Page 26 of Liars

Shedding my hoodie, I tossed it on the nearby chair and worked on removing my jewelry, all but the earrings. “Where’s Maddox?”

Mason plopped on my bed. “Contracting an STD with some girl from school. I’m more interested in you and the hot piece of ass sleeping across the hall.”

“There’s nothing to tell. She was sneaking out. I stopped her.”

“Buzzkill. You should have followed her to see where she was going. Who she was meeting. A boyfriend perhaps?” Mason loved a plot. The juicier, the better.

An annoying pulse thrummed behind my temple. I didn’t like the thought of Kaylor having a boyfriend. “I don’t give a fuck, Mason,” I ground out. “It matters little to me.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “The way you had her pressed against that tree. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were?—”

“What?” My voice was sharp, cutting through his laughter. “Going to sleep with her?” I blew out a frustrated breath. It wasn’t my brother I was angry with despite his spying abilities. “She isn’t here for our enjoyment.”

Legs stretched out, he propped an elbow up, resting his head on his hand. “Dad might have forbidden us to put our dicks inside her, but sex isn’t everything. There are other ways to havefun, Kreed. Or have you forgotten whatfunis?”

“I need to shower. Go track down Maddox. We have a game on Friday, and he needs to be in prime shape by then. I’m not making any further excuses for him with Coach.” Whipping off my shirt, I crossed toward the bathroom.

I expected Mason to be gone by the time I finished.

Cranking the shower on, I peered out the window, staring at the dark, expansive backyard. Water sprayed against the tile walls, the only noise in the otherwise quiet house. My mind drifted to the girl across the hall. She probably lay awake, plotting her next escape. It was what I’d be doing. Kaylor wasn’t someone to give up easily. She’d try again. And again. And again until one of us slipped up. I could see the determined tenacity in her spirit.

And despite everything, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what it would feel like to let her run—and if I’d chase after her.

“Kreed,” my father rasped from inside his office as I walked past the following morning. Years of cigar smoking had roughened his tone, making it grate like sandpaper.

I stopped, exhaling slowly before stepping inside. The air was thick with the familiar scent of leather, smoke, and spices so deeply ingrained into the space that it felt like stepping into the past. My childhood. “Father,” I said, my voice even, controlled. A mirror of his own.

He barely looked up, reaching into his desk for a cigar box. The lid clicked open with practiced ease. “Did your brother pick up the package?” he asked, his fingers brushing over the cigars before selecting one and rolling it between his fingers.

So, he knew I’d been at the club yesterday when Raine had been there on an errand for him. “Yes.”

The lighter flared to life, casting an orange glow across his sharp, weathered features. Lines of age and authority cut deep into his face as he brought the cigar to his lips, taking a slow, deliberate pull. Smoke curled into the air between us, thick and heavy. “You were at the club.” It wasn’t a question. Disapproval darkened his green eyes, crinkling the corners as he leaned back into his chair, the leather groaning under his weight.

I moved toward the chair opposite him, sinking into its deep cushions, crossing one leg over my knee in a show of ease I didn’t fully feel as I settled in for the coming lecture. “I was.”

A few more puffs. A long exhale. His gaze remained sharp despite the lazy stretch of his posture. “I understand the need to blow off steam as long as it doesn’t interfere with your responsibilities. You do remember what we discussed?”

How could I fucking forget?

My jaw tensed. “Of course.”

“Good.” His expression didn’t shift, but the weight of his expectations pressed down like a noose tightening around my throat. “I’m relying on you. For this to go in the direction we want, your performance needs to be flawless.”

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t let the irritation show. “I know my role.”

“Then I look forward to your report at the end of the week. I want every detail. Nothing is insignificant. Am I clear?”

“Crystal.”

A long pause. Smoke curled between us. Then, his voice dropped just a fraction, losing none of its weight. “It’s imperative that no one from her previous life knows where she is.”

I resisted the urge to sigh. “She won’t make that easy. I can guarantee she’s upstairs right now scheming how to get in touch with her friends.”

His expression didn’t change, but the steel in his tone was unmistakable. “Don’t let that happen.”

My fingers tapped idly against the armrest. “Then you might also want to stress the importance of her security to Evan as well, seeing she escaped once already under his supervision.”

“It’s already been done.”

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