Page 62 of Loving the Liar

“Remember one thing, Megan. If you unleash the Circle on my dad, you will have nothing to hold over my head anymore. And do you know what’s dangerous? A man who has nothing to lose. So choose how often you use that threat. I’m staying with you. I initiated you into the Circle. Your hand is the one I hold on campus. You did it, babe. You have all the girls thinking you’re the one I chose, all the smoke and mirrors you wanted. Now leave. Ella. Alone.”

To make sure she understands how serious I am, I pour burning coffee right next to her head. She screams even though it didn’t touch her.

I know this is stupid, but sometimes when it comes to Ella, I act stupid. The only advantage I have over her right now is that I took her by surprise. But once the fear and shock have passed, she’ll remember there’s not only my dad she can threaten. There’s Mom and Juliette. She understood very quickly how close I am to my family and how much I love them. That I moved back here so I could support both of them.

Megan’s controlling behavior won’t end after this, but at least she’ll know that sometimes there are repercussions.

I wasn’t planning on letting her go so soon, but the front door ringing doesn’t give me much of a choice.

We both freeze, my eyes going toward the kitchen door.

“Clean up,” I order as I finally let her go.

Please, let it not be anyone from her family. Daddy’s little girl will throw me under the bus on any occasion.

Stopping by the entrance hall mirror, I rake my fingers through my hair, making myself look presentable. I brush down the sleeves of my light-blue button-up and take a calming breath. That woman and her family will be the end of me.

But it’s not Megan’s dad standing behind the door. It’s another man who is ready to annihilate me.

“Luke.” If he was observant, he’d notice my short inhale and the way I almost choke on air from seeing him here.

He looks too angry to discern anything.

“We need to talk.”

He pushes in, and I let him.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I’ll fix it,” I lie as I follow him inside my own house.

We almost bump into Megan as she walks out of the kitchen, and my best friend doesn’t even acknowledge her, going straight through the hallway and into the large living room where we usually hang out.

“What am I thinking?” he growls, as he finally turns around to face me. “What will you fix?”

“Ella—”

“Was meant to be protected from this.”

I need to pause for a second. Calm means control. Control means power.

“Luke,” I say evenly. “I don’t know how she got an invite to the initiations. All I know is that she was there.”

Turning away from me, he pulls at his hair. Ella does the same thing when she’s angry. And when he starts walking around the room, it’s further proof of that.

“Do you know how many times the Circle offered me to marry her in? How many times I refused? What, for her to end up as a fucking wh?—”

“Don’t.” It’s a complicated thing to make it look like I’m not even more pissed off than he is when he’s about to call his sister a whore.

Call your sister whatever you want.

But don’t call my girl a whore.

He catches himself, realizing what was about to come out of his mouth.

“What am I supposed to do?” he rasps.

I won’t lie. Guilt tightens my chest when I think of what I’m about to put Ella through, but excitement’s teeth bite into my soul. She’s in the Circle now. There’s nothing Luke can do about it. And I can play with her however I want.

I fight to keep steady on my feet. “You have my word that I won’t let anything bad happen to her.”

---