Possessed by Lies (Truth or Lies Book 5) Read online

  Liesel starts talking again, so I do my best to listen. “I don’t want to talk about how it happened. But I didn’t want you to feel guilty. And I also didn’t want you to have anything to do with the child. Not because you wouldn’t have made a great stand-in father, but because having the child was my choice. And putting him up for adoption was my choice as well.”

  “Why are you telling me now?”

  “You deserve to know you have a three-year-old half-brother somewhere. You have an heir if you need him to be. All I ask is that you do everything in your power to protect him if he ends up in this world.”

  Liesel’s on the verge of tears. So I do what I should have done from the beginning—I pull her into a hug.

  “Shh, he’s safe. He doesn’t belong here. You did the right thing by giving him up, Liesel. The brave, strong thing. I’m so proud of you,” I say into her hair, as I grip her as tight as I can, trying to take her pain.

  “No, put his name down on the contract. You deserve to have control of the Black empire. There is no one better to ensure the technology, the security systems, the bombs, the weapons, the money doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. There is no man I know who would ensure the right thing is done, not just the thing to make the most money. You care about the people who work for you. You care about the people who hire you for security. You care about the women who have been stolen by other criminal organizations you do business with. Put his name down on the damn paper. Win your empire, and then change the damn rules before he turns eighteen,” Liesel says.

  I give her a tight smile. I can’t promise her I will or won’t use his name. I don’t like bringing an innocent child into this world, but if it’s my only choice, I will.

  “Thank you for telling me, Liesel,” I say.

  She nods. “I couldn’t keep the secret anymore. You deserve to know. And I trust you with his life.”

  22

  KAI

  LIESEL IS either the strongest woman I know, or she’s a bitch who is trying to steal my man and make me feel bad for keeping my secret while spilling her own.

  But when she looks at me with tears in her eyes, I know she’s on my side.

  All she did was open the door for me. Give me insight into how Enzo my react to me telling him I’m pregnant. He would protect the child. No matter if the child is his or my rapist’s. No matter if this child is the only way to get power, he won’t use my child that way unless I beg him to. And even then, he probably wouldn’t.

  I can trust him with my secret.

  But as soon as I speak the words, my secret is out there. It's like when I loved him but couldn’t say it. The truth spoken is one that can never be taken back.

  And I’m scared.

  Not that Enzo wouldn’t hide my secret from the world. Not that this baby wouldn’t be safe with him protecting him or her. But scared that by admitting I’m pregnant out loud, I will be saying I have to leave Enzo.

  Enzo doesn’t just deserve to be the leader of Black. Liesel is right; the world needs him to be. Before Enzo, the Black organization was just a group of thieves in the night. They stole from the rich and the poor. They sold drugs. They sold people. They sold weapons to the highest bidder, not caring if that bidder was evil and would use them to kill people. They dabbled in everything and killed everyone and everything that opposed them. But since Enzo has taken over, he has steered them into a more honorable way of getting money. They aren’t saints, but the evil they do doesn’t destroy innocent lives.

  They only take from their enemies. They only steal from those who deserve to be stolen from. They don’t sell people. And they only sell weapons to those who won’t turn around and try to take out entire countries.

  Enzo has to stay in this world.

  And I have to leave—for my child’s sake.

  I feel my eyes watering, but I have to be strong, like Liesel. Except Liesel gets to stay. I can’t give my child up for adoption. My child would be far more valuable than Liesel’s. Because if an enemy kidnapped my child, they could get Enzo to do anything to get that child back.

  “Enzo…” I start, then stop.

  I’m not sure I should have this conversation in front of Langston and Liesel, but they both know my secret. Liesel gets up and walks over to Langston, giving me a quick nod that it’s time. Langston gives me a tight smile, and I know he approves as well. It’s now or never.

  My eyes flutter to meet Enzo’s heavy gaze. I should be sitting right next to him, holding his hand as I deliver my news. But I can’t. I’m frozen. Too scared to lose him.

  I don’t know how to live without Enzo Black.

  But if I keep him, he will no longer be Enzo Black. He will return to being Enzo Rinaldi. A man who never existed. He wouldn’t be the man I fell in love with. He has to stay Enzo Black.

  We gaze into each other’s eyes. Frozen in time. Enzo’s eyes still carry tears from hearing he has a younger brother. I still wasn’t sure until Liesel spoke that her child wasn’t also Enzo’s. And I’m grateful her child isn’t, even though that’s selfish of me. Even though having a child caused her pain. My eyes are filling with my own lonely tears. But I will not cry when I tell him my news. So I suck the tears in and let my lips fall into something like a smile.

  “Enzo, I—”

  He presses a finger to my lips, stopping me from speaking.

  His eyes change to a darker shade of brown as he looks over my body, taking in all the clues he missed before: my swollen breasts, my growing belly, my morning sickness.

  Our worlds stop, and we have the most private moment we’ve ever had. It doesn’t matter that Langston and Liesel are there, because we don’t need words.

  You’re pregnant, his eyes say.

  Yes.

  A tiny smile.

  Bright eyes.

  He’s happy, overjoyed even.

  I smile back at him, letting myself glow for the first time since I found out I was pregnant.

  Enzo takes my hand, and I let him.

  In this moment, we are happy, expecting parents sharing a secret only the two of us know. It doesn’t matter that in reality, Langston and Liesel know. Or that Felix knows. All that matters is our little secret happiness.

  I love you, he mouths.

  I love you too, I mouth back.

  I feel the wind blowing in my face again as Langston starts driving the boat again. But it doesn’t shake our little moment. This single moment is the happiest I’ve ever been. And it appears Enzo feels the same.

  This is happiness.

  This is love.

  He doesn’t ask me any questions.

  Not if it’s his or Milo’s.

  Not how far along I am.

  Not if I know if it’s a boy or girl.

  Not what are we going to do.

  The questions don’t matter. What matters is that no matter the answers, we are both desperately in love with this child.

  We ride in silence holding each other’s hands and gazing into each other’s eyes until we reach Enzo’s house.

  Langston goes in first, wanting a moment to secure the property before the rest of us enter.

  When he gives us the all-clear, we enter. Langston and Liesel retreat to separate guest bedrooms, and Enzo carries me up the stairs to the bedroom we’ve shared so many memories together in.

  “Enzo, we need to talk,” I say.

  “No, I don’t want to talk about this until we can only speak happy, excited words. I won’t tarnish something so happy with fear and anxiety. We don’t need to speak—not today. And we don’t need to worry about what this means or what tomorrow holds. Just be with me tonight, Kai. Love me. Remind me of how incredible we are together. And how nothing can stop us as long as we love each other. That’s all I want.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, because I can barely breathe.

  And that is the last word I will speak tonight. Because if either of us starts talking, we won’t be able to focus on just loving each other. The topic will change to
worry and how to protect this child. And tonight, we both just need each other.

  I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head, letting my body be on full display for him.

  His eyes grow at the sight. I can tell he’s a little frustrated with himself for not realizing sooner.

  He lifts his own shirt, and I ogle his firm body that has saved me more times than he realizes.

  My hand goes to my hair, and I pull my scrunchie out and put it on my wrist, my hair falling down in waves.

  Enzo’s eyes deepen at the sight.

  Simultaneously, we remove our pants, naked in front of each other.

  Vulnerable, scared, and happy.

  Enzo is taking his time gazing at me, trying to study every curve, because the second he touches me we won’t be able to stop and slow down. But his gaze is driving me crazy.

  I whimper under his hungry gaze.

  He smirks.

  And then we collide.

  Our bodies.

  Our hearts.

  Our love.

  His hands grab my ass, and I wrap my legs around his, wishing I had heels on to dig into his back.

  Tongues sweep through each other’s mouths. Moans purr down each other’s throats.

  And before I realize what is happening, I’m straddling him on the bed. His hard cock pressed against my opening, all I have to do is press down, and he’ll be inside me.

  I like the power I have sitting on top of him, but not entering. Enzo’s frown tells me he doesn’t like me torturing him at all. But it only seems fair.

  Slowly, I slide down onto his cock. And I’ve never felt more whole. The way he fills me with the hint of a burn, but mostly delicious stretching until I take all of him, is everything.

  I rock back and forth as our eyes lock again.

  I love you.

  I love you, too.

  More rocking as pleasure shoots through me, and we continue our silent exchange of words.

  I love him, he says, referencing the baby.

  What if he’s a her?

  Then I’ll love her, too.

  I smile, but soon I won’t be able to focus on anything but the intense feeling between my legs.

  I’m scared.

  I want him to take away my fear. I want him to promise me to protect me like he has before. That no one will ever hurt me. Instead, he says with his body…

  Me too.

  And then he bucks harder. And I ride him hard and fast. The nerve endings spread the pleasure all over my body.

  Until I’m coming, and he’s filling me with his orgasm.

  I collapse on his body, and he rolls me over as he pulls out. He breaks our vow of silence as he kisses my stomach.

  “Mine,” he says, kissing my lower belly.

  He doesn’t say it as a question. As if he's wondering whose child it is, Milo’s or his. He doesn’t seem to care. He is taking ownership over the child no matter whose it is genetically.

  Mine is now my favorite word, I think as I fall asleep in Enzo’s arms.

  23

  ENZO

  KAI IS PREGNANT.

  With my baby.

  Or at least that is what I’m choosing to believe. I don’t ever want her to do a DNA test. The baby is mine. He’s mine. I don’t know the sex either, but I’m guessing it’s a him. So that’s what I call him in my head.

  A baby.

  My baby.

  Kai is pregnant.

  How is that possible?

  All the doctors said it wasn’t possible.

  But she just made everything possible.

  She’s pregnant.

  And Liesel had my father’s child. He raped her. And she had his child.

  Kai could be…

  No, don’t go there. The baby is mine, not Milo’s. Even if it is technically his, it will be hard to tell. Milo was my half-brother. The child will look like me, no matter what.

  But I won’t get to be there for the child.

  The child needs to disappear. No one wants us to have a child together.

  They want me and Kai to fight. To hate each other. To prove the strongest to them. Then raise our children to do the same.

  We both have heirs.

  Kai has her child.

  And I could claim Liesel’s.

  But if we did that, I could never claim Kai’s child as mine, and he’s mine! I won’t ever pretend otherwise.

  So it’s better off if we hide the child, like Liesel did. Hide our child away.

  I have to stay. Become Mr. Black.

  Kai will want to go with the child to protect him.

  And I won’t ever be able to search for them, not if I want to keep them safe. They will have to be hidden, even from me.

  What if there is another way?

  What if I can keep Kai and my child?

  Then I would have to give up the empire.

  If the choice is between Kai and my child or the empire, the choice is easy. I will always choose Kai and my son.

  But I’ve never been able to protect them before. I’ve never been able to protect those I love. They are better off without me.

  But maybe that’s the problem…

  I’ve never been able to choose before. I always tried to do both. I tried to be Mr. Black, while also protecting those I love. That’s why I always failed.

  I won’t fail this time because I’ll give one of them up—the empire.

  But I can’t let them be ruled by Felix. For one, we would never be safe. He’d chase us to the ends of the earth.

  A plan forms in my head as I hold the two most precious people in the world. Kai rests her head on my chest, and I rest my hand over her tiny stomach. I want to take her to get an ultrasound as soon as possible. I want to see my child. But I’ll wait until it’s safe. Just like I’ll wait to have our first conversation about our baby until it’s safe.

  I hated the conversation with Liesel. It was filled with worry, pain, and sadness. I don’t want that for our child. Only happiness and love will surround any conversation about our child.

  So I continue to form a plan.

  Kill Felix, that is at the top of the list.

  Win the game.

  Then change the rules, giving someone like Langton or Odette control. Maybe even have another, less gruesome, competition, so the men will believe the person who takes over is worthy.

  Only then will Kai, our baby, and I run away. We will disappear. We will be safe. We will live in the woods or on a farm, somewhere where no one will find us. But it won’t matter, because all we will need is each other.

  24

  KAI

  I KNOW the moment everything changes.

  Our tiny moment of happiness—gone.

  Enzo and Langston have spent the last few hours finding every man and woman on our side and getting them to this house. Our quiet sanctuary is now filled with men with guns.

  “I still don’t understand. Why are so many following Felix? He tried to attack them. He tried to kill them. Can’t they see he’s evil?” Liesel asks.

  “Because they are scared. They see love as a weakness. And some of them prefer a leader like Felix. He told them all he’s Enzo’s brother. So he’s a Rinaldi. They’ve seen how strong he is in a fight. And they think he will return the organization to the old ways—raping women, selling people, building dangerous weapons to sell to even more dangerous criminals, murdering innocent people,” Clifton says.

  “Well, they are deranged if they think Felix is a better leader than Enzo or Kai,” Liesel says.

  Clifton smiles at her. “That’s why so many of us are here.” He winks at her, giving her his dirtiest smile.

  And Langston tenses from across the room. I walk over to him. “Are you ever going to do anything about your feelings?”

  “I don’t have any feelings,” he answers.

  I raise an eyebrow.

  “I don’t.”

  I shake my head but quickly forget about Langston and Liesel’s unrequited love. Because
I suddenly feel like I’m being covered by a cloud of doom.

  Langston notices my reaction. “Kai, what’s happening?”

  He assumes something is wrong with the baby. But it’s not.

  “I think—” I start.

  Enzo is by my side immediately. “Felix is here.”

  I nod, agreeing.

  “You saw him on the security cameras? How many men did he bring?” Langston asks.

  Enzo shakes his head. “He hasn’t shown up yet on the security cameras. It’s just a feeling I have.”

  I take his hand. “Me too.”

  Liesel spots our little pow wow, and walks over. She reads the fear in all of our eyes. “He’s here?”

  We all nod.

  I tighten my grip on Enzo’s hands because I know what the plan is. And I hate the plan.

  But I also know, I have no choice.

  “Kai?” Liesel says, telling me it’s time. I should have left long ago. Before Felix arrived. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave Enzo. I have to now.

  I have to choose—Enzo or the baby.

  I can’t protect them both.

  Enzo can take care of himself, but it still kills me I can’t be here, fighting alongside him. I won’t know for hours if he lived or died.

  But I don’t have a choice. I have to put my baby first.

  I grab Enzo’s neck pulling him into the deepest kiss I’ve ever given him.

  He kisses me back with everything he has, like he’s trying to exchange his heart and soul with mine. And I pour everything back, giving him a part of me to take with him always.

  If there was ever a question about how we felt about each other, it’s gone now. No one who witnessed the kiss could see it as anything but an exchange of love.

  “Kai!” I hear Liesel’s voice trying to break through my happy fog. I don’t want to go. I want to stay. I need to say.

  Go, Enzo mouths.

  And then he’s pulling away, while I’m gasping for more.

  Our fingers are still intertwined, but that is all that is left.

  “I love you, stingray.”

  I hold back my sobs. Be strong. He doesn’t need to see you cry moments before he takes on his greatest foe.