Chapter 196: The Game She’s Playing

DAVID’S POV

The moment the headlights cut across Holly’s face, Norman’s brows shot up.

“Justin?” he muttered, surprise flickering before curiosity twisted into something sharper. He turned to her, then to my brother stepping out of the car, and let the words drop, casual but edged.

“Why’s he the one picking you up, Holly? Anything else going on between you two that you forgot to tell us? Thought you said you were just friends.”

I stilled against my Jeep, my pulse thudding harder than it should.

Justin barely blinked. “Exactly,” he said smoothly, voice even, like he’d practiced it. “We are just friends. She isn’t familiar with this side of town, and I happened to be free. I’m doing her a favor. I brought her here in the morning. Isn’t it expected that I be the one to pick her up after work?”

Norman’s lips curled into a smile that wasn’t a smile at all as he nodded. Suspicious, sharp, knowing. The kind of smile that said I don’t believe a word of it, but I’ll play along until I can use it against you.

He waved lazily and slipped into his car, leaving the air charged with something unspoken.

And then it was just us.

Me. Holly. Justin.

Holly’s face broke into a giggle I’d never seen directed at anyone else. She ran to the car, boots clicking on the pavement, and leaned in to greet him. They exchanged a quick hug…nothing obscene, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Was this it? The next phase of her plan?

To get to me through him?

I pushed off the Jeep and strolled over, casual as anything. “Didn’t know you two knew each other all these while,” I said, my voice perfectly even.

Justin smirked from behind the wheel.  “Not exactly, bro. But that’s the crazy thing about connections. It’s always instant.”

Holly just smiled sweetly, slipping into the passenger seat like she’d been doing it for years.

“I’m only asking,” I said, leaning slightly toward the car, “because I look out for my brother. And I know what kind of trouble likes to hide in plain sight.”

Justin’s expression cooled. “I’m old enough to know what I’m doing, David.”

“I’m sure you think you are,” I replied, letting the words carry the weight I wanted them to, “but not all trouble comes with warning labels.” My eyes flicked to Holly.

Her smile didn’t falter. If anything, it got sharper.

Justin gave a low chuckle. “Relax. Holly’s harmless.”

I stepped back, hands raised in mock surrender. “Sure she is.”

I stepped closer to Holly’s side of the door and leaned down, not close enough to be called aggressive. But close enough that she’d have to hear me.

“You’re clever,” I said, my voice low. “I’ll give you that.”

She lifted her head, feigning innocence so perfectly she could’ve won an award for it…and in the motion, her lips brushed against mine. Just a ghost of contact, but deliberate enough to set my blood boiling.

“About what?” she asked softly, her eyes wide, her tone laced with mock confusion. As if she hadn’t just crossed the line. As if she didn’t know exactly what she’d done.

My insides seared with fury, every nerve screaming for me to snap, but I kept my face unreadable. Calm. Controlled. A mask over the fire.

“About knowing exactly where to stick the knife.” My eyes held hers. “My brother? Really?”

Her lips curved, slow and deliberate. “Oh… is that what this is about?”

“Don’t play dumb, Holly.”

“I’m not playing dumb,” she said, looking away from me like she was perfectly at ease. “I’m playing fair.”

“Fair?” I let out a dry laugh. “Dragging my family into whatever this is—”

“This?” She cut me off, brows lifting. “You mean… me getting a ride home from a friend? Or are you suggesting your brother needs your permission to talk to people?”

Her tone was soft, almost sweet, but there was a blade behind it.

“I’m suggesting you stay in your lane.”

She leaned forward again, just enough that I caught the faint scent of her perfume…sharp, expensive, lingering. “And I’m suggesting,” she murmured, “that if I wanted to ruin you, David, I wouldn’t start with Justin. He’s a nice guy. You’re not.”

The words landed like a slap, not because of the insult, but because I couldn’t tell if she was bluffing… or telling me the truth.

She smiled…a slow, satisfied thing… and started strapping her seat belt, brushing my arm lightly as she tucked it in.

They pulled away, Holly glancing at me through the window with a look I couldn’t quite read…part victory, part challenge.

I stayed on the curb until the car disappeared from view.

Fine.

If she wanted to turn this into a family affair, then maybe it was time I stopped holding back.

I’m blowing this out of proportion.

Starting with Ava.

By the time I made it home, the bourbon was already calling my name.

I loosened my tie, poured two fingers neat, and swallowed it like water. The burn wasn’t nearly enough to drown the image of Holly’s her smile as she slid into my brother’s car.

I slammed the glass down, harder than necessary, then dragged myself into the study.

The safe blinked at me from the corner, silent, patient. I punched in the code, the heavy door swinging open with a groan. My hand bypassed the stacks of cash, the files, the gun… all of it. Straight for the small, black phone buried beneath.

My old phone.

The one I swore I’d never turn on again.

The moment the screen lit up, my stomach clenched. Names. Numbers. Ghosts I’d buried under years of bourbon and bad decisions. Memories I didn’t want resurrected, but here they were, flickering to life like a curse.

Her name sat there. Untouched. Like it had been waiting for me.

Why the fuck do I even still have this phone?

I should’ve tossed it years ago.

But something in me…stupid, reckless, masochistic…kept it.

And now here I was.

Because whatever game the Millers thought they were playing with me, it needed to stop. They don’t get to drag my family into a mess I was responsible for. They don’t get to pull Justin, Norman, my company, hell, anyone…into this.

I hit dial.

Downed the rest of the bourbon in one gulp, the liquid burning my throat.

The ring cut off, and then…

“Hello?”

Her voice.

It hit me like a sledgehammer.

Suddenly, I was back in that courtroom, sitting in front of a jury, every eye on me like I was already guilty, already sentenced.

“Hello?” she said again, tentative now. Then—

“Mason?”

The name was a knife, sliding between my ribs.

I froze. My chest tightened.

And then I hung up.

Like a coward.

I yanked the back cover off, ripped out the battery, the SIM, flung them to the floor like they’d burned me. My pulse thundered. My hands shook.

The pieces stared up at me, harmless and dead, but I couldn’t stop glaring at them like they were laughing. Like they knew exactly how weak I’d just been.

What the fuck was I thinking?

Calling her. After all this time.

Dragging the past back into the present, inviting it to tear through the fragile walls I’d built.

I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes, a growl tearing from my throat.

I couldn’t afford this. Not now. Not with Holly playing her little games. Not with Justin stupid enough to get caught in the crossfire. Not with the Millers circling like vultures.

All…all I’ve ever done…is for my family.

It’s what got me into this mess in the first place.

And if I wasn’t careful, it was going to be the very thing that destroyed me.

Again.