Wicked Games (Hartley Grace Featherstone Mysteries Book 3), Gemma Halliday [free ebooks romance novels txt] 📗

rights to Athena's Quest. I mean, let's face it—she knew Connor didn't create the game himself. If anyone was aware of his abilities—"

"Or lack of abilities," Sam mumbled.

"—it was Phoebe," he finished.

I nodded. She'd basically said as much to us, though at the time I hadn't realized just how inadequate she knew Connor was.

"Anyway, once lawyers started digging and subpoenas started flying, well, I told Connor it was all going to come out. I told him he should just pay Phoebe off—settle and make it all go away."

"And what did Connor say to that?" I asked.

Jason shrugged. "He said he could handle her. Said he had it all under control." The hard line to Jason's jaw told me exactly how much he believed that statement.

"So what did you do?"

"What could I do?" he asked, throwing his hands up. "Nothing. I told him it was bad idea. Then I left."

"Where did you go?" I asked.

His gaze turned my way. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, after you argued with Connor. Where did you go?"

"Nowhere." He shrugged. "I walked around the con a little."

"Walked toward the Peak Games booth?" Chase said.

Jason's head swiveled the other way, pinning Chase with a look. "What, are you stalking me? What is this?"

"This is us asking where you were when Connor Simon was killed?"

Jason let another humorless bark of laughter. "You've got to be kidding me. Why would I kill my own client?"

"To keep his secret," Sam pointed out. "You said yourself that if he didn't pay Phoebe off, it was all going to come out. VizaSoft would have dropped him. He would have been finished in the gaming industry. Who knows, maybe Athena's Quest wouldn't have even been released."

"But now," I added, "it's not only coming out, it's gotten tons of free press thanks to Connor's death being headline news. It's going to make VizaSoft and Connor's estate millions."

"Even after you pay off Phoebe to make the lawsuit go away," Chase added.

"And your cut of that can't be too shabby," Sam jumped back in.

Jason looked from one to the other of us, his cheeks turning red. Though whether it was from anger, guilt, or just annoyance I wasn't sure.

"I didn't kill Connor," he finally spit out. He stabbed a finger in my face. "And if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll deny everything. You keep your grubby little mouths quiet. Or else!"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I had no idea what "or else" Jason Pruit had in mind, and I didn't get a chance to find out. As soon as the threat left his lips, he turned around and stalked back into the reception room again. Even if I had wanted to follow him, I somehow couldn't get my limbs to move, fear from being threatened by a possible murderer paralyzing me.

"You okay?" Chase said, putting a protective arm around my shoulders.

I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing. "Yeah. Fine. Peachy."

"You are a terrible liar."

I couldn't help a smile. "I know." I opened my eyes back up, feeling a little better with the teasing banter. "But the question is, is Jason Pruit a terrible liar?"

"Or is he simply terrible?" Sam asked, taking my hand in hers as she led me on shaky legs back out to the parking lot. "And scary."

"Yes to both," I agreed.

"But I kind of believe him about the argument with Connor," she admitted.

As the three of us stepped outside, I sucked in a deep lungful of air. "I do too. At least about what the argument was over."

"But do we believe he just left and someone else came coincidentally along afterward and bashed Connor over the head?" Chase asked.

"Coincidences do happen," I said.

"And if what he said is true about Connor taking credit not only for Tyler's game but all of Phoebe's as well, Pruit was not the only person with reason to be angry at Connor," Sam added, slipping into the passenger seat as Chase unlocked his car.

She was right. Everyone in Connor's life had a reason to hate him. Including VizaSoft if word ever did get out that their golden boy was a fraud.

Chase followed me around to the driver's side of the car and pushed his seat forward so I could climb in the back. Only as I moved to get in, he didn't step out of the way. Instead, he leaned in close.

"I'm not going to call her," he whispered.

I froze. More from the feel of his breath on my ear than the words. Though, those caught my attention too. "Her?"

"Sophia." He pulled back, giving me a lopsided grin. "She's not my type."

My stomach fluttered, even though I didn't entirely believe that statement. Wasn't a blonde-haired, blue-eyed model every guy's type?

"Can we hurry it up?" Sam asked from the front seat, breaking into the moment. "Fifth period is gonna be over soon, and I can't miss calc."

I quickly shoved myself into the back seat, trying to get that fluttery feeling to settle down as Chase gunned his engine and backed out of the parking lot.

*   *   *

Because Chase drove like a maniac and we hit all the green lights, we made it back just in time to hear the bell ring to signal the end of fifth period. Sam made a beeline toward the math wing, and Chase came with me as I quickly swapped out my books at my locker, ditching the heavy lit tome for my trig workbook. I was just zipping up my backpack when Chase nudged me.

"Hey, isn't that Tyler?" He nodded down the hallway.

Sure enough, about halfway down, I spotted the sandy-haired freshman, his shoulders slumped forward in his hoodie as he talked to a couple of similarly dressed guys I didn't know.

"You