Page 106 of Under the Lies

Noah nods, reaching for my hand. “I’ll show you.”

As we walk up the steps, I lace our fingers together, expecting him to pull away only for a smile to grow when he doesn’t.

We walk through the library, between the stacks of well-worn books, all the way to the back of the building where a funny smell lingers, like mayo mixed with a warm egg sandwich.

My nose scrunches in disgust the farther back we go. “If you’re leading me to some kind of torture dungeon, I’d like to know—”

“If I was planning on locking you away it wouldn’t be anywhere near the smell of rancid food.”

“Then where are we going?”

“Haven’t you heard you’re supposed to not talk in a library?” He shoots me an annoyed glance.

“Aren’t you the one that believes rules are supposed to be broken?” I ask as we go down a brightly lit hallway where the bathrooms are along with a door marked for authorized personnel only.

He stops walking and I have to push my hands out to keep from running into his back. “Not the rules set up to keep you safe.”

“Thought I wasn’t in any danger if I stuck with you.”

A frown creases his face. “Baby Brooks, you’ve never been less safe than when you’re alone with me.”

Maybe that should scare me, maybe I shouldn’t welcome the little thrill that shoots through me. Maybe I should do this, maybe I should do that. Maybe I should stop caring about what falls under should and shouldn’t and just give myself over to them instead.

Pushing up on my toes, I bring our mouths centimeters apart. “I don’t believe you.”

A rumble takes root in his chest and his arms shoot out to grab me only for them to grasp air instead.

I slip out of reach, my back pressed against the do not enter door.

It swings open beneath me. I start to stumble backward until Noah’s hands shoot out to stabilize me. “Always a klutz,” he murmurs, almost too low for me to hear. There’s amusement behind it.

I brush his hands away. “I like to keep things interesting.”

“That you do.”

“Liar,” I laugh. “I’m dreadfully boring.”

He looks at me like I’ve sprouted three heads. “You’re a lot of things, Sayer Brooks, but boring is a word I’d never associate with you.”

His words touch me more than I can say. Words I’m not going to say as I push at his chest to get him to move out of the way. But of course, he doesn’t budge against my might.

We’re still standing in the entryway to a set of stairs that lead down to the basement or something. No doubt to a lair of gross spiders.

“Noah, move. Aren’t we supposed to be looking for my sister?”

As I talk, I notice that the beginning of a smirk forming on his smug face and my ears pick up the faint sounds of music playing.

My brows pinch in confusion until I remember what he said on the sidewalk.

She frequented what’s beneath it.

His smugness only grows as he takes my elbow. “Down we go, Miss Brooks.”

“Down where?” I question as I take the first step. Noah’s standing just behind me, following me.

“Go find out.”

Letting me lead.

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