Bury Me with Lies (Twin Lies Duet Book 2)

by S. M. Soto

  He snaps.

  With an animalistic growl, he yanks Zach back by his hair, dragging him away from me. His fist sails through the air, connecting with Zach’s cheek. My body is screaming in pain, and my chest is wracking uncontrollably with sobs. I try to roll onto my side, dirt and stray twigs digging into my flesh, as I stumble onto my feet.

  My hand closes around a small, jagged rock, and I push my body upright, despite the pain, despite the fact that my ears are ringing, and my vision keeps swaying before me. Zach and Vincent go at, throwing blows at each other. On my way up, I stumble forward and launch the rock blindly at them. It hits Zach in the back of the head, and it’s enough to make him roar with rage. He whips around and charges me. His movements are so fast, I’m no match for him in my state.

  I put up as good a fight as I can. I swing and scratch, kicking any part of him I can manage. Zach’s hands wrap around my throat, and he slams me onto the ground, dazing me. With one last effort, I summon my strength and slam my knee into his groin. He lets out a howl of pain and grips my shoulders, slamming my body down. I hear the crack as my skull connects with something. Zach freezes. I can’t see where Vincent is anymore.

  His form swims before me, pain filling my body, burning through my skull. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing happens. Zach scrambles away, his hands going to the top of his head, fear written all over his face.

  “What the fuck did you do?” I hear Vincent roar, somewhere in the background, but his voice is drowned out, like we’re underwater. “She’s fucking bleeding out, man!” His panicked voice takes moments to register, and when it does, I realize he’s talking about me.

  Zach crawls over my body, and though I try to, I no longer have any strength to fight him off.

  “This is the only way.” He clasps his hands around my neck and squeezes. My body spasms, my lungs fighting and clawing for air. I feel the life leave me, slowly spilling into the ground and out of my body. I let go, and, as soon as I do, his grip is gone.

  “Fuck, what do we do? What do we do, man?” Zach mumbles over and over again.

  A small passage of air infiltrates my lungs, and I cough, prompting them both to swing toward me. “Fucking hell! Just die already, you fucking bitch.” That same jagged rock I used earlier is curled in Zach’s fist as he climbs over my body for the last time. His arm swings down, and through my bleary-eyed gaze, I see the rock coming toward my face and pain explodes. I gasp. He swings again, and the sound of something crunches. I slam my eyes shut when he swings his arm back again. Pain tears through my skull, the sound of something gushes and splatters, until I hear nothing and feel nothing.

  The darkness swallows me whole, and when I wake again, the pain is gone, and I’m left holding the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.

  My daughter.

  For an eternity.

  I stumble back, shaking my head, after Zach finishes relaying the events of that horrible night. It was so much worse than I could’ve ever imagined. I feel my heart split in half, crumbling into pieces. Sobs wrack my body, their silhouettes swimming before my watered-down gaze. With each step away I take, they come closer, closing in on me.

  I dart away, trying to make a break for it, but I don’t make it far. An anguished scream rips from my chest, rattling the walls around us.

  “There’s no use in running, Mackenzie. This ends here. This ends tonight,” Zach taunts.

  Vincent follows suit, but he’s oddly silent, not saying anything. But I feel the anger vibrating off him.

  “You’re a monster,” I choke out through my dry heaves. “You’re both monsters. You killed her! Don’t you see? If it wasn’t him, it would’ve been you!” I sob. My heart throbs painfully. It feels like knives are piercing the organ, over and over again, as I think about Madison and her last moments. Her face was unrecognizable when her body was found. Now I know why.

  He beat her to death.

  And Vincent watched the whole thing unfold.

  A man who claimed to love her. He allowed her to be beaten and murdered in cold blood. Even when she fought for her life, they took it anyway. They take and take. That’s all they’ve ever done.

  With fury and fear boiling in my veins, I take a step forward, at the same time I grab one of Ava’s colored pencils off the dining room table, and I lurch myself at Zach. My arm flies through the air but gets halted. He shoves me off him, and I go sailing toward the floor, my hip connecting with the table. I let out a scream of pain.

  “Try that again, and I’ll kill her. Understand me?” Zach hisses, as he climbs over my body and wraps his hand around my throat. I imagine this was the same position he was in when he killed my sister. Flashes of that night, of what it would’ve looked like, flash before my eyes, as my consciousness slips.

  “Hold on,” I hear her voice breathe into my ear.

  Through the tears swimming in my eyes, I spot Vincent’s blurry form, and my heart constricts. I feel his gaze on me. His anguish.

  “W-why?” I choke out. Referring to the night of the accident. The night he stabbed me.

  He drops onto his haunches next to me, and ever so softly, he swipes a stray lock of hair off my face, as Zach’s grip around my neck tightens. “Because every time I looked at you, all I saw was her. The determination in your eyes was going to ruin our lives, and I needed you gone, for good. Watching you with Baz was like reliving that summer with Madison. You were coming between us, ruining us, just like she did. If I couldn’t keep my girl in life, no one was going to have you either, not even Sebastian. You should’ve died that night. None of this would be happening right now if you would’ve just died.”

  Hot tears trail down my cheeks, as I watch Vincent’s form fade as that thick, black, suffocating blanket tries to steal over my vision and pull me under from lack of oxygen. Just as I’m about to go under, I hear Zach’s whispered words near my ear.

  “I’ll make your death quicker than hers, I promise.”

  “Let go of her. Now.”

  Everyone freezes. I feel Zach’s body tense at the sound of Baz’s voice. We all turn to look and find him standing there, looking as formidable as ever, only now, there’s an odd aura surrounding him. Everything about him at this moment screams death.

  Slowly, Zach lets me go, and I sputter, coughing as I try to catch my breath. There’s an angry glimmer in his eyes as he glares at Baz. “What’s the matter, Baz? We ruining your happily ever after?”

  Baz shakes out his neck, cracking the kinks. “Not even close. Who told you to start without me?” His tone is bored and indifferent. I’m so stunned by what’s happened, it takes me a moment to process what he’s just said. I swing my gaze to his, my eyes widening.

  No.

  Not after all we’ve gone through.

  Not after all he went through to get me to trust him again.

  Zach laughs, incredulously, as though he truly can’t believe the turn of events. He hoots, cackling at my expense, enjoying the fact that his friend is still on his side. My heart shrivels in my chest, and I struggle to catch my breath. I glance up, meeting Baz’s gaze, and I shrink back at the look there. Adrenaline floods my system so quickly I almost vomit. It pumps and beats like it’s trying to escape. I can taste the saliva thickening in my throat and the beads of sweat trickling down my brow. My stomach fills with lead and churns painfully. Tears spring to my eyes as I stare at him, my mouth slightly gaped in shock at how well he was able to trick me again.

  “Baz?” I whisper.

  “Never trust the Savages, baby. I thought you would’ve been smart enough to know this by now.”

  A broken sobs rips through the air, and I choke on my breath. I dig my fingers into the floor, trying to find even ground, but the world feels like it’s spinning around me.

  “I trusted you. We trusted you! How could you do this?”

  “Because. It’s what needs to be done. Now shut up.”

  I feel the moment my heart stops beating. The deadened organ being stomped out on
the cold hard ground. And it’s Baz’s foot doing the stomping. With each word, each cold look in his eyes, I feel myself shriveling, dying a little more on the inside.

  Zach hauls me up by my shoulders and shoves me forward, toward Baz, when my legs refuse to cooperate. I’m pushed right into his arms, my body slamming into his firm chest and abdomen. He doesn’t catch me or wrap me in his arms. He lets me right myself, as he stares down at me with vile boredom in his eyes.

  A sudden spark of anger fills my chest. I grit my back teeth, forcing the words past my lips. “I hate you.”

  His brow quirks. “Is that so?” he asks quietly, his voice tinged with an eerie note I can’t quite place. He leans into me, getting into my face, his lips thinning into a grim line.

  “Do I look like I give a single fuck?”

  I glance around. Zach and Trent look like they’re thoroughly enjoying themselves, and Vincent is standing there, watching us closely, too closely, his face giving nothing away. I try to jerk away from Baz, but his arms dart out, snaking around my biceps, holding me in place. He bends near my ear, and it takes me a second to realize he’s whispering covertly in my ear.

  “She’s safe. In fifteen seconds, you need to run and get help. Don’t look back.”

  I yank myself away from him, searching his eyes, and there, for a split second, he allows me to see it. The real emotions.

  It’s all an act.

  He wants the guys to believe he’s on their side, so I can get away. He’s somehow managed to get Ava out of here safely. I just need to do as he says.

  But how can I leave him?

  His lips thin, and I realize my fifteen seconds are up.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I spin away from Baz, and I run. I run away from him and the rest of the guys, not looking back, not even once. Because I know if I do, I’ll never leave. I’ll stay by his side and try to protect him in any way that I can.

  I hear the guys shouting, the sound of something crashing to the floor, flesh and fists colliding, before I make it outside, a blast of cool air slapping me in the face.

  With that sick feeling in my gut, I hauled ass to Mackenzie’s place and dialed Marcus, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.

  “Do you know what fucking time it is?” he answers groggily on the fourth ring.

  “Meet me at Mackenzie’s place. Something’s wrong.”

  I hear rustling on the other end of the line, then a less groggy, “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know yet. I just have a bad feeling.”

  We get to Mackenzie’s place in record time. I’m surprised Marcus pulls up at the same time I do, considering we’re coming from two separate places. We pause outside the house, listening. At the sound of shouting, we spring into action, running up the immaculate lawn. I pause near the windows, trying to peek inside. I freeze when I realize one of the back windows is open. The voices inside trail out, meeting my ears. I still when I realize whose voice it is.

  As stealthily as possible, we climb in through the back window into Ava’s room. My heart stills in my chest when I see her little body splayed out on the bed, unconscious. There’s no way in hell she’d be able to sleep through this. She’s a light sleeper. Even I know this.

  Marcus curses when he sees her. I hurry to her. Skidding to a stop at her side, I feel for her heartbeat and pulse, making sure she’s okay. I try to wake her, but she’s out, completely unresponsive. I check her for wounds, but the room is dark. When the yelling in the other room escalates, I glance back at Marcus and nod toward Ava.

  “Get her out of here and call the police.”

  “I’m not leaving you here.”

  “Go!” I hiss. “I need to get to Mackenzie.”

  With a frustrated growl, Marcus scoops up Ava and climbs out through the window with her in his arms. When they’re a safe distance away, I close in on the voices. Keeping my footsteps light, I creep down the hall, slowly turning the corner and taking in the scene before me. I pause, uncertainty keeping me still.

  There’s only one logical way I can get Mackenzie out of here safely, and it’s going to take a lot of trust on her part. I need to make them believe that was always part of the plan. I need them to believe I’m on their side, despite everything. Because the only other option is letting them hurt her to punish me, and I won’t let that happen.

  As soon as I step into the living room, making my presence known, everyone freezes. I see the pain on her face when I say the words, and goddammit, I want to shake her and tell her it isn’t the truth. I thought she trusted me enough to know that it wasn’t the truth, but obviously, I was wrong. Apparently, she still can’t trust me.

  When I tell her to run, I breathe a sigh of relief that she follows through. Zach tries to chase after her, but I cut into his path, blocking him with a solid plant of my hand on his chest. He swings his gaze to mine, murder and intent written there. It’s obvious he’s not leaving here tonight until Mackenzie is taken care of.

  “What the fuck are you doing? She’s getting away!”

  I glance at Vincent, waiting to see if he’ll go after her, but much like he was during the whole exchange, he remains quiet and calculating, watching as everything unfolds. Something isn’t right with him. He’s not on my side, but it doesn’t seem like he’s on Zach’s side anymore either.

  “I know. This ends tonight. This is done. Come near her again, and you’re dead.”

  I see it. The moment something snaps inside of Zach. He charges me, and I go sailing back. We exchange blows, fighting for dominance, until I get the upper hand. My fist plows into his face over and over again, thinking about all the ways he could’ve hurt Mackenzie and Ava. Anger takes over, clouding my vision and my rational thought.

  I’m so consumed by anger, I don’t see it coming till it’s too late. The shot rings out only seconds before pain explodes in my side. My breath catches, my lungs restricting air as it processes the mind-numbing pain. I roll off Zach, clutching my side, as I realize he shot me. Gritting through the white-hot pain, I prop myself up, not finished with him, only to realize he’s aiming the gun at my head. Time slows as we stare at each other, the intent clearly there in his eyes. There’s a shrill scream that I recognize as Mackenzie’s at the same time another shot rings out. I wait, expecting the pain and darkness to envelop me, but it never does.

  Instead, Zach crumples to the floor, and when I crane my head to the side, I spot Vincent with a gun, staring down at Zach, who’s sprawled out on the floor, bleeding out. Our gazes clash, and I tense, waiting for his next move. Something passes between us at that moment. Though it may not be over, it is for now.

  Mackenzie runs to my side, her hands coming to the blood that’s seeping through my shirt.

  “Didn’t I fucking tell you to leave and not to look back?” I growl.

  Tears are streaked down her face. “I heard a shot, and I knew I couldn’t leave you,” she sobs, her hands trembling, when she pulls them away from the wound. “You’re shot. He shot you,” she repeats in a panic. She’s on the verge of going into shock, so I grip her neck in my hand, yanking her toward me. “I’m fine. Everything is going to be fine.”

  She falls into my chest, her hands falling back to the wound to apply pressure. My eyes slam shut as pain rips through my body. “I can’t lose you, Baz. Please. I can’t lose you, too,” Mackenzie sobs, tears falling down her cheeks in torrents.

  With my grip still fastened around her neck, I drag her closer, bringing her lips to mine, and kiss her, showing her that I’m okay. I kiss her through the pain, glad that she’s okay. She’s alive.

  The sirens are immediate and deafening as they grow closer. When we pull away, I glance around, realizing Vince and Trent are gone, and Zach has gone immobile. Following the trajectory of my gaze, Mackenzie tenses when she looks down at him.

  “Is he… Is he…?”

  “Yes.” There’s a riot of contradictions happening inside me at the moment. This is a man I’ve called my brother for most of
my life, and he shot me. He tried to kill my girl. He tried to take Ava from us. He beat Madison to death. Like all the years of our good memories are being wiped away, all I can see now, when I look at him, is the bad he’s done. He’s the one who started this. He’s the root cause of all our problems that have arisen. If it weren’t for him and his need for us all to remain a close unit, Mackenzie’s sister would still be alive.

  I drop back onto the wood floor as police officers storm inside the house. They take one look around, and the medics have me on a stretcher in no time. Mackenzie’s panicked face comes into view, just as they’re about to shut the ambulance doors and drive me to the nearest hospital.

  “I’m coming with you!”

  I shake my head even though the small movement has pain ripping through my body. “Ava needs you more than I do right now. Go to her.”

  The medic slams the door on Mackenzie, and I drop back onto the bed they have me strapped down to, staring up at the vehicle’s ceiling. I slam my eyes shut, hoping Ava will be okay. I’d trade my life for hers if it meant she got to take one more breath.

  After I get patched up at the hospital, they keep me designated to one room, while Mackenzie is in one of the rooms next door, watching over Ava. The doctors have assured us she is going to be okay. We just need to wait for the drugs coursing through her system to wear off. She is lucky he didn’t give her the entire syringe, because if he had? She wouldn’t have made it.

  I stir on the uncomfortable bed at the sound of soft footfalls as Mackenzie peeks her head into the room. Her eyes begin to water as she takes me in.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispers, stopping next to me.

  “What are you apologizing for?”

  She shrugs, her tears dripping down her cheeks in quick succession. “For doubting you,” she chokes out. Heaving a sigh, I pat the spot next to me on the bed, and she climbs in beside me, snuggling into my good side. I relish in the feel of her soft skin against mine. I could’ve lost her tonight, and I’m forever grateful that I didn’t.