Page 69 of Bad Enough

“Flame.” TB used his Dom voice. “Look at me.”

She looked up into his eyes.

“Do you recognize that voice?”

Her gaze was solid on his, but her breathing was elevated. “That voice doesn’t sound like anyone I know in L.A.”

Okay, that’s the truth, but something’s not right.

The men in the room looked around at each other.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Answered too fast, and her eyes are still locked. She’s working to hold my gaze.

“And you have no idea why he would think you were promised to him?” Waters asked.

She looked at Waters. “I didn’t promise to date or ‘be’ with anyone.”

Truth.

“What about before L.A.?”

Her body stiffened, and her face paled further. “What do you mean?”

She’s stalling.

“Did you make any promises to anyone before you came to L.A.?” Waters asked.

“What makes you think I haven’t lived in L.A. all my life? And even if I had, I’ve never dated anyone, promised to date anyone, been engaged, or anything similar.”

Never dated anyone? She said she wasn’t a virgin.

Waters just stared at her. His gaze was like a hawk on a telephone wire, watching its prey in the grass for a while before it struck.

“I know you didn’t. There’s no record of a Sylvan Jones in L.A. prior to 2017. No driver’s license, no tax return, no school records, no medical records.”

Waters continued to stare at her for a few more moments, then leaned forward on the table’s edge, forearms supporting him on the conference room table. “Flame, we can’t help you if you won’t tell us the truth.”

“I have told you the truth. I haven’t made any promises to anyone.”

“Who’s Jolie?”

The question over the speaker was a bomb in the room. God went right for the jugular.

“J-Jolie?” Sylvan stuttered.

“Ms. Jones,” God continued. “Who. Is. Jolie?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying, little Flame,” TB murmured next to her.

“Maybe it was a wrong number.”

“Another lie, princess. Remember what I told you about honesty?”

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