Page 70 of Cup of Lies

Dragon eagerly hops to his feet and then yanks Theo out of his seat. “Piss break, pussy. Let’s go.”

Theo’s wide-eyed gaze is telling that he does not want to go anywhere alone with Dragon, but no one intervenes. Cove nudges Theo and urges him to go. The three of them leave without any trouble.

I close my eyes and start telling every detail of everything I can remember. It’s as if it’s all stored away in a file, meticulously put in order for me to refer back to. I blurt out names from my childhood who were friends of Gideon, things I remember about my treatment with Huxley, everything I learned about Vivienne, my time in college and what the Crownes did to me, the yacht with Solomon and what all happened with LuLu, the rape and subsequent murder of Gareth, all that happened with Kaitlyn, my relationship with Caius, every conversation I overheard from Orion or Gideon, the people at the president’s ball, Theo’s trickery and how he got me into Doc Junior’s grasp, my treatment in the facility, the surgery, my fake marriage to Seth, the onslaught of memories that fought for their surface over the years, and everything in between.

I’m not sure how long I speak for, but I lay it all out for them piece by piece until the puzzle creates a clear picture. When I finish, I reopen my eyes and meet Koyn’s stare again.

“Is that enough?”

Koyn chuffs out a laugh. “You got passwords stored up in that head too?”

He sends a notebook filled with scribbled notes of everything I told him sliding my way. I grab a pen from nearby and neatly add the ones I remember and what they went to.

“Impressive,” Filter says, eyeing me warily. “Kind of fucking terrifying too. How can you be half braindead and know all that shit?”

I snort at him. “I’m not braindead, asshole. They messed with my head, but I’m not stupid. It’s all in there, just waiting to be released. Now that I don’t have people actively trying to scramble my brain, I can make sense of it all.”

“She’s also crazy good at puzzles,” Caius tells them, pride in his voice. “I’ve never in my life seen someone put together a thousand pieces so damn quick.”

Once I’ve gotten everything I know out and on the table for them, I take my leave. I’m tired and the bed is calling my name.

“I’ll walk you back,” Caius mutters.

“No, stay here. They need your side of things too. I’ll get Kaitlyn and go back. I’ll be fine.”

Gibson stands up and nods at Caius. “I’ll make sure she gets over there safely.”

I don’t need an escort, but I accept his offer, giving Caius a quick kiss before I leave. Outside of the conference room, I find Kaitlyn passed out on the sofa in the living room, Sunshine snoring at her side.

“I’ll get her,” Gibson says, scooping her up and into his arms.

Sunshine wakes up, shakes her head a few times, and then tiredly gets to her feet to follow us out. We go out through thegarage and find Dragon sitting on a bike with Cove in his lap. They’re practically eating each other alive. Gibson rolls his eyes at me and I can’t help but softly laugh.

Where’s Theo, though?

We get our answer when we leave the garage. He’s been handcuffed to the water pipe on the side of the house.

“Romy,” he hisses when he notices me. “You have to get me out of here. That dude is fucking insane.”

I ignore him, continuing my walk toward the clubhouse. He calls out how sorry he is, but it falls on deaf ears.

The clubhouse is chilly, but I like the temperature after being in the sweltering Oklahoma summer night heat for even just a couple of minutes.

Gibson places Kaitlyn on her air mattress and then tips his head at me as he leaves. I pull her blanket over her and make sure her stuffies are within reach. Once I have her settled, I move to let Sunshine claim her spot beside her.

After a quick shower to get rid of the chlorine and sweat, I climb into bed, naked and waiting for Caius. The baby kicks happily in my stomach. I’m relaxed and feel a sense of hope.

Hope to catch these monsters.

Hope for a beautiful future with Caius and Kaitlyn and the baby.

Hope that our lives will no longer be confusing and filled with heartache, but instead joyful and happy.

I fall asleep, smiling, and wake with lips on mine.

In the dark, in a clubhouse in the woods, Caius makes love to me over and over.

Will I ever get tired of being with him?

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