Page 36 of Ruin Me With Lies
Forher.
Half-braided hair.Deceiving emerald eyes.
But she’s nowhere in sight.
Cursing my disloyal eyes, I hit the accelerator and move on.
Two blocks down, I spot Luca heading east.He’s mid-stride, deep in what looks like a heated argument over the phone.Doesn’t even notice me pull up beside him.
I honk.
He jerks around, mutters something, and ends the call.
“Get in.”
He hesitates, wary for a second, then folds in.“‘Sup, boss?”
“That call looked intense.Everything good?”
“Yeah.Just some dumb bitch I’ve been messing with.”
Lie.But I don’t care enough to call him on it.“Where are you headed?”
“Diner Hall.I’m fucking starving.”
That’s only about a hundred yards down the track, so I ease off at a slower pace.“Lo’s had you keeping an eye on that Raya girl, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s your take on her?”
He shrugs.“Eh.She’s chill.Low maintenance…”
“I’m detecting abut.”
Luca scratches behind his ear.“I mean, I know Gio and Lorenzo like her, and she’s helping you with whatever, but I don’t trust her.”
Finally.Someone whoisn’tup her ass.“Why?”
He exhales.“Well, the girl I picked up at Vivienne’s?Notthe girl that’s here now.”
“Meaning?”
Luca pats his pockets, digs out a pack of cancer sticks.
Fidgety people irritate the fuck out of me.But I’m interested in his take, so I grip the wheel and bear it instead of kicking him off.
“I don’t know,” he says, tapping out a cigarette.“I think she’s justreallyfucking good at reading people.Figuring out what they want and becomingexactlythat towin them over.”
“Maybe she’s just a people pleaser,” I say.“Nothing wrong with that.”
People pleasers are my favorite.Easiest to manipulate.
“I’m not saying she’s bad or a threat or anything,” he adds, adjusting.“It’s just…when someone wears so many faces, how do you know which one’s real, you know?”He lights up, takes a deep draw and exhales.“I’ve seen her go from meek and mousey to clueless bimbo to whip-smart and quick-witted—all depending on who she’s with.And it’s like,damnbitch, which one’s the real you?Know what I mean?”
“Hm.”I pull up in front of the Diner Hall.“Your stop.”
Luca gets out but hesitates, lingering.
