by L A Cotton
No one.
“Mom? Dad?” I called, trying to even out my voice as I checked my reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t great, my eyes were sore and puffy, but I had my story all ready to cover for the truth. After all, lies were kind of my thing now, weren’t they?
The sound of hushed voices pulled me toward Dad’s office.
“Hello?” I pushed the door ajar. The room was bathed in a dark glow from the lamp on the desk. A man I didn’t recognize stood and looked back and forth between Dad and me.
“I’ll be in touch.” He moved toward me, and I stepped back giving him space. “Becca.” The man nodded and disappeared into the hallway.
“W- who was that?” I glanced back into the hallway, but the man was gone; the sound of our front door closing reverberated through the house.
“That was Mac.” Dad didn’t look up. He sat hunched over his desk, gripping a glass of something that looked like whiskey maybe. It wasn’t even after ten yet, so what the hell was going on?
That was Mac? His friend? I’d only met Mac once when I was much younger. He’d been busy with work since we arrived in Credence. Something he and Dad had in common. Dad was rarely home lately. But Mom had been here when I left for school, so where was she now?
Unease swirled in my stomach. Why did it feel like my crappy day wasn’t over yet?
“Dad? What’s wrong?”
“Come sit down, Becca.” His voice was flat—defeated.
“Dad, you’re scaring me.” I took the chair opposite his desk. “Where’s Mom, did something—”
“Your mother is fine.”
“So what is it? What’s wrong?”
Dad lifted his head, and I saw it—the devastation, the hurt … the regret. And then he said two words that changed everything.
“He’s awake.”
I’d never given much thought to the day I heard those words because Dad said the chances were slim. Kane Larson was unlikely to ever wake up, and if he did, the doctors didn’t know what the extent of his brain damage would be.
My hand curled around the armrest. “H- how? I thought it wasn’t possible. You said—”
“I lied, Becca.”
“What do you mean, you lied?”
“He was awake when we moved to Credence.”
“No, you’re lying. That’s not … you said …”
“I’m telling the truth, sweetheart. That’s why it all happened so fast. He woke up, and I couldn’t take the risk that he would talk or ...” He hesitated as if his next words were just too painful to say. “Or come after you.”
Silent tears streamed down my face. “You knew. All this time, you knew, and you never said a word. Not. One. Word.”
“Becca.”
“No, Dad. You screwed up.”
He took a mouthful of his drink. “I know, and I’ll regret it for as long as I live.”
“So why are you telling me this now? What’s changed?”
Because something had—I saw it in his pained eyes. The grim look on Mac’s face as he brushed past me.
“He’s getting out.”
Maniacal ugly laughter filled the small room. Dad’s eyes softened, pleading with me. But what was there to forgive? Everyone had betrayed me.
Evan.
Scarlett.
And now, the one man who had sacrificed his soul to keep me safe. To protect me.
It was ironic really, that it had all started with a secret—a lie that had saved me—but these lies had destroyed me, and I didn't know if there was a way to come back from that.
Not ever.
… stay tuned for a sneak peek of Truth or Dare, the concluding book in Becca’s story, coming early Spring 2017.
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EVAN
I fucked up.
Scarlett was right; I let it go too far. In the beginning, I'd just wanted to protect her, keep her from Kendall's sharp claws, but then we'd ended up in a few classes together, and she intrigued me. The prim and proper girl from the right side of the tracks trying to keep up with Credence High's finest. When I'd watched her stroll right up to Kendall and her crew, I'd almost intervened. But for a split second, the look on Kendall's face was worth it. Of course, it only raised the stakes. No one tried to play Kendall's game and walked away unscathed.
No one.
“Earth to Evan. Seriously, where the fuck are you right now?” Scarlett paced in front of me, inhaling her joint like it was a piece of candy.
“You need to quit that shit.”
She flashed me a wry smile. “Don't start. Besides, we're here to talk about how we fix your mess, not my extracurricular activities.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face. It had been a whole week since Becca discovered the truth about everything. Seven days without talking to her, holding her … tasting her. She'd buried herself so damn deep under my skin that not being able to be close to her physically hurt.
“She won't talk to me.”
“Me neither.”
“Lilly?”
“No go. She's taking Becca's side. Something about me pulling a bullshit move.”
“She's not wrong.”
Scarlett stopped pacing, and her head snapped up. “Are you fucking kidding me? I only did this for you.”
“Bullshit. One way or another, you would've stepped in. After what went down with—”
“Yeah, yeah, but you didn't have to go and fuck her.”
“Peters,” I growled, clenching my fists at my sides. It was never just about that with Becca.
Never.
“Oh.” She laughed. “Don’t tell me you actually went and fell for her?”
I glared at her, not liking where this was headed.
Scarlett’s eyes widened to saucers. “Holy shit, you did.”
“Shut up.”
“I thought you were just fooling around. Itching a scratch.”
“Peters,” I growled again. “I like her, okay? She got under my skin. I didn’t mean for it to happen; it just did.”
I more than liked her. I had ... Shit. I couldn't be, could I? Not that it mattered now; Becca wouldn't even look at me.
“So what's the plan, lover boy? Because if word gets back to Kendall that you and Becca are ... Things are going to turn to shit pretty quick.”
“She already knows.”
“Well, shit.”
I nodded, my lips pressed together in a flat line.
“So what's the plan?”
Well, that was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? Because I wasn't losing Becca to Kendall's bullshit. My family’s bullshit.
No fucking way.
Royals – Lorde
Trouble – Halsey
Monster – Paramore
Friends – Francis and the Lights ft. Bon Iver
Somebody Else – The 1975
Centuries – Fall Out Boy
Youth – Daughter
New Americana – Halsey
The Hills – The Weeknd
California Dreamin’ – Sia
The Great Escape – Boys Likes Girls
Prayin’ – Plan B
Don’t Let Me Down – The Chainsmokers
Fake It – Bastille
Smoke and Mirrors – Imagine Dragons
First and foremost, thank you to my cheerleaders with this project. Jenny and Anna, your encouragement, motivation, support, and late night sprints got me to this point. I’m glad to have you both in my corner. Jenny, Sam, Ewelina, and Robin, thanks for beta reading and giving me the words of encouragement I needed. Lucy and Jenn, you are both pimpextraordinaires. I am lucky to have you. And Ginelle, your eye for detail never ceases to amaze me. I hope you know I’m never letting you go!
A quick shout out to some special ladies in my life. My COPA sisters; your knowledge, insight, and support helps me grow and be a better version of myself. My Indie Girls; I am SO glad to have found you all. You’re stuck with me now!
And to the people that helped make Liar Liar beauti
ful inside and out: Najla at Najla Qamber Designs and Marsha at MK Photography – I saw this cover and just KNEW it was mine. I can only hope the story inside does it justice. Jenny Sims at Editing4Indies – you are a pleasure to work with, making the whole process seamless from start to finish. And we finally met, yay!!! Roll on April, 2017!!! JC Clarke at The Graphics Shed – I love what you did with the inside of Liar Liar. Thank you so much! And last but by no means least, Nicole at IndieSage PR – you make everything so easy, thank you!
And finally, to each and every blogger, book reviewer, and reader that has taken the time to promote, read, and spread the word about this British chick’s books, a million times thank you. You let this girl live her dream and, for that, I am endlessly grateful.
And to anyone that I’ve forgotten (because, let’s face it, there will be someone) thank you!
Until next time…
Contemporary romance and romantic suspense … written with feeling
L.A is author of contemporary romance novels ranging from sweet with just a hint of steam, to suspenseful reads full of angst, tension, twists and turns. Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time mum to two little people with writing. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L. A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.
L A loves connecting with readers. The best places to find her are:
@authorlacotton
authorlacotton
www.lacotton.com
[email protected]
