If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected, decide what to be and GO BE IT
-The Avett brothers
Recommend Reading Introduction to Unproven
DEFINITELY READ Prologue
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three
Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six
Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two Chapter Twenty Three Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five Chapter Twenty Six Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight Chapter Twenty Nine Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One Chapter Thirty Two Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four Chapter Thirty Five Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty Seven Chapter Thirty EightChapter Thirty Nine
Chapter Forty Chapter Forty One Chapter Forty Two
Chapter Forty Three Chapter Forty Four Chapter Forty Five
Chapter Forty Six Chapter Forty Seven Chapter Forty Eight
Chapter Forty Nine Chapter Fifty Chapter Fifty One
Chapter Fifty Two Chapter Fifty Three Chapter Fifty Four
Chapter Fifty Five Chapter Fifty Six Chapter Fifty Seven
Chapter Fifty Eight Chapter Fifty Nine Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty One Chapter Sixty Two Chapter Sixty Three
Chapter Sixty Four Chapter Sixty Five Chapter Sixty Six
Chapter Sixty Seven Chapter Sixty Eight Chapter Sixty Nine
Chapter Seventy Chapter Seventy Chapter Seventy Two
Chapter Seventy Three Chapter Seventy Four Chapter Seventy Five
Chapter Seventy SixChapter Seventy Seven Chapter Seventy Eight
Chapter Seventy Nine Chapter Eighty Chapter Eighty One
Chapter Eighty Two Chapter Eighty Three Chapter Eighty Four
Chapter Eighty Five Chapter Eighty Six Chapter Eighty Seven
Chapter Eighty Eight Chapter Eighty Nine Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety One Chapter Ninety Two Chapter Ninety Three
Chapter Ninety Five
It was Monday morning of the following week, and Grayson fiddled with the phone in his hand as he reviewed the schedule sent to him by his father via an attachment in his e-mail. He had a business conference after school today that would last into the night then a charity event tomorrow night... He scanned ahead. Aside from Wednesday, his entire week was filled with more of the same, just as it had been the previous week. For the past couple of weeks he'd only seen Ary on the nights he was scheduled to visit the hookers, which was not enough. Not nearly. He bit the inside of his cheek as he thought.
His father would be at the conference so today was off the table, but he might be able to swing something tomorrow night. He texted her.
I can't wait until Wednesday to see you.
Her response came immediately. It's only two days. Punctuated by a smiley face.
An eternity. Let's meet by the park at your house tomorrow night around eleven. Sooner if I can, later if I can't, either way, I need to see you.
Another smiley face. Okay, I'll be at the park waiting with bated breath.
He grinned as he typed back: I'm counting on it.
**
James sat at his desk looking through the batch of pictures sent to him via e-mail with a growing sense of urgency. He paused on one in particular featuring his son hoisting himself through a window- her bedroom window- and unlike most times in his life he was not pleased to be right. He felt a pressure in his head and while it could be from what he was currently dealing with, anything that pertained to his cranium gave him cause for concern. Either way there was pressure. He was all too aware of the shortness of time these days.
Which was why he'd spent the past week making arrangements for this contingency, ready to be carried out on his command. It was just a matter of when.
Tomorrow night Grayson would be at a charity event that would keep him preoccupied until the wee hours of the morning, and Jason would be there to make sure of it. Aryanne's grandmother was out of town at a week long event with her bridge club, though that made little difference to him, it was just convenient to limit the chances of something going amiss. Of course it hinged on the girl staying in for the night, but over the past five days his men had been monitoring her and she was generally home before seven pm, in her room by nine and sleeping by eleven-thirty at the latest.
The only exception being the night she spent with Grayson. And since it was a school night, and a Tuesday, the likelihood she'd follow that pattern was high. Also according to his men there was a neighborhood watch that drove by her house at precisely a quarter after the hour every hour starting at eight-fifteen, so they could set up surveillance as long as they were off the street from five after until twenty-five after every hour, and then it would just be a matter of getting in and out between twelve-thirty and one am. Plenty of time he was told.
Good. He wanted it done, and done now. He would need the time he had left to get Grayson on the track he'd set for him, especially since grieving for the girl would take up some of that time. And he would be there for his son, using his own theatrical skills in the process. Assuring him that he understood his pain, and depending on what his son confided, letting him know that he should have come to him, that he would have found a compromise that suited them both.
It would be hard on Grayson, he had no illusions about that, but with the only thing that had ever made him question his life out of the picture he would have no choice but to fall back on what he knew. He had a fleeting moment of concern that his son would meet another Aryanne when he was no longer here to intervene- then he calmed himself. Zealots like her were few and far between. Grayson would be married with children before that was ever a concern, and by then it wouldn't matter. A mistress he "loved" would not be a problem.
James decided that he would give Jason a big bonus before sending him out of their lives. If not for him, he might not have known about this secret affair until it was too late.
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