Nerddicks Game Over Read online

  Nerddicks Game Over

  A Warrior and Nerd Journey Novella

  By

  T.M. Grinsley

  Copyright © 2018 by T.M. Grinsley

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Note: This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are not construed as real. Any resemblance to any actual events or persons, living or dead, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.

  T.M. Grinsley

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  https://www.facebook.com/TMGrinsley/

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's right is appreciated.

  Edited by Amanda “Andie” Ryder

  Cover Design by Takecover Designs

  Book Layout © 2018

  BookDesignTemplates.com

  Nerddicks Game Over by T.M. Grinsley. -- 1st ed.

  Dear Halloween King,

  Taken from the world too soon, you will always be remembered. Pure of heart and an intense passion for Halloween. In honor of your father and my best friend, this is for you.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Special Note

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter 1

  ~ Brianna ~

  “I am not fucking wearing that.” Williford snaps and tries to bolt out of the room, but the guys quickly move to the exit and block him.

  “You are so fucked, bro.” Matt snickers and pushes Williford back towards the dressing room.

  “It's not that bad. May have a cold breeze to worry about, but not like anyone will be able to look at the jewels anyway. You weren’t exactly blessed in that department. Maybe that’s why-”

  “Do I need to drop my pants and fucking show you what I got, Lawson? Cause if it’s not so bad, why the hell aren’t you doing this shit?”

  Lawson has his arms crossed with his right prosthetic crossed over his left ankle. Instead of sporting his bright neon kangaroo legs, or showing off his newest digs, he went with plain old boring legs that don’t look right on him at all. But since it’s pouring outside, he said it was easier for him to walk in.

  I think it’s a bunch of B.S. Since that night in the woods, everything changed. I knew things would never be the same after Weatherford, but the glue that once held them together is gone. They barely sleep and eat, for fear of one of their one betraying them. Ryan, Matt, Prosser, and Everett are gone most days, while the rest babysit me and are bored out of their minds.

  But Lawson’s starting to take a turn for the worst. He is the glue that holds these guys together, since the day I left the hospital something changed. The funny light-hearted guy I love like a brother, has started to turn into an asshole and won't look at me the same. A few nights ago, I tried talked to Matt and Williford about it, but they just shrug it off and told me to give him some time.

  Time, my ass. I miss my friend. I miss the jokes and having someone I can trust when Ryan is away. I know I can talk to any one of them, but Lawson has a way of listening and giving you a sense of peace when you talk to him.

  Shaking my head, trying to get out of the black hole I really don't want to go down. I hear Lawson grumbles a few words under his breath and watch us with hollow eyes. My heart's breaking just seeing him like this, knowing there is something I could be doing to help him. But that’s calling the kettle black and shuts me up.

  How can I sit here and bitch about Lawson, when I’m doing the same thing to them? I am hiding something from them too.

  Plopping down on the small stool next to Mike, I lean against his side and watch Williford and Matt bicker back and forth.

  In the corner of my eye, I catch the corner of Lawson's mouth starting to shift into a grin, but when his eyes land on me, it’s gone.

  What is going on with you, Lawson?

  He never smiles like he used to, and he keeps a distance with only me. What the hell did I do to deserve the silent treatment? I mean, getting chased down by a crazed lunatic and almost dying by the hands of their brother wasn’t my fault. I mean, I did get shot, but there was more to it.

  “Because we weren’t the dumbass that thought it was a good idea to challenge our Queen Nerd over here about Star Trek. Have you seen her fucking book or movie collection? That should have been your first clue. Or better yet, challenge her to a fucking war on Battlefield.” Lawson quips but is trying his hardest to keep a serious look on his face. Hey, the mute speaks!

  “SHE CHEATED! You all fucking helped her. There is no way she knew what I was about to do. I had her in the palm of my hand and the next moment, I am blown to bits. I DEMAND A REMATCH!”

  Williford continues to yell at Lawson and tries to wrangle from Matt’s grasp, but it’s no use. Matt is a bull and Williford is, well, a white version of Kevin Hart. Freaking comical, if you ask me.

  Mike leans close to my ear and tries his best to keep his laughter in. “Please tell me what you plan to do to him?”

  Keeping my mouth shut, I pretend to use a zipper to zip my lips shut. There is only one person who knows my plan, and it's going to be epic. The King of Halloween is my accomplice.

  Mike shakes his head and places a gentle kiss on my forehead. Throwing his arm around my shoulders, we wait to see what’s going to happen next.

  You see, Williford may look small, but he is wicked fast at everything he does and is one hell of a marksman. He’s taken me out to the range a few times when Ryan is MIA and helped me learn a thing or two. I have learned a lot from him the past couple months, and if it weren’t for him, I would’ve gone stir crazy with worry over Ryan. Ryan and a few of the guys have been out there nonstop, hunting down Weatherford and his men.

  Something transpired after I got out of the hospital, but no one has felt the need to fill me in on what’s going on. I mean, I know about Weatherford being tortured and escaping confinement. I know about the endless hunt to track down his man and put an end to this once and for all. Prosser may have slipped while he was plastered on night and spilled his guts out. I learned way more about him than I ever care to admit. When Ryan found out, he went postal.

  So, to keep me occupied, and out of harm's way, the guys have me busy from dusk till dawn. They all promised to only teach me the basics of how to defend myself, so if I ever need it in the future I’ll know. Especially after what happened in the woods.

  I mentally shake my head at the night I wish I could forget. The guys have all been on edge since what happened and refuse to let me out of their sight. I can’t even go to the bathroom without someone shadowing the door to make sure nothing happens. I mean, I love these guys more than anything in this world, but for Christ’s sake. A girl would like some privacy.

  Granted, it’s been a month and a half since I was shot and almost died out on the road, but it’s been over a month. I am fine, really.

  Yeah, who am I kidding? That’s complete bullshit. Whenever Ryan isn’t next to me at night, I wake up screaming, thinking about that night and feeling Cam's hands on me. Remembering the bullet hitting me and bleeding out on the concrete.

  I burst through the clearing, ignoring the blinding white pain ripping my insides apart. Leaving my right hand on my wound, I ran as fast as I could up the road, praying someone would find me.

 
; “Stop!”

  Turning around slowly, my pursuer was in the middle of the road, with his gun pointed directly at my chest. Squinting my eyes, I tried to decipher if I have ever seen this man before in my life. He looked familiar, but my brain couldn’t place who he was.

  “Don’t move, Brianna. I will shoot.”

  It can’t be? Taking a closer look, I recognized the man who I met at the VA and kicked his ass at video games. “Weatherford?”

  “That’s right. It’s been me this entire time. I’m the one who set Funny Farm on fire, I’m the one who drugged Cam the night he attacked you. I’m the one who is going to kill your friends and fuck you until you scream for death.”

  Shivers wrack my body as I think about him. Everything in front of me starts to turn black, and I see him standing before me. Tears start to form, and my heart rate soars.

  “Come back to me, Bree.” Mike whispers in my ear and squeezes me to him. “Don’t go back there. Fight it.”

  Taking a deep breath, I imagine Ryan next to me, talking nonsense about what we plan to do when this is all over, and my heart rate starts to go back to normal. The darkness dissipates, and I am back with the guys. I mouth a thank you to Mike and squeeze his hand. See, Mike, Jason, and Lawson are the only ones who know what’s going on with me, and I want to keep it that way.

  Ryan is already going through hell, and right now, with trying to find Weatherford and protect everything he has built, he doesn’t need to add this on top of all that. Now, how did Mike, Jason, and Lawson find out about my night terrors? That is such a great story, not. Jason was over for a sleepover, planning our killer trip to Seattle for Comic Con, and I somehow fell asleep when we were talking about what we were going to wear. And well you can guess what happened.

  Per Jason, I was screaming bloody murder and begging Weatherford not to kill Ryan. I begged him to take my life instead. Jason was frantic when he woke me up, and when my eyes fluttered open, I saw Lawson freaking out and Mike on the verge of snapping my bed in half. Which would be a terrible thing, because I love my bed.

  After the guys calmed down, I finally told them what was going on and fought to keep the tears at bay. And yes, as you guessed, they all told me to tell Ryan, but I shot that down immediately. This is my burden to bear, and I have to deal with it on my own.

  They all promised to not say anything, but after that, Lawson changed, and Mike never lets me be alone at night when Ryan is away, and no, it's not like that. The guys do sleepovers and make me feel safe. But Jason is the only one allowed to sleep next to me because he is gay and my new bestie. I would rather have Jack, but Jason is turning out to be just as awesome as Jack.

  Matt and John tried several times to find out what was going on, but Lawson always cuts in and tells them to back off. We just say I am having a few issues after what happened and am worried about Ryan. They seem to have bought it, but my gut tells me they know something else is going on.

  “You got your ass handed to you because you taught her what to do, remember? Who takes her on secret trips to the range and teaches her how to defend herself against assholes like Cam or Weatherford? Who plays video games with her every night and teaches her how to hide and kill without being seen. Oh, that’s right, YOU! The student has surpassed the teacher. So, grow a pair and try on your costume.”

  I cover my laugh with a cough and Matt winks at me.

  The small leather outfit hangs loose from my grip, and I know this is going to get interesting. “A bet is a bet. You lost, so it’s time to pay up. Now either put this on and be a good boy, or this will be a very unpleasant experience. Your choice.”

  Williford curses under his breath and stalks towards me. He rips the leather outfit out of my hand and storms into the changing room.

  “Looks like our little boy is finally going to become a man.” Maslanik clasps hands with Matt and sits down in an empty chair, knowing this is going to be well worth skipping his morning workout.

  Matt plops down next to me and throws his arms around my shoulders. As he runs his hand through his hair, I can tell he is enjoying this a little too much. “You know, when Ryan and John find out about this, they are going to kill you.”

  “They could try, but then who would give Ryan killer blowjobs and help John get Taylor back?” Wiggling my eyebrows, I pick up a magazine and skim through the pages, waiting impatiently for Williford to get out of the dressing room.

  With Ryan using every minute of every day trying to track down Cam and Weatherford, or working on some mysterious project I am not allowed to know about, I have become a lot closer with the guys. While Ryan is off doing whatever the hell it is he is doing, the rest of the gang is keeping me busy. Most of it involves kicking each other’s ass in video games, a cook-off with Mike and me, or playing pranks on each other to pass the time.

  Matt rips the magazine out of my hand and tosses it at Maslanik. “You never give up, do you?”

  “Never. John is being stubborn and is going to miss out on the best thing in his life if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass. I am just trying to help him out the best I can. Even if it means listening to him talk about things that make no sense and watching B rated movies that should never have been made. I mean Sharknado, Seriously? I’ll never be able to get that time back.”

  Something in Matt’s eyes changes and I know what he is about to ask. “Are you okay, Bree? And don’t give me the bullshit answer, ‘everything is fine,’ shit. You know you can talk to any of us. We are here for you.” His large hands wrap around my smaller ones, and I can feel the tears start to form. No, I can’t let him do this here. I can’t do this again.

  I quickly look over at Lawson, and he pushes himself off the wall, knowing what is going on.

  “Matt-”

  Williford slams open the dressing room door, sporting a murderous glare and I know who it's for. His eyes land on me and I try to bolt out of my chair, but Matt’s arms wrap around my waist, stopping me dead in my tracks.

  “We are not done here. Lawson acts like your personal pit bull and Mike isn’t acting like himself. I may be dumb, but Ryan asked me to look after you. I thought you trusted me?” Matts defeated tone nearly breaks me. I do trust him with my life, but doesn’t he see why I am doing this?

  “Matt.”

  Matt pats my hand lightly and whistles at Williford.

  “You are going to be the bell of the ball, I am so proud.” Mike pretends to wipe a small tear from the corner of his eye and grabs a tissue. “Our little boy is all grown up.”

  Matt fans his face and pretends he is crying. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”

  “Fuckers. Go to hell.”

  “Already have a chair and a bucket of ice waiting for me. I heard you get a killer tan there.” I answer, which earns me the bird from Williford.

  “Watch it, Bree.” Williford attempts to scare me, but I know it’s all bark and no bite.

  Matt pulls me in close and places a loud kiss on my temple. “Don’t worry, Bree. We won’t let Chappy hurt you. Now, hurry up and get changed so we can check out. I am starving.”

  Chapter 2

  ~ Ryan ~

  “We need to head back. This trail’s run cold, and we need to regroup.” Keeping low to the ground, I grunt my response to John and wait for the next target. If anybody knows Weatherford better than anyone, it's me. I trained him for years and not once did I think he was capable of such a thing.

  For three days, we have followed his trail to the borders of Canada, to an old abandoned building that is the perfect hideout to plan his next attack. Isolated for miles in a town with only a few hundred people and one sheriff.

  I hear Prosser crawl up beside me, awaiting my command. “Everett counts a dozen inside and a few out the back. Weatherford isn’t inside, but there is something that will make this all worth it.”

  “What?” I snap, leveling my gun at its first target. Looks like we are going to have some fun tonight. Just like old times.

  I
hear John exhale loudly and curse silently. “And here I thought Hades wanted a night off. Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Care to tell me what the fuck is going on? And since when did you start talking like Bree?” I am about two seconds from losing my shit. For weeks we have been trying to track down Weatherford or Cam and put an end to all of this. Bree is plagued with nightmares every night, and I know she is saving face. Trying to act brave in front of everyone, but I know the truth. Something happened back there in the forest, but she refuses to talk about it.

  Lawson and Mike called me the night they found out about her nightmares, and that is when everything snapped. The woman I love more than life itself is in hell because of me. Because I couldn’t sniff out a rat in my own crew and stop him before this all happened. Now it is my job to send him to hell with his brother.

  “Please, Bree-”

  “Cam is inside,” Prosser says, cutting off John.

  Everything inside me starts to boil and the demon inside roars to life. The man who started this all and almost took the woman I love from me is inside. Looks like it’s time to play.

  Securing my gun on my back, I slide down the ledge and prepare my attack. “John?”

  “Just couldn’t wait, could you? Couldn’t have given me five mother fucking seconds to get into position and cover your sorry ass. Hold your position. I don’t want to be the one to tell Bree your ass is dead.” John’s voice comes through the intercom in my ear, but all I can see is red. Cam will not make it out of here alive. Mark my words, he has a date with Hades tonight. That is the last time I watch a weeklong marathon about Greek gods with Bree.

  “Fuck, goddamn rodent. I hate those rotten bastards.”

  Tuning John out, I spot three guys guarding the front door and two on the south side.

  Prosser kneels next to me and levels his gun at the guard out front. “Sure you want him covering you? Sounds like Chip and Dale are-”