Page 31 of Sinful Lies

He stood, setting his newspaper aside, and cast us one last wary glance before heading off.

Lazzio took a step toward me. “Let me carry you to your door.”

I held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. “Oh, hell no. You’renotcoming up.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but Mr. Jones returned with the first aid kit, handing it to me with a kind smile. “Anything else you need, Jade?”

“Just a new life,” I muttered.

Mr. Jones chuckled softly, blissfully unaware of the tension curling in the air.

Lazzio didn’t reply.

Instead he paused, his eyes falling to my feet—bare, bleeding, pathetic.

Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and, without another glance, turned on his heel and headed for the door. His hands flexed and curled at his sides, restless, like he was trying to shake off something that had burned him.

And that’s when it struck me—it was the first time he’d ever touched me.

Skin to skin.

He stopped at the threshold, one hand gripping the handle.

His voice was low, just above a whisper. “Happy birthday, Miss Whitenhouse.”

The door slammed shut behind him, and I finally let go of the breath I’d been holding all night. But then it hit me—how the hell did he know where I live?

My whole body ached from the tension, but at least it was over.

Or so I thought.

Morning came too soon, the light filtering through my curtains. I reached for my work phone, more out of habit than curiosity, only to freeze when the screen lit up.

A way-too-familiar face stared back at me from the headline:Australian Yoga Instructor Found Shot Dead in His Apartment.

I blinked at the screen, my stomach twisting.

Guess the guy was more problematic than I’d realized.

Tossing the phone aside, I flopped back onto the bed with a sigh.

No more yoga for me, then.

Chapter

Seven

“We are bound by the secrets we share.”

?Zoë Heller

Jade

27 years old

Three years ago

“Don’t you want to come back home, Jadie?” My mama’s voice wavered, soft but heavy with the kind of sadness that made my chest ache. “It’s been almost three years now since you left, and I… I need you back home with me.”

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