Dangerous Lies

by Ella Miles

  I walk into the living room, completely exhausted. I want the phone to ring to tell me that the kids are safe, but I’m more scared I’ll get a call to find out one is dead. So I’d rather not hear the phone ringing. I’d rather just stay in this moment of fearful pain.

  I lie down on the carpet in the middle of the room. I don’t know why I do it. I just need to lie down fully, and I don’t have the energy to walk to a bed.

  I hear a commotion outside before Langston finally walks into the living room. His shirt is gone. His chest is glistening with sweat and dirt. His hair untamed on top of his head.

  “That was a disaster,” he says.

  “I don’t know. It kind of feels like all our dates should be like that. It would be more us.”

  His lip twitches as he puts one leg on either side of my hips before lowering himself until he’s straddling me.

  “Which is why I’m not going to try to be romantic, not anymore.”

  He was trying to be romantic? Why?

  He grabs my left hand and pulls out a diamond ring. “This ring is yours forever.”

  He starts to push the ring onto my finger. He doesn’t take the ring made of flowers off; he just pushes the new ring right on top.

  “Just as I’m yours forever.”

  His eyes pour into me, vowing his love. I can’t let him make such a promise. I can’t let him fall any more than he already has. I can’t destroy him any more than I already have. So I look at the ring instead.

  My heart clenches when I see it. It’s a simple oval diamond on a gold band. Timeless, elegant, and exactly what I said I wanted when I was a kid.

  He remembered.

  4

  Langston

  None of them are safe.

  That thought repeats through my head like a raging wildfire. We tried a simultaneous attempt to get them all back, but all of our intel was wrong. I thought for sure we’d get one, possibly even two back tonight. Then Liesel and I could meet up with everyone to go rescue whoever remained.

  I never thought I’d have to decide which kid to save first. I hated making the decision, but one look at Liesel told me there was no way she was able to decide. Her body was shaking, and I’d never seen her so white. Even now, as we drive through to the German countryside, her body is still trembling. I grip her hand in the passenger seat next to me.

  I chose Rose because she seems to be in the most danger, and we have the best lead to get her back. I have no idea if I chose correctly or not. If I chose wrong, and we lose one of them because of me, then I’ll never forgive myself.

  I’ve never been so terrified in my life, but I refuse to let Liesel know that. She’s been through enough. My job as her husband is to protect her the best I can. So that’s what I’m going to do—protect her and our kids at all costs.

  I pull into the driveway of the old house that Enzo and Kai are keeping Phoenix. I don’t speak to Liesel as I climb out. She manages to get out of the car before I run around to her. I take her hand—the one that now has a real ring on it. A ring I thought could be the key to her starting to admit her true feelings for me. How stupid I was to think that giving her a ring would change anything, especially in a time like this.

  I hold her hand all the same, and we race inside. I don’t knock; I just open the door, taking no notice of the color of the house, the decorations. Nothing but finding Enzo and Kai. Nothing but finding Phoenix. Nothing but finding my daughter.

  She may not be my blood, but she’s mine nonetheless.

  Enzo and Kai greet us as we rush through the house.

  “Phoenix is in the basement. We haven’t gotten anything out of her yet, but being tortured by someone you know is always more effective than a stranger,” Enzo says.

  I nod, agreeing.

  My eyes cut to Liesel. She’s been through enough. I take both of her hands in mine as I face her. “Talk to Kai, get all the information she has. Drink some tea to settle your stomach, maybe eat something. I’ll get the information we need to find Rose.”

  “I should talk to Phoenix.”

  I shake my head. “You’re the huntress. You will hunt to the ends of the earth to find Rose.”

  She nods, realizing what I’m saying. The whites of her eyes grow wide around her dark orbs. “You’re the killer.”

  And I’ll kill Phoenix or anyone else who threatens my children.

  Kai walks over and takes Liesel by her hand, leading her over to a small two-seat dining room table. I know Kai will take care of Liesel while I do what has to be done.

  “Take me to the basement,” I say to Enzo.

  He nods and heads to a door down the hallway. He opens it for me with focused attention. “Do you want me to go down with you?”

  “No.”

  I take the stairs two at a time. We have no time to waste. This woman knows where Rose is. She might know where Atlas and Declan are.

  I hit the bottom step and then flick on the lights. Knowing what I’d see didn’t stop my heart from skipping a beat. Phoenix is beaten, bloodied, and crumpled on the floor with her wrists tied together. My jaw ticks in anger, and my body shakes.

  I was once married to this woman—or fake married, whatever.

  I thought she was the mother of my child. She acted like a great mother and stepmother. At least, that’s what I thought.

  My concern quickly turns to rage at this woman.

  She looks up, her eyes squinting because of the abrupt change from dark to light. She may think I’m the light about to come to save her, but she’d be very wrong.

  I grab her by the back of her neck, yanking her hair and forcing her onto her feet.

  Phoenix stares at her feet rather than look at me.

  I tilt my head, trying to force her eyes on me with just my glare.

  “Look at me, Phoenix.” My voice is low and sure. I won’t be leaving this basement without answers. Phoenix is the one who will decide if she lives or leaves this basement in pieces.

  She still doesn’t lift her head to look at me, so I do it for her.

  She groans, but I finally get to look her in the eyes. I want nothing but the truth from her, and the only way I can ensure that is if I look her in the eyes.

  “Where is Rose?” I ask calmly. How am I calm? I have no idea. I just know I should start calm and collected. Then, if she doesn’t answer, I can turn wild.

  “Is that the question you want to ask me first?” she has the audacity to say.

  “Yes,” I growl.

  Her eyes lighten, and a sly smile lifts on her cheek. “You’re always asking the wrong questions. Always putting faith in the wrong people. I’ll answer your question, but it will be the last one I answer.”

  I frown.

  What other questions do I have? A million, but none seem as important.

  My eyes roam up and down her broken body. I don’t know how many bones Enzo broke; I just know that he did. Bile slips up my throat at everything this woman and I have been through together.

  I married her.

  Fucked her.

  Thought she was the mother of my child.

  I gave her my most precious possessions to take care of—my children.

  I realize a question I need answering before she tells me where Rose is.

  “Did you ever hurt them? Abuse them? Did you get your jollies off on hurting them?”

  She looks me dead in the eyes. “I never hurt them.”

  A sea of relief floods me at her words. But why should I believe her?

  “I don’t believe you.”

  She shrugs. “That’s up to you, but my conscience is clean.”

  She’s baiting me. But why?

  “I thought you loved me. I thought that’s why you married me. Not to control me and get my children to trust you until the time came for you to take them.”

  “You’re upset that I didn’t love you? That our marriage was a scam? Our marriage would have been a scam whether or not I took Rose from you. You never loved me. It was always
her.”

  She’s not wrong.

  “You lied to me! You tricked me.”

  “You lied to me. You tricked me,” she says right back.

  I want to scream. I want to rip her apart and then put her back together only to rip her apart again.

  I don’t trust her.

  I don’t know if she ever hurt the kids.

  I don’t even know if she’s hiding Rose somewhere safe.

  But I have one more question before I find out where Rose is.

  “Why? Why start all of this? Why marry me? Why take the kids? Why is Liesel’s treasure so important?”

  She licks her lips and tosses her hair out of her face. “Now, you’re finally asking the right questions.”

  5

  Phoenix

  “What are you doing?” Corbin’s voice makes me jump.

  I turn, standing on the small step stool in the kitchen. “I’m trying to reach the mixing bowl. I’m making brownies.”

  He shakes his head like I’m crazy as he rushes over to me, worried my very life hangs in the balance. “Get down, right now.”

  He holds out his hand and helps me down the two steps. “Keep your feet on the ground. Or preferably, put your feet up.”

  I roll my eyes. “So, are you going to be cooking me brownies then?”

  He climbs up the ladder and grabs the mixing bowl. “Waylon!”

  I smile as my other brother runs into the room.

  “What?” His hair is frazzled, and his eyes big with concern as he looks to my swollen belly and then up to my face, expecting some kind of emergency. I’m not due for at least another month, but my three brothers all treat me like I’m going to pop at any second.

  “Do I need to bring the car around?” Maxwell darts into the kitchen.

  I just laugh at the three idiots. I love them, but they are all too much sometimes.

  “No! Nothing is wrong. Apparently, Dr. Corbin here has decided that I’m no longer able to climb the two steps up on a step ladder to grab a mixing bowl or cook myself some brownies,” I say.

  “Brownies, I’m on it!” Waylon says, grabbing the bowl from Corbin before flying over to the pantry to start grabbing ingredients.

  I sigh. There is no use arguing with them.

  “You. Couch. Now,” Corbin says.

  Maxwell runs to my side, taking my hand like I can’t even walk without support. He helps me into the living room and onto the sofa.

  “When is Martin getting off?” I ask Maxwell.

  I know that Martin is working on his last deal before the babies arrive. It’s a deal with a partner we’ve worked with a hundred times—a Mr. Dunn. Smuggling drugs is a dangerous business, but it’s made my family infinite amounts of money. The business has made us all happy.

  Until I fell in love.

  Until I got pregnant.

  Now, my fiancé and three brothers will stop at nothing to protect me and the babies I carry—including them giving up the business that has provided for us all these years.

  What are we going to do once we give up smuggling drugs?

  Be incredibly fucking happy; that’s what.

  We have more money than we need to survive.

  We have three babies on the way that we can all give plenty of love to.

  We all have hobbies we can spend more time enjoying.

  My brothers can find time to date—to fall in love and fill this house with more babies, more happiness.

  Just one more job, and then this is all over.

  My eyes drift shut. It’s exhausting work carrying around triplets.

  I inhale sweet chocolatey goodness.

  My eyes open just as Waylon brings me a plate filled with brownies.

  I smile as he sets the plate on my stomach.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  He glances at his watch. “Corbin and I have to go meet Martin to execute our sale with Dunn. You’ll be okay with Maxwell watching you?”

  I nod, my smile brightening. The sooner they leave, the sooner they finish the job, and we can get on to the next chapter of our lives. Selling drugs is a dangerous business, but my brothers and Martin are very good at it. I have no worries they’ll make it back just fine.

  “Yep, thanks to you, I don’t have to eat any of his terrible cooking.”

  He grins and then leans down and kisses me on the forehead. “I love keeping my nieces and nephews fed.” He leans down close to my belly. “Stay in there until we get back.”

  I just roll my eyes and watch as Waylon heads out, followed by Corbin, who just nods in my direction before taking off.

  Maxwell collapses on the couch next to me. “So what are we watching while we stuff our faces?”

  Maxwell’s phone buzzes as we watch another house-hunting show.

  I pop another piece of brownie into my mouth while Maxwell answers, assuming it’s Corbin or Waylon calling to say the job is done and they are headed back.

  Maxwell’s smile immediately drops as he listens.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  He stands, not answering me as he whispers something into the phone.

  My heart stops, which isn’t good since it’s supplying blood to not only me but the three babies growing inside of me.

  I scramble to my feet, which is easier said than done.

  I walk quickly through the house, each step forcing blood through my already breaking heart. I can feel the change, the shift. I know without any words that Martin is gone. I don’t feel him anymore. I feel nothing but numbness.

  No, that’s crazy to think. He’s not dead, just injured. He can’t be dead.

  I spot Maxwell out on the back deck, pacing, still on the phone. He’s trying to protect me, but I have to know.

  I waddle outside, moving as fast as my swollen feet will take me. I throw the door open and step out into the chilly air.

  Maxwell drops the phone when he sees me.

  “What happened?” I ask, using all my oxygen to get the words out.

  He shakes his head. “You should be inside, sitting down.” He rubs his neck. “No, maybe we should head to the hospital.”

  Head to the hospital?

  “What happened to Martin? How bad is it?”

  He closes the distance between us and takes my hands in his. “We all love you. We are all here for you. Whatever happens next, you will always have the three of us to love and protect you.”

  The three of us.

  “What. Happened?”

  He opens his mouth with tears in his eyes. “Dunn betrayed us. He took the drugs without paying. He attacked us.” His throat catches, his tears fall, and the pain ricochets off him and onto me. “Martin—he didn’t make it.”

  I feel myself falling, collapsing in his arms as my heart stops. My heart belonged to Martin. He was my everything. If he’s gone, I don’t want to live. I want to be gone too.

  My body decides for me as I faint, my eyes roll back in my head, and I’m gone.

  6

  Liesel

  I snuck halfway downstairs during the middle of Phoenix’s story, but I heard enough for my heart to break. I heard enough to understand her pain. Enough that I can understand why she wants revenge, why the whole family does.

  My father took the most important person from her.

  He took the love of her life.

  And the trauma of losing him caused her to lose the babies. She didn’t explicitly say she lost her babies, but I can feel it in her tears. She lost everything, and her brothers, loyal to her above everything, shared her pain.

  They want to make me pay for what my father did to them. That’s why they took my kids, that’s why they want the treasure as payback for what was stolen from them all those years ago.

  I can’t blame them for feeling this way. I’m sure I would react much the same if they had taken Langston or my kids from me.

  When Phoenix finishes speaking, she collapses in Langston’s arms. Just like she did in the story—like the trauma of retelling her
experience brought her right back to those feelings.

  I peer down to watch Langston hold a limp Phoenix in his arms. He hasn’t spoken since she started telling her story, so I have no idea what’s going on in his head. I’m also not sure if he knows I’m here or not. If he does, he hasn’t said anything.

  I watch him hold her in his arms, waiting patiently for her to come to. He checks her pulse with his fingers, but I can see from here that she’s breathing. Then, he pulls a knife from his pocket and slices through the ropes binding her hands.

  “I can’t kill her,” he says.

  He knows I’m here.

  “No, you can’t,” I agree.

  “What are we going to do with her?”

  “We are going to keep her here until we find Rose.”

  “And then?”

  I have no idea.

  Phoenix stirs, her eyes opening in Langston’s arms. She takes her time sitting back up, but her eyes find mine. She’s wearing black like always. I realize it’s because she always in mourning. Every day she feels that loss because of my father.

  As much as she hates my family and me, I don’t think she would inflict the same pain on me. I don’t think she’d hurt or kill any of my kids. She just wants me to suffer a small fraction of the pain she once felt.

  That gives me hope that Rose is alive and untouched. It gives me hope that Maxwell and Corbin won’t hurt my children either. Corbin may be the oldest and in charge, but Phoenix is the one they follow. She’s the one who matters.

  I walk down the rest of the stairs and over to where she is still in Langston’s arms.

  “Where is Rose?” I ask gently.

  “My family owns three clubs; each of them is hiding one of your kids. The only way to get in is to play a game. Win the game to get into X, and you’ll get Rose back. Pay with your sins and your treasure. Pay with everything you have.”

  “And if we lose?”