Page 41

Dallas

A sliver of light slips through the slit in my eyes and brings me out of deep sleep. I begin to stir, but I can’t roll over. My legs feel like they’re moving, but I’m not the one doing it. Something brushes over my face, drawing me closer to consciousness. But before I can open my eyes, my muscles clench and my body curls against the massive body pressing me into the bed.

“ What—what? ” I startle.

I grab his shoulders as he sinks his cock deep before pulling back and bottoming out with a groan.

“It’s me, Dal,” he murmurs while lavishing my jawline with kisses.

Finally registering Alex’s familiar touch, I let out a sigh and run my hands across his shoulders. He grabs my thigh, pulling me tight as I run my fingers over his scalp.

“Are you having a good dream, Carino? ” he asks, thrusting deep.

“Don’t wake me up,” I smile, my eyes barely open.

“It must be good.” His hips settle into a steady cadence. “Where are you?”

The corners of my mouth curl with each pulse against my tight walls. “I’m back in high school,” I moan, “and you’re in my room, lying next to me. You start to reach up my shorts, but then you stop.”

His rhythm slows ever so slightly and his tone wavers.

“What?”

But I keep going.

“Another night,” I roll my hips with his, “you started to pull my panties down so you could fuck me while I was asleep. But you didn’t…”

“You were awake?” he breathes.

“ Yesss… ” I moan with a grin, my eyes still closed.

Alex reaches down and hooks his elbows behind my knees, leering down at me while he bends me in half.

“ You— ”

Thrust.

“ Little— ”

Thrust.

“Fucking— ”

Thrust.

“ Hellion.”

He’s euphoric, like a drug injected straight into my core as he fucks me harder, my audacity turning him into the hurricane force I only dreamed about before. He spreads my thighs wider so he can drive even deeper.

“Do you like that—” I whimper as the tension compounds, “fucking me while I’m unconscious?”

He grins down at me salaciously. “Baby, your pussy wants me even when she is unconscious.”

Alex glances to the side and I follow his eyes to the side table where his phone is clamped into a flex mount next to the lamp. And, as soon as I see it pointed straight at our bodies, the euphoria hits like a tidal wave. My breaths get shallower and I feel the orgasm cresting.

“You still like when I fuck you on camera?”

“ Yes…yes… ” I gasp, digging my nails into his shoulders.

“You still like showing everyone what a little cum slut you are for me?”

But before I can respond, I go slack jawed as the orgasm hits hard and my arms fly up, clenching the pillow as I cry out. Alex pins my leg open with one hand and grabs the top of the headboard with the other, making the bed shudder with each thrust as my contractions make him come.

Soon, his hips slow to the lilting cadence of a wave on a beach and he sinks down, his lips melting into mine like he’s dying of thirst.

“You are a fucking hellion, though,” he murmurs.

“Pretending to be asleep is easy,” I sigh. “You can breathe as much as you want and it still looks like you’re dead to the world.”

I knew what Alex was doing in my room six years ago, when he was lying in bed next to me, deciding how much he could get away with before I woke up. And I knew what he almost did that final night he snuck into my room and I thought he would finally say yes. Both times, I didn’t open my eyes until I thought I was caught. And both times, I’d never felt anything so exhilarating. I didn’t want it to end because I was afraid that when I opened my eyes, he would disappear.

Alex glances at his black watch he barely ever takes off. “Perfect timing,” he smiles.

“I can’t move … ” I whine as he leans over me to retrieve his phone.

“ Mariposita, ” Alex kneels in front of me, gently spreading my thighs apart, “I was inside you five times last night, there’s a reason you can’t move.”

“Six, if you count my mouth,” I grin and stretch my arms over my head.

“I count everything,” he steadies the phone at his waist and runs his thumb through my hip crease and around my edges, slick with his release, “and fill everything.”

My hips roll toward him as he circles my pussy and then records himself sliding two fingers inside. He curls his fingers and then draws them back out, coated in his thick cum. Slowly, he rubs it over my skin, using it as lube on my clit to make me squirm.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you keep some,” he teases, “there’s plenty here for the fans.”

I didn’t anticipate that Alex would be just as much of an exhibitionist as I am, or that we would meet again while streaming thirst traps while gaming. Clearly, I’ve come a long way from the girl who hid beneath her headphones to now taking cream pies in front of thousands of anonymous fans.

Did I mention that we cam together now?

Sometimes as GhostW@ke and SilentStorm, other times as our faceless selves edited to conceal our true identities. But one thing’s for sure, Alex’s somno videos are a massive hit. Then again, it shouldn’t be a surprise. I can’t fuck myself while I’m asleep. I’m good, but not that good.

And being a master of angles and lighting, he never lets anyone see our faces or any identifying features. His tattoo is always covered with a square of black exercise tape and he’ll mute the sound or replace it entirely.

“Show me the best part, baby.”

I flex my abs and a moment later, Alex grins with satisfaction.

“There it is,” he drawls as his cum drips from my pussy. “So fucking beautiful.”

He tosses his phone back on the side table and leans over to kiss me.

“I promise, if I’d known I just had to fuck you in the ass every day for you to say you love me, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

“No, you wouldn’t have.”

“No?”

I shake my head, peering up at him playfully. “Because you’re the nice one.”

At that, Alex grabs my knee and rolls me over. Then he takes a swing and his palm lands with a loud smack across my ass. I let out a shriek and try to wriggle away as he climbs out of bed. I should get up too, but I don’t have class until later today.

“You still like it here?” Alex asks as he pulls on a pair of his usual black pants.

“It still feels like I don’t belong here,” I reply, curling under the soft comforter, “like it’s too nice for me.”

“You belong somewhere nicer, but aside from that, you belong where I am.”

I don’t argue, because I never want to leave here. Alex is my home now. He’s the one I waited six years for and didn’t even know it. He’s the reason no one else ever came close to the feeling I have right now. And now that I finally have him, I want to stay with Alex Barrera forever.

“ Are you mad? ” I asked Shelby, Carter, and Maddie the day after GalactiCon, after I told them the entire story of what transpired the night before.

“ No! ” Shelby replied. “ As long as we’re allowed to come hang out in your swanky penthouse, that is.”

“I say we switch movie nights to Dallas’s place, ” Carter chimes in.

“Dallas,” Shelby eyed me with suspicion, “ back in high school, did you and Alex… ”

It only took a couple of seconds for me to realize what she was asking.

“No,” I shook my head. “ I wished we did, but no. ”

Shelby accepted my response, but she wasn’t done. “ How’s the sex now? ”

“ He fucks like a porn star, ” I replied without missing a beat.

They erupted in laughter, banging their palms on the table with glee.

“ Alex Barrera… ” Maddie mused, “ doesn’t he have brothers? ”

“ So we can be sister wives? ” I grinned with excitement.

“ I think that’s only if she marries Alex, too, ” Shelby snickered.

“ Oh, ” I scrunched up my nose, “ in that case, back the fuck off. ”

I was worried they’d be upset that I decided to move out of our campus house, but I’m sure it helped that I assured them that I still planned to fulfill my portion of the rent until our lease is up at the end of the summer.

I love living with Alex. I love looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows and seeing nothing but the city and the sky. I love coming home from class and seeing Alex lounging on our sofa or walking around our kitchen, cooking something amazing for dinner that I’ve never had. I love everything, except for the bitchy look the woman in the front office gives me every time she sees me walk by. But it doesn’t matter, I stopped noticing after a couple of days, because when I’m with Alex, nothing bothers me.

Because with Alex, I’m safe.

I’m finally safe.

●●●

“Dude, if I’d known you were going to suck this bad tonight, I wouldn’t have waited on your ass,” I sneer into my mic.

“Fuck off,” Bowen mutters.

“Bruh, I could’ve gouged my eyeballs out with a rusty meat hook and I’d still be doing better than you.”

“I’ll gouge them out with my dick if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

No sooner does Bowen turn the corner and he runs straight into a swinging ax.

“ Ahh, you suck! ” I cackle over the speaker.

“Fuuuck,” he groans with irritation.

“It’s fine, I didn’t want to hang out with my girl tonight,” I chuckle, “it’s much more fun watching you try so hard. You’re cute as hell.”

How did berating Bowen Garrison over Dark Souls while disguised as a man become my therapy? Oh, yeah, the moment I decided I was going to go undercover to solve my sister’s murder and exact revenge upon him.

“Don’t lie,” he retorts, “we both know you’d rather be here, simping hard for me.”

“Can’t get anything past you. Speaking of which, are you still seeing that one chick?” I ask.

Valerie…

“Technically, yes. I see her whenever I get bored,” he snickers.

“Is she at least entertaining?”

“Isn’t every girl who’s desperate for attention?”

Classy. As if I’m surprised that she’s got that pick-me vibe down cold. I’m sure Evie eventually saw through Bowen’s bullshit, which is probably why she ended up dead.

“Having a pet can be pretty useful,” I muse as my mind begins to wander. “Is that your type?”

“No,” he deadpans. “Valerie’s a dime a dozen—a useful idiot. I prefer something livelier.”

“Like who?”

“My girl, Evie. No one will ever measure up to her.”

My heart skips a beat. He finally said her name.

“Why not?” I ask, keeping my responses short and sweet.

“It’s funny, I’ve known her since we were kids. And, at first, I only went after her to mess with her stepbrother, but then I realized how perfect she is. She has all these different emotions that are fascinating to watch. I’m never bored with her.”

Why is he referring to her in present tense like she’s still alive?

Maybe Colson isn’t the only one living in denial, which is very intriguing.

“She’s the first girl who’s ever been worth my time.” His tone turns sharp. “Until she stopped listening to me.”

“If she’s so perfect, where is she now?”

“She’s not so lively anymore.”

My stomach turns at his cold nonchalance and I have to tamp down the panic screaming for attention.

“What’d she do?” Because with Bowen, it’s always someone else’s fault.

“I knocked her up,” he replies, catching me by surprise, “and I thought that’d be the end of it, that it would be me and her from then on. But no, ” he clips, “instead, she killed my baby, told me she was moving across the country, and fucked everything up like I knew she would. Just like every other selfish bitch.” His tone turns dark and insidious. “But at least I kept something to remember her by.”

A wave of goosebumps skitters over my back. “Like what?”

“A video,” his words drip with venom, “of me knocking her ass up.”

My heart is racing, pounding against my ribs like a jackhammer. Get a grip.

“Do you still have it?” I ask with as much excitement as I can muster. “Let’s see!”

“Yeah, I do,” Bowen chuckles, “along with a few other things.”

“Like what?”

“Something to remember her by. Send me your own video as a down payment and I’ll tell you.”

Oh, shit…

“I doubt my girl would be into that,” I scoff.

“Then don’t tell her.”

There’s more behind his tone, or lack thereof, so I dig. “Like, hide my phone?”

“Yeah, if she can’t see the screen, she’ll never know the difference.”

“Sounds like you’re an expert.”

“What can I say?” he snickers. “I get what I fucking want.”

I’m about to ask him to elaborate, but a knock on my door jolts me out of my intense concentration.

I let out an irritated grunt. “Shit, I have to go. I’ll think about it,” I say to pacify him for the time being.

“My offer still stands,” Bowen taunts insidiously before I log off.

“Come in,” I answer, removing my headset and returning to my bed to continue packing another duffel bag to take to Alex’s.

My clothes are largely irrelevant now since he created a carbon copy of them in his closet. Instead, I survey my gaming setup and try to decide what to pack with the books I already have, along with the photo album I took from Evie’s room.

My door opens and Austin steps inside. I’m not sure what to expect, but I relax when he tosses his sandy hair out of his eyes and flashes his familiar bright smile.

“What’s up?” I smile back.

“Jet-lagged, but it’s Halo night, so here I am.”

I just assumed Austin would blow it off like he usually does and only catch around three episodes per season, especially after the altercation with Alex at GalactiCon. It’s probably just as well he left town the day after for his NBA shmooze-fest.

Austin lifts his arm and I lean in to give him a hug. “Did you have a good trip?”

“It was promising.”

He doesn’t elaborate further, so I turn back to my packing. But his hand follows, and my muscles tense when he starts to gently massage the curve of my neck. I take a slow, deep breath, trying to stave off this new urge to flee. Normally, I would brush him off and go on without a second thought, but there’s something off-putting about Austin being so close to me this time.

“Am I bothering you?” he asks, almost with amusement.

“You should stop,” I sigh, trying to act casual.

He slows his movements, but doesn’t take his hand off my neck. But I’m right, something’s changed. I can feel it.

He glances down at the duffel bag. “Are you going somewhere?”

I hesitate as it dawns on me that he wouldn’t know anything about where I’ve been for the past week.

I finish nestling my headset inside and zip the bag. “Yeah, um, I’m staying for Halo and then taking some of my stuff to Alex’s.” I clear my throat. “Because I’m moving in with him.”

Austin’s gaze is like an inferno against the side of my face. His hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, giving me a start. Then he raises my left hand, eyeing the purple gem stone on my ring finger.

“What the fuck is this?”

I look up at him, matching his icy tone. “An engagement ring.”

“Is he your sugar daddy now?” His words drip with venom. “What does that make you?”

“Not your problem, that’s what.” I jerk my hand out of his grasp. “Just like I wasn’t your problem after Evie died and I wasn’t your problem when you acted like I didn’t exist around your shallow, elitist friends.”

Alex, on the other hand, came in like a tidal wave and carried me away through that cafeteria door, answered my call, and climbed through my window without a second thought. So what if he’s older than me? If being alive three years longer gives him something that compliments me like no one else can, then so be it.

“ I was there,” Austin seethes. “Since sixth grade, I’ve been here the whole time, right in front of you. I’ve been here for everything . But that doesn’t mean shit to you because, out of nowhere, the guy that groomed you in high school rolled back into town. And you’re so stupid that you’re falling for it again!”

I reel back and slam him in the shoulder with my palm. I want to gouge his eyes out for saying that, for saying anything derogatory about Alex.

My Alex .

Austin doesn’t know shit about what happened back in high school.

“You know, Dallas,” he scoffs, “I should’ve known you’d turn out to be such a disappointment. So, next time you want to swallow some dick, maybe you can keep it in your room with the rest of your night job.”

“You were watching us?” I screw up my face in shock.

“That shouldn’t bother you,” he shrugs, “since you let thousands of strangers see you naked on the reg.”

My stomach drops as the dread sets in. He knows. But how does he know? Shelby wouldn’t have told him. I know she wouldn’t do that. Did he recognize me? Has he been watching?

But it doesn’t matter, I won’t admit anything. Instead, I narrow my eyes and square off with his daunting stature.

“I used to feel less-than, compared to you, like I was never enough. But, now, I think it’s you who was never enough for me. So, get out of my room, Austin,” I spit with disgust. “Go cry to someone else about how our friendship has been nothing but a series of mutual betrayals. We’re done here.”

He takes a step toward me, invading my space. “You’re right, Dallas, I should've told someone back then about your pedophile boyfriend, instead of caring so much about your delusional feelings.”

Sounds mute and, suddenly, all I hear is a shrill, grating voice—Jordyn Harrington’s voice.

“Hey, Tyler, did you hear that Alex is a pedophile now?”

“But I guess this is a pattern for you,” Austin leers down at me, “trying to fuck all your brother's friends. First Alex, then Bowen…”

I open my mouth, but his words send my mind into a tailspin.

“How long have you been chasing him? Did he finally kick your ass to the curb so you went crawling back to Alex?” Austin leans down into my face. “ Like a mutt and his bitch. ”

Like a gunshot, I reel back and slam my palm into his nose with a sickening pop. The force of my entire body behind my wrist throws his head back and he stumbles to the side. Clutching his face, he falls back into my desk, knocking the monitors over with a crash.

Wasting no time, I grab my bag and storm out of the room. Foregoing Halo night, which pisses me off even more, I flee the house without a word, throw my shit into my Civic, and tear out of the driveway. My only consolation is that Austin will have to explain to everyone why he went into my room and came out with a bloody nose.

I hope I broke it. That should throw a wrench in any photo ops at his social engagements for the next week or so.

I spend the entire drive back to the Enclave staring out the windshield in a rage. It’s only after I whip into my space next to Alex’s that I finally release the floodgates. After a few screams and pounds on the steering wheel, I take a deep breath and try to gather my wits.

Fuck Austin. Fuck Bowen. You have work to do. You’re so close. Evie needs you.

Killing the engine, I wipe the tears from my eyes and prepare to go upstairs. But when I reach for my duffel bag in the passenger seat, I hesitate as memories and details flash through my mind. Turning on the cabin light, I dig around in the bag until I find the black leather photo album. Setting it down in my lap, I open it and begin turning the pages.

The boy with Evie in the photos is tall and blonde— very tall and very blonde. At first, they look bizarre. Each photo depicts the two of them at some presumably fun event; football games, soccer games, the creek, the picnic tables at lunch, Evie’s house, parties with Evie’s friends. Except, in all of them, the boy’s face is affixed with the most stoic and severe look I’ve ever seen.

This dude was Evie’s international bestie?

He looks like he’s about to murder everyone in a 10-foot radius.

That is, except for one photo that was taken in the woods. Evie’s taking a selfie, tucked beneath his massive arm. And he’s smiling. His face suddenly transforms from a perpetual death stare into a bright light that radiates through his icy blue eyes.

I’m about to turn the page when I notice a sliver of paper sticking out from behind the edge of the photo. When I slide it out, I arch my brow with intrigue. It’s another photo, and the blonde boy is leaning down, his eyes closed while he kisses Evie. Just like she said. But what gives me pause is one particular detail in the background that’s not in the first picture.

At the edge of the photo, there’s a sign posted in the background— Palomino Park: Cotton Ridge Trail.

Palomino was where everyone began searching for Evie. She wasn’t in the park, but Colson and Mason found her much deeper in the woods. A chill runs over my shoulders, down my back, and all the way to my legs. I’m sure everyone in Canaan goes to this park, but for some reason this feels significant.

He would know this park. Maybe he would know something, anything…

I flip to the next page where a folded piece of notebook paper is tucked into the clear plastic sleeve. There’s a name with a non-US address and phone number, which I can only assume belong to the blonde exchange student.

But does he still live there?

I don’t know what compels me to take out my phone and type the number. I’ve never thought much about clairvoyance or extra sensory perception, but I have to speak to him. He has to help me. I don’t know how—I just have a feeling. That, and an old phone number from high school that may or may not work.

Before I can chicken out, I press the call button. It begins ringing, and I start second-guessing whether this will go anywhere. But, to my utter surprise, someone answers after only a couple of rings.

“Yes,” says a deep, gruff voice.

“Hi, I’m looking for Sergei Mikhailov?”

I hope I pronounced his name right. Even from just one word, his voice sounds like it could punch me right through the phone.

“Speaking,” he replies with the same brusque tone.

“Yeah, um, you don’t know me, but I think you knew my sister, Evie Maguire?”

There’s a long pause before the gruff voice responds. “Yes.”

“Well, I’m sure you already know, but, um, she was murdered when we were in high school.”

More silence.

“Anyway, it’s a long story, but my brother, Colson, and I know who killed her. It was her best friend’s brother, Bowen, and no one believed Colson when he said Bowen was responsible. And now he’s come after me. I found a photo album in Evie’s room and there are a lot of pictures of you and her in it and, I don’t know, I just…I know this sounds crazy, but—”

“That dickwad on the soccer team?” Sergei interjects in a thick Russian accent.

I blink, losing my train of thought.

“Uh, yeah…yeah, that’s him.”

“You’re Colson’s sister?”

I pause. “Yes?”

“The little one,” Sergei says with a hint of amusement. “Colson told me about you.”

“ Oh! I didn’t think you knew Colson back then.”

“I didn’t. He’s standing outside my truck right now.”

I stop breathing for a moment.

“I…um…like, right now?” I stammer. “What do you mean he’s standing outside your truck?”

“I work with him. You’re lucky I get service out here.”

Oh…my god. Another polar bear body guard?

My mind racing, I try to figure out what to say with this new information. “Has he told you any of this?”

“No.”

Shocker…

I don’t understand any of this, but if Colson’s standing outside his truck, then I don’t have much time.

“Sergei, this is very important. You knew Evie, so I need your help. I don’t know if she told you anything about Bowen or if you have any information that can help me, but I’m going to take Bowen down for what he did to her. I’m halfway there, but I can’t do it all on my own. I need to get Colson back here, but he won’t listen to me. I need him to come back and finish what he started. And then, maybe—”

Then his gruff voice interrupts me again.

“It’s done, little sister.”

●●●

When I finally walk into the apartment, I slowly make my way down the hall toward the blue glow emitting from the spare bedroom.

A smile pulls at my mouth when I see Alex sitting in his black leather chair, playing Dark Souls in nothing but a pair of black sweatpants. The blue neon lights cast a frosty luminescence over the room, distorting the colors of the Italian flag hanging on the opposite wall.

AJ’s setup.

If I’d have looked closer, I would’ve seen that it wasn’t the Italian flag after all, but rather an Italy National Football Team flag with my brother’s name scrawled in the corner in permanent marker along with Alex, Aiden, and Mason’s and the date commemorating their trip to see a game in Italy with Mason’s family.

This is probably what Alex looked like every time I played with him, except for when he was on camera wearing his Ghost mask. He sat just like he is now, listening to me tell him every detail of my life, from applying to internships to which bar on campus has the best fries. He knows everything.

Alex glances up with a smile as I let my bag slide off my shoulder onto the floor.

“Are you winning?” I ask, peering at the screen as I approach him.

“Javi’s kicking my ass right now,” he mutters.

I step in front of him and slide my knee over his, wrapping my arms around his neck and slowly sinking into his lap. Without a word, Alex sets his controller down on the desk and takes off his headset before enveloping me in his arms. I sit with him in silence for nearly a minute, focusing on my breathing while he runs his hand up and down my back.

“My monitors are broken,” I finally say, unsure of where to begin.

“Why are your monitors broken?” he asks in his usual soothing voice.

“I broke Austin’s nose and they were smashed when he fell on top of them.”

Alex pulls back, his expression unchanged, but his tone much more serious. “Did he hurt you?”

“Just my feelings. He came over for Halo night and freaked out when he saw me packing. Then he saw my ring. He said I was a disappointment, called you—” I shake my head, unable to even repeat it. “He said some horrible things. And then I punched him in the nose and left. Didn’t even get to watch Halo. ”

“Damn, Angelína, ” Alex looks me up and down, “remind me to never piss you off.”

“I always thought he was my friend, but one time he dropped the mask, and I can’t forget it. It’s like he’s always been—I don’t know,” I exhale, “a snake.”

“I told you a long time ago, Bostwick’s just a bratty kid with an inferiority complex. If only you’d just listen to me,” Alex teases.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” I give him a playful nudge. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“And as long as you are, no one is ever going to get close enough to hurt you again.”

I glance over my shoulder to the door, at my duffel bag sitting on the floor, and remember my secret; the one that Alex probably won’t like but I haven’t found a way to explain.

“I need to tell you something.” I swallow hard, preparing to out myself. “Something else about Bowen.”

“I know what you’re doing,” he says without missing a beat. “I know you play games with him, and I know why you’re doing it.”

“You do?” I knit my brow. “How?”

Alex grins up at me. “Did you honestly think that Aiden wouldn’t tell me?”

Aiden…what a tattle-tale.

“Are you mad?” I ask.

“Well, I don’t like it,” he admits, “I wanted to stop you, but I remember when everything happened with Evie. I remember you and what it did to you. We all know Bowen did it, but none of us were going to be able to prove it. But, now, I think you might be able to. And now that you live here with me, I have other ways of making sure you’re safe.”

“ Like what? ”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he smirks.

“I bet Aiden didn’t tell you what I need from you right now. Even he doesn’t know that.”

“Must be pretty good then.”

“Bowen said he would show me something he took from Evie,” I lean forward and gently kiss him, “but only if I pay him first.”

Alex runs his hands up my arms, pulling me closer. “Pay him what?” he asks, kissing my throat.

“He wants a video of Riley— gamer boy Riley —fucking his girlfriend,” I hover over his mouth, teasing his lips with my tongue, “ending with a non-consensual cream pie.”

Bowen is vile. And what he said he did to Evie was vile. But I’ll do anything if it means getting justice for her. I’ll do anything if it means destroying Bowen, even sending him a sex tape while pretending to be someone else just to lull him into a false sense of security.

“That’s fucked up,” Alex hooks his fingers in my shirt and peels it over my head, “and it sounds absolutely amazing.”

“You’ll do it?” I ask as he drops my shirt on the floor.

“Yes,” he doesn’t waver, “because this is war, and it’ll just make that moment when he realizes how fucked he is that much more satisfying. And because you’re mine, and I’m yours, and he can either watch this on loop while he’s on death row, or for eternity in hell.”

With a grin, I slide off his lap and reach for his phone. I hold it out for him to unlock it, open the camera, and then mount it against his monitors at just enough of an angle to keep our bodies in the frame from the waist down. Then I slide my pants down my hips and let them fall to my ankles before I pick up the controller and hand it to Alex.

“Keep playing the game,” I instruct, stepping out of my pants and climbing back into his lap.

Alex peers around my body at the phone screen, swiveling his chair to find the right angle that obscures his tattoo. Then he plants his feet on the floor and takes hold of the controller at the small of my back.

I lean away slightly so he can see the monitor. “You better not die, or I’ll stop.”

“Do your worst. I’ll still win, like always.”

Slowly, I slide my hand into his sweatpants, curling my fingers around his cock, rigid against my groin. Freeing it from his pants, I begin stroking him as he resumes the game. The graphics flash in his eyes, already ablaze as I raise up and slide his tip over my slick skin.

“If your name is Riley tonight, does that make me AJ?” I whisper in his ear as I position him at my entrance.

“You always wished you could be me,” he replies, not looking away from the screen.

I collapse onto his cock, letting out a moan as I take him to the hilt. He takes one hand off the controller, grabbing my ass as his jaw drops. But then he snaps his mouth shut, hissing through his teeth as he tries to concentrate.

“Is that why you couldn’t stay away?” I raise up and sink back down, only to do it again, leaning over his shoulder to show the camera as I start riding him. “How many times did you pretend your hand was my pussy?” I taunt him in a low whisper, too soft for the mic to pick up. “So tight that you could barely…fit… ”

I come down hard on the last words, trying to break his focus. Alex bites his lip while a hurricane rages behind his eyes.

“You know what I did all these years,” I keep going, “when I didn’t know if you were alive or dead?”

Alex’s eyes dart to mine and then back to the screen, the tension in his jaw betraying his stoic exterior.

I run my fingertips up his scalp and brush my lips along the shell of his ear. “When it was dark and quiet, I pretended it was you in my bed, and I was coming all over your cock while I fucked every toy I had.”

In an instant, he drops the controller and grabs my waist with such force that it gives me a start.

“ Ry, wait… ” I gasp, feigning shock. “ You have to pull out! ”

“Fuck that,” he barks.

He digs his fingertips in and holds me firm while he thrusts upward, fast and hard.

“ Ry—no! No! ” I grab his shoulders and try to push away.

I don’t want him to stop, and the sensation of him holding me down and not letting me move sends me spiraling. My head falls back and my body goes rigid as the orgasm hits, turning my fake pleas to cries of rapture.

Gradually, Alex’s hips slow and he runs his hand up my back, pulling me close as he trails kisses all the way down my chest. He moves over my tits, closing his mouth over each nipple and sucking hard, eliciting short whimpers from me as he catches the metal piercings between his teeth.

He locks his arm around my torso and lifts my ass, spreading me wide to show the camera as his cock slides out of me, his cum dripping from my pussy.

I try to dismount, but a sting radiates across my ass as he gives it a sharp smack. “Did I say you could go anywhere?” he growls.

“No,” I squeak, trying to maintain the charade while my eyes roll and my muscles contract at the lingering feeling of him.

It’s fortunate I’m facing away and my head is out of frame, or else it would be obvious that I’m about to beg him to fuck me again. But as if he knows what I’m thinking, Alex holds his cock and pulls me down on top of it again, pushing his cum deep inside. I let out a desperate moan, rocking back and forth in quick, spastic motions before he lifts me up again.

“Now thank me,” he commands.

I look down at him, my mouth curling with excitement as I hesitate, goading him on. Alex flicks his wrist again and lands another smack across my ass, this time much harder. I let out a shriek, catching myself on his shoulders.

“Thank…you,” I gasp between breaths.

“For what?” he asks in a tone as sharp as glass.

I run my hand up the side of his neck. “Thank you for coming inside me…” then I lean into his ear with a whisper, “ Daddy. ”

Alex stills and then slowly shifts his gaze, meeting my eyes with a stony expression. I lock on, waiting for his reaction, but he just stares back at me with an eerie, dead-behind-the-eyes look. My heart starts beating with trepidation until, finally, he tilts his head and narrows his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling into a feral grin.

“ Ohhh, ” he groans, “ you little fucking hellion. ”

I break into a broad grin. “I win.”

Alex let’s out an exasperated huff. “This isn’t over,” he clips, pressing his nose to my cheek. “This isn’t over, Angelína. ”

I give him a coy peck on the lips and then twist around, reaching for his phone to end the recording.

“What do you want to eat tonight?” he asks, stretching his arms over his head and flexing his muscles. “Filets? A big-ass salad? A whole Thanksgiving dinner because you’ll need your strength for when I fuck the hell out of you for the rest of the night?”

“An extra-large pizza,” I reply, “with ham, pineapple, and chili oil.”

“Done and done. But you don’t need the pineapple,” he glances down at the wet spot I left on his stomach, “you’re already the sweetest I’ve ever tasted.”

I cup the sides of his face and lean into his embrace, running my tongue over his with a deep kiss.

“But, more importantly,” he presses his forehead against mine, his tone turning serious, “are you alright?”

I know what he’s asking. Maybe this was irresponsible of me, and maybe I was blinded by my own vengeful ideations, but I still asked him to do it—to walk the razor’s edge and pretend to do what Bowen did.

“Yes,” I reply softly, “because I asked you to. And I liked when you did it. I liked it a lot. ”

“I’ll never say no to you, Dal,” Alex brushes his nose over mine, “and I’ll always listen to you. Because I love you.”

“I know you will,” I grin, “because I love you, too, Alex fucking Barrera.”

And that’s the difference. I don’t owe anyone an explanation other than that. And when Alex says he’ll do something, he does it, including ordering me a ham and pineapple pizza from my favorite pizzeria and drizzling it with more chili oil than anyone has any business eating as soon as it arrives.

“Wow,” I murmur as I finish reviewing the edited video on the burner phone that I only use for communicating with Bowen.

Lower the lighting, change the pitch, adjust the speed, and neither of us look or sound like ourselves.

Alex watches over my shoulder. “An Oscar-winning performance right there.”

I peer up at him suspiciously. “You’re really good at this.”

“You forget, we’ve had three years practice pretending to be other people. And by the way,” he reaches down and tips my chin up, “I’ve never felt the need to be anyone’s Daddy, but I wouldn’t mind being yours.”

“Maybe you could do it again…later.”

“ Mí Mariposita, ” he drawls, “just say the word and I’ll use and abuse you all night if you want me to.”

The thought of it fills me with the most depraved satisfaction, amplified only by the moment I press the send button and shoot off my edited porno into the ether to entice Bowen to spill his guts.

I have no choice but to go to bed wondering if it’ll be enough. But I don’t have to wait long for an answer, because a text comes through while I’m brushing my teeth. I pick up the burner phone to read it, but there’s nothing but a photo. At first, I don’t know what I’m looking at. But, soon, the horrific image begins to register. I spit my toothpaste out and drag a towel across my mouth, my eyes glued to the screen.

His head is cut out of the frame, but I know it’s Bowen. He’s lying on his back with one arm behind his head while the other holds the phone above him. There’s something laying in the center of his chest that snakes all the way down his torso and ends just above the waistband of his sweatpants. The stark contrast of the disembodied rope of vibrant ruby hair against Bowen’s abs is unmistakable. And what’s more, it still holds a sheen in the light as though it’s remained untouched for six years.

I set the phone on the vanity, grabbing the edges to brace myself as I try to breathe. But all I can do is stare in horror while I try to stop the room from spinning. I don’t know how long Alex has been standing behind me when I finally notice his shadow cast over the white marble. He doesn’t say anything, only stares over my shoulder with the same menacing look he gave Austin at GalactiCon.

My voice cracks with dread. “He has…he has her hair,” I rasp as tears blur the grotesque image before me.

Alex wraps his arms around my stomach and shoulders, enveloping me in a tight cocoon. I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting the urge to collapse into a blubbering pile on the floor while he presses me against his chest. Once my head stops spinning, there’s only one question running through my mind.

“Where is it?” I murmur. “Where does he keep it?”

I’m no idiot; Bowen’s face isn’t in frame and even if I sounded the alarm now, I don’t know where he keeps his macabre treasure hoard. Does he text me from his real phone or is he smart enough to cover his tracks, too?

I look up at Alex. “It’s not enough.”

“No,” Alex agrees, “if he gets spooked, he could destroy everything. He has to give you more.”

But, still, this is a big deal.

I scowl at the phone, its screen having gone dark by now. “Austin—that fucking asshole, ” I sneer, “saying I ran back to you because Bowen rejected me or some shit.” I get angrier the more I think about it. “As if I’d knowingly look at Bowen to begin with! Austin just—"

But then I go silent. Staring at the screen, an unsettling feeling skitters over my skin like a thousand spiders. Everything stops, sounds mute, and my pulse thumps in my ears as the realization hits me like a freight train.

“What?” Alex’s voice breaks me out of my trance. “What is it?”

How would Austin even know about Bowen?