Page 64 of Let the Game Begin

“Anna, you go on. I’ll take care of things here.” He discharged the housekeeper with a polite smile and turned his attention back to the two officers. In the meantime, I hid myself behind the doorframe and spied on the scene.

“May we come in?” Officer Scott asked in a sarcastic tone. He rested his hands on his belt, not far from the holster of his weapon, and eyed Neil warily. Neil didn’t react and simply moved aside to allow them inside.

“Are you aware of what happened last night at an establishment calledBlanco?” asked Officer Scott, who appeared to be the dourer of the two. Neil just stood there and stared at him, looking for all the world like he couldn’t care less.

Not a single emotion crossed his perfect, enigmatic face.

“At Blanco?” he repeated, pretending to think about it.

“Yeah, the club. Your Maserati can usually be found parked right out front.”

“And? The fact that I’ve been there doesn’t mean anything,” he deflected, maintaining his self-control, even though I saw his shoulders stiffen and his face grow a bit darker.

Officer Scott started walking around the living room while his partner pulled aside the curtains to peer out the window. What were they looking for?

“There was a fight there last night. Carter Nelson was attacked inside the club and beaten to a pulp.”

Neil parted his lips slightly. He wore the same bewildered expression he had that night, like he no longer remembered anything.

“He’s in the hospital now with major head trauma. He’s in a coma,” Officer Scott went on, but Neil just continued to stare impassively at him.

“The Nelson family would like to press charges against the assailant.” The officer approached Neil and inspected him with narrowed eyes. “So, Neil, there’s only two ways this can go. That poor boy could get better or he could die,” he put special emphasis on the last word, just to make sure Neil really got the message. “It’s all going to depend on the location, severity, and extent of the brain damage that put him in that coma. You should know all about that, though. You live with a doctor, don’t you?” Scott drew back his lips in a sarcastic half-smile, but Neil was stoic and maintained his cold stare.

“And why should that matter to me, Roger?” For the first time, I saw real, barely suppressed hatred in the officer’s eyes, when Neil called the man by his first name.

“I get the funny feeling that you had something to do with all of this. Some of the witnesses described the assailant’s appearance to me in detail, though no one mentioned you by name. You better pray that boy wakes up and doesn’t have irreparable damage. If he dies, Miller, I swear on my life Iwill see you locked up.” He spoke in a half-mutter but with such malice that it raised goosebumps on my arm.

“With what evidence? I had nothing to do with it.” Neil gave the man a victorious smile. I couldn’t figure out how he was so confident that he wasn’t being trapped here. Someone could have recorded what happened, or taken a photo, or simply just said his name, yet Neil seemed completely sure that no such evidence would ever turn up against him.

“You and that gang of thugs you run with…” The officer shook his head, giving him a disdainful look. “Forcing people’s silence with threats and cruelty, but don’t think I’ll forget about you, Neil. You are a thorn in my side that I’m gonna dig out sooner or later. And this time, all the expensive lawyers and rich daddies in the world won’t be able to stop me,” he promised and I flinched. Obviously, Neil and this man had some unfinished business between them that I knew nothing about.

How could I? The only things I knew about the guy were his physical strength and his sexual prowess, because those were the only parts of himself he ever showed anyone.

“I think we’re done here, officer.” Neil smiled menacingly at the man who ran his tongue over his teeth inscrutably. Then he nodded at his partner and together they left.

I kept still, hiding behind the doorframe like a burglar. I just didn’t want to stop watching Neil, not for a single moment. He sat down then on the living room sofa, legs spread with his elbows balanced on his knees and his face in his hands. He was worried—clearly tense. All I wanted to do was go reassure him.

“Neil…it’s all my fault!” I flinched when I unexpectedly heard Chloe’s voice calling into the living room. She rushed to her brother, and he let her curl up on his lap. He held her close and stroked her blond hair.

“It’s not your fault; it’s Carter’s. If he hadn’t tried to rape you, I wouldn’t have had to hurt him.” He rocked her and Chloe wept into the crook of his neck. My chest tightened painfully, and I rubbed it with one hand as though that might ease the pain.

“Don’t cry, Little Koala.” He kissed her forehead and smiled at her.

So Neil felt things after all. He was human, and he had a heart, just likethe rest of us. He simply chose to only gift it to a few people—the ones who were worth it. He was handling Chloe like she was still a girl, a fragile butterfly, and I wanted him to treat me that same way.

In that moment, I realized that I was going to have to earn his trust if I wanted to get to his heart. Neil was a dark knight in a castle of crystal—visible but removed. And he didn’t let anyone in, except for the people he loved. And I realized that I wanted a place inside that castle. That I wanted to be counted among Neil’s loved ones. I felt stupid for thinking something like that or even hoping that it could happen, but a girl could dream.

I wasn’t going to use him the way he thought I would. It wouldn’t just be sex between us, but with sexuality—which was the only means he used to communicate—I was going to touch his soul. And I was going to obliterate the barbed wire he’d wrapped around it to protect himself from the world.

***

After the Carter incident and the officers’ visit to the house, I got my life back on track again.

I didn’t miss another class and tried to socialize more with Logan’s friends. I was finding my place in the group and working on fitting in. The group was always welcoming, however, and they were very kind to me. Which is why, despite my introverted nature, it was easy to establish a good rapport with them.

“You should quit ogling everyone’s butt,” Julie told Adam. This had been an ongoing discussion between the two the entire time we’d been enjoying our break between classes. The sun was lighting up the blue sky, and we were all sitting on benches in one of the many green areas on campus.

“We’re men; looking is allowed,” Jake cut in, defending his friend. Adam and Julie had only just started dating, but she was already playing the role of jealous girlfriend.