Page 3 of Play Dirty

Worse.

His voice was controlled. Measured. Almost… dismissive.

Then a second voice cut in, from somewhere behind him.

“Who the hell is that?”

Heavy footsteps followed, moving slowly and deliberately. The man who came into view looked like he’d been born to hit things for a living. Which, given the context, he probably had.

Ares Wilder.

The name fit.

He was broad. Solid. Wound up with the kind of coiled aggression that didn’t bother hiding itself. His blue eyes swept over me quickly, assessing me in one pass. They lingered just long enough to make his message clear.

Not impressed.

“Management’s latest toy,” he grunted, flatly.

I felt the words land. Grayson didn’t bother correcting him. He didn’t bother introducing me, either.

“Haven Maxwell,” I announced, forcing myself to keep my voice even. “Performance analyst.”

Ares snorted like a bull.

“Yeah,” he smirked. “We know who you are.”

He said the words so icily the room dropped five degrees. And there was more than just recognition in his eyes. There was blame.

Blame. Of course.

Their old coach. The firing. The timing. It all added up.

They didn’t know me at all. But they knew what they thought I’d done.

Grayson finally moved, stepping past me without another word. His shoulder brushed mine — just deliberately enough to feel, subtle enough to deny — as he headed toward the back of the house.

Ares however, still hadn’t moved.

“Hope you like stairs,” he said, jerking his chin upward. “You’re upstairs.”

“Which room?” I asked.

His resulting smile was anything but friendly.

“Only one left,” he said. “You’ll figure it out.”

He turned and disappeared in the same direction as Grayson, leaving me alone with my giant suitcase. I stood absorbing the house, with its creaking floorboards and the smug, cartoonish reaper watching me from up on the wall.

“Yeah,” I murmured to myself. “This is going to be fantastic.”

I dragged my stuff to the base of the staircase, ready to begin the long, lonely climb.

Then I spun on my heel, and headed straight to the kitchen instead.

~ 2 ~

HAVEN