Page 49 of Man of Lies

I tilted the glass in my hand, watching the amber liquid catch sparks off the dim bar lights. “Quiet in here tonight,” I mused, letting the words float like idle conversation. “Guess all the action’s outside.”

Gator chuckled and settled deeper into his chair, lacing his fingers over his stomach and grinning like he didn’t realize I wasfishing. “You know how it is, McKenna. Law of the jungle out there.” He tipped his glass in my direction and swallowed, his gaze flicking to the ceiling, dead and flat. “Just blowing off steam before we move some product.”

I let the vague answer pass, taking another drink. Cruz and Grady had gone still, just enough to make me notice. I kept my tone neutral. “So long as you’re not moving any product that breathes on my property, we won’t have a problem.”

Gator’s grin held steady, filled with the easy charm that made men underestimate him...right up until they felt a knife slip between their ribs. Behind the cleft chin and straight white teeth lurked something cold and bloodthirsty, a predator weighing whether it was worth the chase or just letting his prey squirm. He wasn’t completely fooled; he was just deciding how much of this conversation he wanted to indulge.

“You let me worry about my business,” he said, leaning forward and grabbing the half-empty bottle to tip some more into my glass. “You’ve got enough on your plate already.”

I met his gaze dead-on and pressed harder. “I’ve already got cops sniffing around my bar.”

“Not cops,” he said, shaking his head and propping one boot on an empty chair. “You’ve got state investigators up your ass. But it’s a fishing expedition. They’ve got no idea what they’re looking for, just casting bait and hoping it’ll lead to bigger fish than you or me. Our man in the sheriff’s department has been watching them.”

“That’d be real reassuring if I knew the man,” I said wryly, “but for all I know, he’s blind.”

He reached for the bowl of pretzels in the center of the table and tossed a few into his mouth. “Relax, McKenna,” he drawled, brushing the salt from his fingers onto his jeans. “Our guy’s on his way right now to help us tidy up the details. You’ll get your meeting, and you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.”

A thrill of satisfaction slithered through my blood.Finally.Months of work, threading the needle between pushing too hard and losing my leads completely, and it all led to this. A name and a face that we coulduse.I was rarely the one slapping cuffs on anyone, but Marie would be dancing a fucking jig.

“I’ll drink to that,” I said, tapping my glass against his and knocking back a swallow of whiskey.

Mason was still sleeping in my back room. I felt him there, a center of gravity I couldn’t ignore, tugging me painfully toward him. But I shoved it down. What I wanted didn’t matter right now. Only the men at this table who needed to believe I was just like them mattered.

So, I played the part, entertaining them with half-truths and war stories built from the patchwork of other men’s experiences. I painted pictures with just enough detail to make them believe I knew what it was like to be caged in prison and come out meaner than when I went in. They ate it up like always, especially once the whiskey and laughter hit their bloodstream.

Sylvia though—she was a fucking problem.

She’d slithered onto my lap once the serious talk was finished, like I hadn’t already made it clear that I wasn’t playing that game.

Her body pressed against mine, all fruity perfume and wandering hands, and her breath was hot and tart with liquor asshe nibbled at my jaw. I kept it casual, looping one arm around her waist and keeping it friendly while I worked to stop her squirming. Cruz and Grady were laughing over a bawdy joke, but Gator didn’t say a word. He didn’t even blink, just sat back watching with those unreadable eyes as his girl practically gave me a goddamn lap dance in front of him.

It was that nonreactivity that made him dangerous.

I stared past her shoulder while she sucked at my throat, but every time my focus strayed, she grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes. She wanted something. Attention, maybe. But I wasn’t sure if it was mine or Gator’s she was after. It didn’t matter. Pushing her away would’ve been a clear insult, and Silas McKenna didn’t make enemies if he could help it. If I wanted to stay alive, I had to be one of them.

So, I let it happen. I played the game and let my hands drift appreciatively over her body, fighting the urge to shove her away.

She clutched at my jaw, turning my face toward her as she kissed me. Whiskey tasted different in her mouth, sour with bad decisions, and her perfume was thick and cloying in my nose. Her mouth was warm, wet, and insistent, nipping at my bottom lip like she was fishing for control. She needed a reaction from me.

I gave it to her, but not because I wanted it. I’d spent most of my adult life learning to subvert my own needs for the job. It was muscle memory at this point. I just let the charade roll while she took what she wanted.

But my eyes stayed open.

And that was how I saw him.

Mason, emerging like a spirit from the dark hall. Sexy as sin. Without his glasses, those bright eyes burned through the space between us without a hint of grogginess.

He was fully fucking awake and frozen in the doorway, watching the tableau with slowly building anger.

My stomach churned sickly.

We’d made no promises, and I had no reason to feel guilty. But the wrongness of the moment was something I couldn’t shake—not when he was staring at me like I was suddenly a stranger. Like he could no longer be sure what kind of man he was looking at.

My fingers tightened on Sylvia’s hips. My first instinct was to get her off my lap, but my second was to double down. Neither felt like the right move. Fight or flight. But there was a third option—I stayed and waited for him.

Just like I always did whenever Mason Beaufort walked into a room.

The low rumble of conversation flattened as the others noticed. Gator glanced between us and chuckled into the rim of his glass. “One of these days, McKenna, you’re gonna have to explain that pet you keep in the back room.”

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