Page 83 of Burning Your Lies

She’s back to standing behind him. Her arms wrap around his torso and her fingers run up and down. Maya looks directly at Eliana, who still hasn’t stopped crying. Her eyes close as she presses her lips against his ear. “She’ll meet you in hell soon,” she whispers. And then, without hesitation, her knife slices his neck.

Behind me there’s a scream, but my eyes don’t move from the blood spurting out of him. Maya steps back as if it will protect her from being painted with his blood. She walks over to Eliana, but I step in front of her.

“Don’t do it.”

Her blue eyes are lifeless. “Nobody steals from me and gets away with it.”

I push her back. “But she doesn’t have the money. I do.”

She wipes her blade clean on her trousers. “And now you know what will happen if you don’t give me what is mine.”

“You kill her, and I will tell Rowan all about you. You won’t be a shadow figure pulling the puppet’s strings anymore. Your facewill be plastered on every corner of the world until he finds you. Because hewillfind you. You know it’s her he’s looking for. I’ll release her somewhere unknown and she won’t speak of this to anyone. Isn’t that right?”

Eliana frantically nods, hope now alive in her at the chance of making it out of this alive.

I continue. “You will get your money and I will walk away from this. Nobody else will get hurt.”

She looks at me as if I’m a child. “And how do I trust that you’ll give me my money?”

“If you want it to be free of Rowan, you’re going to have to give me a little more time.”

She rolls her eyes. “No deal.”

Come on, Huxley. Think. You can’t let an innocent woman die.

“What if we came to an agreement that would serve us both?”

“I’m listening.”

My heart pounds in my chest as I try to think on the spot. “Rowan is doing deep dives into everyone Chase and Eliana were associated with. It’s only a matter of time before you crop up in his results. What if I could give you a new identity?”

The corners of her lips raise. “The man who makes people disappear.”

“The trick behind the magic is simply distraction. In searching for one person, they cannot see another who has appeared. I can give you that and there would be no ties to the Ashfords.”

“And what would you want in return?”

Any sane person would rather die than get into bed with a crazy person like her. But I need her to get into bed with someone equally insane. Maya is the perfect person to plant in Xavier’s home. She is beautiful, manipulative and brilliant. She serves more purpose to me alive than dead right now. And with the money as leverage, she won’t double-cross us.

“You help me take down Xavier Rivers.”

She cannot hide her laugh. “Isn’t he your boss?”

“Are you in or out?”

She looks at me, then at Eliana. “And the money?”

“Will be yours at the end of the game.”

Her knife clatters to the floor, and she offers another handshake.

This one I accept. “Get yourself to a hostel. Check in as Brynn Jones.”

“Who’s that?”

“You. From this day forward, you are Brynn Jones.”

With a wink in my direction, she exits the room without a care that she’s covered in blood.

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