Dangerous Lies Read online

  The damage has been done, and our fates are set.

  “We should get up and go have dinner with the kids before we take off,” Langston says.

  “Mmmh,” I say, knowing he’s right, but after thinking I lost him, I can’t tear myself away from his body.

  The anger at him faking his death returns; he put me through hell. I can’t really be mad at him for long, though. He did it to get my stubborn ass to admit the truth and save Declan. Not to mention, I had Siren fake killed, and it almost destroyed him. Nonetheless, I let the anger fill me enough that I can unclench my claws from his body.

  I sit up and smack him across the cheek. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I can’t handle losing you.”

  He sits up, chuckling, and then crosses his heart like we are five again. “I promise.”

  “No more tricking each other. No more hiding. My heart can’t take it.”

  “Neither can mine.”

  We kiss, but I don’t let his tongue in my mouth. If we start that again, we will never leave this boat.

  Langston scoops me up in his arms, then grabs his duffle bag before carrying me to the back of the boat.

  “There are clothes in the bag to get dressed,” he says as he sets me down and begins getting the sail back up.

  I find yoga pants and an oversized shirt. I put them on and watch as Langston works, still completely naked.

  Finally, he finishes his work and digs through the bag to find his own clothes.

  “I think you need a bath before you get dressed. You have your guilt all over you,” I say as annoyed as I can muster. Honestly, I’m just so happy that he’s alive that I don’t care he was the reason for thinking he was dead.

  He shrugs a shirt on over the dried fake blood and pulls up his pants before sitting next to me. He doesn’t speak as he kisses me on the forehead, but I know he’s apologizing. He would spend the rest of his life apologizing if I let him. We both could.

  That’s not the life we want, though. I vow to myself that the second we step foot back on the island, I’m letting this shit go. I can’t live my life mad at him forever.

  Langston ties off the sailboat at the small dock on the island, and then he helps me off.

  We start walking up the beach to the house. Our hands tangle together, and Langston looks at me.

  I smile deliberately back. “I forgive you.”

  “What? You can’t. I—”

  “I forgive you. I love you.” I kiss the back of his hand. “Now, let’s go enjoy time with our family and friends.”

  I tug his hand, and he walks with me. I can tell he wants to talk about it more, but I’m not going to let us. Our time together is too precious.

  Atlas and Rose see us as we approach the house. They run out and jump on us like we’ve been gone for months instead of just one day. That’s what I regret the most—loving them, knowing the life we lead. There is always a chance we won’t come back. A chance they will go through what I fake went through—losing Langston.

  Langston frowns as I lift Atlas up into a hug. He seems to sense the turmoil going on in my head.

  “Are you guys hungry?” Langston asks.

  “Yes! I want pizza,” Rose says.

  “Me too,” Atlas agrees.

  “What are Uncle Enzo and Aunt Kai fixing?” Langston asks, assuming they are the ones doing the cooking.

  “Pizza!” Rose yells.

  We all laugh as we carry them inside. We stop in the kitchen and see that Enzo and Kai are, in fact, making pizza.

  Cayden cries in Zeke’s arms; both Atlas and Rose turn concerned. “We need to go cheer up baby Cayden. He cries if we aren’t around him,” Rose says.

  Atlas nods.

  We put both kids down, and they race over to Zeke to have a look at baby Cayden. To our surprise, Zeke lowers him to let him get a look at Atlas and Rose, and Cayden seems to stop crying. He reaches out to Atlas and touches his face.

  But then I frown when I realize that Zeke can’t hear any of the exchange the kids are having. He can’t hear, and it’s all my fault.

  “It’s not your fault,” Beckett says from behind us.

  Langston and I turn around. Langston is gripping my hand again.

  Beckett walks closer and holds out his bandaged hand. “The doctors you sent took a look at all of us. Because you got us medical help so quickly, we are all going to heal; good as new.”

  I frown. That’s not possible. Nothing is as good as new.

  “Zeke’s hearing has already started coming back. The doctors are extremely hopeful he’ll get his hearing back completely within the year. If not, they can fit him with hearing aids that will get him to one hundred percent.”

  I look at Zeke in surprise.

  “My hearing is already coming back,” Zeke says. He either heard part of the conversation or guessed what we were talking about.

  I nod, giving him a small smile.

  “The doctors looked at Siren’s vocal cords, and they’re mostly infected at this point, not really damaged. It’s painful, but Siren can already make small sounds. She’s on painkillers and antibiotics, so she should heal quickly and be able to talk. Singing might take longer to come back, but it will return.”

  I stare down at his heavily bandaged hand. “And what about you? You lost the most. Without the ability to use your hand, life is going to be hard—way harder than it should be.”

  Beckett smirks. “I’ve lost a hand before. The body is amazing at adapting. If I lost this hand, too, I’d learn how to use the residual limb or my toes. The doctors gave me a salve to apply to the burns, though. I should heal, but if I don’t, it’s mostly cosmetic. My fingers still function even if I can’t feel what I’m touching.”

  I wrap my arms around him. “It’s still too high a price to pay.”

  “I just wish I had been able to save Declan,” Beckett says.

  I pull away from him and pat him on the shoulder.

  “You’re going to get the treasure to use to get Declan back, aren’t you?” he asks.

  Langston and I nod. “Let me go with you,” Beckett pleads.

  “No, you need to stay and watch the kids.”

  “Yea, cause I was so good at it the last time.”

  Atlas runs over to Beckett at that moment. “Come help make the pizzas. Uncle Enzo doesn’t know what he’s doing and is going to burn it.”

  Beckett nods and starts to follow Atlas.

  “I think you do more than just ‘good’ with the kids. You’re great and will do everything in your power to protect them. Stop blaming yourself,” I say.

  He heads into the kitchen after Atlas but stops just short. “You too.”

  I nod silently.

  “I’m going to go check and make sure they know how to use the pizza oven, you okay?” Langston asks.

  “Yep, go.”

  Langston reluctantly leaves my side and grabs one of the pizzas on the kitchen counter. He heads outside to the pizza oven on the far side of the deck with Atlas and Beckett in tow.

  My stomach rumbles at the sight of the food, and a wave of nausea pulses through me. I race to the bathroom, thankful that Langston isn’t nearby to question me.

  I try to hurry in the bathroom, quickly rinsing my mouth out with mouthwash. When I open the door, I find Siren standing in the doorway.

  Her eyes search mine, and I know she heard me puking my guts in the bathroom.

  She rests her hand on my stomach with a knowing twinkle in her eye as she raises her eyebrows in question.

  “No, just sick,” I say, answering her question.

  She frowns and moves her hand to my forehead. I’m sure it’s hot and sweaty from being sick.

  “I’m okay, just an upset stomach with everything going on. I’ll be better once we get Declan.”

  She nods.

  “Can you do me a favor?”

  She tilts her head waiting for me to ask my question.

  “Can you get Phoenix brought here to the island? Lan
gston and I are leaving tonight, and although the kids are getting to know all of you, they trust her. She loves them, and she deserves a chance to say goodbye.”

  Siren frowns. It’s not fair to ask her to do something like this when she can’t really argue back. She can only either say yes or no.

  The look on her face tells me she’s going to say no, but she eventually nods.

  “Thank you,” I say as she pulls out her phone to text.

  I’m not afraid of Phoenix hurting the kids again. There will be more people here this time to watch her. She already knows we have suffered and paid for causing her to lose her kids. Once she sees them again, she’ll want to spend time with them. She won’t hurt them. She loves them.

  And the kids need as many parents as they can get, as many people who love them as possible. You never know when one of us might be taken away from them.

  27

  Langston

  “Mom!” the kids yell and jump up from their seats around the fire pit. They toss their empty plates to the side as they run down the beach.

  For a second, I thought they were talking about Liesel, but then I turn and see Phoenix running up the beach.

  She kneels down and hugs each of them. Her hugs and smiles seem genuine, but I know the wickedness that lies underneath.

  My blood boils that she’s near the kids.

  I stand up and start storming down the beach to Phoenix with Liesel hot on my heels.

  “Langston,” Liesel warns from behind me. I snap my head to her, knowing she’s the reason Phoenix is here.

  “They love her. She loves them. We can’t keep them apart; it’s not fair.”

  I growl and then start down the beach again without speaking to Liesel. She continues to follow after me, I assume, to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.

  “Mom, have you met our other mom?” Rose asks Phoenix.

  “I have. She’s pretty awesome, isn’t she?” Phoenix asks Rose.

  “She is! I’m so excited. I get two moms! How lucky are we?” Rose grabs Atlas’ hands and jumps up and down. He just rolls his eyes at her.

  Phoenix stands and nods a thank you to Liesel before she turns to look at me. Without looking at the kids, I say, “Atlas, Rose, how about you race back to the house?”

  “Are you going to race us?” Atlas asks.

  “Us adults will race after you.”

  The kids take off.

  I stare Phoenix down. “I’m doing this for them, not for you.”

  “Of course,” Phoenix answers.

  “If you hurt them, try to take them away again, do anything—I will kill you, your brothers, and anyone you’ve ever met. Do you understand?”

  “I won’t hurt them. I would never hurt them.”

  “You hurt them when you took them away from me, their father!”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Just say goodbye to them,” I say.

  Phoenix walks toward the house, and then it’s just Liesel and me. We exchange glances but not words. I can’t believe that Liesel trusts Phoenix. Trusting other people is what got us into this mess.

  “Let’s go say goodbye to the kids before we head to Tokyo,” Liesel finally speaks instead of arguing with me.

  I nod.

  The plane ride to Tokyo is long, but I enjoy every minute of it.

  We alternate between fucking and sleeping naked in each other’s arms.

  The car ride is more nerve-wracking as we think about what we are about to face. We pull up at the address and step out of the car.

  The small temple sits on the edge of a river, covered in moss, bushes, and trees. The walls of the temple are barely visible through the overgrowth.

  We approach the entrance and knock softly on the door.

  A woman opens the door.

  “I’ve been expecting you.” She opens the door, and we enter. In retrospect, the tasks we’ve been given so far to prove we love each other were pretty easy. I shouldn’t be upset with her father for this wild goose chase, but I am. I don’t know what games he’s playing from beyond the dead. If he weren’t dead already, I’d kill him myself.

  The room we enter is simple. You can see the beams holding up the roof, and there is a small, low to the ground, circular table with four small chairs around it.

  “Sit, sit,” the woman says.

  We both take a seat at the table. The woman leaves the room, leaving Liesel and me alone. We both smile at each other, knowing this is almost over.

  “Don’t move,” the woman suddenly says.

  We both freeze, not sure what the hell is going on.

  My eyes scan the room and find the woman has a gun pointed at my head. She’s across the room, so I can’t just yank the gun free from her hand. I have no idea how good her aim is.

  “Do you love him?” she asks Liesel.

  Liesel is sitting next to me with big eyes. I can hear her heart beating from here. After what I put her through, I know she’s not going to let this woman shoot me without a fight.

  “Yes, I love him,” Liesel says.

  “Would you die for him?” the woman asks.

  “Yes,” Liesel says at the same time I scream, “No!”

  The woman turns the gun on Liesel. “If either of you moves, I’ll kill her.”

  I freeze, even though I want to protect Liesel with every ounce of my being. I rock my feet under the table, preparing myself to jump on Liesel to protect her from any bullets if I need to.

  “Do you love her?” she asks me.

  “Yes, with everything I have,” I say.

  “Would you die for her?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  “No,” Liesel says with tears in her eyes. She quickly wipes them away. I’m guessing the only reason she’s not bawling right now is that she knows she has to remain strong for whatever happens next. She’s going to need her sight to be able to fight or run.

  The woman shakes her head at us.

  “She loves me, and I love her. If you want us to prove it, we will. You don’t need to kill either of us,” I say.

  The woman laughs. “You think you completed the task successfully?”

  “Yes, I did what was on the card. I made her fall in love with me. Liesel loves me, and I love her.”

  “That was what was on the card, but that was not the actual challenge. Your task was to resist falling in love. You were told years ago what would happen if you fell in love with Liesel, now you will pay the price,” the woman says.

  Shit.

  “What is she talking about?” Liesel asks.

  I should have told Liesel, but I didn’t want her to worry. Her father’s dead; I didn’t think he’d know or have any way to carry out his threat. I guess I was wrong.

  “Go on, you can tell her, we have time,” the woman says.

  I should be figuring out how to get out of here, not tell Liesel a story about how horrible her father is. She already knows that, so I try my best to search for ways I can get Liesel out of here safely while I tell her the story.

  “Your father saw us rip his letter to you in half. He knew you had half the clues, and I had the other half. So he looked me up, found out that I worked for Enzo Black, the son of one of his rivals who betrayed him. He approached me. It took me a minute to realize who he was, or I wouldn’t have taken the meeting. He threatened me.”

  Actually, his men beat me to within an inch of my life.

  “He told me he’d rather his daughter be dead than loved by a man like me. He saw already how much I wanted you, how I loved you. He made me promise before he’d let me go that I would never fall in love with you or let you fall in love with me. If I did, he’d kill one or both of us. At the time, I knew you hated me and didn’t think you could ever love me, so I didn’t see the problem with making that promise. I fell in love with you, anyway. I’m sorry for the danger it’s put us in.”

  Her father was a snake. He set up this game and ensured that we failed. The only way she would have had a chance to
win is if she had chosen someone else to marry.

  “Your father left very clear instructions, Liesel. If you fell in love with Langston, then only one of you survives. Only one of you will be walking out of this temple alive. It doesn’t matter which one of you it is. Either the two of you decide, or I do,” the woman says.

  I’ve found all the exits in this room. It’s one woman against the two of us. I have a gun in the band of my pants. I just have to reach for it and shoot her dead faster than she can pull the trigger. More importantly, I have to ensure that Liesel doesn’t get shot.

  Liesel seems to be trying to read my mind as I plan out our escape. I don’t know if she gets the message or agrees with it, but when I whisper, “Now.” Liesel takes the hint and dives as hard as she can underneath the table.

  I dive after her as I grab my gun and aim at the woman.

  I fire.

  The woman fires.

  “You okay?” I ask Liesel.

  She nods.

  “We have to get out of here. Crawl behind me toward that back door. Understood?” I ask.

  She nods.

  I fire rapidly in the direction of the woman as Liesel starts crawling. I use my body to shield her, but the woman hasn’t fired at us since I aimed my gun at her. She seems to be hiding behind the wall.

  “Go!” I yell.

  Liesel runs; I run after her.

  We throw open the back door, exit, and find ourselves on a garden terrace.

  It’s eerily quiet out here. We have to trek around the temple to get to our car. I don’t spot the woman who was shooting at us, and I don’t know if she has anyone else working for her, so I keep Liesel behind me as I hold out my gun, and we start creeping around the outside of the temple.

  We don’t make it a step before we are being fired upon. We duck down behind a pillar as I return fire.

  “Oh my god,” Liesel says as she catches a quick glance of the garden before she hides behind the pillar.

  My eyes scan the garden. There are at least thirty men approaching us in tactical gear.

  Fuck.

  “We need to get back in the temple.”

  “We can’t. They have us surrounded. There are men coming out of the temple now.”