Page 169 of Under the Lies

The color of Sayer’s face washes away. Harlow’s words ring in my ears. Darling Sayer.

More pieces click into place.

The pictures. The text. The headstone.

Harlow.

Sayer comes to the same conclusion, staring at her sister with a haunted, betrayed look.

And I’m a fucking idiot for not seeing it.

Sayer did. She called it from the beginning back in my office.

Fuck.

Harlow’s been behind it all.

Not only for putting Sayer in my path, but also for all the attacking she’s done on her sister.

She’s been the puppeteer and we’ve been her toys on strings.

How did I not see this…

Because it’s fucking Harlow. Impulsive, impatient Harlow. Who’s laughing at the look on my face.

“You underestimated the wrong person this time, Noah.” She smiles, a chaotic, invigorating smile. “Now. The Underground.”

“You’re not getting it.” It’s the wrong thing to say.

“Is that so?” She cocks her head to the side. “Sam.”

Sam grins and it actually brings a chill to my skin, only for the cold to grow as he produces a knife and brings it to Sayer’s throat. Her gray eyes look black, her pupils dilated with fright. The blade winks as he digs it into her skin. Sayer doesn’t make a sound, she doesn’t wince. The only indication that she feels anything is her eyes growing wider.

But I feel it. I feel it deep in my bones as if it was my neck the blade touched.

“Stop,” I bark at Harlow and that manic smile of hers grows, but she holds up a hand to Sam and his movement stops.

Even from here I can see a thin, dark line on Sayer’s perfect neck.

My blood boils. My fists clench. It’s taking every muscle I have not to lose myself in the rage inside me.

And it’s not like I can do anything. Harlow still has her gun pointed at Sayer.

Patience, I breathe icy air into my lungs. It does nothing to smother the flames rising inside me. I need to channel patience.

“Now. Let’s try this again.” She lowers her gun, holding it like an accessory at her side.

There’s she is. The Harlow I’ve always known. Overconfident. Cocky. She thinks she’s won.

That she’s outmatched me.

Harlow continues, not seeing the gears churning in my head. “You’re going to hand over The Underground and Sayer gets to walk away unscathed.” She glances at her sister, cooing. “Ooh, well. Maybe a little scathed.”

As discreetly as I can, I press the small button on the side of my watch, sending an alert to Gabe, Reeve, and Thea’s matching watches, and hope like hell my friends get here in time. It’s a little noise, nothing more than three beeps, but we all know what it means. If it works like she designed it to, I’ll give Thea all the money she wants to design more of her little inventions.

A grunt at my side snags my attention and my neck snaps toward it.

Sayer digs her elbow into Sam’s gut causing him to double over in pain, but his hold on her is still tight. She moves her leg, jamming her heel into his foot before she rams the base of her palm into this nose. He hollers in pain, only for it to be amplified when her fist is brought down on his dick.

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