Page 77 of Liars

My breath shook as I exhaled, drawing in the crisp winter air. While I’d been inside with the detective, fat snowflakes fell from the sky, encompassing me like a winter snow globe.

My mind spun with everything Reyes had said. The stolen vehicles. The halted operations. The implications. None of it made sense. My father couldn’t have been involved in something so—so criminal.

It was too much.

I shoved the emotions into a mental box and slammed the lid shut. I’d deal with it later.

“Kaylor.”

The voice stopped me in my tracks. I turned to see Kreed Corvo leaning against his SUV, his arms crossed. I immediately narrowed my eyes. Through the haze of snow, stood out—dark hair tousled like he’d run his fingers through it too many times, jaw set in that infuriating way that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. His eyes were sharp, pinning me in place with a weight that stole the breath from my lungs. There was danger in the way he stood there, calm and still, like a predator watching its prey decide whether to run or fight. I immediately narrowed my gaze. “What are you doing here? Where’s Poppy?”

“She’s fine,” he said too casually. “I sent her home.”

I froze. “You what?”

“She didn’t mind.”

“I mind.” My suspicion flared. “You can’t just interfere in my life, Kreed. Send my friends away because you feel like it. What is this?”

He pushed off the car, closing the space between us. “Relax,” he murmured. “My father sent me to find you.”

My pulse hammered. “How did you even know I was here? Were you following me?” Had Evan given up my location? Speaking of my security, where was he?

“I don’t have that much time. Besides, that’s Evan’s job. I’m sure he’s parked somewhere close by.”

I scanned the parking lot for the familiar black car. “Then why didn’t your father have Evan take me home?”

We stood in the middle of the parking lot, surrounded by falling snow like something out of a romantic movie, but Kreed wasn’t the hero. He was more of the villain. “You’re acting awfully defensive, little raven. You got something to hide?”

Why hell were the villains always so damn good looking? To tempt us into the dark? “Do you? You don’t think it’s weird that you showed up out of the blue?”

“A bit of advice if you’re going to sneak around: turn the tracking off on your phone.” He smirked, placing a hand on the small of my back.

“Son of a—” I muttered under my breath, doing my best to pretend like my shudder was from the cold.

Kreed opened the passenger door. “Get in the car.”

I folded my arms. “I’d rather walk. Fuck you very much.”

His smirk deepened. “I’m starting to enjoy your mouth.”

“Enjoy this.” I flashed him my signature double middle fingers.

“Classy.” His voice was low. “You may not like that I’m here, but it doesn’t change the fact that you will be coming home with me.”

There was something in his tone. Something unreadable.

Something dangerous.

I hesitated, then exhaled sharply. “Fine. But only if we stop for coffee,” I negotiated, needing to steady my nerves.

Kreed’s smirk was slow, deliberate. “How about something a little stronger?”

I paused just inside the open car door. “What do you have in mind?”

“You’ll have to get in to find out.”

And I did.

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