Page 27 of Loving the Liar

Nodding, he rolls his lips inwardly. “Of course, then you’d have to deal with Megan’s wrath.” He tsks. “You should see what she does to people who humiliate her.”

His eyes quickly scan the distance between us and everyone else eating at their tables, and he must judge they can’t hear us for him to say something he would hate for anyone to hear.

He even lowers his voice just in case. It turns raw, dangerous.

“And you should see what I do to people who threaten Ella.”

My mouth drops open, and it takes me a few seconds to rein in my reaction.

“Chris,” I whisper. I shake my head when his furious eyes meet mine, and they magically soften, making my heart skip a beat.

Oh. I’m in trouble.

A dark voice resonates by my side, sending a wave of reassurance through my body.

“Ella is too nice to tell journalist wannabes to go fuck themselves,” Achilles purrs with disdain. “But here’s my piece of advice—make sure your little mic is recording. In our world, journalists who dig too deep disappear. Are you sure that’s the path you want to take?”

I think that’s enough threats for Cassie in one day. Her lower lip is trembling when she steps to the side, turns around, and practically jogs out of the cafeteria.

“Murray.” Achilles nods a hello.

“Duval.”

“Cassie’s gone. Want to put those sharp teeth away and go back to your day?”

Their exchange sounds like it’s not the first time they’ve had one and that bothers me. They were never friends before.

Chris doesn’t move. His right hand goes into the pocket of his slacks and fidgets with something in there. Achilles huffs like he’s dealt with this too many times before, even though it’s never happened.

“I’ll be taking care of your little Ella, Murray.” He puts a hand at the small of my back. “Now I beg of you to go back to your day so I can go back to my lunch.”

“You’ll be taking care of her without your hand on her, though. Correct?”

Achilles’s hand drops like I’m on fire. “That goes without saying.”

Chris seems to approve, and he gives me a beautiful, genuine smile. “Have a good day, Sweets.”

“Stop calling me Sweets.”

He pauses, bites his lower lip, and looks me right in the eye when he says, “Whatever you want, Sweets.”

The second he’s out of earshot, I turn to Achilles. “I’ll be taking care of your little Ella? What was that about?”

“I told him what he wanted to hear,” he says nonchalantly as we walk to the table where the rest of our friends are.

“You don’t take care of me, Achilles,” I hiss. “And I’m not his.”

“You are little, though.”

He doesn’t give a shit that I’m annoyed with him for talking about me to my ex like I’m a Victorian woman who needs a ward. I don’t even get to answer his stupid remark because Peach is already catching up.

“That girl is a nuisance,” she says as we sit down at our table.

“Don’t worry, Els,” Alex adds. “The whole college hates her.”

I look at her, smiling. “So no one will care if I kill her?” I whisper.

Alex laughs, only cut off by Peach.

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