Let's Not & Say We Did (The Love Game Book 5)

  Let’s Not & Say We Did

  The Love Game: Book Five

  Elizabeth Hayley

  This book is a publication of Waterhouse Press.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2021 Waterhouse Press, LLC

  Original Cover Design by Wicked by Design

  Cover Redesign by Waterhouse Press

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Acknowledgments

  Continue Reading The Love Game Series With

  Also by Elizabeth Hayley

  About Elizabeth Hayley

  To deadlines,

  We’d never finish anything without you.

  Chapter One

  T A Y L O R

  “This feels weird,” I told Ransom as we approached Brody’s building.

  “What does?”

  When he reached up to rub my back for a second, I felt slightly better, even if the physical comfort was only temporary. It reminded me we were in this together.

  “All of it,” I said. “But telling everyone, especially. Right now it’s just the two of us who know. But if we go upstairs and tell all our friends, we’re involving them in something they might not wanna be involved in. We’re not even giving them a choice. We’re basically deciding to involve them in covering up a murder.”

  He stopped abruptly. “It’s not a murder.”

  I looked up at Ransom, who had positioned himself in front of me. His hands on my upper arms steadied me a bit, and I felt a little guilty about it. I was practically shaking.

  I knew I hadn’t welcomed Brad into our lives. That’s not why I felt guilty. I’d tried to stop him, ignored his contact like I’d tried to do when I’d been back at school and we’d both been students at Mount Bishop University. But I should’ve known better than to think I could avoid someone who’d shown up hundreds of miles away from the town I’d left.

  I could’ve done what I’d promised Ransom I’d do when Brad started making more serious threats. I could’ve been more forthcoming with my dad about Brad. I’d downplayed everything when I’d realized that once my dad “took care of Brad,” he’d expect me to go back to school and get on with my life as if none of this had ever happened. He still hadn’t heard me. Brad was a problem he could fix, but understanding how affected I’d been by the whole thing hadn’t seemed to enter his mind, which made me hesitate to share my feelings with him.

  So instead of opening up about Brad following me here, sending me unwanted texts and even pictures of himself around town and at the bar where I worked, I’d assured my dad that it wasn’t a huge deal. I wasn’t in the habit of lying, and that lie had turned out to have fatal consequences.

  Though I was thankful the fatality had been Brad when it could’ve so easily been me if Ransom hadn’t heard me screaming and come to my rescue.

  I was so relieved when we left Brad in that alley, thinking I’d finally be able to put this nightmarish part of my life behind me. After all, who’d want to risk tangling with Ransom twice? Brad was alive and seemed fine when we left him. Or as fine as anyone could seem after a fight with Ransom. When we’d left, I’d had no doubt that parts of Brad’s body would be feeling the lingering memory of Ransom’s fist, but it never crossed my mind that those injuries would be enough to kill him.

  “We don’t have to tell them,” Ransom said. “We can go back to my place or yours and figure out what to do next.”

  I shook my head quickly. As much as I didn’t want to drag anyone else into our mess, I knew we needed these people. For what, I wasn’t exactly sure. But I knew our Scooby Gang would help however they could, even if it was just to stop me from losing my mind.

  “It’s okay. Let’s go up. They know we have something important to tell them, and you know as well as I do that they’re not gonna leave us alone until they know what it is.”

  “’Kay” was all Ransom said. Then he pulled the door open for me, and we ascended the stairs more quickly than I would’ve liked.

  Brody’s door was cracked when we got to his apartment—probably so he didn’t have to keep getting up to let people in. Even yelling “It’s open” would likely have been too much for him to handle most mornings.

  We entered to find most of the crew sitting around Brody’s apartment in various positions and places. Carter was standing in the kitchen, leaning on the bar and eating something out of a leftover container he’d probably helped himself to in the fridge. Xander, Aniyah, and Toby were on the couch, playing on their phones. Sophia and Drew were seated at the small kitchen table drinking coffee, and Aamee and Brody were… Where the hell were Aamee and Brody?

  “Wow, everyone got here before us,” Ransom said. I could hear his nerves as he spoke and wondered if anyone else picked up on it.

  Xander spoke first. “Yeah, well, you guys acted like it was life or death that we get here, so we came over as soon as you texted.”

  I tried to ignore Xander’s choice of words. “Where are Brody and Aamee?” I asked, not wanting to begin until everyone was here. Or maybe I was just looking for a way to delay dropping the murder bomb on everyone.

  The rest of the group looked around like they hadn’t noticed their absence. A few people shrugged while others let out some grunts that didn’t hold much concern for our friends’ whereabouts.

  “They were here a couple minutes ago,” Carter announced, his mouth full.

  Sophia offered a guess by way of a glance toward Brody’s bedroom.

  The room grew quieter until everyone was silent. Well, everyone except Aamee and Brody, whose muffled voices and occasional moans could suddenly be heard through the thin walls.

  “Ew!” Sophia screamed with a shiver that seemed to run through her whole body at the thought of her brother doing…God knew what to his girlfriend in the other room. “Brody and Aamee, get out here! Taylor and Ransom are here!”

  When they didn’t answer and no one else spoke, Sophia begged us to start talking. Once again, the room was a bustle of noise and activity with everyone chatting and laughing. I wished we could participate in the casual conversation and the lighthearted banter like Ransom and I normally would, but despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hide the seriousness of the situation.

  “Really, though!” I yelled. “Can you guys please stop and come out here?”

  About thirty seconds later, Brody and Aamee emerged, looking a bit disheveled and annoyed.

  “What kind of donuts did you bring?” Brody asked, running a hand through his dark, messy hair.

  “Wh
at? Why would we have donuts?” Ransom asked.

  “Uh, because it’s ten in the morning on a weekend, and you called all of us here.” He shrugged. “Just seems like food would be warranted.”

  “We didn’t bring any food,” I told him.

  Brody laughed before realizing we were most likely serious. “Really? You ask me to host some big event and then drag me out of bed, and you didn’t even bring breakfast? Dude,” he said to Ransom. “I thought we were bros.”

  “This is serious,” Ransom said. “We have something to tell all of you, and we need you to have an open mind about it.”

  “Okay,” Carter said slowly through a mouthful of cereal.

  “I know it’s gonna be difficult, but let us explain before you judge the situation.” I was practically hyperventilating. “I need to sit down,” I said suddenly, as I moved absent-mindedly toward the couch and squeezed in between the arm of the sofa and Aniyah, causing her to shift closer to Xander. I was sure she didn’t mind, though she might have acted like she did.

  “It’ll be okay,” she said, putting a hand on my back and rubbing gently.

  “I don’t think it will. All this happened so suddenly, and—”

  “Taylor, whatever this is, we’re here for you,” Sophia said. She was my best friend and had been my best friend for two decades. Even if she meant those words, she’d most likely want to retract them once I told her Ransom and I had basically killed someone.

  Breathing deeply, I tried to find the courage—and the right words—but couldn’t seem to locate either.

  “I’ll tell them,” Ransom said, obviously sensing my hesitation. “It’s my fault anyway.”

  “Oh my God,” Aamee said. “Can someone just tell us why we’re all here before I lose interest completely?”

  “Sorry,” Ransom said. “We haven’t had much time ourselves to let the news sink in. Once you’re involved, it’s kind of impossible for you not to be, so I guess if you wanna leave, you should probably do that now.”

  “Why would we leave?” Carter asked.

  Aamee groaned dramatically and headed to the kitchen. “I know my party-planning skills are unmatched, but don’t expect me to be in charge of the shower. That’s all you, Sophia.”

  Ransom looked completely confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “She thinks I’m pregnant.”

  “You’re not?” Sophia asked, sounding almost disappointed.

  “No. We’re not having a baby,” I explained.

  “Oh. Okay,” Sophia said. “Then for once, I’m with Aamee. Just come out with it before I stop caring what this is about.”

  “We killed someone last night,” Ransom blurted out.

  My head snapped toward his direction, and he almost looked relieved.

  “Or not really we. Me. I killed someone, and Taylor was there for it so she knows, and now you guys all know too.”

  “Is this like some sort of experiment for a psych class or something?” Toby asked. “Like you have to reveal something shocking and see how people close to you react? Because you probably should’ve chosen something more believable.”

  “It’s true,” I said.

  I saw Brody roll his eyes. “I’m going back to bed.”

  “I’m going with him,” Aamee said.

  “No. Don’t. You guys need to stay because we’re serious and we’re freaking out. It was all an accident. This guy Brad…an ex of mine who got clingy and then stalky,” I said, clearly losing my ability to find real words. “Sophia knows about him. He’s the reason I decided to move here and finish my classes online during my senior year.”

  “Oh my God,” I heard Sophia say softly, and her comment seemed to clue people into the possibility that we were being serious. “He went after you.” It wasn’t a question because she already knew the answer.

  “Last night when I left the Yard to walk home, Brad came from out of nowhere. He’d sent me texts lately…pictures of himself at the Treehouse and other places nearby to let me know he was in town. But I just thought he was doing it to creep me out. I never thought he’d…act on any of those threats.”

  I had my gaze toward the ground, but I could feel everyone else’s on me. Then I felt Ransom sit on the arm of the couch and put his hand on my back. His touch was gentle but firm enough to comfort me, even if only a little.

  “He texted her last night, and I saw the message come up,” Ransom said. “And I thought she was seeing someone else. Not that she didn’t have a right to. We never talked about what was really going on between us. But I was being an asshole about it—”

  “You weren’t being an asshole,” I said. “And none of it even matters now.”

  “It matters because you left by yourself, and you were upset and vulnerable. I should’ve been with you.”

  We’d already discussed all of this last night, but finding out Brad had been found dead had caused Ransom’s guilt to resurface, and it would likely never go away. And I couldn’t argue with the fact that if Ransom had been with me, Brad probably wouldn’t have even approached me. I’d been the one to leave Brody and Drew’s bar angry with Ransom, and I’d refused to let him come with me, even just to see that I got home safely. It was a mistake that would linger in my consciousness for the rest of my life.

  If only I had set aside my pride, Brad wouldn’t be dead and Ransom wouldn’t have to worry about getting accused of a crime.

  “Well,” I said, taking a long breath to steady my voice, “you weren’t there because I refused to let you be.” I’d never make that mistake again.

  I’d let Ransom in, and I never wanted him to leave. He’d been there for me physically, emotionally, mentally. And I’d been stupid to try to create distance from an amazing man because we were arguing over a shitty one.

  “Okay,” Aamee said. “As much as I’d like to be a part of your therapy session, can you just tell us how you killed a man now?”

  “I don’t know, honestly,” Ransom told her. “Taylor left, and I was standing outside the Yard, deciding whether to go back in or go after her, and I heard her scream. I ran toward the sound and eventually found them in the alley next to that nail salon on Highland. He had her pinned to the wall, his hands on her neck. I definitely roughed him up and threatened him, but when we left, he was still standing.” Ransom looked lost in his own thoughts, like his mind was reliving the story as he told it, whether he wanted to or not. He shook his head before saying, “No matter how much I hated the guy for what he tried to do to Taylor, I would never just let someone die, let alone intentionally kill them.”

  “Shit,” Drew said. “Brad’s the guy they found near Rafferty’s?” His question was directed at Sophia, but it was clear they both already knew the answer.

  “So you don’t need help disposing of the body?” Aamee’s blond eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, and the slump of her shoulders made her appear almost disappointed.

  “No,” I said. “The police found him. They reported it this morning. Sophia sent me the link to the article because it was so close to the bar, and that’s when I realized. The police didn’t just leave the body lying in the alley.”

  Aamee’s gaze darted around to all of us, no doubt waiting for one of us to clarify what this had to do with her.

  The rest of our group of friends looked absolutely stunned. I guessed most of them thought more than once about heading for the door as we explained what had happened last night. But here they all were, still sitting in Brody’s apartment like soldiers waiting for instructions from their commanding officer. Too bad they had Ransom and me instead.

  Brody pushed both hands through his hair and then pressed his hands to his face. “Fuck!”

  Ransom glanced over at him. “Tell me about it.”

  R A N S O M

  “Okay, let’s review so the timeline and locations are clear.” Xander placed the notebook he’d been holding on the coffee table, and we all hovered around it like some sort of amateur organized crime group. Xa
nder retraced the map he’d drawn according to Taylor’s account of the situation and then looked to the two of us for confirmation. “Does that seem about right timewise?”

  I let Taylor answer because I could only account for what took place in the alley.

  “Yeah. I think so. I’m not positive about the times, though. I’m just estimating based on last night’s texts.”

  “Okay, so our first step is to see what cameras are in the area. Traffic light, security… Most likely the police have already secured footage of the area, but it doesn’t hurt for us to know what they’re looking at.” He sat back and pulled his laptop out of his bag. The rest of us were silent as Xander tapped away on the keys and manipulated the screen with his fingers, though I couldn’t see what he was actually looking at. “Looks like there are only five cameras in a three-block radius. That obviously doesn’t account for personal devices, though chances are no one was filming much of anything at that time of night. It’s not exactly Times Square, so I think we’re safe where that’s concerned.”

  He continued. “There are two traffic cameras near Rafferty’s that might’ve caught you and Brad walking together when you say he first approached you, but it doesn’t look like there are any near the area of the alley.”

  Taylor had said that Brad came up behind her suddenly, and that was the scream I’d heard. He’d put something against her back that she’d assumed was a gun and told her to start walking. Then he’d led her the couple of blocks to the alley where I’d eventually found them.