Page 25 of Liars

The flashlight hit me in the face, blinding me. With a sigh, I put my hand in front of my eyes, blocking the beaming glare.

At least I no longer had to come up with a way to get back into the house. Kreed had taken care of that. I couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling he was far more complicated—and far more dangerous—than I initially thought.

8

KREED

She surprised me. Kaylor had been the last person I expected to see slithering around in the dark when I got home, but it shouldn’t have been all that staggering. In her position, I would have run as far from here as possible.

Hell, I still planned to.

After college, I was gone. I wanted out of Elmwood. Despite my father’s plans.

What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, but I had no intention of entering thefamily business,as he coined it.

After Raine left the club, I sobered up. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I’d been avoiding my house, steering clear ofher.

Only to find myself alone with Dad’s pet in the middle of the night.

I leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, darkness hugging me like an old friend. The damn echo of her voice lingered in my ears. Kaylor. I had to get her out of my head. She was supposed to be nothing but a task. A favor to my father though he never called it that—it was business, plain and simple. Watch her. Report on her. Keep her out of trouble.

I shouldn’t have cared when I found her sneaking out. Should’ve let the guards handle it—or better yet, told my father myself. That was the whole point of this, wasn’t it? To keep her in line, to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid that could jeopardize his plans.

But there I was, standing in the shadows with her pinned against the tree, her breath warm against my skin, and all I could think about was how badly I didn’t want to let her go.

And how much I hated her.

The contradiction between the two sliced me in half.

I exhaled sharply, scrubbing a hand down my face.Get a fucking grip.

Since when did I become a cuddler? I didn’t hold girls. I wasn’t affectionate. You wouldn’t catch me walking hand in hand down the halls with some chick.

It wasn’t just the way she looked at me, like she wanted to slap me and scream at me in equal measure. It wasn’t the stubborn set of her jaw or the way her eyes burned with defiance. It was the way she dragged something out of me—something I’d buried so deep I’d forgotten it existed.

That quiet ache I felt when I saw her standing alone in the backyard, her arms crossed against the cold, her expression crumbling the moment she thought no one was watching. It wasn’t pity. It was recognition.

I rubbed the back of my neck. Whatever this was, it didn’t matter. She didn’t matter. Not like that.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to tell my father what I’d seen. Instead, I’d let the guards handle it. Let them spin their story however they wanted. That way, it wouldn’t come from me. My father didn’t need to know that I’d hesitated, that I’d watched her walk back inside instead of dragging her there myself.

I climbed the stairs to my room, my steps heavy on the hardwood, my mind too loud for my liking, just as I heard Kaylorberating Evan. They’d come inside, her fury inflamed.Poor Evan.I actually felt bad for the guy. A little.

Her voice carried down the hall and up the stairs. “Touch me again and I swear I’ll wake up the entire house.”

The ghost of a smile still played on my lips as I headed to my room. It had been a dick move, informing security of her whereabouts, but it had been a test. For me, not her.

I still couldn’t decide if I passed or not.

“Why do you look like the cat that caught the canary?”

I paused over the threshold, my jaw tightening at Mason’s voice. My younger brother leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed and that stupid smirk plastered across his face. “What do you want, Mason?” I asked, my tone clipped.

He shrugged, pushing off the wall and falling into step beside me as I went into my bedroom. “Out for a little midnight stroll? Or were you having fun with the new play toy? You seemed…preoccupied.”

I stopped short, turning to glare at him. “You spying on me?”

“What else am I supposed to do all night alone?” Mason didn’t just like to be the center of attention; he needed to be entertained. I wasn’t sure if he ever had a quiet moment with his thoughts once in his life. We couldn’t be more opposite in that regard.

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