Page 131 of Liars

He nodded. “Donovan’s wife.”

The air deflated out of my lungs like a punctured balloon. “Oh, God.” A million thoughts raced through my head, a flipbook of memories, the hostility I felt from Kreed, Mason, and Maddox when I arrived. The cold welcoming.

They hated me.

“She wasn’t supposed to be there,” Rusty said, shaking his head. “Your father had a job, a planned hit on Donovan’s crew, payback for something they did to us. But she—she was caught in the crossfire.”

I felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me.

No.

No, that couldn’t be true.

“My dad wouldn’t?—”

“He didn’t mean to,” Rusty cut in. “It was never supposed to happen. But it did. And Donovan… He doesn’t forgive. Instead of coming after your father right away, he played the long game. He manipulated the system, made himself look like the hero while painting your father as a criminal. He set everything in motion so that one day, when he finally took his revenge, no one would question it.”

I could barely think.

“You were the last move in his game,” Rusty said quietly. “Keeping you close, making you trust him?—”

I shot up from my seat, my head spinning. “Stop.”

Rusty frowned.

I shook my head, my breathing uneven. “You’re telling me I’ve been living with the man who murdered my parents? Thathe—what? Took me in out of guilt? As some sick game of revenge?”

Rusty nodded grimly.

The room felt too small. The air too thick. I stumbled back, gripping the edge of the chair for support.

Oh. God.

Did that mean…

Had Kreed slept with me as payback? Was he punishing me? Making me have feelings for him only to crush me?

He used me. Lied to me. Manipulated me.

My heart balked at the idea, but my head… I replayed all of my interactions with Kreed, Maddox, Mason, and Raine. Nothing seemed real anymore.

“Why are you telling me this?” My voice wavered.

“Because you deserve the truth,” Rusty said simply. “And because, whether you like it or not, you’re part of this world now. It’s not safe for you?—”

Something was happening.

Rusty stiffened, his eyes moving above my head to the door. I heard it then. Commotion. Raised voices. He swore under his breath, scooting the chair away from the desk. “Stay here,” Rusty said, a fierce scowling marring his lips.

I didn’t need Rusty to tell me what was going on.

Everything in my body sensed him.

Kreed had come.

My hands curled into fists at my sides as the chaos outside the office erupted. Shouting, the sound of bodies colliding, the sharp crack of a punch landing. I could hear Rusty barking orders, his voice cutting through the mayhem.

And then I heard his voice.

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