Page 33 of Crown of Lies

Instead, I take a deep breath and steel myself for what’s to come. This whole song and dance is going to be an exercise in putting on a show—something I’m far too familiar with these days.

Nico comes around to open my door, offering me his hand. I eye it warily for a moment before taking it, allowing him to help me out of the car. His fingers stiffen in mine, so I’m clearly not the only one uncomfortable with the gesture. I can’t resist a little smirk.

“We need to present a united front, remember?” I remind him sweetly. “You should be good at faking these feelings by now.”

He shoots me a dark glare but doesn’t let go of my hand. And yeah, I guess I take petty satisfaction in making him play the doting husband, the same way he’s made me play the role of obedient wife so many times before.

At the same time, I can’t ignore the jolt of awareness that races through me at the contact, heat blooming everywhere his skin meets mine. Again, I force myself to stoically ignore the feeling. This isn’t real. It’s just another act in our long con.

Nico keeps his grip firm as we make our way inside, the others falling into step behind us. The big open space is already filling up with people—members of both our crews mingling together in a loose crowd. The dull roar of voices dies down as we come into view.

Killian clears his throat, immediately commanding attention.

“Everyone, listen up!” His voice booms out, authority ringing in every syllable. “We’ve got some important shit to go over.”

I tighten my grip on Nico’s hand, forcing him to meet my eyes. He gives me the barest nod of acknowledgment before we turn to face the crowd together, presenting that united front.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors by now,” Nico begins, his tone carrying easily through the cavernous space. “There was an attack on Carnage territory. And we believe it was done in an attempt to create chaos and sow seeds of distrust between the Princes and Enigma.”

A ripple of murmurs spreads through the onlookers, but Nico presses on. “Well, you can put those rumors to rest. Because the truth is, there’s only one enemy. And he’s dead.”

I can feel the tension, the anger radiating off of him in waves. He’s a good actor, I’ll give him that.

“Silas, the man we’ve been hunting down, is the one responsible for burning the Carnage clubhouse,” Nico growls, his hand tightening around mine almost painfully. “But we caught him before he could escape. There was a fight, and we brought him down.”

Nico keeps talking, laying out the cover story we’ve created to hide what truly happened that night at the clubhouse. I let him speak for a while, but when he pauses for a moment, I take a step forward and clear my throat.

My turn.

Raising my voice above the buzz of the crowd, I call out, “Silas is dead. He won’t be causing any more trouble. But we believe he was just a hired gun. Someone else is behind all this, pulling the strings.”

There’s a collective intake of breath, and I can practically feel the unease rolling through the crowd. Good. I want them on their toes.

“I’m being followed,” I continue, my voice steely. “Watched. We don’t know who it is or why they’re after me, but I want you all to be vigilant. If you see something that seems off, speak up about it.”

A chorus of questions rises up almost instantly, but I hold up a hand to quiet them.

“We don’t have any leads yet, but we’re working on it,” I assure them. “Just keep your eyes and ears open. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

The group begins to break up, people filtering out of the meeting space. Some are huddled in worried groups, others are casting suspicious glances around, already paranoid about another threat. I’ve definitely gotten their attention.

Nico grabs my arm, pulling me aside.

“What the hell was that about?” he demands, his eyes flashing with anger. “You were supposed to shut up and let me handle it.”

I narrow my eyes, yanking my arm free. “Sorry, I thought I was done taking orders from you. And I’m not in the habit of lying to my people.”

He scoffs. “You lie to them all the time. You just did when you pretended to be my loyal wife.”

“That’s different,” I bite back. “And anyway, they’re my crew. My family. Unlike you, I value their trust.”

“You value their trust but not your husband’s?” Nico retorts, stepping closer. “You couldn’t trust me to handle this?”

The hurt and anger flashing across his face hits me in a way it shouldn’t. This is Nico, for fuck’s sake. Master manipulator and con artist, currently pissed off that his pretend-wife didn’t play by his rules. Nothing more.

Before I can reply, one of his higher-ups approaches and murmurs something in his ear. Nico’s jaw tightens, but he gives me one last irritated look before turning away to deal with theissue. Killian and Atlas peel off as well, drawn into separate conversations.

I let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through my hair. Of course they’d leave me hanging right in the middle of an argument. Typical.

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