Chapter 31
Sweat was dripping all over my body, and my muscle were burning with the strain that I was putting them through, but I wasn’t done. I wasn’t sure I would ever be done. I was afraid that, if I stopped punching this bag, or stopped lifting the bench bar, or stopped working the barbells, or stopped running on the treadmill, I’d go looking for Rylee and kill her.
After I’d left her motel room, four hours ago, I came straight home and haven’t left the gym room since. When I’d bought this place, I had converted the third bedroom into a gym, and thank fucking God for that foresight, because another person I wanted to go out and kill was August Remington.
I. Wanted. To. Kill. That. Motherfucker.
While I’ve taken full responsibility for not trusting Rylee and the way I treated her, I knew August was behind that stunt Laney had pulled. Whatever August was up to, Laney was his pawn, and he had used her spectacularly. I just didn’t know what Laney had to gain from it yet. I knew what August was hoping to gain, but I didn’t know how any of it benefited Laney.
Stepping away from the punching back, I took a drink of water, and walked a slow lap on the treadmill to wind down. Once I was languid enough, I grabbed my phone off the utility table and dialed Chicago.
“What’s up?” he answered after the third ring.
“I need a further detailed background check on Laney Spinner,” I told him.
“How detailed?”
“I don’t need facts,” I told him, and I knew Chicago automatically knew what I was hinting to.
I didn’t need facts on her life; I already had those. When I had run background checks on the initiating class, they had been thorough. What I needed was motive as to why Laney would help August break me and Rylee up. So, for that, I needed someone to hack into her phone and social media accounts. I needed correspondence between Laney and August, or Laney and anyone who could shed some light on her motives.
“How soon?”
Since I planned on destroying Rylee’s life beginning on Monday, the sooner the better. However, I knew it would take a couple of days. Trusting a hacker went both ways. “As soon as you’re comfortable,” I told him.
“No problem.” And with that, he hung up, so he could get to work. Chicago didn’t dick around.
Hanging up, I headed towards my room to take a shower, and hopefully quiet my demons, though I really didn’t see that happening.
Rylee had fucked me up good.
I had to give the girl some serious credit, though. Talk about fighting fire with fire. Just like she’d thought last night had meant something special until I had pointed out differently, she’d done the same to me.
When Rylee had let me kiss her, I had really believed it was because she was going to forgive me and try to make our relationship work. And when she had dropped to her knees, and had swallowed my cock, I had stupidly believed she had forgiven me.
Even when she had gotten the condoms out of her purse, though I had felt reservations over using them because of what they had represented in my mind, Rylee had given me the sexiest smirk when she had declared how we’d been ready with the condoms that I hadn’t given it any further thought.
Sliding inside her had felt like the final piece of the puzzle clicking in place, and I had been declaring victory in my mind already.
Then she had referred to herself as one of my sluts.
Like the kind of slut that deserved what I had given her last night.
And now, we were in a full-blown war, and it was one I couldn’t afford to lose, no matter how much I loved her. Or maybe it was because of how much I loved her that I couldn’t lose. As stunning as she was strong and brave, I’d take her broken and defeated just the same. However, it really was a shame that it had come to this. Together, Rylee and I would have ruled the world.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and while it could only be a few people since visitors had to be buzzed into the building, I didn’t really feel like dealing with anyone right now. However, Lennox wasn’t home-probably with Debra-so that left me to answer the door. Of course, I could ignore it and just head on back to my planned shower, but the small chance that it could be Rylee had me heading to the front door to open it.
Pathetic, I know.
However, it wasn’t Rylee on the other side of the door when I opened it.
It was Alexander George.
Fuck.
“Mr. Lexington,” he greeted. “Good to see you.”
“Cut the shit, Alexander,” I immediately responded. “What are you doing here?”
He smirked but didn’t take offense. “May I come in?”
While I didn’t want him in my condo, it wouldn’t do me any good to antagonize an Order member. Especially, one who rubbed elbows with the one guy who I was probably going to kill one day. So, I stepped back and let him enter my condo.
Shutting the door, I didn’t offer him a seat. Whatever Alexander wanted, he could tell me standing up, and then get the fuck out. “What are you doing here, Alexander?” I asked again.
He shook his head slightly. “It would do you some good to learn patience from Mr. Carmichael.”
I wanted to laugh. Just because Ross Carmichael had a reputation for having a long fuse did not mean the guy wasn’t just as volatile as the rest of us unstable fucks. It was in Alexander’s best interest to remember that we’d all been picked to join The Order for a reason.
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” I deadpanned. “What the fuck do you want, Alexander?”
“Very well,” he exhaled. “I understand you’re going to petition to cancel the Hera contract between yourself and Ms. Madden, correct?”
I did my best to mask my features, but I couldn’t be sure that I was being successful. It wasn’t that I was surprised that Alexander knew, it was that I didn’t know how he knew. That video Kincaid had sent us showed Rylee telling Laney that I had called off the engagement, so Laney could have told August, and he’s the one who could have contacted Alexander, or Laney could have told Alexander herself.
Or Rylee could have called him after I had left the motel room.
I crossed my arms over my chest, not caring that I was still a sweaty mess. “Say that it’s true,” I replied. “Is there a special reason that you couldn’t wait for my phone call about it? Is there a specific reason you felt the need to bother me at home for the details?”
He bristled at the reminder that he wasn’t welcomed in my home. “Need I remind you that this is the first Hera contract to ever be enacted within The Order, Mr. Lexington? If there’s an issue, it is my duty to see to it immediately.”
I simply didn’t like this man, so that’s why I didn’t want to give any credence to his words, but recalling the conversation I’d had with my dad, I knew this contract was making everyone nervous, and that included Alexander.
My arms dropped to my sides. I needed to douse the defensiveness if I was going to sell my lie convincingly. “Well, you can run back and tell everyone that they can rest easy, Alexander,” I replied. “I’m not cancelling the contract. You need to double check your sources next time.”
Alexander’s eyes were shrewd and narrowing. “There’s a rumor that Ms. Madden told Ms. Spinner that you called off the engagement and were going to cancel the contract,” he said, telling me his information hadn’t come from Rylee, and that mattered more than anyone could know.
I let out a dark laugh, like I was about to let Alexander in on a dark secret. “Well, let me tell you something about Laney Spinner and August Remington, Alexander.” His back straightened, and I knew I was going to have to call in the big guns for a check into August and Alexander’s relationship. “August Remington wants my girl,” I informed him. “And before you start to defend him or claim otherwise, August asked Rylee out back in May. Rylee turned him down, and then you know what happened next? He picked Laney Spinner, Rylee’s roommate and close friend, as his supporter. And I don’t have to tell you how he took the Hera contract announcement, Alexander. You were there.”
Alexander didn’t comment for a while. He seemed to be mulling over what I’d just told him, and he surprised me when he finally said. “Any proof of interference will be dealt with harshly, Mr. Lexington. You have my word.”
I gave him a tight nod. “And just for the record, I am not, nor do I have any plans of cancelling the contract agreement. Ever.”
Alexander returned the nod, but as he made his way past me towards the front door, he left me with one last ominous piece of advice. “Marry Ms. Madden as soon as possible, Mr. Lexington. The delay isn’t good for anyone.”
I watched him walk out of my condo and thought he couldn’t be more right.