Page 12 of Twisted Truths

Without responding, I whip open the door and walk with purpose through the warehouse. I just want to get the hell out of this place before the walls close in on me.

No one confronts me as I make my way to the door I came in through and head back outside. My brother’s eyes widen when he sees me and relief pours over his features, his hands tight around the steering wheel.

I whip open the passenger door, get in, and slam it closed. “Go.”

He doesn’t say anything to me. Just flicks his gaze in my direction every so often until he finally pulls the car into the parking lot of a fast-food place. “What happened?”

“We’re fucked, that’s what happened. Dad screwed us.” I squeeze my eyes shut, finally calming my breathing and heart rate.

“She won’t give us more time to come up with the money?”

His use of the word us reminds me of what Uma said, and my anger flares at my dad for dragging me back into the life I’m trying so hard to leave.

“No. She made it clear there will be no deals.” I blow out a breath. “What are we going to do?”

I turn my head to look at Bastion and nearly wince when I take in the swelling and bruises on his face. I can’t bear for him to go through another beating or worse, torture.

Plus, I’m lucky I haven’t received the same treatment yet.

He stares at the roof of the car. “No idea.”

I think back to what my dad said about the billionaire I rescued. Maybe I could try to get some money out of him for saving his life. But the problem remains that there’s no way to prove it was me. I’m sure I’d be one of a bunch of gold-diggers trying to cash in.

My hand goes to the locket, to finger it while I think, but my chest is bare, a swift reminder that Uma has it. “I’ll figure something out. In the meantime, you make sure Dad doesn’t get himself into any more trouble.”

“Yeah, okay.” He’s quiet before he rolls the back of his head on the headrest and turns to me. “Thanks for not leaving me to deal with this on my own.”

I squeeze his hand. Bastion can drive me crazy most of the time, but I’ve always had a soft spot for him. He didn’t stand a chance after the situation he left so young, ending up on the streets, then having my dad influence his path.

“That’s what family does.”

He and my dad may not be perfect, but they stuck around. And that counts for something.

Chapter

Six

ARIANA

I’m on my laptop, trying to find out everything I can about Obsidian Voss, billionaire. So far, there isn’t much. It appears the Voss brothers are intensely private, and most of what I can dig up is business related.

Obsidian, or Sid as he is mostly referred to, is thirty-four years old. He’s a lawyer and in charge of the legal department at Voss Enterprises, overseeing their vast number of holdings.

Nothing states he’s married. The women he’s photographed with are young, beautiful, and come from the same world he does.

I’m keenly aware of how hot the man is. Typically, I’m not into older guys—god knows I’ve had enough of them hit on me at the bar—but something about this man draws me in. Makes my gaze linger on his perfect profile and his eyes so dark they almost look black. The wolf tattoo on his neck feels like a warning against the handsome, put-together man in a three-piece suit. As though something is lurking beneath the surface. A predator.

When I rescued him, it was apparent he was attractive and fit, muscular, but I was too busy saving his life to really look at him. In one picture my eyes haven’t been able to stray from for the past five minutes, he’s looking right into the camera with an intensity in his stare I’ve never seen. It’s almost as though he can see into me, down into my soul, even through the photo.

A shiver works its way up my spine.

It’s been a couple days since my meeting with Uma, and I’m still not sure what to do. No amount of googling has produced any evidence that Sid is looking to find the person who saved him. Maybe my instincts were right, and he was trying to end his life.

If I attempt to contact him, I’ll come off like a scammer trying to fleece him. I’m thinking it’s a complete loss until I see my in.

“What the hell were you thinking going to see Uma?”

My dad’s voice startles me, and I slam my laptop closed. “Jesus, you scared me.”

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