Page 11 of Liars

I rummaged through the bag, pulling everything out. My laptop, a notebook, my essential makeup bag, a hairbrush, a case full of pens, my headphones, my keys, and one of my uniform cardigans were stuffed at the bottom.

I lifted the sweater to my nose and inhaled. A bolt of disappointment lanced through me. Someone had washed my sweater. It no longer smelled like the soap my mom used. It no longer smelled like home. Like me.

It was bad enough they’d gone through my bag, but to have the audacity to erase what little I had left of my previous life… My fingers curled the material into a ball.Fuckers.

What the hell else were they going to take from me?

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed, my injured shoulder screaming in protest as I landed awkwardly. The pain tore through me, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks as I clutched the sweater, my sobs muffled against the fabric, the overwhelming weight of the unknown pressing down on me.

Donovan Corvo can get fucked.

I couldn’t stay here. I had to leave. There was nothing for me here. I didn’t belong. Not with him. Not in this house. Not under his care.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered, I was being jolted awake. After I bolted upright, pitch-blackness greeted my eyes, the silence of the night broken by a faint, irregular thumping noise from the hallway outside my door. I froze, my body stiff with the first stirrings of fear as I listened.

Someone was stumbling around outside my bedroom.

4

KAYLOR

My mind raced as reality hit me, the last remnants of sleep fading. I wasn’t in my bedroom. I wasn’t at home. This was my godfather’s house, and it might not be strange to have people wandering around in the middle of the night. Blinking through the dark, I wondered if my imagination was running wild—or maybe the house settling, the wind blowing, anything but someone lurking outside my door.

But no, there it was again, a stumbling shuffle, followed by a thud against the wall.

And it was growing louder, closer.

Fear crawled up my spine as I strained to listen, holding my breath as I willed them to keep walking. I should just go back to bed and mind my own fucking business. The less involved I got with the Corvo family, the easier it would be to make a clean break because I had no intention of staying here.

I swore I picked up voices, deep murmurings.

Ishouldn’tsee who was making all the ruckus. Ishouldn’tput my nose where it didn’t belong, but another thought cut through my anxiety.Had I locked the damn door?

My breath hitched. I couldn’t remember. Had I turned the lock before collapsing onto the bed?

The footsteps drew closer, raising my heart rate.

Shittt.

Scrambling to the edge of the bed, I swung my legs over the side, careful not to make a sound, and crept toward the door. Every step felt heavy, my injured shoulder aching as I braced against the darkness.

My fingers hovered over the doorknob, and yet I hesitated, a voice in my head demanding I take my petite ass back to bed. I didn’t know who was out there. It could be a burglar or a hitman coming to finish what he started. I was the dangling piece who could turn them in. What if the people who killed my parents sent him?

The last fucking thing I should do was open the door. And yet…

My fingers slowly turned the knob with a growing sense of dread, but I didn’t stop. I cracked the door open an inch, intending to take a quick peek to make sure the danger was in my head.

Before I could see anything, a heavy weight slammed into the door, forcing it open and sending me tumbling backward onto the floor. Flares of pain shot through my arm, and I hissed, but the air was cut off.

A body fell on top of me with a grunt, knocking the wind out of my lungs. The scent of alcohol hit me like a wall, strong enough to make my head spin. Whoever was on top groaned, their weight pinning me to the ground, and goddamn were they heavy.

“Well, hello there,” a man with a deep, playful voice slurred.

I tried to push at his chest, but it was pointless when I only had the use of one arm. My panic spiked. “Get off me, you ape!” I gasped.

His nose was in my hair, and he took a long inhale, sighing afterward. “You smell good. I’m going to take you to bed.”

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