A Ruthless Game | Grayson Hawthorne x reader

15

Aidan and I spent hours searching the house looking for Davenport desks. To our dismay, this place is filled with them. Each one we examined rigorously for secret compartments or hidden drawers. We searched offices, studies, and libraries for desks. Along the way, we found rooms I didn't even know the house had like an indoor driving range, arcade, and a wood shop.

I know Grayson was still in the house though I didn't come across him during my search. Oren followed closely behind my brother and I, never letting me out of his sight. We worked in silence, only exchanging a few words.

Aidan had been acting strange all day. What were him, Grayson, and Jameson discussing before I walked in? Was it the shooting?

After hours of searching, we entered a spa room. Skye Hawthorne was waiting for us in there.

"Oh, y/n, how nice of you to join me!" she exclaimed. She stood in a silk robe by a massage table. "I ordered a masseuse."

Oren took a step in front of me. "For reasons of security, no unauthorized guests are allowed on the premise."

"Then, authorize my masseuse."

This time, Aidan took a step forward and looked at Oren. "What do you mean 'for reasons of security'?" He turned to face me. "What does he mean?"

I looked at Oren hoping he would save me from having to tell Aidan, but Skye beat him to it. "Grayson told me that there was so nasty business in Blackwood Forest last night."

"What happened, y/n?" Aidan asked seriously. I couldn't not tell him now. He was worried, but I'm okay, and he deserved to know. I glanced at Oren, who only nodded.

"Before I tell you," I started. "You have to promise not to freak out. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed hesitantly.

"There may or may not have been an incident in the woods last night," I paused. "...involving a gun."

"What do you mean?" Aidan asked, growing increasingly more concerned.

      "Oh, you didn't know." Skye feigned innocence in the corner.

Finally, Oren spoke up. "Last night, your sister was shot," he put it bluntly. "The threat has been assessed, and we're doubling her security. This won't happen again," he promised.

"What?" Anger grew in my brother. "Where the hell were you? That's twice now. My sister got shot. She could be dead."

"Well, I'm not. I'm right here. I'm fine, Aidan. I promise. And don't blame Oren. It's not it's fault."

"I'll leave you two alone," Oren's retreated.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Aidan questioned. "Were you even gonna tell me if Skye hadn't mentioned it?"

"Aidan..."

"I can't believe it." He threw his hands up in the air. "For the past five years, I'm all you've had, and what? You- you forget about me after a week here. I really don't believe you kept this from me."

      "I figured it wasn't that big a deal."

       "Not that big a deal?! You could be dead!"

      "But I'm not! I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it anymore," I stated, walking away.

•  •  •

     I left Aidan in the spa room and found Oren instead. "I want to keep looking for the desk."

      After four libraries and another hour, I finally found a small library filled with children's book in a dusty wing of the house. It contained no desk though.

     "Is this the last library in the house?" I asked Oren who nodded in response. 'I have to be missing something then,' I thought. Suddenly, I felt a draft. It wasn't coming from the door or the windows, though, but through a crack in between two bookshelves.

     I slipped my fingers in the crack and felt a latch. Lifting up, the latch flipped open, and the bookshelf swung open. I crawled through it to reveal a smaller room on the other side of the door.

     In the middle of the room sat a Davenport desk. I had finally found it. Although to my surprise, Grayson was standing next to desk. He turned to look at me as I walked through the little door.

      "Y/n..." Grayson's tone sounded full of regret.

      I ignored it and pressed forward with the reason I was here. "Did you find it yet? The clue?"

     "Not yet. I was waiting."

      "For what?" I inquired.

      "For you, I suppose."

      He knew where this was the entire time, and he still let me search the house all day like an idiot. I-

      "Why?"

      He ignored my question. Seriously, this guy is so confusing. He kisses me one day then, refuses to look at me the next. Now, he tells me he's been waiting here all day for me but won't talk to me. Talk about sending mixed signals.

     "I can't believe Jamie hasn't found this clue yet," Grayson started.

     "In this random desk?"

     "In our wing. This is where us four boys grew up." Grayson looked down at the desk. His eyes then shifted up to mine and stayed there for a moment. "Will you show me where you hurt?" he asked in a soft, low voice.

     I was wearing a zip up hoodie with a tank top underneath. I unzipped my jacket to reveal my bandage shoulder. Grayson stepped closer, so we were only inches apart. He lifted his hand up and gently placed a hand on my bandages.

     He moved his mouth close to my ear. "I'm sorry  this happened to you," he whispered. We both stood there in silence as his mouth lingered by my ear. Through the dim light, I could see the outline of his muscular figure.

     Finally, he backed away and awkwardly cleared his throat.

     "So...the clue," I started. "How many do you have so far?"

      "Two," Grayson answered.

      "Me too."

      "I have Nash's and Jamie's. Xander's was...interrupted."

     "So this one's your?" I questioned. "Grayson Davenport," I teased.

     He put his arm out as if to lead the way to the desk. "It's all yours, Heiress." Hearing him call me by Jameson's nickname created a funny feeling in my heart.

     I walked over to the desk and examined it. Following the same procedure I did for the other desks, after a few seconds, I found a suspiciously thick piece of wood under the desk. I pushed it in and heard metal clanging on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, I discovered it was a tiny, soldered number one.

     Eight, one, one.

•  •  •

     The next morning, I woke to knocking on my door. A few moments later, Alisa let herself in. She wore a large smile on her face.

     "Who's ready for shopping?" she cheered.