Page 9 of Lie to Me

“I missed the hell out of you, sis,” he whispers against my hair. I blink back tears as his comfortable presence washes over me.

“I missed you, too,” I croak before pulling back and wiping my face with the back of my hand.

“It’s good to be home,” I mumble. “I know I should have made more of an effort to see you, but I’m thankful that you came to visit me when you could.”

“You’re the most important person in my life, Sloane,” he says and leans back against the desk in front of me. “And I’m glad you’re finally back where you were always meant to be.”

Is it really, though?

I spend a few hours with my brother and he shows me around the house, as though I’d never been there before, even going so far as to show me my old room. The room that hasn’t changed in the slightest since I left ten years ago.

I never regretted not coming back, since I wanted to get away from my father and all that he stood for. I never even went to the funeral, and I’m honestly not even sure how he died, just that it was something to do with business. Finn never gave me the details, and I honestly didn’t care enough to ask.

The only thing I worried about was whether Finn would meet the same fate once he stepped into my father’s position, but he assured me that the dust had settled and that he was safe.

I take in my old room and glance at the nightstand to see a small necklace resting on top of it. The necklace I had discarded on the bed when I left as a last-minute decision, ripping it off before I walked out the door, never wanting to see it again.

I don’t pick it up like I ache to do, I simply back away and close the door.

I don’t need it around, threatening to bring up old memories and painful reminders of who I once was.

Istep into the apartment, immediately on high alert when I see the mat in front of the door slightly to the left. Most people wouldn’t notice it, but I grew up being taught to notice every damn thing around me.

I reach into my bag and wrap my hand around the two knives I keep in the side compartment as I wander further into the apartment.

As soon as I see the silhouette of someone lounging on the sofa, I throw one of the knives and it lands beside her hand. A woman, who’s smaller than me with blonde hair and wearing all black, grins at me.

“I missed on purpose, the next one goes through your skull. Who the fuck are you and why are you here?”

“That’s not a very nice welcome,” she says, and I raise a brow, still clutching the other knife as I step further into the room. It isn’t until I see her close up that I realize I know her.

“Izzy?”

“Hey, Sloane, long time no see.” She smirks, and I sigh before plopping down in the seat opposite her.

I met Izzy years ago at some random function our fathers had dragged us to in Chicago and we immediately clicked, both playing the doting daughters, when in reality, we were anything but. After that, we just kind of stuck together whenever we were forced to attend the same events.

“Probably around thirteen years. What the hell are you doing here?”

She stares at me for a moment before letting out a chuckle. “You really didn’t keep up to date, did you? My late father made a deal with Salvatore Romano, marrying me off to Luca in the process.”

Oh shit. My brows jump as I take in that little tidbit of information. Then I remember Marco mentioning Luca being married to a woman called Izzy.

“So why are you here? Did he do something? Do you need help?”

“Oh sweetie, if anyone needs help, it’s him,” she says with a scoff, and I grin at her. I don’t know Luca personally, but from what Marco had told me, I know he’ll definitely be keeping Izzy on her toes, but I know she’ll give him the exact same right back.

“I’m here because Marco is digging around for information on you, and he asked me not to tell Luca. And before you lose your shit, he only wants to know how you’re doing. He’s not looking into anything else, but I’ve already done this shit with one Romano brother, and I’m honestly bored with it. Anyways, I’m here because I wanted to ask you to sort this shit with Marco so that I didn’t have to lie to Luca.”

That’s… a lot of information to process right now.

“What the hell does Marco want with me?”

She stares at me as though I’ve just uttered the most ridiculous words she’s ever heard.

“You, Sloane. He just wants you.”

And with that, she stands, winks at me, and strolls from the apartment like she didn’t just upend my life as I currently know it. Marco can’t want me. That shit was buried years ago. I can still hear those last words he whispered to me echo around my mind and I slouch in the chair and stare up at the ceiling.

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