Page 154 of Under the Lies

“So I was the only one kept in the dark?”

Again, he nods. This time slower.

I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold. But it’s a cold no blankets or layers can touch. It’s formed on the inside, where the love of my granddad always kept me steady.

He was my best friend, but it turns out I barely knew him. I only knew the lies he fed me.

“You mentioned he was a mentor to you.” I move my hands under my thighs. They tingle with nerves, the feeling of going numb without actually being numb.

“He taught us the tricks of the trade.”

“You’re art thieves?” My mouth parts. A firework goes off in my head. “Those paintings at the art gallery weren’t donated, were they?”

“Some of them. Others were forgeries curtsey of Reeve.”

I stare at him.

I don’t know how to answer.

“We’re a little bit of everything, Sayer. We steal, we con, we kill. There’s nothing really we don’t do. The casino? It’s a front. The Underground started long before we ever bought that property. It started in prep school with just me, your sister, and the boys. Thea came in shortly after. The Baron was our mentor and we were his students. We’d go to school, but it wasn’t until after that our actual lessons started.”

Another sign I completely ignored, only seeing what I wanted to.

Harlow would always go over to our granddad’s apartment after school and never let me come.

I don’t know what to think anymore. The static I had back in Noah’s office is even louder now. “My grandfather was a thief,” I repeat.

“The best.”

“He created The Underground.”

Noah nods.

“And he left it all to you?”

Again, he nods.

I feel so stupid for saying this. So stupid for never knowing. It was all in my face this entire time and I never knew…

“Why? Why didn’t he tell me?”

Noah shrugs, but it’s almost hesitant. Noah doesn’t hesitate.

“He didn’t think you could handle this life.”

He’s right, I think. This bomb has left me in pieces.

I drain the rest of my drink, welcoming the burn. It helps me pretend I’m whole when all I feel is hollow.

The lights flicker back on, but I still feel like I’m in the dark.

Setting the glass down, I meet Noah’s unwavering stare.

“I want to see it.”

Noah takes me to the casino. The Underground.

I can’t believe it. I can’t freaking believe it. It’s been under my nose—er, rather—right above my head the whole time.

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