mouthed, “Kurt.”

“Please Joss,” I tearfully begged, “don’t tell him where I am.”

She told Kurt that she was at her parents going over last minute wedding details and that she hadn’t seen or heard from me all night. She glared at me and asked, “Why is Max frantically trying to reach her?” After a few more minutes of clipped answers and nods she hung up and narrowed her eyes at me. “I do not like lying to the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with. Don’t ever ask me to do it again.”

“I’m sorry.” I really was. I hated putting her in that position.

She placed her hands on her hips. “Riddle me this Batman. If Max is so in love with Priscilla then why did he practically tear apart Dragonfly tonight looking for you?”

My eyes bugged. “What?”

“Dillon told Max that you left early and had no idea where you were headed. Kurt said that Max went nuts. He’s out of control worried because apparently you have your phone turned off and he can’t find you. Ellie, you need to
talk
to him.”

He tore apart Dragonfly
?

“It seems that he does not like not knowing where his girl is…at…all.”

But I’m not his girl…she is
.

Joss had to get back to Kurt so she didn’t spend the night with us. She did, however, make sure that I was still helping with inventory at Dragonfly the next morning. Piper and I found extra sheets and pillows in the hall closet and made up the fold out sofa. We crawled into bed and somehow got on the subject of Gage. Glad to have my mind off of Max, I told her everything I could remember about Gage and his friends. I was starting to put two and two together and they were not adding up to four. Something bad had happened to her and I wasn’t sure, but had an idea that Gage was somehow involved.

I hope not because he’s a really good guy and there are so few left in this world
.

Piper finally fell asleep. I lay there listening to her breathing and going over everything in my head.
How did I get it all so wrong
? I rubbed my hand over my belly.
I will protect and love you, I swear
. I could feel the tears coming again and didn’t want to wake Piper so I got up and made my way to Dillon’s bedroom. I lay down on top of his comforter, curled into a ball and wept for everything that would never be.

I woke sometime later to someone talking. It took me a minute to figure out where I was. When I realized that I had fallen asleep on Dillon’s bed I jumped up, embarrassed that he might find me there.

Too late
.

Dillon was standing at the foot of the bed talking to someone on the phone and his eyes were fixed on me.

Crap!

In a take-no-prisoners tone of voice, he snapped, “I told you when you tore apart Dragonfly that I wasn’t sure where she was, Max, so what makes you think that has suddenly changed?”