Page 74 of Cruel Lies

"We rolling out?"

I nodded, taking a single deep breath to calm my frazzled nerves. "Yeah. No point in sticking around for someone to find his body in a few days. The bill’s paid up for a fewdays, and by the time he starts to smell, we’ll be nothing more than two unremarkable people in a sea of people who come and go for things best left unreported to police." I slipped on my helmet and ensured she was secure before I took off, deciding at the last minute to take her for something to eat before we went home.

Home.

I had begun to think of it as her home as much as my own, but it wasn’t. Not really.

Why did that realization make the pit in my stomach wider?

Harper didn’t argue or ask questions when I pulled into an old diner off the abandoned, desolate highway. She didn’t hesitate to follow me inside with her helmet in hand when I led the way into the sad excuse for an eatery, already turning my nose up at the smell of three-week-old fryer grease and old, burnt coffee.

Places like this were an acquired taste. I’d eaten at them over the years when the situation necessitated it. But Harper, well, she’d always loved these little holes in the wall and their oversalted fries, their burgers dripping with fat, and the fucking sugared-up shakes they always served.

When the waitress showed up at the table we sat down at, I flashed her a smile and ordered for the both of us before Harper could even open her mouth.

"Two burgers—bacon, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, medium well. Fries for a side, and two chocolate shakes, one with no whipped cream."

The woman was in the process of handing us our menus, and her smile lit up when she realized she didn’t need to wait around for us like other customers. "You’ve been here before."

"Actually, no. But every diner serves burgers, fries, and shakes, right?"

I flashed her a megawatt smile, and the damn girl nearly choked on her tongue as she jotted down the order. "Uh, yeah! Sure thing, mister, I’ll get that right away for you and your, uhm, your . . . sister?" she asked hopefully.

"Thanks," I squinted at her nametag, crinkling my nose unpleasantly, "Tasha."

I didn’t bother to correct her on the whole sister thing. I mean, technically, shewaslegally my step-sibling. But sister wasn’t a term I’d ever use for her myself these days.

No, not when I thought about fucking pinning her to a wall and ravishing her when she was acting like a spoiled brat. Not when my cock jumped in my pants whenever she walked by in those short shorts she wore for Rowan’s benefit. Or when she handled the fucking top end of a straw with her tongue like it was a toy.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg of filthy thoughts I’d been having about her lately.

I didn’t want this complication that was currently standing at attention under the table. I didn’t want to think about the way she swirled her tongue around her fucking straw when that shake showed up at the table. Had no desire to stare at her like a man under hypnosis when she slipped a fry in her mouth or groaned when she took a bite of the burger and it dripped grease onto the plate.

The way she enjoyed food shouldn’t turn me on like a fucking high school boy with his first pair of tits.

"How do you know what I like to eat?" she asked suddenly, and I smiled despite my growing agitation at the things I felt for her.

"You’ve always liked these places. Used to always order a greasy-ass loaded burger, fries, and a shake. Father would comment about how bad those things were for your figure, and you’d roll your eyes and wink at him, spouting nonsense about how there was only one person that needed to worry about their weight at the table, and it wasn’t you."

Her laughter was magical as it reached my ears and echoed around us. Heads turned, eager to see where such an angelic voice came from, no doubt. Every pair of eyes that fell on hersoon after found my own steely stare as I lowered my shades to stare them down in warning.

She wasn’t some random bitch to pick up in a stranded ass diner for a quick romp. Harper was worlds above the cretin who hung out here. And I wanted them to know that they’d meet with a not-so-warm welcome if they so much as rose from their seats to head in her direction.

Only one seemed oblivious to my visual warning, and when he reached the table, I was clinging to my sanity by a thread.

I couldn’t afford to make a kill so rashly, in front of all these witnesses. I could get my rage under control. Iwould.

Mister Oblivious stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels, clearing his throat in that annoying way preppy kids in college had when they wanted your attention.

"Ahem," he started, his eyes on Harper and only Harper. "I couldn’t help but stop by and set eyes on the woman whose laughter reminded me of angels from heaven."

Harper looked him up and down, then her upper lip twitched in annoyance. "Uh, hi. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m here with my broth?—"

"Her boyfriend," I spat, narrowing my eyes as I slipped the shades lower on my nose so I could look over them at him with an air of disgust and contempt. "She’s here with me, her boyfriend. So run along now, buddy. I’d hate to have to ruin that fancy coat of yours."

He frowned but beat a hasty retreat, shooting me glares filled with daggers over her shoulder when he thought I wasn’t looking.

I shoved the sunglasses back up my nose andhmph’ed."Fucking pigs. Hitting on a woman when she’s with another man."

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