Page 123 of Undeniably Corrupt
Adrenaline has me running like I’ve never run before, but I come to a screeching halt when I reach the edge of the parking lot and see Liora talking to Vega in front of his car. They’re notfighting. There’s no shouting. She’s calm. Hell, did she just… laugh?
Slowly I creep my way along the shadows, keeping my steps light. Silent.
“There’s no way this will end that way,” Vega says, and Liora runs her hands through her hair.
“It’s an easy thing. I leave. I take Hazel, and we go far, far away.”
Vega shrugs. “He’s a hacker, Liora.”
She sighs. “He’s not.”
“Don’t lie. We know what he is and what he can do.”
“So that’s it?”
Vega shrugs. “Are you willing to walk away?”
“Yes. In a heartbeat,” she tells him adamantly.
“He means that little to you?”
Liora glares. “If I say no, my father will kill him out of spite. If I say yes, you won’t believe me, even if it’s true. It’s a no-win.”
“So he doesn’t?”
“Fuck you. How’s that? I never should have worked for him or accepted his help when he offered it. I’m here talking to you. I’m offering to leave. Vander knows nothing, but more than that, my father would be an idiot to hurt him. He’s connected to some pretty powerful people.”
“And if you walk, are you telling me he won’t chase you?”
She throws her hands up. “I can’t control what Vander does, but I doubt it. Why would he?”
“You’re lying to me, Liora. That doesn’t instill a lot of trust.” This guy is so still, he hardly breathes. He never moves. Never shifts. Never adjusts. He just stands there like a statue with a holstered gun on his back.
She laughs. “Why on earth should I trust you?”
“If you tell me the truth, I might be able to save him. And you.”
“Now who’s lying?” she throws back caustically. “You’rethreatening my child and my boss’s life. What am I supposed to say?”
“The truth.”
She folds her arms and shifts her weight. “The truth is I will do whatever I have to do so my father doesn’t hurt my people. That’s my truth.”
“Do you honestly not care what happens to your father?”
“If I could kill him myself, I would. I wouldn’t even hesitate.”
“And what about Vander? Does he love you enough to put himself on the line in the same way?”
I take another step, and Vega grins. It’s a real grin, and it makes me wonder if he knows I’m here even if Liora doesn’t. “Vander doesn’t need to be involved. Not in anything.”
“Your words and account of what you overheard about your brother’s death are hearsay, not proof, and are hardly even evidence.”
She blinks at him and takes a step back. “What does that mean? That sounded very… legal.”
“Perhaps it was. Perhaps, like you, I was waiting for all the pieces to come together. Have they come together, Vander?”
Liora’s head whips in my direction, her eyes wide before they fill with fear. “What are you doing here?!” She steps toward me but puts her back to me. Almost as if she’s going to block me from him. It’s cute, but hell, is it going to get her punished later.
