49 - FAIR GAME

KYLE’S POV

It wasn’t hard to spot his lurk – Aria’s fiancée. Strange car parked a few blocks from mine wearing a baseball cap to conceal his face but I could see him well enough when I sprinted past his car. I smirked to myself because I knew he was going to follow me, I could understand him because I would do the same. I ran ahead, I could still feel the soreness on my face from the derbacle of the previous night alongside with Aria’s lingering touch, and for some reason I could still perceive her scent, hovering above me like an incessant fly that would very much love to catch.

I stayed on the lane, occasionally looking out for him while he trudged slowly behind. He could never catch up to me, his stamina was weak and I was going to prey on that and at the same time I needed to find out what he wanted. Like a cat, I turned the corner when I saw the lady stop him, this was my chance to turn the narrative around so I sprinted away, taking the sharp curves that Shawn wasn’t familiar with, while I went behind and watched him from the corner of the house. He ran faster, his eyes searching with heavy breaths. Poor thing! I looked at my watch and time was running out, I needed to find out what he wanted so I sprinted quietly towards him and tapping his shoulder.

“How long are you going to keep following me?” I said and his eyes widened in surprise while he backed up a little.

“You’re not as sneaky as you think and what makes you think you can catch me unawares in my own turf?”

Shawn looked me up and down, he was a lawyer and they always had this nasty look about them like they’re better than everyone – that was how he looked at me and it infuriated me.

“What happened to your face?” he spat out first, not necessarily condescending there was nothing polite about the way he asked the question.

“None of your business”

“It is my business if it involves my fiancée coming to rescue you from the club” he fired back at me and I’ll admit that took me by surprise but I couldn’t lose my composure, so I sported a smirk – a dirty one at that.

“So you followed her?”

“And I was right to do so, what do you want from her? She’s engaged to me so stay away from her”

“What if I say no?”

I saw his face redden, and he squared up to me but I stood my ground while we stared at each other, eye ball to eyeball but his with an anger that could light a match, and I just wanted to ruffle him up a bit.
“What, so you can hurt her again? Haven’t you done enough?”

I stayed quiet and watched him, he was picking at where it hurt the most because he knew – he knew all about it. He was the lawyer that handled the case, and it surprised me that he stayed quiet all these while.

“Don’t think I don’t remember you. Kyle Hart. You know what you did and you’re just lucky you got away with it” he said

“I had an alibi” so the records said, but I didn’t. He was the lawyer and I wasn’t sure exactly how much information he knew

“So the records said but you and I both know that’s a lie, you and I know that you pulled that trigger and destroyed her life”

*I didn’t

“Stay away from Aria – she doesn’t need this mess. Involving yourself with her means she gets to find, do you think she will look at you the same after finding out what you did. I don’t know much about the history between you two, and hell I don’t even want to find out – just stay out of her life” he said proceeding to turn around and leave when I stopped him. I just had one question to ask.

“Why – why haven’t you told her?” I was curious, he had recognized me from the moment he saw me when he came by the company. The familiar glint in his eyes was glaring mixed with a slight frown that bred insecurity but he never said anything – why?

“It’s not my confession to make” he said back, taking off the baseball hat to pull the hair away from his eyes. “It’s your cross to carry and I wasn’t going to relive you so easily. One thing I know, as long as you keep meddling in her life, the truth is going to come out” he added, an excitement to his voice that I couldn’t really place my foot on. An excitement from the fact that he had a secret over my head – a dirty secret that I’d rather stay hidden.

“And don’t think I can’t reopen that case so think again before you go after my fiancé because I can ruin your life with just the snap of my fingers” his eyes were set in stone, glaring into me so I could feel the dead weight of his voice shudder at his threats but he was right – he could indeed ruin my life.

“I let her go a long time ago mate” Lies. A terrible lie that caused a ripple in my chest as it left my mouth “But whatever it comes to, I won’t stop fighting for her. You’ll never love her the way I did or fuck her the way I did – ” I barely completed my statement when Shawn grabbed my chest and threw a quick punch at my jaw. The pain radiated all over my face but I needed it to pull me back to reality.

“Say that shit again – ”

There was satisfaction in his anger and I was feeding off it, knowing that I’d always be better option for her.
“You heard me” I matched his gaze “If it eventually comes to that, she’ll always me”

Shawn scoffed and before he backed away he said “Bloody stay away from her – I’m not going to say it again”

I smirked knowing fully well that I hated being threatened. I didn’t care if she was engaged to him, she was fair game now – and I’m going after her.