Page 155 of Deceit

“Emmy, I—“

“I would never ask you to do this for me if I didn’t need it. I know it’ll put you through so much bullshit with the guys, but I trust no one else with my babies. Mills, they are my entire world. I can’t let Alexander chase us around forever.”

Mills dips his head then sits in the chair along my bed. This burden and responsibility is the biggest thing I could ever ask him to do.

As powerful and stealthy as we are, Alexander is too important. We can’t go guns blazing or drop him in the nearest river. We can’t bury him in an unmarked grave because dozens of squads of cops will create search parties.

I don’t know how I’m going to do this.

I just know I need to do it alone and without B723 getting involved or hurt.

“I can’t…Emmy.” I can hear his voice crack through his chest as his fingers reach for my hand. “I can’t raise kids. Especially yours, I mean, I’ll fuck it up. I’ll—“

“Be amazing,” I insert, compelling myself to sound calm and competent in him because thishasto work. “You’re kind-hearted and you’ll make sure they’re loved until I can come back and claim them.”

“Come back?” He pulls from me, eyes searching my face for answers. “Where are you going?”

I bite down on my lower lip. I’ve asked way too much of him already, but I’m not done. Not by a long shot.

“I’m going to need you for something else too.”

He immediately frowns when the door to my hospital room opens, putting me on edge before I see that it’s Lucien with a clipboard and his white doctor’s coat. His eyes find mine, and he’s pissed.

He’s upset because he knows the plan.

And that he’s not the only one I’m letting walk into this deceived bullshit I’m trying to pull off.

Mills and Lucien lock eyes, and something passes between them because the room is deathly silent and eerie.

“She told you, eh?”

My best friend stares at him. “She was getting to it, but I know that I don’t wanna be privy to the bullshit that’s going to spew out of her damn mouth now.”

“She wants to fake her own damn death,” Lucien mocks. “And she needs me to warrant it.”

Mills’s expression turns lethal, and I recoil back against the softness of my pillow. “Youareout of your fucking mind.” He slices his eyes to Lucien. “You didn’t agree to this, did you?”

Lucien comes to my side and unwraps his stethoscope from his neck. “Unfortunately, I did. She left me no other choice.”

“What did you do?” I don’t even get a chance to open my mouth before Lucien answers for me.

“Your associate said to me that if I didn’t come to make sure things were administered correctly that she’d pay someone else to do it.”

Mills tugs at his black tee. “Do what exactly?”

“Give her the antidote to bring her back to life if she has to kill herself.” My best friend gapes at me like I’ve grown a second head.

I’ve done a lot of planning within my short time here. Some ideas are a little more deranged and fucked up than others.

I keep Mills’s gaze and ask him the most important thing I need to know. “Are you in or not?”

I need to up my workout regimen because Scarlett’s cooking and the amount of food she makes have my muscles turning a little mushy. Hardy has been bitching low-key about gaining ten pounds, even though I don’t see it, and our sister is loving the fact that she can help and takes pride in making dinner for the family.

Tonight is homemade pizza night, and if you would’ve asked me over ten months ago if I’d have a tiny five-year-old in my lap sprinkling mozzarella cheese on our pizza that she’s insisting we share, I would’ve told you to smoke another one.

She is meticulously making sure that no sauce is showing on our pie and pulling out small grabs of cheese with her tiny hands, which is making it take five times longer.

Not that I really give a shit.

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