by Ella Miles
I exhale. She’s here. I wish she had sent a team to pick me up instead of doing it herself, but I’m happy that she’s here. It means I’m getting off this island and away from Langston for good.
“Any sign of Lanston?” Siren asks as I jog toward the plane.
I shake my head.
“Good, let’s get going before he figures out I’m here. I’ll deal with his dumb ass later.”
I smile.
Siren pulls me into a hug even though I’m covered in dried dirt, leaves, and sweat.
I wince when she hugs me too tightly, agitating the wound on the back of my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, are you okay?” Siren asks as she holds me at arm’s length and looks me up and down.
“It’s okay; I’ve been sleeping on the jungle floor. I’m just sore.” I don’t want her to know I’m wounded. I want her to know as little as possible.
She nods. “There is a bathroom in the back with a small shower. The water won’t stay hot for long, but you can at least clean up. I’ll put a change of clothes outside the bathroom door for you.”
“Thanks, looking forward to getting off this island.”
“I’ll go talk to the pilot and get us out of here as soon as possible. Be careful showering during takeoff.”
“Of course.” Although, I’m not worried about getting knocked around during takeoff. I’ve been through hell; a possible bruise as I bump into the shower door is nothing.
I walk to the back of the plane and find a small bathroom. I don’t know whose private jet this is—probably Enzo and Kai’s. Siren and Zeke have money, but I don’t think they own their own private jet to my knowledge. Or she chartered this.
The bathroom is just big enough for one person to fit in. It has a small sink, toilet, and corner shower. I take my clothes off, letting them fall to the floor. I don’t dare look at myself in the mirror. If I did, I’m not sure whether I’d see a strong, determined woman or a frail, broken one.
Instead, I flip the water on and step under the spray. The water is cool; I don’t bother letting it heat up. I don’t need it to be warm. Siren also said it won’t stay warm for long anyway.
I let the water wash away the mud, the dried leaves, the blood from the bug bites and scratches. It also cleanses me of my pain and anger.
I can’t believe Langston kidnapped me. I can’t believe he threatened my life—all for a secret treasure he doesn’t even need. He has his own private island and mansion. He doesn’t need money. He just wants to hurt me.
We’ve been through a lot as kids, but I still feel like there is something I’m missing, something Langston is hiding. His rage goes far beyond the truth as I know it.
I feel the plane rising off the ground.
My body lightens, as if a weight has been lifted from my body as we takeoff.
I don’t have to worry about Langston anymore. I don’t have to spend another second thinking about him.
Fuck Langston and his stupid games. Siren won’t let him come near me again.
I hear a light tapping on the door. I’m sure it’s just Siren telling me she put clothes outside the door for me.
I don’t stop showering, though, until I’ve used every ounce of water. Even then, I let the water droplets drip down my hair, face, and body.
I stare at these little miracles—tiny water droplets that brought me back to life.
After several minutes, I can’t hide in the bathroom anymore. I dry off and wrap a towel around me before cracking the door open to grab the clothes Siren left for me.
I look at them closely—jeans and a black T-shirt, fighting clothes. I quickly change, even though my hips don’t fill out the jeans like Siren’s would. My breasts fill the shirt, stretching the material to its limit.
I run my hand through my wet hair—good enough.
When I step out in the main cabin, I find Siren sitting in a chair holding Cayden.
How did I miss her baby when I entered?
I was too worried about just getting on the plane and in the shower to wash off everything that happened.
“Feel better?” Siren asks with a tense smile.
“Yes, thank you.” I make my way over to the captain’s chair directly across from her and sit down. Cayden is asleep in her arms, and Siren seems content to just let him sleep there.
“Is Zeke here?”
She shakes her head. “It’s just me, Cayden, and the pilot.”
“What if Langston had gotten to me first?”
“You don’t think I’m capable of getting Langston to do whatever I say?” Her eyes twinkle, and her face lightens with the knowledge that she’s able to control a man she’s not even married to.
My ribs clench, and my stomach drops in jealousy. If only I could control Langston as easily. It makes me wish even more that Siren wasn’t here.
I stare out the window as we fly over the ocean. I’m not even sure where we are. I’m about to ask, but Siren beats me to speaking.
“This plane can take you anywhere. So, where are we going?” Siren asks.
I furrow my brows as I glance back to her. We aren’t going anywhere. I’ll only be able to stand Siren until this plane ride is over, and then I’ll need her to head back to Zeke.
“Home.”
Siren blinks rapidly, trying to digest my single word in disbelief. She sits up and slowly lifts Cayden off her lap, placing him on the couch across from us. Once he’s solidly asleep again, she folds her arms and stares down at me like she’s about to give me an order.
“New York? You can’t go back there.”
“Why not? It’s my home. It’s where I want to be.” I stand up, wanting to be on the same eye level as her. I won’t let her, or anyone else, bully me into feeling weak.
“That will be the first place Langston looks!”
I glance at Cayden as Siren raises her voice, but he sleeps right through it. I guess when you grow up in our world, you can sleep through anything.
“I’m not going to run anymore. I’m not going to play his games.”
“Just hide out, take a vacation somewhere until I can talk some sense into that boy.”
“No. I have Waylon to worry about. I have a job. A life. I’m not going to let Langston take anything more from me.”
Siren’s eyes flick side to side as she looks into my eyes, hoping to find something in my eyes to persuade me. She won’t find anything. My decision is already made.
She lets out a long breath, blowing some of her hair out of her eyes.
“I’ll tell the pilot we are headed for New York, and then you and I are going to talk.”
She heads toward the front of the plane, while I take a seat again, feeling victorious, even though I know she’s not going to let this go that easily. I close my eyes. Maybe if I pretend to sleep, Siren will ignore me.
“Nuh-uh. That’s not going to work. You’re not asleep. Start talking,” Siren says as she plops back into her chair.
My eyes flick open. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got time.”
I close my eyes again. “Sorry, Siren. I don’t want to lie to you, and that’s all I’ll do if I start talking. You’re better off not knowing.”
I texted Waylon to meet me at my apartment, but I never got a response. I don’t know if he’ll be here or not. I don’t know if he called the police and filed a missing person report. I don’t know if he’s given up on me coming back.
I get to my apartment door and realize I don’t have my key. I knock, hoping Waylon is inside, so I don’t have to break into my own apartment.
I hear footsteps inside, and I fidget with the hem of my black T-shirt. Will Waylon notice that I’m not wearing my usual power dress? Will he know that something’s instantly wrong? Will he ask me a dozen questions about where I’ve been or what I’ve been up to?
What do I tell him? How do I keep him safe?
The door swings open—th
e moment of reckoning.
“Baby, I didn’t think you were getting back from your trip for a while. I’m so happy you decided to change your plans and head home early.” He grabs me by the back of my neck and kisses me in a friendly kiss. His tongue parts my lips, his hand massages my neck, and he moans softly against my lips. It’s a good kiss—a grateful kiss, but not an ‘I was worried you were kidnapped, murdered, or dropped off the face of the earth’ kiss.
“Yep, I missed you. Thought I’d come back early.”
Waylon pulls me tightly to him, until I’m pressed up against him. That’s when I get a whiff of him—a musky, sweaty scent. I scan him up and down and realize he’s in a T-shirt and gym shorts. He must have just worked out.
“We are going to have to celebrate later, though. How about Noda for dinner in three hours? I need to shower, and then I have a quick meeting. After that, I’m all yours.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
My body melts at his proposal. I need to let off some steam, and fucking Waylon all night is just the way to do it.
Waylon notices my body’s reaction. He leans in and kisses me softly on the lips. The kiss is full of promise for tonight.
I want to protest and tell him I want him now, but a knock at the door interrupts my plea.
We both groan in annoyance at whoever is at the door, who interrupted our kiss.
“I really need to shower and get to my meeting. Soon, love,” Waylon says, and then he’s jogging down the hallway to the bathroom.
I turn to the door, hoping it’s just a delivery. If it’s Siren, I’m going to kill her.
I open the door.
Langston is standing in the hallway with a heavy scowl, dark eyes, and an evil grin twisted on his face.
“I told you to come find me,” he growls.
My stomach drops as he pushes his way into my apartment and back into my world in record time. There is no getting rid of him, not unless I kill him.
“Waylon is in the shower. You can’t stay.”
“Good. It’s time I find out the truth. If he’s here, you won’t be able to lie about the status of your marriage.”
4
Langston
As I step closer to Liesel, she retreats—backing away, but not backing down. Her scowl and ridges between her eyes shoot through my body. She doesn’t want me here.
Well, too bad. I don’t want to be here either.
If she hadn’t forced my hand, if she’d at the very least stayed on the island, then I wouldn’t be invading her apartment with her supposed husband in the next room.
I kick the door closed behind me, purposefully slamming it.
“Shh,” Liesel hisses.
I tilt my head. “Why? Worried dear old hubby will notice?”
“Don’t make fun of Waylon.”
“I’m not making fun of him. I just can’t imagine you’re married to that fossil.”
“I am,” she says without hesitation, with as much conviction as she can muster.
“Well, that’s the problem—I don’t believe a word you say.”
She shrugs. “That’s not my problem. Now get out of my house.”
“We had a deal.”
“No, you kidnapped me and forced me to agree to your terms. So unless you’re planning on kidnapping me again, we’re done here.”
Oh, I plan on kidnapping her again if I need to. But I’ll take my time. First, I want answers. Then I can worry about what I’m going to do with her.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re on the island or not. Our deal remains. You will tell me truths, and I’ll give you more time to live. You tell me lies, and I’ll give you less time. You’re down to eleven months. I took off a month after you ran and made me come after you. Now’s your chance to earn some time back.”
Liesel glances down the hallway as she bites her bottom lip. The shower is still running, so we have some time before Waylon joins us.
“Did Siren rat me out?” Liesel asks.
No, she didn’t. But I won’t let Liesel think she has any friends on her side. Liesel needs to know that she’s all alone battling me.
I’ll have to deal with Siren later, though. I can’t have her intervening in my plan. It’s probably time I told Siren the truth. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about whose side she’s on. She would be firmly on mine.
“Of course. You really think you could turn one of my best friends so easily?”
Her eyes narrow, searching for the truth in my eyes. In my words. In my body language.
I don’t let my anger rise beyond my gut. I don’t let my voice carry my pain. I don’t let my eyes widen in worry.
Liesel sighs. “Maybe not, but she freed me. She’s clearly not as close to you as you think.”
I chuckle and step closer to her, forcing her to step back. “You think you’re free?”
“I’m in my own damn house, and as soon as Waylon gets out of the shower, he’ll kick your ass if you don’t leave.”
“Will he?” I take another step, and her back hits the wall.
She glares as she pushes past me and heads into the kitchen. She winces when her injured shoulder brushes against mine.
I stare at her back, wanting to ask about her wound. To take a look at it and make sure it’s healing properly. To remove the staples.
But that would show that I care. It would be a weak move. And I’m tired of being powerless for this woman.
I storm after her, not letting her even catch her breath or grab a knife, which I assume is the only reason she’s heading into the kitchen.
I cock my head and smirk at her as she pulls a knife out of a cutting block. “Really? You think a knife is going to protect you? You’re so predictable.”
“No, a knife won’t protect me against a monster like you. You don’t play fair. And you’re more skilled at killing people than anyone I’ve ever met. If you want me dead, you’ll kill me.”
“Then why even bother grabbing it? Why fight me? Why not just tell me the truth? You’ll live a longer, much happier life if you just give in,” I say, standing on one side of the kitchen island. She stands on the other side, using the island as a barrier between us.
“You don’t deserve the truth, killer. You don’t get any more parts of me.”
“But I haven’t even gotten to taste the best part yet.” My voice is low and throaty as I speak.
I swear I hear Liesel gasp.
We may both be married, but that doesn’t extinguish the fire between us. That doesn’t stop the pull of attraction. No matter how much Liesel hurts me, no matter how much she betrays me, on some level, my body will always want her. I just have to remember she’s poison to me. One taste and she’ll eviscerate me.
“You stole a kiss against my will—you don’t get more. I’ll cut off your balls if you so much as touch me without permission.”
There’s my feisty huntress.
I laugh. “I don’t have to take anything—before I’m done with you, you’ll be willingly giving in to me. You’ll be begging me to kiss you, to fuck you.”
“I have a wonderful husband just down the hall who is more than capable of satisfying my every need. He kisses like a king and makes me come like a servant. Why would I need a schmuck like you? You wouldn’t even be able to find my clit.”
Her words are firm and defiant, but I notice her chest heaving up and down. She’s all hot and bothered inside. I remember the explosive orgasms she had with Waylon. I remember the sounds she made, the faces. How much of that was real and how much of that was fake?
“Now you make me wonder if Waylon is the one who doesn’t know where your clit is.”
“Just like Phoenix doesn’t know how to suck you off, huh?”
Her eyes glitter with jealousy. She doesn’t like that I’m married to Phoenix any more than I like her marriage to Waylon. Not because I want to be married to her, but because she’s mine. She doesn’t get to belong to anyone else.
“I’d be happy to let you try if you t
hink you can do better. But let me tell you, no one sucks me off like Phoenix.”
Her grip on the thin knife tightens, along with the lines around her eyes and harsh frown of her lips.
“Just leave; neither of us is going to tell the truth. We aren’t going to say that we lied and that we aren’t married. That you don’t have any freaking kids. Just go. We don’t have to keep hurting each other.”
I take a step toward her, expecting her step away from me, keeping the island between us.
She doesn’t.
“You really think you’re going to stab me if I get near?”
“You’ll have to come closer to find out.” She smirks and twists the knife around casually in her hand like it belongs there.
She forgets that I know the real her. She doesn’t like wielding a weapon. The only time she holds a knife is when she’s cutting into her food. She wouldn’t even be able to flick her wrist in my direction before my reflexes would stop her without even thinking.
I take another step.
She still doesn’t move.
My heart beats wildly in my chest, wanting to be near her, even though the only part of me that Liesel could actually damage is my heart. She has no idea the amount of torture she’s caused me. She thinks I’m the devil. I am, but I have nothing on her.
One more step and I’m standing face to face in front of her.
Her breathing is erratic. I can’t tell if she’s scared or turned on.
“Are. You. Married?” I ask. If she is, then she could go after the treasure without me. I want to know for my own personal reasons. I want to know so I know how to destroy her.
“I already told you I am.”
“You sure about that?” I study her for any signs that she’s telling the truth or lying, but all I can focus on his her breathing in and out. Her chest is rising and falling beneath Siren’s black T-shirt.
“Yes,” she says sharply, expecting me to call her out.
I inch closer, just leaning into her personal space. I won’t touch her without her permission or invitation, but I can do a lot without touching her. And I’m not planning on leaving until I get this single truth.
