Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

SPENCER

I had been up half the night tossing and turning. The situation with Dakota kept bugging me. I couldn't explain why, but my gut was telling me this was a bad situation. Something about the look in his eye told me he had a few screws loose. All stalkers did.

If she had been telling him to back off and he wasn't doing it, he wasn't just going to stop. He wasn't going to wake up tomorrow and decide he was done chasing her. Losers like him fixated on their exes, and it never ended well.

He needed to be told to leave her alone. I couldn't count on Rhett to do that. Dakota needed to get the message from someone who didn't give a shit about maintaining a friendship.

That was me. When I woke up, I knew what I had to do. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I grabbed my cell off my nightstand and walked out to the kitchen to start coffee. Then I called Graham.

"I need you to cover for me today," I told him. "I'll have Janet clear most of my schedule, but there is one meeting that has to happen today. But I can't be there."

"What's going on, Spencer?" Graham asked.

"Just some personal business I need to handle," I replied casually.

"Personal business? What does that mean?"

"It's nothing," I said. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Why are you acting so shady?" he asked.

"I'm not acting shady," I said defensively.

"Alright, just be careful," he said. "If you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks," I said and ended the call.

I poured a cup of coffee and carried it to my bedroom to get ready. I quickly showered and dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. Today's agenda didn't require me wearing a suit. In fact, a suit might get in the way and slow me down.

I headed out, determined to set Dakota straight. I hoped it didn't come to blows, but if it did, I would do what I had to do.

The drive to Stone Ridge felt like it took forever, my mind racing the entire way. I wasn't sure how this confrontation was going to go down, but I knew I had to do something. Marlow didn't deserve to live in fear. She shouldn't have to worry about her ex-husband showing up and embarrassing her or calling her nonstop. Kyla's reaction to Dakota was very telling. I trusted a woman's gut. Kyla was uncomfortable around him, and I took that seriously.

I arrived in Stone Ridge and that was when I realized I really had no plan. How was I going to find him? I went to the gas station and scored when it was an old friend from high school working the register.

"Hey, do you remember Dakota Cross?" I asked casually.

"Oh yeah." He nodded. "Dude owes me thirty bucks."

"Do you know where I might find him?"

He frowned. "I didn't know you guys were friends."

"We're acquaintances," I told him. "I work with his ex-wife and I'm still friends with Rhett."

"There's not a lot to do around here, but I usually see him at the pool hall," he answered.

"Then I guess that's where I'll start looking for him," I said and paid for the candy bar and soda.

I nodded in thanks and walked out just as the bell above the door jingled. The pool hall wasn't far from the gas station, hidden behind a row of rundown buildings that probably hadn't seen a lick of paint in years.

I pulled open the door. It was dim, with smoke hanging heavy in the air. I knew smoking was banned, but in a place like this, people weren't worried about following the rules. There was a sense of faded glory about the place. A number of men were already clustered around tables, cues in their hands as they took careful aim at the balls.

The pool hall was a rough place. Back when I lived in Stone Ridge, the place had a hell of a reputation. There were always fights. The police were always being called out. And the daytime crowd at the pool hall on a workday wasn't filled with winners, either, it seemed.

I scanned the room and spotted Dakota at one of the back tables. He was leaning across it to make his shot. He missed sinking any balls in. His buddy slapped him on the back and handed him a beer. My anger flared as I watched him laugh and carry on like he didn't have a care in the world. The guy was making Marlow's life miserable, but here he was living it up.

I strode in, my heart pounding in my chest. As soon as Dakota saw me, he went pale, and I thought he might bolt. Good, I thought. He should be scared. I was turning the tables on him. He thought it was funny to show up at Marlow's place of work.

Now what?

"What the hell are you doing here, Spencer?" he asked, his bravado slipping.

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I moved closer, cornering him up against the bar. "You need to stay the hell away from Marlow," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "If you know what's good for you, you'll back off. She's done with you. I don't want to see you near the office again. I have no patience for this stalker bullshit. You hear me?"

Dakota's eyes narrowed. A vein in his forehead started to bulge. "She's not yours," he spat.

"She's not yours, either," I said.

"She was mine, and she bailed when things got tough. She's forsaken our marriage vows. Why would you protect a woman like that?"

"Why are you inclined to want a woman like that back?" I countered, my fists clenched at my sides.

"Because she doesn't get to leave me and get away with it," Dakota snarled, his true colors shining through.

The hideousness of his words fueled my anger. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, ready to punch him right in the nose. But before I could land a blow, a beefy bouncer was yanking me off and dragging me outside. They threw me out onto the gravel parking lot. I landed hard, my palms scraping against the rough surface.

I lay there for a moment, catching my breath and trying to calm down. I could still feel the adrenaline coursing through me, but I knew I needed to stay focused. I wasn't done yet. I couldn't go back in there to try and finish the physical fight. That was a losing battle. I knew there was no way Dakota would give me a fair fight. All his shitbag friends would jump me.

I got to my feet, dusted myself off, and walked back to my car. I drove to the Graylan home. My palms were cut up, and I probably looked like hell, but I didn't care. I needed to talk to Rhett. This situation with his little sister was out of hand. I doubted Rhett knew what Dakota was doing or how scared his sister was.

Rhett answered the door on his crutches. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. "Spencer? What the hell happened to you? Did you get in a car accident too? Are we gonna be couch buddies?"

"We need to talk about Dakota," I said, pushing past him and into the house. "And I want to know why the hell you're still associating with that asshole."

Rhett closed the door and hobbled to the couch. I was pacing back and forth, still feeling the adrenaline.

"Sit down," he said as he dropped onto the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Dakota," I told him, still not sitting.

"Why?" He frowned.

"Because that son of a bitch needs his ass kicked, and since you don't seem willing or capable, I'm going to do it."

"Alright, calm down," he said. "Sit down and talk to me, you lunatic."

I sank into one of the chairs, wincing as the pain from my scrapes made itself known. I was a little embarrassed that I went down at all but that bouncer was huge and my fight wasn't with him. He was just doing his job. I looked down at my knee and noticed my jeans were ripped.

"What's going on, Spencer?" Rhett asked. "Why are you so worked up?"

I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. "Are you still friends with Dakota?"

He shrugged. "Yes. Not like we used to be, but we're friends. Why? What is going on?"

"Dakota showed up at the office yesterday," I explained. "He's been harassing Marlow for months, and it's escalating. He's apparently been calling her nonstop, multiple times a day. She's blocked his number, but he keeps calling the office. And then yesterday he showed up harassing Kyla. I went to confront him today, and well, you can see how that turned out."

Rhett's eyes narrowed. "He showed up at your office? What the hell is he thinking?"

"I don't know," I said, my frustration evident. "But he needs to be stopped. Marlow is scared, and he's not getting the message. Why are you still in contact with him?"

Rhett sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated. Dakota and I have a history. We were friends once, and I've been trying to help him see reason. But I had no idea it was this bad."

"Well, it is," I said, my voice hard. "And it's time for you to choose a side. Marlow needs our support, not some half-assed attempt to fix Dakota. That's between him and his maker."

"I know," Rhett said quietly. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to him, make it clear he needs to back off. But, Spencer, you have to understand, this isn't easy for me."

"I get it," I said, softening slightly. "Marlow is scared, man. She's making big moves in her career, and this prick is coming around to hassle her. It has to stop."

Rhett nodded. "You're right. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

"Good," I said, feeling a sense of relief. "Because she deserves better than this."

He looked at my hands. "So, did he kick your ass? I'm shocked."

"No. Fuck that. He didn't kick my ass. Security threw me out and I mean literally threw me. I was off balance and landed on the ground. I scraped my hands on the gravel. Not a big deal."

"Fuck," he groaned. "This is a mess."

"Yeah, it is." I nodded.

"Did Marlow really say she was scared?" he asked.

"Give me a minute," I said. "I don't want to bleed all over your mom's chair."

I got up and went into the bathroom, rifling through the medicine cabinet for some bandages. My hands stung as I cleaned the scrapes under cold water.

Once my hands were cleaned and patched up, I returned to Rhett, finding him staring off into space with a troubled expression.

"Hey, can you grab some water?" Rhett asked. "It's a bitch trying to carry water when I'm on these things. I've made more than one mess."

"Where's your mom?" I asked. "I keep expecting her to run around the corner with a bar of soap to wash our mouths out."

"She's out with her friends doing some shopping," he said. "Trust me, I know better than to curse when she's in a three-mile radius. She's got better hearing than a bat."

I chuckled and walked to the kitchen. "I don't think you want her to hear that either."

I grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, and as I closed the door I noticed a photo magnet. It was an old picture of Rhett, Marlow, and me. We all had our arms slung over each other's shoulders, grinning like idiots. I sighed, remembering simpler times.

Those times had passed but we could all still be there for each other, even when doing the right thing meant getting some scrapes.

Marlow was worth it.