Triple Threat (Deception Duet 1)

My phone buzzes. This time, it’s in the group text with my brothers.

Sparrow: I could wait until her old man leaves to go to the office and then pop in to visit her. Make sure she’s okay.

Sully: I’ll see her tomorrow afternoon. I’ll check then.

Sparrow sends a bunch of angry emojis and even more middle finger emojis. I should give Ty Sparrow’s number and then they can talk in emojis until the end of time. Dumbasses.

The bell chimes on the door and Ty strides in. Gone is his usual smile. Something about the seriousness in his expression puts me on edge. Without the cheesy look on his face, he reminds me too much of Winston. I tighten my grip around my phone until it makes a cracking sound. Only then do I ease up.

“’Sup?” I nod my head in greeting. “You on the rag or something?”

He smirks. “Fuck off. No, I am slightly freaking the hell out though.”

“About?”

“My date last night. If you even want to call it that.”

“With the Croft girl?”

“Yes, idiot. Landry. I’m not exactly pining over any other women at the moment.”

“Did she put out?”

“I wish.”

I bristle at his words, but then find relief in them. “Spill, man.”

He launches into the entire recap of his date. Apparently, according to him, Landry is trying to escape. I pretend to be shocked by the news, but I’m not. Her dad’s an asshole. An abusive one at that. He’s lucky my brothers didn’t let me crush his entire skull in when we beat his ass last week.

“So, he hits her?”

Ty leans in, lowering his voice. “Or worse. She’s fucking terrified. So terrified she’s going to run away.”

“And you’re going to help her?”

“I’ve got to come up with the money first.” He scowls. “My dad is being a dick about it. Wants to know why I need five grand. I’m spoiled. Blah, blah, blah. Then, once I have the money, I’m going to somehow get a message to her and have her come to my apartment.”

The thought of Landry in his apartment angers me, but I don’t lash out. Instead, I keep a tight leash on that shit. I’m smarter now. Especially when dealing with Constantines.

“You need a loan?”

He groans. “No, I mean, that’s not why I wanted to meet up. But, yeah, man, if you’re offering. The sooner I can get her out of there, the better.”

“I can spot you the cash,” I assure him. “Why’d you want to meet up then?”

“To vent. Catch up. Ask for advice. I don’t fucking know.” He rubs at the back of his neck, frowning. “I really, really like her. But, I’m basically helping her leave. Kind of stupid of me to hope for her to date me once she’s free from her father, right?”

“Completely stupid,” I agree.

“Thanks.” He sighs heavily. “No, you’re right. The best thing is to help her. If something comes of it, then that’s great.”

It won’t.

Guys like Ty Constantine don’t get girls like Landry Croft.

He’s a golden prince and she’s a prickly princess. He’ll never appeal to her because her life is too fucked up. She’s more of a villain girl. I’m sure of it.

“She looked so damn hot last night,” he mutters. “Damn, I’ve got it bad for this girl.”

Join the club, moron.

He meets my gaze and cocks his head to the side. “Enough about me and my drama. What’s up with you and your girl? Did you talk to her?”

“Actually,” I say, leaning forward, “I had a revelation.”

“A revelation? Let’s hear it.”

“I like the idea of my girl, but when push came to shove, I didn’t choose her.”

Ty squints his eyes as though trying to make sense of my words. “Okay…who did you choose?”

“Someone new. I didn’t realize my feelings for her until I needed to be in two places at once.” I close my eyes remembering the fear on Ash’s face and how I chose to leave her standing there so I could get to Landry. “I chose to leave her. The girl I’ve been obsessing over for this new girl.”

He gapes at me. “No shit? For the record, I don’t think this is a bad thing. Your old girl is married. Kind of a tough situation. What about the new girl?”

“Not married.”

A grin transforms his face. “Tell me about her.”

She let me finger her in the bathroom and came like a good little princess.

“Pretty. Innocent. Sweet.” I smile at the thought of tasting her. “So sweet.”

“Good for you, man. I’m glad at least someone is having luck in the female department. Maybe if I can get Landry to trust me a little, she’ll let me take her on a real date. Then, who knows, maybe by then you’ll be with this new chick. We can double date.”

That won’t be happening.

“What happens when her dad finds out it was you who helped her escape?” I ask, sitting back and popping my knuckles. “You think he’ll let you continue on being his intern?”