Chapter 10

<Gavin Forrester>

Carter is a drug dealer...He must've been talking to his boss yesterday. Should I confront him with what I know? No, I've had way too much confrontation for a lifetime lately and I have a feeling that he won't give me what I want like Talon did. I open my eyes slowly and look at the time.

10:00 AM

I groan and push back my comforter, stepping onto the cold hardwood of my bedroom floor. Rubbing my eyes, I grab some clothes from my dresser and go into the bathroom to get dressed. I pull on my jeans, t-shirt and hoodie. I brush my teeth and try to calm down my mental war while I stare in the mirror.

I should at least tell Victoria that she's being watched. Maybe I should just tell her everything? Then it'd be out in the open. I mean, I'd never tell her about the plot to murder her but maybe I should tell her about Carter's little side job.

I could always confront Carter and make him tell me his story before I go tell his fiancée. I mean it's not the first time Talon would've given me misinformation and his latest story doesn't have a very truthful ring to it. It sounds more like a cover up.

I sigh and walk back out into my bedroom. I grab my phone and text Victoria that I'm leaving and I'll come pick her up at Grand Central around noon. She responds with and 'okay' and I grab my car keys.

I take the elevator down to the parking garage and catch sight of my beautiful black Ferrari. I smile and unlock it, slipping slowly inside. I pull out of my park and drive the familiar route to Grand Central Station. Victoria is waiting outside today and hops into the front seat of my car. She doesn't say anything, probably still feeling awkward from what happened with us a few days ago. I shrug it off and drive towards Brooklyn where Coney Island is.

Victoria stays silent the whole ride and opens up her door the minute we get to Coney Island. She won't even let me open up her door for her, what did I do? I grab her arm before she can go off to the ticket booth for Deno's. She tries to wriggle free of my grab but I hold her arm tight.

"Victoria, what did I do to you?" I narrow my eyes and watch as she lets out a sigh.

"Gavin, I'm just upset." She bites her lip and doesn't meet my eyes.

"Is it because of what I told you a few days ago?" I ask solemnly and let go of her arm as I lean up against my car.

She nods and my heart sinks a little. This is why I don't do love.

"I just, I love you too, Gavin but I know I'm lying to myself if I think there's ever any chance of us being together. In two months I'm going to be married to Carter and you're going to be free. You can go find someone else who can love you way more than I'll be able to." Victoria hangs her head and I pull her into my arms.

"Victoria, I don't want anyone but you and I know I'm lying to myself but love isn't just something where you can pick and choose...It's something you feel and no matter how many times you tell me you can't love me, I'll still love you. Do you understand?" I ask her and run my fingers through her long, brown hair.

"Gavin, I just wish I could love you without everything that's standing in our way." She whispers.

"Love would be no fun if it was easy..." I state simply and let go of her.

"Are you sure all of these obstacles are worth your time?" She tilts her head and I smirk.

"No, but you sure as hell are." I wink and grab her hand, she doesn't protest or let go of it.

"Gavin, I think maybe we should just try being friends right now." She smiles and holds my hand tighter.

She's dumping me before we even become a couple...Am I losing it?

"Sure," I nod and let go of her hand, my pride chipping away with each passing second.

"I never said let go of my hand, did I?" She smirks and I tilt my head.

"Is that something 'friends' do?" I ask flirtatiously and grab her hand again.

"Well, it is now." She winks and we walk up to the ticket booth for Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

~~~~~

It's been about an hour and things are already less awkward than they were when we first arrived in Coney Island. Victoria grabs my hand and pulls me towards Deno's Wonder Wheel for what must be the fifth time today. I groan but she hops into line and soon we're sucked into the group that's boarding. She picks a red car and sits down.

"We're riding the bumper cars after this." I smirk and grab her hand.

"I thought you wanted to make me ride the Cyclone or something..." She gives me a coy look and I feel my heart stop.

Nobody downgrades the Cyclone, it's a historic landmark and one hell of a rollercoaster if I do say so myself.

"You are riding the Cyclone as many times as I say because you can't be considered a true New Yorker until you understand the thrill of the Cyclone. I can't believe you've lived here your whole life here and not gone on the Cyclone." I shake my head and the guy in the car next to us makes a surprised noise.

"She's never ridden the Cyclone? What kind of New Yorker is she?" He chuckles and pats her shoulder.

"One that doesn't like roller coasters." Victoria rolls her eyes as the Wonder Wheel starts again.

~~~~~

We stagger off of the Wonder Wheel and now it's my turn to drag her somewhere. I choose the bumper cars and pay the admission fee as we step through the gates. I hop into a red car while Victoria hops into the purple one next to me. We wait for the rest of the cars to fill up so we can begin.

A bell sounds and then music starts playing as everyone begins to drive around the course. Victoria makes the mistake of pulling out in front of me and I take that as an opportunity to slam into her bumper. She looks a little frightened which amuses me.

"What'd you do that for, Gavin?" She shouts and I let out a laugh.

"It's the point of the game, honey." I wink and bump the back of her car again.

"Oh now you've done it." She groans and tries to reverse into my bumper car.

"Not going to work." I pull up next to her and begin to drive, giving her the perfect opportunity to bump into my car.

She, however, doesn't realize what I'm doing and lets her opportunity slip away. I turn around a little and see some guy my age flirting with Victoria. He winks and drives off towards my car. I speed ahead and watch as he catches up with me.

I slam into the side of his car and watch as he jolts a little. He quickly regains his composure and tries to bump my car again.

"Nope, we can't have that." I shake my head and pull the front of my car into the side of his.

The guy looks scared and drives off ahead of me. Don't mess with the master.

"Well, you didn't have to be so rude." Victoria chuckles and bumps the back of my car.

"And you didn't have to flirt with him until he agreed to do your dirty work for you." I wink and let her catch up with me.

"It's called using the talents I was given." She rolls her eyes and bumps the side of my car.

"No, that's called an unfair advantage. Do your own work, babe." I wiggle my eyebrows as the music stops and a voice on the loudspeaker tells us to get out of our cars.

I grab her hand and we walk off towards the exit of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

~~~~~

"I'm not sure about this." Victoria admits as she gazes up towards the Coney Island Cyclone.

"This is a quintessential New York attraction; you're going to ride it if I have to tie you to your seat." I wave my hand dismissively as we step into line for the Cyclone.

We're standing in Luna Park on Surf Avenue in Brooklyn, surrounded by millions of tourists and New Yorkers alike. The sun is shining and there's only a few clouds in the sky. Victoria is standing right next to me, gnawing on her lip and staring at the looming structure of the ride in front of us.

"It'll be fine...I've ridden it hundreds of times and I'm still alive." I pat her shoulder and give her a crooked smile.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever...That doesn't change anything; it still looks old and unstable." I grabs my hand and holds it tightly.

"It's a once in a lifetime experience. You can't see New York the way you can from the Cyclone anywhere else."

"You sound like a tour guide." She looks up once more before the employee gestures for us to go take a seat in one of the cars.

I help her in and then take a seat right next to her as other people take the remaining spots.

The roller coaster takes off and Victoria grabs my hand, her grip tightening with every inch the coaster moves.

"Just enjoy the view, Victoria." I pat her thigh and gesture towards the board walk and all of the other attractions that Coney Island has to offer.

She looks around in awe but that quickly disappears as the roller coaster speeds up and goes downhill. She screams and buries her face in my shoulder. I hold her close and look at the view while she tries to calm herself down.

I smirk as we go downhill and pull back into the start area of the Cyclone.

"We're back to the start in one piece, honey." I whisper and help her out of the car.

"Oh, that wasn't that bad. We should go on it again!" She squeals and grabs my hand.

"You're kidding, right?" I say incredulously, a smile spreading across my face.

"Yep, let's go eat; I'm starved." Victoria licks her lip and looks around for somewhere to eat.

"We're going to Nathan's." I smirk and direct her towards a crowded hot dog restaurant up the way a bit.

"You expect me to a greasy hot dog after that torturous ride you just put me through?" She mutters, her eyes widening.

"I don't expect you to eat any old greasy hot dog, I expect you to eat a world famous Nathan's greasy hot dog." I smirk and she glares at me.

"You're a jerk," She sighs and follows me towards the crowded food establishment.

"And you're a wimp, anything else we need to clear up?" I pat her head and then look towards the menu.

She sticks out her tongue and looks apprehensively towards the kitchen area.

I order plain hot dogs for both of us and an order of fries once we get up to the counter. I hand them $10 and grab our food from the man when it's ready.

We walk out of Nathan's and down to the boardwalk where we take a seat on a bench.

"Ready to try your very first Nathan's hot dog?" I say in an over-enthusiastic way.

"You're a dork." She rolls her eyes and takes a bite.

I see her eyes light up but she still looks beyond annoyed.

"I guess you were right, this is pretty good." She rolls her eyes and continues to eat her hot dog.

"And don't you forget it." I wink and take a bite of mine.

Victoria leans on my shoulder and reaches for French fry from the carton in my lap.

"Thanks for taking me here today, I had a lot more fun than I thought I would." She sighs and smiles up at me.

"I'm glad, I had a feeling you'd have a good time." I tap her nose and look out at the ocean from the boardwalk.

"Gavin," She says in a small voice.

"Yes?" I ask and turn towards her.

"We could make this work if we wanted to, right?" She tilts her head and bites her lip in anticipation of my answer.

"I thought you just wanted to be friends?" I smirk and now it's her turn to answer.

"I mean if we wanted to, we could..." She sits up and brushes her hair out of her face.

"Victoria, whenever you decide that you want to be more, I'll be waiting for you. That's a promise." I kiss the side of her head and stand. "Now, since I've decided that we can be just friends, you have to do something for me."

"What do want?" She groans and stands up next to me.

"You have to let me take you home, to your actual house." I smirk at my brilliant plan.

"Gavin, you know why I can't let you do that." She whines.

"I've stated my terms, you accept or you lose my friendship too." I cross my arms and give her an amused look.

"Why do you have to threaten me with things I love so dearly?" Victoria mutters in an over-dramatic way.

"I'm just that nice." I grab her hand and we walk off towards my car.

~~~~

"It's the large brick house right here." Victoria points towards a mansion on my left side.

Large does not even begin to cover it. Massive would be a better adjective to describe it. It has large mahogany doors and spans at least have an acre in length.

There's a soft glow coming out of every room with a window and the front garden could give the Brooklyn Botanical a run for its money. To me, it seems that the stone pathway to the front door is the only small thing on the property. Victoria grins at my awe and steps out of the car.

"Love you, Gavin." She whispers. "Maybe, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later." I smile and watch as she walks up to the front door of her mansion.