Good Game (The System, #1) (92)

“Let’s start the match.”

Panic lances through my stomach.

The voice isn’t Chase’s.

I have no idea who we are dealing with. We’ve just walked into enemy territory with no visibility. Whatever Plan B is, I hope it accounted for this.

“Time limit: thirty; Stock: one; Stage select: the warehouse.”

The game on the screen ends, and the player in front of us emerges victorious.

“Do you accept my rules, Aleksander?”

Aleks’ hand flexes around mine.

The chair swivels to face us, and my eyes widen as I fight to keep the rest of my face neutral. But it’s impossible.

I stare at the cockroach in front of me. A conceited grin, blue eyes dripping with arrogance, and that hallmark, perfectly-gelled red hair.

We’ve just walked into the fox’s den.

“Decker?” My expression falls into one of absolute incredulity.

“Daniel-fucking-Decker,” the boys confirm in unison, voices laced with derision.

“I don’t…” My brain is trying to rewire itself, figure out the right connections. “Did Chase set you up? Make you do this?”

“No one makes me do anything,” he scoffs.

“But Chase—”

“Isn’t involved in this, sweet Steffy.”

No. That doesn’t add up.

“But the roses?” My brain pounds as it runs through different scenarios, trying to figure out Decker’s play. Why would Decker send me the roses? Those were the only things that made sense out of this whole thing. They were my clear connection to Chase.

“Think, Stephanie, when did the roses start showing up?”

“After the breakup, when Chase was trying to win me back.” It was typical of Chase to do that, expected.

He shakes his head. “Think a little more specifically.”

More specifically?

The first rose appeared on my car after brunch with Deanna. We’d met to debrief about the VSAs, and she freaked me out with that article.

Wait.

“After the VSAs.”

“Five points to Stephanie.” The asshole shoots a finger gun at me.

“What the hell. You’ve been following me since the VSAs?”

“Not me, my P.I.”

“Same shit,” I growl.

I didn’t even know Decker before the VSAs. Never met him, never heard of him. Sure, he said Chase had talked about me a bunch to him, but that still doesn’t fill in any more of the puzzle. I didn’t even know I’d be at the VSAs until the day before when Deanna called about being short-staffed.

Aleks takes a small step forward.

“Why Stevie?”

It’s the first thing any of the boys have said.

I hate that I can’t see their faces, can’t see how they’re reacting to all of this.

“Opportunity, honestly. You guys have a habit of getting your dicks wet at those sorts of events, not that you ever take anyone home. But then I saw our sweet Steffy chatting with you, and I knew you wouldn’t just let her go. She’s a prize, one everyone in our circle has wanted to win. And you love to win.”

If he calls me Steffy one more time, I’m going to punch him.

“I didn’t even take her home. Barely knew who she was. You had no way of knowing I would even see her again.”

“True, but my P.I. has never been able to tail your driver over the last six months, so I hedged a bet and had him tail Stephanie, leaving her little gifts just in case. Figured if it didn’t pan out, she’d just attribute it to Chase. The whole thing was a gamble.”

“How did you even know about the roses?” It’s been bothering me.

“Come on.” He rolls his eyes. “Chase has no filter. You know this. He blabs about everything. You think I’ve never heard him talk about getting you pink roses before? His grand gestures to win you back time and time again.”

Chase really was the worst at keeping secrets; it’s how I always managed to find out he was cheating. He didn’t have the finesse.

Crap, that’s what Jackson said last night. As if Chase could pull off something like this without tipping his hand earlier.

“So, what? You just paid some guy to follow me around, leave me creepy roses, and then what? Hope that I somehow found my way to Aleks?”

Fuck. I’d confirmed his name.

Decker smiles. “I thought there was a chance Aleks might try to track you down, reach out. You’re an addiction like that. Although, it was slim odds. But I’d been paying my P.I. for so long and nothing was panning out. What was another few weeks tracking you in one last shot? I had the money to spare.”

Lucky.

Decker got fucking lucky.

And that pisses me off all the more.

“It took a while for the pieces to line up. Covington here was my first clue, but the scales tipped that night in the club, when you took off your gloves and the tattoos matched up.”

Aleks swears under his breath. But Decker keeps running his mouth, so damn proud of himself.

“It took forever to figure out where you lived. I was really hoping you’d take her home after the club. I was so damn sure. But no.” He tsks. “I didn’t score that until the Taylors’ ball.”

“The tail.” Parker jogs my memory.