Page 67 of Burning Your Lies

I step closer, the urge to strangle her getting harder to ignore the longer I’m in the room with her. “I’ll make it all go away,” I whisper. “Everything you put in front of them, every person in your life, I will make it all disappear.”

She remains unfazed by the threat in my eyes. “And what about the others?” she whispers back. “How many people will you kill? Because you can’t kill usall. The second someone else connected to you vanishes, all fingers will point at you.” Shecloses the distance between us. Her haughty tone leaves a chill down my spine. “Can you see it, Xavier? Can youfeelthe burn of the world shooting their accusatory gazes at you?”

This is what she wanted. This was her way of protecting the lives of everyone she loves, because she’s right. Wiping anyone else out will only lead them to me. She did everything right and I couldn’t see it. This wasn’t about justice. This was about her protection.

“One by one, they’re all going to stand in front of the world and accuse you of the same thing. I am going to show the world the monster that came out when you killed your mother. And when the world finds out that your father was the same piece of shit you are—”

My hand around her neck has her choking on her words. “You shut your mouth about my father.”

She claws at my hands, and I realise how easy it would be to end this game right here. Her eyes glance behind me and I snap back to reality where a small crowd is forming outside the glass office. She rubs her neck when I release her. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For accepting my resignation. Effective immediately. I hope you were satisfied with my service, Mr Rivers.”

Grabbing her arm, I stare at her. “You’re not resigning. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

She stares at where our bodies are joined. “As my last act as your PA, I arranged a meeting with your lawyers for this afternoon.” She pulls out of my hold. “God knows you’re going to need them to get you out of this hell.”

30

Xavier

The alcohol doesn’t giveme the answer on how to handle Savannah, but it helps to ease my pounding headache. The easiest option would be to give into all of her demands.Incorrect. The easiest option would be to kill the fucking bitch. Maybe I should lie low and kill her the way I did with Emery.

At the thought of my late wife, I find myself missing how simple life was with her. She might have been a cheat who used me to have a baby, but she was malleable. She knew the truth much earlier than she let on and kept it to herself because she knew life with me was the best it would get. I ruined everything by walking past that ugly coffee store. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have allowed that poison into my life.

“I hope the paparazzi aren’t outside my club,” Rowan says, appearing from the back. “I don’t need the media attention.”

“Fuck off,” I grumble.

He takes a seat on the stool next to me. “Is it true?” He takes my silence as an answer. “I’ve got some good lawyers on standby.”

“I’ve got my own, thank you very much.”

“Mines have a certainspecialty.Alternatively, I can contact another team who can take care of the problem differently.”

Looking away from my glass, I turn to him. He’s dressed in his usual black suit that screams money. His black hair and beard have recently been groomed. As always, his fingers are adorned with those rings that never leave his person.

I divert my gaze back to the bar in front of me. “Last time you offered that service, you failed miserably. Had you done your job right, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

He quietly hums under his breath before asking, “What are you doing in my club?”

“Do you want to explain why your cameras are off?”

Rowan grins. “Stalking me, are you? I can certainly understand why that woman believes you stalked and killed her sister.”

Finding no humour in the situation, I scowl at him. “My system flagged it as a failure.”

He claps my shoulder. “No worries, my friend. I just yanked a few of the wires out. I have a few private meetings upcoming and I don’t need proof of them. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you to reinstall them.”

The slight commotion at the front door has us both turning around in our seat. I furrow my eyebrows when Ray enters. “What are you doing here?”

He beelines for Rowan. “If I catch any more of your men loitering outside of my house, I will put a bullet straight through their brain before I shove a knife into your chest. Is that understood?”

Rowan salutes him. “Can I keep the pictures of your wife undressing? She’s so fucking hot.” He leans back and toys with his facial hair. “I have to ask. Did you meet her when she was on stage shaking that ass for money or outside of that?”

Ray doesn’t rise to the challenge on his face. “We’re done.”

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