Page 61 of Burning Your Lies

Shaking her head, she begins to ask, “How do you know…” She grabs her bag. “Don’tevermention my sister. What do you know about her?”

“I know he murdered her,” I say when she tries to walk away. Standing up, I walk towards her. “I know he told everyone she went abroad for a job opportunity. I know she made the mistake of loving him and the cost was her life. I know he hasn’t paid a damn consequence for stealing your sister’s life.”

She is frozen except for the tears that dampen her cheeks. “Who are you?”

“I’ll explain everything, but please just sit down. I’m not here to protect him or threaten you.”

“How can I trust you? He probably sent you here.”

I grab her hands. “Why would he do that? I’m risking my life by being here.”

She steps away from me. “So, why are you here?”

My eyes harden and I let the vengeance shine through. “Because he’s going to kill me, too. He killed the mother of my daughter. He killed my friend. And I want to bring him down. I want him to burn.”

Scottie looks between Mia and me, trying to decipher if this is all a cruel prank. She tries to hide it, but I see a small glimmer of hope and desperation in her. “How are you going to do that?”

I lead her back to the table and explain as much of the story as I can. I tell her about the asylum and the plan we’ve put into motion. Scottie listens in silence and horror when I go into the details of Xavier’s insanity.

“He admitted it to you? He actually said he killed Caitlyn?”

I nod. “She realised what he was and tried to leave him.”

Her first tear falls. “How did he…”

Mia and I share a look. I remember the sinking in the pit of my stomach as he graphically described Elliot’s last moments. When he mocked him for calling out for me, I almost broke my drunken act and throttled him.

I take a deep breath before breaking the news to her. “He strangled her.” My voice is barely above a whisper. I have to pull my lips together to stop myself from crying. “And then he cremated her. Before…”

Scottie is crying. “Before he what?”

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get the words out.

Mia holds my hand under the table. “He turned her into two diamonds.”

The other customers stare at us as Scottie breaks into a full-blown sob. She hyperventilates as she struggles to breathe. She stands up to escape, only to fall to her knees.

I can’t stop the few tears that escape. There's nothing we can do to stop this type of heartbreak. I wrap my arms around her and let her sob into me. “I’m sorry.”

She grips onto me tighter and howls for her dead sister. “All this time … she…”

“I know. But we’re going to get her back. We won’t let her death go unanswered. We’re going to burn him the way he burned her. We’re going to exact our revenge and claim justice. He’s got away with this for too long.”

Scottie cries for a few minutes longer before she releases me. She grips my hands. “Tell me what I need to do.”

I share a look with Mia, who nods at me. “You’re going to tell the world what he did to your sister. You are going to be the brick we pull out. And then,” I squeeze her hand, “we’re going to watch him come tumbling down.”

28

Xavier

Judge Callahan is toobusy shooting me an irate expression to see Savannah hiding her smile.

Unable to conceal my frustrations, my tone comes out snappier than I intend. “Your honour, this is a woman who has previously tried to flee the country with my daughter. What is to stop her from doing it again?”

She finally turns to Savannah. “Mrs Ray-Hayes?”

The smirk she just wore dissipates with the attention now on her. She feigns a look of worry. “I only felt like I had to flee because I felt threatened by Mr Rivers. However, to ease his worries and if it means my daughter can spend two nights a week with me, I will happily surrender my passport until the case is settled.”

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