Page 24 of Burning Your Lies

Her toothy grin melts my heart. She points at herself. “Ellie.” She points at me. “Mummy.”

Tears brim in my eyes and I hold her tighter. “One of your mummies. You grew in my tummy.” She pokes it with a laugh. “And I looked after you when you were a baby. But you’re so special,” I whisper. “Because you have a mummy in heaven, and she loved you so much.” At the thought of Emery, my chest caves, and my tears fall.

They don’t get far because Elise is wiping them away. “Why you sad?”

I take her small hand in mine and kiss it. “Because I miss her.”And you will never experience her love.“It’s okay,” I smile. “Because you look just like her. It’s why you’re so beautiful.” I push her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead. I close my eyes.I’m sorry, Emery. I’m sorry I left our daughter alone with him.

A throat clearing reminds me we are not alone. “Savannah, I’d like you to meet Brynn. She’s my…” He turns to her with a smile.

“Friend and temporary nanny,” she finishes for him. She clears her throat and smiles at me. “You’re a natural with her.”

Brynn is petite. She’s apprehensive, as if the room will consume her. Her doe eyes flicker between Xavier and me, as if she’s trying to figure out what the dynamics are between us. There is a look of hurt in her blue eyes and she purses her full lips.

“Savannah,” I introduce myself. “Xavier’s PA.”

Her smile is forced. “And mother of his child.”

“Biologically, no. But in every other way that matters, yes.”

“I did not know.”

My unimpressed stare lands on Xavier.

He jumps into action, afraid his claws are slipping out of this poor woman. “Savannah has just returned from a trip. When we met, I wasn’t sure when she was to return.”

I scoff at him. “You don’t need to worry, Brynn. I am a happily married woman. My relationship with Xavier is strictly business and Elise. I wish you joy in yourfriendshipwith him.”

Huxley makes me jump when his arms come around me. He pulls my back flush against him and he inhales the scent in my hair. “I missed you,” he grumbles. “I want to go back to the days of sex, food, sex, and sex.”

I hold his hands and laugh. “It’s only day one, sunshine. Buckle up.”

He turns his head and eyes me suspiciously. “You’re in a good mood.”

Stepping out of his hold, I grin. “I had a wonderful day. Xavier and I called a truce. I got to have lunch with Elise.AndI met Xavier’s newest victim.”

Huxley laughs. “Is that right?”

I can’t help but roar with laughter. “He must have conjured her up from a dream because she isperfectfor him. And I really believe she’s in love with him.”

His laugh fades. “She’s risking her life being in that house. Maybe we shouldn’t be laughing.”

The reality check humbles me, and I nod. “I updated our board to include her.” I point at the card. “I don’t have a picture of her, so this will have to do.”

Huxley is entertained again. “Red joker?”

I shrug. “She’s a redhead. I also assigned us a card. King and queen of hearts.”

He frowns and pulls his card off the board. “I don’t want to be hearts. That makes me sound soppy.” His childlike pout makes me smile.

“I once told Xavier that I lead with my heart because life isn’t a game of chess. I stand by that. While it hurt me in the end, I cannot lose sight of why I am doing this. It’s for the women that Xavier has murdered. It’s for Elliot. It’s for Emery. It’s for Elise. It’s formyself. I cannot lose myself to this game. I cannot become heartless like him.”

He grabs my jaw and kisses me with a passion only a man in love can. “Then let me be the heartless one, because my heart belongs to you. It’s yours, sweetheart. You are the only person in the world I will kill for. Let me slay the dragons.”

“I don’t want you to become him. That’s not a life we can live.”

“Xavier kills because he is incapable of loving someone. I kill because I am incapable of letting injustice continue. We are not the same.” He shuffles through the deck and pins a new card to his image. “Call me the king of spades because I’m going to hunt every single person who hurt you, and personally bury them.”

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