Uncovering His SECRET (13 page)

“Yuck, Dad.”

“Just close your
eyes,” Tegan tells him.

“I have a feeling I’m
going to be doing that a lot from now on.”

“Count on it,” I
admit.

We get the license and
then head down the street to the chapel. Elvis is ready for us, and
the ceremony goes off without a hitch. Cyndi and Brad give Tegan
away, which has tears in all of our eyes. Ethan is my best man, and
Stella is the maid of honor. I’ll admit I was a little worried that
Cyndi or Wayne would object, but no one does. An added bonus is that
the chapel was able to live stream the ceremony, so my family in
Texas were able to watch as well.

We didn’t have time
for a cake or reception, but I’ll make it up to her later. My mom
already said she wants to have a big party for us once we’re able
to travel there. Tegan asked them not to tell anyone about the
wedding yet. She said it’s too dangerous. I don’t really care if
anyone knows or not. It only matters that we are in fact married.

When we get back to her
place, she tells me to wait in the upstairs hall for a minute while
she goes into her room. I lean against the wall and wait for my
surprise. It’s worth the wait when I see her standing in the
doorway, wearing that damn black dress.

“Come on in,” she
says, finally inviting me in.

I’ve wanted to see
her room for so long, but all I can think about right now is her in
that dress. Until I’m past the door. Then I stop and look around in
shock. The room’s full of things from our past. Little gifts I gave
her and pictures. The entire wall facing her bed is filled with
pictures of us. There are large photos of Ethan and me that Candi
took, but in between are photos of the two of us, from the time we
were kids until we were sixteen.

“Say something,”
she says.

“I’m going to do so
many bad things to you tonight, that you’re going to lose your
voice from all the screaming.”

“Promises, promises”

“I’m keeping this
promise, honey. I guarantee it,” I tell her as I pick her up and
toss her onto her bed.

The bed looks like a
corral, with wood rails on each side and a headboard made from a
piece of wood that I recognize because it was once in my family’s
barn. It’s perfect, just like we are when we’re together. I’m
so glad that she finally let me in. Waking up next to my wife
tomorrow is going to be amazing.

Tegan

I wake up before I need
to, but I’m glad that I did. Caleb just rolled over away from me in
his sleep, but I know from experience these last few weeks, that it
will only last for maybe an hour, and then he’ll roll back over to
me. It’s sweet that he can’t be away from me for long, but right
now it’s making my heart hurt. I dress quickly, and leave the note
I wrote on my pillow for him. With any luck, I’ll be back here in
less than twenty four hours to explain everything.

I’m already on one of
the Corrigan jets when the first message comes in on my computer
screen.

Cal: What the hell
Teeg? You’re just going to fucking leave me after we got married
last night?

Me: I left you a
note.

Cal: I got the damn
note. I want my wife. Come home.

Me: I can’t, but
if everything goes like it should, I’ll be home tomorrow.

Cal: Tell me what’s
going on at least. That note was shit. “I love you, but I have to
leave.” Really? WTF?

Me: I can’t
explain now. Just please remember that everything is not what it
seems.

Cal: With us?

Me: No. You and
Ethan are my everything, Cowboy. You just might see something that
looks bad. I need you to know that it won’t be what it looks like.

Cal: Cryptic much?

Me: I love you.

Cal: I know. I love
you too. Hurry home, honey.

Me: I promise you
that I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Cal: I guess that’s
all I can ask for. Call me when you can.

Me: I will.

I close my eyes as we
descend into Houston, and pray that I can actually pull this off. I
haven’t seen Greg since high school. When I got a Facebook account
a few years ago, he tried to friend me, but I declined his request.
For obvious reasons. I never, in a million years, thought I would
have to go near him again. But to save Caleb, I’ll do anything,
even add to my bad reputation. If that’s possible.

“You okay, Teeg?”
Nate asks me when we get to my house. He’s here to back me up. I’m
hoping I won’t need it, but I’m not putting anything past the
bastard who already conspired to break me once.

“As okay as I can be.
I need to go get changed.”

“I don’t know all
the details of what this guy did to you, but I’ve got your back. I
won’t hesitate to take him down if he tries to hurt you.”

“Thanks.”

I put on the dress
Stella got me for tonight. It’s not something I would normally ever
wear, even when I was going out looking for a guy to take to bed. But
Greg won’t be able to ignore it. I told her to get me the red one,
so it can match my invisible letter. The one that’s going to come
back full force tonight. The dress has a gold, flowered lace overlay
and red lace sleeves. It’s super short, with a very deep V-neck. I
have a nice set of girls, but I still use an extreme push-up bra to
make them practically fall out. I have to adjust a little to hide
Caleb’s bite marks, but I get them all covered. Simple red heels
complete my look.

“Whoa. I’m
definitely protecting you tonight.”

“So you think he’ll
notice me?”

“Hell, Teeg. You’re
like a little sister to me, and
I’m
noticing you.”

“Gross. You need to
be noticing Jade,” I tell him as we walk outside.

“I notice her. That’s
my problem.”

“She could be your
salvation.”

“Drop it.”

“For now.”

We get in the car and
drive down into town. He gets out a block away from the local bar, so
no one will see us together. I park in the parking lot, and check my
make-up. I already know my hair is clashing with the dress, but
tonight is about looking trashy, so it works.

The minute I walk into
the bar, most conversations stop. I immediately see Greg with the
blonde I was told he’d be with. She’s another pageant girl from
Dallas, according to my “friend” back in Vegas. I ignore the fact
that I want to throw up right now, and swing my hips as I walk
towards the one person I’d hoped to never see again in my life.

“Well, well, well.
The prodigal daughter returns.”

“Hi Greg.”

“You’re looking
good, Teeg. Real good.”

“I was hoping you’d
notice.”

“Were you now?”

“Uh-huh. I haven’t
been able to get you out of my head for all these years I’ve been
gone.” Ain’t that the truth?

“Excuse me, but who
are you?” the blonde asks me.

“This here’s the
legendary Tegan Kelly, the hottest girl to ever come from this town.”

“And now I’m back
looking for some fun.”

“With me?”

“You’ll do. You can
bring her, too, and any other friends you think might want to join
in.”

“Hell, yeah. Let’s
get out of here.”

He loops one arm around
my shoulder, and one arm around hers. I hear the camera phones
clicking as we make our way out the door. I seriously am having to
tamp down my gag reflex as I smell that same disgusting cologne that
he’s worn for years. I’m not worried about my safety with him
this time, at least. I could take him down in a hot second, and I
know Nate’s out there.

“Hold up a second. I
need a selfie of us.”

I force myself to smile
as he grabs my right breast and squeezes, kissing the side of my
head. I know exactly who he’s going to send it to, but I have to
see this through.

We get into the car,
with Greg next to me, and Sharla—the blonde—behind me. Just as I
shift into drive, Nate jumps in the backseat.

“Hi party people, are
we ready to play?”

“Holy shit, you’re
Nate Anderson. I mean,
the
Nate Anderson.”

“And you must be
Greg. Tegan said we were going to have some fun tonight.”

“Oh yeah. This is
going to be epic.”

“I get to play with
him, don’t I, Greg?” Sharla asks. I see her in the rearview
mirror, running her hand over Nate’s biceps. Jade is going to cut a
bitch.

“We can share you. I
like sharing,” Nate says, looking her over.

“Is Phil still
around?”

“You want someone to
share with, darling?” Greg asks, not able to mask the hunger in his
eyes when I glance his way. “Have you ever had two, or more?”

“Yes. Call him, and
tell him to meet us at my place. The blue house on the hill,” I say
biting my bottom lip and then licking it. God, this is painful.

He takes out his phone
and texts. A couple minutes later, he puts his hand on my thigh and
leans close to whisper in my ear. “He’s bringing some other girls
with him, but we want you to ourselves first.”

“I can’t wait.”

I pull into my driveway
and we all get out. We’re barely through the door when Nate and I
attack. Well, I should say I attack. He just grabs Sharla in a
chokehold while I punch and kick Greg until he’s almost
unconscious. He didn’t see it coming, and it was almost too easy,
but I still enjoyed it immensely. We tie them both to my iron dining
room chairs, and put duct tape over their mouths. Then we put on some
loud music, and wait.

About ten minutes
later, my doorbell rings. I answer the door with a bottle of vodka in
my hand. “Hi Phil.”

“Hello, Tegan. You
look good enough to fuck right here in the doorway.”

That works for him?
Really? Obviously it does if the four girls with him are any
indication. Plus, he actually got someone to marry him. Sweet Jesus.

“Let’s get inside
first, so you can introduce me to your friends.”

That doesn’t happen,
of course. I let Nate have him while I fight the girls. Two of them
go down easy—I just whack them with the bottle—but the other two
want to play. That’s fine. I’m in the mood for a good fight.

They have some silent
communication going on, which I’m pretty sure they think will give
them an advantage. Oh, this is going to be fun. They circle me and
then try to attack. I let a punch graze my cheek as I kick the other
one into the living room, where she crashes into my metal coffee
table. I’m once again thankful that my style doesn’t lean towards
antiques.

The other one moves
past me to help her friend up, and I follow them into the room. I
glance at Nate. He already tied up the other three, and now he’s
sitting on an empty chair eating an apple with his arms crossed.
Jack-ass. I know I’ve got this, and so does he, but still.

The two are a little
more wary, and frankly I’m just bored with this whole thing. I want
to get to the interrogation, and then go home to my guys. I run
towards them, and they part just like I want them to. Not too far
since they don’t have time, but just enough for what I want to do.
I grab a fistful of each of their shirts, jump on the coffee table,
and flip forward, taking them both over with me. I land on my knees,
while they’re face down on the floor, unconscious from the impact.

Nate starts a slow
clap. “Nice. Very, nice.”

“I learned from the
best,” I tell him with a wink.

“You sure as hell
did. That was so impressive I’ll even tie them up for you while you
start making your friends talk.”

“They’ve never been
my friends, Nate. Never.”

“I gathered that from
the way you beat that one down,” he says, gesturing to Greg. “Play
not nice all you want, I’ve got a few knives with me if you need
help.”

Greg’s eyes widen as
I walk towards him. I’m not sure if it’s from what Nate just
said, or what he just saw me do. Maybe it’s both. As long as he
talks, I could give two fucks.

I rip the duct tape
from his mouth. “Are you going to tell me what I need to know, or
am I going to get to hurt you some more?”

“I’ll talk.”

“Damn, you’re no
fun. But here we go. Why are you and your beauty queens trying to
stop Caleb from releasing his formula?”

“That? That’s why
you kidnapped us? Of course it is. It always comes down to Tegan and
Caleb. The golden couple. Well, until we took you down.”

“As much as I’d
love to reminisce about how you broke us up when we were teenagers, I
need an answer to the question I asked you. You
will
answer, whether I have to hurt you first, or not.”

“Fuck you.”

“You already tried
that, and it didn’t work,” I tell him as I kick him in the face,
knocking his chair over.

“You bitch. You do
that to me when I’m tied up? Real tough.”

“She hit you when you
weren’t tied up, and you didn’t fare any better,” Nate reminds
him.

“I’ll tell you
nothing. You can’t kill me, because you need the information I
have.”

“Do I? Do you know
what he knows, Phil?”

He starts to shake his
head, but when I raise my eyebrow at him, he nods. I turn back to
Greg with a smile on my face. “Traitor! You’d really kill me?”

“What do you think?”

“Let me up, and I’ll
tell you everything.”

Nate rights the chair,
as I pull over another empty one and take a seat. “Go ahead.”

“My boss at the oil
company in Houston hired me to do this side job. He knew I was
friends with Cal, and we both figured I could get him to back off. I
tried to just talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t budge. He insists
that this will be good for everyone, but that’s just bullshit. His
alternate fuel will put us all out of jobs.”

“Maybe in ten to
fifteen years, but not now. Most people are creatures of habit and
will just go for the regular gas. Especially because his fuel won’t
be cheaper. Once people get used to it, they might buy it more, but
they’ll be lucky to break even with it for the first year.”