Page 29 of Burning Your Lies

I cannot control the smile at her excitement. “Sure thing, sweetheart.” Pulling myself off the wall, I join them around the table. “Now that we’ve met him, things can start moving. How are you guys getting on?”

Jordan scowls. “He’s dedicated to the lies, I’ll give him that. He sent a postcard to Elliot’s family from Bali. But I’m working on it.”

“Get me that postcard,” I order. “It might help us track this fake Elliot down.” Jordan nods before I move onto Mia. “How about you?”

“Me and Scottie are practically BFFs. We meet up before our hit class every week and sometimes grab some food afterwards. She’s opening up but has not mentioned her family at all.”

Savannah nods her head in approval. “Good. Let her bring Caitlyn up.”

Mia sighs. “She’s very private. What if she never opens up about her sister’s disappearance?”

“We need to give her a reason to open up to you. Maybe we can say your brother was murdered or something.”

I rub my face and let out a groan. “No. That won’t be believable.”

“But—”

I cut Savannah off. “This family knows Xavier is lying; they just don’t have any proof. That means they are going to suspect anyone and everyone. The chances of Scottie meeting someone at a gym class, who befriends herandwhose brother was murdered, are next to none. All she will think is that Xavier paid someone in his empire to track her down to find out what she knows.“ I shake my head. “The first rule in this game is we don’t change more than we need to. Every single detail you change has a domino effect on everything else. Then, before you know it, you’re chasing your tail, trying to remember all the lies you’ve told.”

Savannah looks less than impressed. “So, what do we do?”

“We stick to the plan.” I turn to Mia. “Just be yourself, because she will eventually open up. We have time. We’re playing the long game.”

“The long game depends on what happens in court. If a judge throws my case out, the plan falls apart.”

“Then we appeal,” I argue. “We’re talkingmonthsbefore you have to stand in a courtroom. We have to remain patient and focused.”

“Particularly on her.” Savannah points at the picture of Brynn. “Xavier hasn’t told Brynn anything about me and him. He believes he is in love with her. We all know what that means.”

Mia picks up the picture and frowns. “She’s not making it out of that house alive.”

“Nobody is dying,” I vow.

“We need to create conflict between the two of them,” Savannah decides. “And I know exactly how do to that.”

16

Savannah

Just as I hitsend on the email, there is a knock at the door. I gesture for Brynn to enter and smile at Elise, who is running into my arms. “Hi, baby.” I smother her with kisses and revel in the peace her giggles fill me with.

She rubs her eyes and nestles into me. “Dreamy.”

I run my fingers through her hair and kiss her nose. “Okay, baby. You close your eyes and dream.” When I look up, Brynn is still lingering in the doorway. “Xavier’s in a meeting. You can wait for him if you’d like.”

She shoots me a timid smile and takes a seat on the couch a few feet away from me. “We were just passing through and wanted to say hello.”

A surge of jealousy courses through my body. It’s not fair that a stranger gets to raise my daughter, while I have to fight the system for the chance. Regardless, I swallow my emotions and smile at Brynn. “Hope she isn’t giving you too much trouble.”

Brynn looks up from the ground. “She’s so sweet. She makes this job very easy.” In the sunlight, her hair looks more orange than red, and I’m tempted to ask her if it’s natural or not.

Looking at the camera hidden in the wall, I smile. “Are you and him dating?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

I shift Elise so she’s cradled in my arms. “Woman to woman, I’d be careful about that one.”

Her eyebrows furrow. “Why?”

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