Page 102 of When Lies Unfold

With a nod of deference, he walks away, leavin’ me to digest his words. As if I need more shit to deal with. Especially since I still need to address somethin’ important.

Turnin’ my attention to the interior of my bedroom and the light castin’ out from the bathroom, I roll my shoulders and stretch my neck from side to side.

It’s time for Lola Arias to answer a few questions.

First: Where the fuck she’s tryin’ to sneak off to in the dead of night.

Second: Who the fuck chooses to escape by scalin’ a goddamn concrete wall into the jungle?

And third—the one I refuse to admit rubs me fuckin’ raw: What the hell made her desperate enough to flee from me?

43

SANTIAGO

Once I lock my bedroom door, I head for the bathroom and stop at the doorway.

With her back to me, Lola’s dryin’ her now clean feet with a towel, her attention trained on her task. Her movements slow and careful, she’s at least takin’ care not to aggravate her injury.

Palms braced against the doorjamb, I study her while she’s unaware of my presence. Those scarlet macaw tattoos at the base of her neck remain mostly hidden by her hair as the remainin’ colorful ink extends downward.

Disappearin’ briefly beneath the rear band of her sports bra, purple flowers and vivid green leafy vines decorate the length of her spine. At the low-rise waistband of her pants, the inked artwork curves around her side and ends near her hip bone.

“Where were you goin’ in such a hurry tonight?”

Her head snaps up, alarm etched on her face. I hold her gaze in the mirror as I move to the other sink. The dull noise from the runnin’ faucet lingers momentarily as I quickly wash my hands. Once I dry them, she turns to face me, and I do the same.

Puffy, red-rimmed eyes stare back at me. “I was going home.” Plantin’ her feet, she notches her chin up a fraction. “Because I’m done being your prisoner. I’m tired of being kept here.”

“Oh, yeah?” A rough sound rumbles free of me. “You wanted to go home badly enough that you”—pinnin’ her with a challengin’ glare, I bite out the words—“decided scalin’ a concrete wall down a motherfuckin’ ravine into the jungle—at night—was the way?”

Nostrils flarin’, her eyes flash with indignation. “As if you’d let me leave here.” Her jaw goes tight. “I just wanted to be left alone, once and for all.”

Our gazes hold for a long moment. Anger floods me ’cause she’s deflectin’ and not givin’ me a straight answer. “After everythin’ that’s happened, you’re safer here than anywhere else.”

Unease breaks through her expression. “What do you mean?”

Droppin’ my hands at my sides, I tsk and shake my head. “Miss Arias…” There’s no mistakin’ the condescension in my tone. “You’re a smart woman. Think about it.”

I edge toward the doorway and lean back against the doorjamb. With my arms crossed, I’m blockin’ her only exit, and her cagey eyes don’t miss a thing.

“Andro’s had it out for you from the start. Now, though…” I raise my brows. “Now, he’s gonna blame you even more for what happened to him. Especially since I tossed him out on his ass.”

Panic edges into her features, the pulse along the side of her neck goin’ wild. “I can just?—”

“No.” My voice deceptively quiet but lethal, I cut her off. “What you can do is fuckin’ be honest with me once and for all and tell me why you were wantin’ to leave here so badly.”

Advancin’ toward her, I don’t stop until we’re toe to toe. I tower over her, makin’ her expression flicker with unease. It’s exactly what I want right now. I want her to feel intimidated, ’cause in my experience, that’s the best and surest way to cut to the truth.

“Nobody with any goddamn sense is gonna descend a steep, seventeen-foot wall into the jungle at night.” My tone has a hard edge, filled with the demand for the fuckin’ truth. “Everybody knows that steppin’ foot in there after sunset means we become the prey instead of the other way around.”

Crowdin’ her against the vanity, I cage her with my palms on either side of her. She sucks in a sharp breath but meets my gaze resolutely. “Now”—I lower my face, barely inches away from hers—“how ’bout you tell the truth about why you were leavin’.”

44

LOLA

“Now, how ’bout you tell the truth about why you were leavin’.”

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