Page 91 of The Obedient Lie
I pulled back just enough to look at him, confused. “Wait. You were going toblow off the game?Why?”
Neither of them answered.
But they didn’t have to.
The silence said it.
They would’ve stayed behind—for me.
The realization hit harder than I wanted it to. Hard enough that my next breath came shaky.
“You guys can’t do that,” I muttered. “It’syourgame.”
My chest rose too fast.
Luca stepped closer, his arms crossing casually, but his gaze wasn’t casual at all. “So… will you come with us?”
I blinked. Forced myself to breathe. Focused on the feel of Bastion’s fingers still in my hair—gentle, slow, pulling me apart without trying.
I couldn’t speak.
Because sayingyeswould mean letting that guard fall again.
Sayingnowould feel like a lie.
I couldn’t speak.
So I nodded.
Barely.
And that was all it took.
Luca’s eyes flicked to my phone. “Good. Now tell that fucker you’re not coming.”
I blinked. “What?”
He pointed. “Griffin. Call him. Tell him you’re out.”
I stared at him.
It wasn’t the request that surprised me—it was the way he said it. There was none of his usual smoothness. None of the quiet, careful restraint Luca usually wrapped around his words like silk.
This was sharp. Possessive. Almost… unhinged. He sounded liked Bastion.
“Luca—”
“Better yet,” he added, voice low, “put it on loudspeaker.”
My mouth parted. “You’re serious.”
Bastion’s hand, still at my side, flexed—just once. Like he was stopping himself from grabbing the phone and doing itforme.
“We could call them,” Bastion said. Calm. But not really. His fingers brushed my hip as he shifted. “Wouldn’t take long.”
“No.” The word came out fast, breathy. “I—I’ll do it.”
Neither of them moved.
