Cruel Lies

by Ella Miles

  Maxwell smiles at me as he takes the cup of coffee, knowing this was my doing.

  Langston pulls a gun out from the waistband of his boxers.

  “If you move, I’ll shoot you dead with pleasure,” Langston says, casually lifting his cup of coffee to his lips.

  “Noted,” Maxwell says, drinking his own coffee.

  We all sit in the living room in an awkward silence as we drink our coffees. Maxwell in a single chair. Langston and Phoenix are sharing the small loveseat. And me sitting in the other single chair.

  “What did I miss?” Maxwell asks, looking between the three of us.

  “Nothing. What’s the plan?” I look to Langston.

  “Oh, now you’re going to discuss plans with me? I thought you just made plans on your own,” he shoots back.

  I sigh. “I have no problem deciding, if you’d rather.”

  “Will you two stop? The sooner we figure out how to work together, the sooner we can never see each other again,” Phoenix says.

  “We all go to the sacred ruins, then we get the next clue,” I say.

  “I already called to have new clothes brought up for us, and a car should arrive in the next twenty minutes,” Langston stares back at me.

  He didn’t argue with me about us all going.

  I don’t know what to do with that. All I know is that I need to get out of this hotel room before I suffocate in the thoughts of him fucking Phoenix after touching me.

  Langston rented a six-passenger van and driver to take us to the ruins. The drive is long, winding, and silent.

  None of us speak about what we are going to do when we get there. Langston and I don’t share any of the information we know about what we might face. We don’t discuss what we are going to do with Maxwell or what Phoenix knows.

  Eventually, the driver stops and points down a dirt road. Apparently, this is as far as he goes.

  Each of us climb out. I feel for my gun, but don’t remove it. Just knowing it’s there brings some comfort. I’m nowhere near as skilled with a gun as Langston is, but at least I have a weapon to defend myself.

  Maxwell asked for a gun, but we refused him. And Phoenix just scoffed when Langston tried to get her to carry a gun.

  We all march down the abandoned dirt road, walking as much apart as we are together. If anyone were to notice us, I’m not sure they would be able to deduce if we are a group or four separate strangers. Fog hangs in the air, masking much of the greenery of the surrounding mountains as we continue through the chilly air.

  “How much further do we have to hike?” Phoenix pants as the road climbs up the side of the hill.

  Langston points to the top.

  She sighs.

  “I can give you a piggyback ride if you want?” Maxwell asks her.

  We all freeze, not sure what Phoenix or Langston is going to do.

  Phoenix grins. “Hell yea.”

  “Dunn, is that a good idea?” Langston asks.

  “I’m exhausted. I wasn’t made for climbing. So unless you are offering a ride, I’m taking Max here up on his offer.”

  Langston rolls his eyes and continues climbing. Phoenix climbs on Maxwell’s back. I take up the rear.

  “You smell good,” I hear Phoenix whisper to Maxwell, who chuckles gruffly.

  Langston keeps walking like he didn’t hear her.

  After an hour or more of hiking, we finally reach the sacred ruins.

  “Now what?” Phoenix asks, still clinging to Maxwell’s back.

  Langston stares back at me, like he thinks I have the next clue.

  He’s right—I do.

  My eyes scan the sight. It’s beautiful, eery with haze and clouds hanging low in contrast to the bright green grass and broken remains of stone buildings. There are a few tourists and locals milling about, but nothing compared to the hoards of the more famous ruins like Machu Pichu.

  “This way,” I say, finding a trail to the right of the ruins and following it. I feel Langston fast at my heels as I head down the trail. I expect him to ask me questions about what comes next, but he doesn’t. He just follows closely with Maxwell and Phoenix struggling to catch up.

  I stop abruptly when I spot the small cottage nestled in the rolling hills.

  I look to Langston. I don’t know what to do next. He has the next clue.

  He walks forward, taking the lead.

  I hear Maxwell’s feet stopping behind us, and Phoenix climbs off his back.

  Langston motions with his head for me to follow him to the side of the house. I do. Maxwell and Phoenix don’t follow us.

  Langston approaches the small wooden door on the side of the house. He knocks four times and then waits.

  My heart is pumping wildly, waiting for what’s going to happen next. A minute goes by and nothing happens.

  My heart sinks.

  This was all a wild goose chase, wasn’t it, father? You sent me here to ruin my life.

  The door opens.

  My eyes widen, and then an older bald man with a white beard steps to the door. He doesn’t speak, just stares at Langston.

  “A Dunn is here to collect what’s hers,” Langston says.

  The man’s eyes go from Langston to me. His eyes look like he’s seen a ghost. His ears perk like he can’t believe what he just heard.

  “You married?” he looks between the two of us, looking for a ring.

  My thumb traces my bare ring finger—a finger that will never have a ring.

  I look to Langston. He’s not wearing a ring either. Weird—I guess I never noticed or thought about it before.

  “No,” I say.

  “I am,” Langston says.

  The man pokes his head out of the door as if to ask where his wife is then.

  “Dunn,” Langston calls.

  Phoenix steps forward. Her head is proud and boisterous as she saddles up next to Langston, gripping his bicep like she owns him.

  She does.

  “Come in,” he says, opening the door wider for Langston and Phoenix.

  They step inside without glancing back at me.

  I move to follow, but the old man steps in front of the door, blocking my way.

  “Are you married?” he asks.

  I shake my head.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, closing the door.

  I step back, staring at the small house as my hand traces down the door. I need to be inside. I need to know what is going on. I need to help keep Atlas safe.

  But I’m not married. And for some stupid reason, my father made that a term in finding the treasure.

  I walk back to the front of the house, where Maxwell is still standing. I still don’t understand his motivations or why I decided to tell him where we are. I’m also surprised he hasn’t tried to pull some crap yet.

  I hug myself as I stare at the house, trying to decide my next move.

  “We could break in. I’m pretty sure we could take that old man,” Maxwell says.

  I shake my head. I’m sure we could, but it’s not getting in that would be the problem. It’s getting him to tell us the next clue.

  The only way to get inside is if you’re married.

  I bite my lip, trying to come up with a different way. My eyes cut to Maxwell, hating my plan.

  “Fuck this, let’s go,” I say.

  “Where are we going? I thought—”

  “We are going to fix our situation so we can get into the house.”

  12

  Langston

  We step into the small one-room house. There isn’t much to see, but a small bed in the corner with some books strewn over it and a rocking chair in the other corner. This man either lives a simple life or doesn’t live here full time.

  The door whooshes closed behind us, sinking the room into darkness.

  Phoenix jumps, leaning further against me as the room turns pitch-black.

  I hear the light of a match striking, and then we can see again as the man walks toward us.

  “What’s your n
ame?” I ask.

  He shakes his head.

  I frown. If he isn’t even going to tell me his name, I have little faith I’m going to learn much about how to find the treasure.

  “I need proof that you two are married.” He turns to Phoenix. “And I need your blood.”

  She shrivels back, using my shoulder to shield herself from him—not that I think she should be worried about such a small, frail man.

  I pull out my phone, where I have a saved image of our marriage license, and hand it to him.

  He nods, taking the phone from me and sliding it into his pocket. Then he produces a knife and stares at Phoenix, waiting.

  She looks up at me. “No.”

  “Phoenix, he’s just going to draw a couple of drops of blood. He’s not going to cut off your hand.”

  She huffs but relents, placing her hand out in front of him. He pricks her finger with the tip of the blade.

  He nods his thanks and then disappears out the back door.

  “What was that about?” Phoenix asks.

  “My guess is he’s verifying our marriage license and that you are a Dunn.”

  She frowns and grips my arm tighter.

  I want to tell her to relax. She could be outside with Liesel and Maxwell right now, wondering what the hell is happening and being forced to trust me that I’ll tell them what I find out.

  I’ll tell Liesel everything she needs to know, but I know she’s not going to trust a word I say.

  The man returns less than a minute after he disappeared.

  “I’m sorry, but your marriage isn’t valid,” he says, handing me back my phone.

  “What do you mean it isn’t valid?”

  I take my phone and stare down at the document that I know is legal.

  “It isn’t valid.”

  “How? I mean, what part isn’t valid? Do we need to legally marry in this country? Is there some type of ceremony we need to do?”

  He shakes his head. “I can’t tell you any more other than you need to leave until you fix the problem. Return once you are truly married.”

  He walks to the door and opens it.

  “But…” Phoenix stutters, just as confused as I am.

  I take Phoenix’s hand and drag her out the door. I look back one more time at the man who has an intense glint in his eyes. I don’t know what just happened, but I’m going to figure it out.

  “Liesel, we have a problem…” I stop talking and let go of Phoenix’s hand when I round the house and don’t find Liesel or Maxwell.

  “Liesel?” I shout louder, hoping they just found a more comfortable place to sit and wait for us, but that’s not Liesel’s style. She would be pacing impatiently just outside the door or looking for a way to break in.

  “Where is she?”

  A chill creeps down my spine as a thought crosses my mind—a clue to where she might have gone.

  Phoenix steps up to my side and rubs my arms in a comforting manner.

  “Do you think Maxwell took her?” she asks.

  I examine the scene, looking for any sign of a struggle, any sign that Maxwell could have hurt her, but I know better.

  “No.”

  Phoenix narrows her eyes and pulls her brows together as she stares up at me.

  “She went to get married so she can enter,” I say.

  13

  Liesel

  I found a small white church in the center of the small town. I’ve talked with the priest, and he’s agreed to marry us. Now, I just have to wait for Maxwell to get back with the paperwork.

  I sit in the very last pew, staring up at the stained glass window at the end of the small chapel. The light twinkles as it hits the glass and then flickers into my eyes, making me squint. This doesn’t seem real—it feels like a dream, or in reality, a nightmare.

  I never wanted to get married. Definitely not to a man who might be more devil than angel. A man I can’t imagine kissing, let alone fucking.

  We just need to get the paperwork done. That’s all this is. A contract that we can eventually annul.

  But it won’t change the fact that for a short time, I’ll be married to Maxwell. I’ll promise my life and love to him.

  I hear the door open behind me. My eyes water, but I quickly blink them away.

  I never imagined myself married. Never thought of myself as a wife or mother. Never wanted the big white dress and lasting love. So marrying a man I don’t love just so I can find a treasure shouldn’t feel like I’m giving anything up.

  But why is my throat tightening, my neck sweating, and my hands clamming up? Why does it feel like I’m losing something I never knew I wanted?

  “Ready?” Maxwell asks as he towers over me.

  I nod.

  He holds out his hand to me.

  I try to wipe the sweat off on my pants before I put my hand in his and he helps me stand.

  He smiles at me, gently.

  “Don’t worry, you’re still the boss. And I already know there won’t be any fucking.” He winks at me.

  “That’s not what I’m worried about. I still don’t know if I can trust you.”

  “You can. I didn’t realize who I’m working for. You have my complete loyalty.”

  I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re just a pawn I’m using to get inside that house. You’re still our prisoner. I will have no problem killing you when I no longer have a need for you.”

  He grins. “I have no doubt that you will.”

  We start walking down the aisle as a woman sits behind a piano and starts playing. The sudden music makes me falter in my step, but Maxwell keeps walking me forward until we are at the altar.

  The music stops, and then our priest begins speaking.

  I know he’s speaking, but I can’t hear his words over the beating of my own heart. I can’t believe I’m this nervous. All we are doing is speaking meaningless words before we sign a piece of paper.

  I close my eyes and steel my heart, forcing it to close tighter than a bank vault. When I open my eyes, I feel strong and ready to do this. Ready to marry this man so I can do what I came here for—to get the damn treasure and protect Atlas in the process.

  “Do you take Liesel Dunn—”

  “Wait!”

  I turn my head and see Langston jogging down the center aisle with Phoenix right behind him.

  I blink rapidly.

  Langston stops right in front of me, huffing profusely like he ran the whole way here. He doesn’t glance at Maxwell; he just grabs my hand and jerks me to the side.

  “We’ll be right back,” Langston mutters as he pushes me out of the side door of the church.

  We stumble outside—him out of breath, me not able to breathe. Finally, we come to a stop in a small alleyway between the church and the coffee shop next door.

  “What happened?” I ask when I’m finally able to breathe and remove my hand from Langston’s grasp.

  He growls as I pull away, but he doesn’t make a move to take my hand back.

  “Don’t marry him,” Langston says.

  I fold my arms across my chest and take a step back. “If you came here to tell me what to do with my life, you can forget it. I don’t want to be left out in the dark the next time. I’ll marry him, and then we’ll kill him. What’s the big deal?”

  He runs his hand through his hair, and he huffs out a long breath trying to figure out his next words. His eyes are zipping around, crazy with anger.

  I don’t understand why he’s acting this way. It’s not like—

  “Phoenix and I aren’t legally married.”

  “What?” I gasp.

  “We aren’t legally married.”

  “But I saw your marriage license. How could that be?”

  He paces a foot. “Some sort of mixup at the registry. He knew almost immediately that our marriage wasn’t valid. I called while we were running over here to verify. It’s true—I’m not married to Phoenix.”

  I nod, slowly, unsure of reality.
/>   “So you didn’t get the next clue?”

  He shakes his head, slowly mimicking my movements. “No, he kicked us out before he told us anything.”

  “Stupid father, thinking I need to be married before I get any real money. Like being married will mean I’m somehow protected.”

  “I don’t know why your father thought any of this was a good idea either, but what are we going to do now?”

  “I’m going to walk back into the church and get married to Maxwell. You can marry Phoenix for real or not. But at least one of us needs to be married in order to get the next clue.”

  I take a step toward the church.

  He puts his hand on my waist, stopping me from moving. His breath is hot, fire against my lips. I think he’s going to say something that will change both of our lives. Something that speaks a lot more of love than of hate.

  Instead, he says nothing.

  With a twitch of his hand, he pushes our bodies together. Our hips bump, and our mouths land. My eyes close a second later as I taste a man I want but can never have.

  This isn’t a proposal. He didn’t bring me out here to tell me not to marry Maxwell. He knows I have to. He brought me out here for one last goodbye kiss.

  Maxwell’s and my marriage might be fake, but once we are married, I’m pretty sure the kissing and torturing Langston will have to stop. At least until we get the treasure, since we need the man in charge of hiding the treasure to think I’m married. And after we find the treasure, there is no hope for us.

  The sky must agree that this kiss is defiantly wrong in every way as rain starts pouring down on us. It pelts down on us so hard that I can barely breathe. But I’m thankful for the rain because it hides the tears spilling down my cheeks.

  Langston notices anyway and rubs my cheeks with his thumbs even though we are both soaked.

  I shiver.

  “We should go back inside.”

  He nods.

  I start to brush past him, but he doesn’t let go of my waist. He doesn’t let me move past him.

  “Huntress—”

  “Don’t—you belong with Phoenix.”

  “But—”

  “I was never yours, killer. Let me go.”