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

  I should just go slink back into my room and hide away for the next month. Let Enzo do his thing. Prove even further that he deserves to Mr. Black. He’s always been Enzo Black, since birth. He never went by his true last name of Rinaldi. He was born into this, while I was born into nothing.

  I am nothing.

  I am no one.

  Which will make it easier to disappear.

  I take a step back as Enzo makes small talk with the men and woman who boarded his yacht. He’s already drilling them on the status of everything, and I hear him correct one of them when they answer incorrectly. How has he had time to keep up with all the day to day operations with everything else going on?

  I don’t know, and I don’t care. I just want to go hide away in my room where it’s safe.

  I take another step back and another. If I didn’t hate Enzo so much, I would almost admire how the team falls in line with him at the helm. But I don’t admire him; my heart hates him. So I don’t notice that.

  Another step back.

  And then I turn.

  And run into a hard chest.

  I bounce off it, and I see his hands rise to stabilize me, but they stop midair. He won’t touch me without my permission.

  “How did you—?” I start, not able to understand how Enzo moved from one side of the deck to the other in a matter of seconds without me hearing him.

  He shrugs. “I’ve been trained many years to be able to do that. I can move silently so no one, enemies nor allies, can hear me. I wasn’t able to sneak up on you before. Our connection was too great. You could tell anytime I moved, but now…” his voice is sad as he trails off.

  I nod. “I was just heading back to my room. It seems I’m not really needed for this game. You’ve already won.”

  “Just because the crew knows me better, doesn’t give me an automatic win. If you want me to win, I will. If you want me to ensure you get a fighting chance during this game, I will. If you want me to go full force into competition mode and do everything I can to defeat you while you compete back, I will. Just tell me what to do, stingray.”

  Enzo puts his hands in his pockets and looks down at me with so much hope in his eyes. I don’t know what he’s hoping for, just that his eyes are big, his expression is soft, and there’s a hint of a dimple in the corner of his cheek. He wants to smile at me so badly, but won’t let himself.

  All I see when I look at him now is a monster. A monster who has killed. A monster who was just as capable of hurting me like Milo did. A man who did hurt me, almost as badly as Milo.

  “You can’t hide away yet, Kai. Soon, baby, you can hide away in the most remote place on earth. After this is over, I’ll make sure it happens if that is what you want. But I don’t want you to live with regrets. The life of hiding may be what you want, and I don’t blame you if it is. But despite what you may think, you were built for this life. I think you are just as capable, if not more so, of living in this world and shining. You are strong and just and loyal and brave. All the traits a good leader needs. The Black empire has done some bad things, but you might be the only person who could turn it into something good.”

  I can’t stay. Maybe if it was just me, I would try. I would fight to get my feelings for Enzo back. I would fight to see if I was a capable leader. But this baby means I don’t get to be cavalier with my life. I have to protect this new life at all costs.

  “Let me show you how beautiful this world can be. Let me introduce you to the people that work for us. Show you how human and powerful this job can be, then you can decide,” he says.

  But I can read between the lines. He wants me with him so he can protect me. He doesn’t know what we are about to face for the next month. And if I’m here unprotected, I’m at risk.

  I’ll do anything to protect my baby.

  I look into the depths of Enzo’s eyes, reaching down to his soul. And for some reason in this moment, I truly believe Enzo is the only person who is capable of protecting me.

  “Okay.”

  7

  ENZO

  IT FEELS like everything in my life has been moving toward this moment. This game will most likely be our last together. If I win, I just have to complete the final task, produce an heir, and I return to living my life as Enzo Black.

  Powerful.

  Wealthy.

  Lonely.

  Those are the three words that described my life before Kai. And they will describe my life after her. I’m living on limited time. I know she’s going to go. But I’m afraid her disappearing won’t be as freeing as she wants it to be.

  She will always be looking over her shoulder. Every damn day one of my enemies will find her.

  She will never feel safe.

  Maybe she won’t feel safe if she became Kai Black, one of the most powerful people of the underground. But at least she would have the power to control her own destiny.

  Whatever she chooses, I want it to be her own choice.

  And until she’s officially made the choice, I want her with me.

  To keep her safe.

  And because as much as I try to be selfless when I’m around her, I’m selfish. I want her with me. Even if I don’t get to touch her. Even if all I get to do is crave her. If all I get is to breathe the same air. I want her near me. And I want to heal her before she leaves.

  Kai may think she’s broken, but she’s thought that before. I don’t care who heals her—Liesel, Langston, or me. I don’t care if she finds a way to realize how whole she is all by herself. But I can’t let her go until the nightmares have diminished. Until she can walk in both the light and dark again. Until she’s the queen she was always meant to be.

  And her one little word, returned my hope—okay.

  Not hope that she could love me again, just hope that she’s going to be just that—okay.

  Only then will I be able to let her go. I thought I freed her before. It was a lie. This time, when I let her go, it will be real, permanent. My life will be empty from that moment on.

  Kai follows me back to the group still gathered on my yacht. I don’t like any of them here without my permission. And I tell them that with the way I stomp back.

  I haven’t been in control of day to day operations in a while. Langston has done a lot for me, and I’ve given each individual head control of their section. It hasn’t been important to demand perfection from all of them when I was dealing with so many personal things. And I would have had to involve Kai in every single decision.

  Now, I don’t have to.

  A tiny thrill at having my full power back jolts down my spine. I like the power. I like being in charge. I like being commanding.

  And I’ve missed it.

  I glance behind me at the woman standing behind me who looks more timid than I’ve seen her in a long time.

  And I would trade it all way to have one more hour with her.

  I square my shoulders back to the small crowd. I can’t let them see the love I have for her. My vulnerability. If I do, then they might mistake it for weakness.

  I don’t know whether Kai is going to try to compete in this game or not. But I have this uncontrollable desire to try and win. I like winning; I like power; it’s bred into my pores.

  “What are you all still doing here? Don’t you have a job to do?” I growl, my voice practically shaking the yacht.

  All five of my crew members stand taller. “Yes, sir,” they say in unison, as they start to head toward the edge of the yacht.

  “Wait,” Archard says.

  They all freeze, but are clearly terrified. I punish my team for disobedience or disloyalty. I’m the only person whose orders they follow. I’ve killed men who didn’t follow my orders when it risked others’ lives.

  Quickly, they realize their mistake when they see my snarl and start moving again, ignoring Archard.

  “Fucking wait, you cowards,” Archard screams.

  They all look at him but keep moving. They won’t stop until I give them the word to.


  Archard huffs in frustration. “Will you tell them to stop? They can’t judge you if you order them away.”

  I give one nod, and all five of them stop.

  Archard exhales, clearly frustrated by the whole scene. He thinks he has power because he’s the company lawyer and is ensuring the contract is enacted. That doesn’t mean he holds any power. As soon as the games are over, I’m firing his ass.

  “They must remain near enough to judge your actions every day,” Archard says.

  “How are they supposed to do their jobs if they are following me around all the time?” I bark.

  “It’s the rules. I didn’t create them. They don’t have to follow every move you make, but if you stay on this yacht, they need to be on the yacht. If you go to one of the bars you own, they can follow in their own cars. And they will have to lead their individual teams from wherever you are or assign a new person to lead in their absence.”

  All five pairs of eyes glare at Archard. They all worked hard for their jobs. They won’t give up their positions easily, not even for a month.

  My eyes cut to them. “Lead from afar.”

  Five pairs of shoulders relax, and they no longer act like they want to kill Archard. “But if a crisis happens, if we are attacked, if something happens under your jurisdiction, then you drop this stupid game responsibilities and do your damn job or you’re fired. You may be able to judge me, but I have the power to decide whether you still have a job or not. I still have the power to decide if you are punished or not. Understand?”

  “Yes, Mr. Black.” Their voices ring together.

  Black. They already think of me as Black—their leader.

  Maybe threatening them doesn’t sound like the best way to get them to vote for me to be their leader. But they all respect me for it. They know I would jump in front of a bullet for them.

  A phone buzzes in Clifton’s pocket. He looks horrified, but reluctantly pulls it out of his pocket to answer.

  He turns his back and mumbles into the phone so none of us can hear his conversation.

  I take a moment to glance at Kai. She’s standing reluctantly on the deck, looking at Clifton curiously like he might tell her Milo has come back from the dead and we are going to have to fight him. She’s always going to be looking over her shoulder, waiting for ghosts to attack her—her father, Milo, Justin, my father, even me. No man has ever treated her well.

  That’s not true—Zeke was the only man who was truly kind to her and treated her like the queen she is. But he left us all too soon. He’s a guy like all the rest of us. He would have eventually failed her, just as all of us did.

  At least she has one good man to hold onto. One good memory.

  Clifton hangs up and stares at me. His nostrils are wide as he pants heavily, his face is white, and his eyes bulge.

  “What is it, Clifton?” I ask, I try to keep my voice calm, but I’m in no mood to be patient. If he has something to tell me, he needs to say it.

  “That was um…that was…”

  “Spit it out,” I stomp over to him, getting in his face. I’m sure it won’t help him answer quicker, but I don’t care. I’m frustrated with my life. Every time I try to do right by Kai, I end up fucking everything up. And I would never take that anger out on her, but I can on Clifton.

  “That was Phin, the captain of The Reverent, sir. He’s headed this way.”

  “Why?”

  He swallows down the lump in his throat. Please don’t let that be vomit. If he vomits on me, he’s a dead man.

  “He said he wants to challenge you. That you haven’t been doing a good job of leading us lately. That he could do a better job.”

  “He wants to challenge me,” I say slowly, a light air to my voice.

  He nods. “To become the leader of the Black empire.”

  I laugh. It’s a full belly laugh. I’m hysterical, because this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I’ve been fighting to be Mr. Black my entire life, and Phin thinks with one fight he could take that all away from me. He’s insane.

  “He can’t do that though. That’s not how it works,” Kai says.

  I stop laughing long enough to look at her. Her face is pale, but her voice is strong.

  I raise an eyebrow as I turn back to Clifton. “Did you tell him that’s not how this works?”

  “Yes, but he wouldn’t listen. He said he had to come here and fight you. It was time.”

  I smirk. Of course, today is the day. Father. He orchestrated this. How many people did he plant or bribe into attacking me over the next month? How many people will I have to fight to protect what belongs to Kai and me?

  “You can’t fight him,” Kai says, her tone would be unreadable to everyone else. The pulse in her neck beats faster. And her breath hitches at a more rapid pace. And her eyes pierce my heart as if the piece of my heart I gave her is guiding her actions now.

  Maybe she has more feelings toward me than she realizes.

  “Don’t worry, baby. No one can hurt me without my permission. You are the only one allowed to hurt me. You are the only one who can.”

  8

  KAI

  MY HEART CLENCHES at the thought of Enzo fighting.

  Why do I care?

  He has nothing to do with me. I don’t love him. He’s hurt me so many times, and my baby relies on him not knowing about the pregnancy. I probably shouldn’t have even told Liesel, but I needed to tell someone. And now I have to live with the consequences.

  I can’t love Enzo.

  Loving him would make it easier for him to find out about the baby. And whether Enzo wanted my child brought into this dangerous world or not, he wouldn’t have a choice. He couldn’t protect the child from this life. These men and women would come for my child. They always have to have a leader. The strongest. My heir and Enzo’s facing off and continuing through generations.

  I can’t love Enzo, even if I wanted to. I have no doubt these five people standing on the deck would put a stop to it. Milo told the story. The look in these five pairs of eyes confirms it. Archard has said as much when discussing the contract.

  I can’t love Enzo.

  So why is my heart fluttering at the thought of Enzo getting hurt? I thought Milo fixed my problem for feeling anything for this man.

  It’s just because I’m a good person, and I don’t want any man to feel any pain. But looking around at the deck, I know I wouldn’t care if any of the rest of the men got punched in the face. I wouldn’t mind watching any of them bleed.

  I spot the other yacht pulling up in the distance. I cover my eyes from the sun as I stare at the shiny black yacht that stops next to us.

  Liesel stands next to me, as Langston approaches Enzo and whispers something to him.

  “What are they talking about?” I ask, Liesel.

  “Langston is concerned the attacks are going to get worse each day until the month is over. He wants to gather any members of the crew and allies we trust and put them on high alert to be ready to fight with Enzo. We think Enzo’s father put several sleeper agents on the team for this very challenge. There are only a limited number of people we can trust,” Liesel says.

  I nod. I was thinking the same thing.

  “Good, I don’t want Enzo to get hurt.”

  Liesel gives me a side-eyed glance. “You holding up?”

  I nod.

  “Good, you can’t let Enzo know. You can’t trust him. He’s failed you before. All you can trust is yourself.”

  Her words ring true. I can only trust myself. I can’t trust her. And I know despite her understanding my situation that she has ulterior motives. She loves the same man I used to love—Enzo. And with me out of the picture, she can move in and earn his love. She might carry his child one day after all. While I most likely carry the child of his devil of a half-brother.

  I put my hand on my stomach. It doesn’t matter who you came from, little one, you belong to me and I’ll love you all the same.

  Which i
s why I can’t fight for this empire either. My baby comes first. And I won’t risk my child’s life to save an empire.

  This is Enzo’s fight. And hopefully, I’m never given a chance to fight in this challenge. They all love Enzo. He just needs to prove how strong and powerful he is, because I don’t trust what challenges and obstacles Enzo’s father might have put in our way.

  I hear the roar of the small engine of the dingy boat as it makes its way from one yacht to the other. It purrs to a stop, as waves crash in its wake.

  Enzo and Langston continue to chat and form a plan as footsteps ascend the ladder.

  The five crew members in charge of judging, all take giant steps back.

  That can’t be good.

  They seem afraid of whoever is climbing the ladder. I know they are afraid of Enzo, too, but with the right amount of balance between fear, respect, and loyalty. They trust Enzo to make the right decision with their lives.

  Whoever is climbing up the stairs, they just fear.

  Liesel and I both suck in a breath when the man hits the top rung of the ladder.

  Holy fuck.

  I bite my lip to keep from screaming at the man on the deck. He can’t be the man who wants to challenge Enzo. Maybe he’s the man’s bodyguard or something.

  This man is tall, like giant tall. Easily six foot six or taller. His head is shaved, and tattoos cover his entire muscular body. I don’t see a drop of fat anywhere. His hands are covered in grime, and it’s clear he uses them to get shit done. He’s not one of the men who manages a team from an office somewhere. He leads with the power of his body, not his mind.

  Enzo is tall. Enzo has muscles, I remind myself.

  But this man has a couple of inches in height—several pounds of additional muscle. And more grit than Enzo ever thought of having.

  Enzo finishes his conversation with Langston—who nods and then pulls out his cell phone to start making calls as he disappears inside the yacht. He doesn’t seem worried at all by the new man’s appearance. So I shouldn’t either.