Page 15 of Lovely Deceit

“Do you think she’ll actually be with you, Leo? You think she’ll make it through the fucked-up Jarvis tradition, riding your grandfather’s cock to—”

Leo throws the glass, and it spirals past my head, flinging droplets of water over my shirt before it smashes behind me. “She’s not going to fuck him!” he pants. His knuckles turn white as he grips the counter. “Who said it would get that far, anyway? I’m not marrying the Astor girl. When did you turn into such a sap?”

Lying to himself. I’ve been there, too. “Your grandfather won’t let you be happy.”

“He’ll have no fucking say as soon as I turn twenty-five.”

I shrug, as if to say whatever, but even I can pinpoint the strain in Leo’s demeanor. He’s not so sure that’s the case. In fact, I’m willing to bet he’s thought about all the things his grandfather could do to screw everything up for him, including what everyone suspects he did to Leo’s dad.

I push away from the island, heading toward the room I’ve been keeping all my stuff in. “Where are you going?” Leo demands.

“To pack my shit up.”

Leo barks out a laugh. It’s humorous at first, but then it turns dark, stalking me into the tiny room I never bothered to make mine. It still has another person’s things in it, albeit pushed to the side, but I’m still living someone else’s life.

This situation isn’t new to me. The secret I’m hiding makes my entire life feel like a lie. Like I’m an imposter. I’ve been living someone else’s life since finding out I had a sister.

A tremor runs through me. It’s still unbelievable. I sit on the edge of the bed, pull out my phone, and scroll to the email that’s been waiting for me from my hired PI. I haven’t dared look at it yet. It was enough just to hear confirmation. I’m worried that if I see the details this holds, it’ll make it more real.

I’m a brother; a brother-in-law; an uncle. Something I never thought I’d be, considering I grew up thinking I was an only child. My finger hovers above the attachment, but the twist in my stomach makes me hesitate.

What good would seeing her do? Does she look like me? Or worse, does she look like our parents who abandoned her because she doesn’t possess a penis?

Squeezing the cell phone in my hand. I feel like throwing it, reveling in the satisfaction of it splintering to pieces, but I’m not Jarvis. I’ve been taught to keep calm and cool on the surface but get my attacks in behind-the-scenes or with mind games.

Maybe that’s what I was doing with Eden this whole time? Playing the good guy to get her on her knees under my desk. Spoon-feeding her my fantasies until she fulfilled them in front of my entire class. A sick pleasure fills me. Leo thinks he had her on his string, but she was wound tightly with mine.

The problem with Leo is he wants to own people with his sexual exploits. For those moments of pleasure, he’ll pigeonhole them into a box where he’s the God giving them what they need, so they wouldn’t dare look anywhere else. Me? I didn’t mind. Eden getting off with the others turned me on while I waited my turn, spinning my web around her.

And it came to fruition exactly as I imagined, though not in the same setting. That was a complete and utter treat.

My thoughts turn to black ink blots in my mind, staining everything.

I lift myself off the bed and gather the few items I came here with. Suits for class, my briefcase, and some toiletries. I find my small duffel bag deposited in the closet and throw everything inside. Reaching for the door, I pause when the faint noise of a ringing cell phone reaches my ears.

Leo’s gruff voice answers. I pull the door open a crack and strain to hear. “You got it? Yeah, one sec.” There’s a pause, and then Leo orders, “I’m ready.” When I don’t hear anything for a while, I quietly open the door wider. “Thanks, man. I owe you.” A grunt of satisfaction rolls through him, and then the front door slams.

I can only imagine what that’s about. Leo will only give up when his grandfather hurts him so badly he’ll want to burn down not only himself, but the world, just like his father.

I lean against the doorjamb, the slam of the door still echoing through the lonely hall. A part of me wants to run after Leo and insert myself into whatever scheme he has going on to get Eden back here, but the other part of me is more rational. I have enough to deal with on my own, and the best thing for Eden right now is to be as far away from the Knights as possible.

If only she had her phone. I’d call and warn her that there’s a big, angry thug on her trail, and she should do everything possible to avoid him.

8

Eden

I’m jolted awake. I scan the room for the digital clock perched on the small hotel desk, blinking away sleep. It’s 5:30 in the morning. Oliver’s phone blinks, so I peer at it, spotting a reply from my father. Oliver texted him last night that I was fine and we’d meet up when I got back into town.

Okay.

I read the one-word answer and then drop the phone again. Glad I was on his mind... I sigh and shake my head when shuffling from outside the door catches my attention.

I drag my gaze toward the exit, my heart in my throat. Awareness crawls over me like a second skin. It’sthem. I know it. Goosebumps spread the length of my body. It’s almost as if my soul planted a seed inside me to warn when they were coming.

I roll toward Ollie. I could wake him up, alert him to the disaster brewing, but he’s sleeping so peacefully. All the tense lines around his mouth and forehead are gone. He spends every waking minute worrying about me, I swear. I don’t deserve him.

A low voice utters a curse outside, and I can only imagine that came from Leo and not Alaric. I have no idea why they haven’t made their way in yet. There was never a question of whether or not they would find me—people in my world have ways—it was only when.

---