Page 178 of Ruin Me With Lies
There.A delicate golden necklace around her neck with a444pendant resting at her collarbone.
“What d-did I d-do?”she stammers.
She flinches when I reach for the pendant, watching as my fingers graze it.“Did Raya give you this?”
“Oh.Sí.I mean, yes.”
“When?”
“On the same night she gave me the flash drives,” she replies, voice small.“She said it is an angel number, and that it would, um...guide me and…” She ducks her head, avoiding my eyes.“Protect me...from, um, harm.”
Protection fromme.
I almost laugh.
For the first time in months, the tightness in my chest loosens.A lightness breaks through, and a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.
Message received, Raya.I won’t touch your precious messenger.
Bothmessages received.
Turns out my little liar do want me to find her, after all.
~
GIO BARGES INTOmy penthouse suite at Black Gold and clocks the half-packed travel bag on the bed.I’ve been living here ever since Raya vanished, because it’s the only place besides my office where people know better than to bother me.
Lorenzo and Gio never fails to test my patience, though.
“Heard you were back,” Gio says, dropping his jacket on a chair.“So I went ahead and confirmed a lunch meeting with the Koreans for tomorrow.”
“Cancel it.”
“Stefano, you worked your ass off on that deal.Sure, there was that car bombing shit, but in good faith, they’ve since acquiesced to every single demand you made without pushback.And now you won’t even make the time to get this goddamn thing off the ground—”
“I said cancel it.”
“All because of some fucking—”
“Thinkrealcarefully before you finish that sentence,” I warn.
He stiffens.“Stefano, don’t do this.”
I fold a pair of gloves and toss them in the bag.“I’m flying out in a few hours.I won’t be at that meeting.”
“Where?To chase another bullshit lead?”
“It’s not bullsh—”
“She’s GONE, Stefano!”he shouts, voice echoing through the suite.“She left us.She leftyou.If she wanted to be here, she’d be here.Hang it the fuck up already!”
“There has to be more—”
“What are you gonna do if you find her, huh?”he steamrolls.“Drag her back?Chain her up?Force her to be with you?You don’t even know her!Shelied.About everything.She’s a fuckingliar.Fooled all of us.Snuck in, reeled us in, then fucked off.How do you even know she’s not the one feeding you these so-called ‘leads’?Wake the hell up, man.Thisisn’tyou.You’re smarter than this.”
We stare each other down for a hard minute, fists clenched at my sides to stop myself from decking him in the mouth.
“Like I said,” I grit out, “I won’t be at that meeting tomorrow.”
