Page 51 of Faking Ever After

“I forgot how beautiful the view was,” Richard said as he sank into a chair. “Is this your first time here, Finn?” He was the definition of friendliness and politeness, but I remembered the hatred that dripped from his steel-like tone during our last conversation.

“Uh-huh,” I said, squeezing the sound through my strangled throat.

“How do you know Percy?” he asked conversationally. “I don’t think he mentioned you the last time we spoke.”

“Oh, that’s a funny story,” Percy said, putting his hand on my knee. “Just before we spoke, I slipped and made up a boyfriend-sized excuse to avoid coming here and Finn just sort of crashed into my life to play the part.”

No, dammit. Don’t tell him that, I thought. He hadn’t admitted this to his own sister, yet he spilled the beans to the worst man I had ever met. God dammit. I was sweating through and shivering on the inside as if a terrible fever rocked me.

“How convenient,” Richard said. “That sounds exactly like something you’d do, Percy.”

“Tell no one,” Percy said lightly. “But here we are, in Paradise, and, well, we’re taking this seriously.” Percy looked at me with a smile that warmed his eyes in ways that Richard could never pull off. This was what genuine care looked like, I reminded myself. “Oh, let me get us some glasses,” Percy said, glancing at the bottle of Citron Emily had left on the table.

“And some good wine, please,” Richard said as Percy got up. Terror soared through me.Don’t fucking leave me alone with him. “You know I can’t drink these things without causing a scene.”

Or keeping your mind sharp when we all start slipping, I thought.

Percy saluted his ex-boyfriend and the man who was partially responsible for Percy’s wealth. I wondered how deep their friendship ran. Percy had invited Richard here despite the fact that nobody liked this man.

As Percy slipped behind the curtains, Richard turned his cold gaze to me, and I found myself wanting to cower. Instead, I lifted my chin defiantly.

“You are a hard man to track down, Matthias,” Richard said in a low voice. “But the game is up. Give me the drive.”

I ground my teeth. “What makes you think it’s not with the FBI?”

Richard didn’t even blink at that. “I might not have known your real name, but I know that you are a spiteful little shit. Youwouldn’t be in Greece hiding from me if the drive wasn’t here. Besides, do you really think I wouldn’t have heard from someone if you’d surrendered my private belongings to the bureau?”

He was bluffing. He couldn’t have bribed all of the FBI. Right? I chose to believe so. “You’re never gonna find it.”

“I don’t need to,” Richard said. “Because I found you.”

“This is what they call a Mexican standoff, right?” I spat back. “You shoot me and I shoot you.”

Richard thought about it offhandedly. “You made a terrible mistake, Matthias. These are my friends here. I made these people rich. Do you really think they’ll believe you when you tell them whatever you think you know?”

“You’re wrong,” I whispered. “They’re not your friends.”

“Percy is. He and I go way back. Way, way back. That man is so love-starved that he’ll forgive me for breaking his little fantasy with you if only there’s another shoulder to cry on.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I husked. Liar.

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. But you have twenty-four hours to give me the drive or I’m telling them everything tomorrow. Do you hear me?And the weather is almost always perfect.I don’t remember a single rainy day here. Isn’t that right, Percy?” Richard looked at the curtain as it moved aside and Percy walked out. He carried the glasses and a decanter.

“That’s right,” Percy said. “It’s as close to Heaven as it gets.” He poured Richard a glass of wine. “What would you like, Finn?” he asked.

I tried to swallow, but my mouth was terribly dry. Percy looked at me oddly and I felt so isolated in the following heartbeat that part of me wanted to get up and run. “Actually, I should shower while you two catch up. I can feel salt on my skin.”

“Went out for a swim, huh?” Richard asked conversationally.

“Took the yacht out to Delos and back,” Percy explained in a casual tone. “Dinner’s going to be in an hour,” he told me.

“Plenty of time for a quick shower,” I said hurriedly.

Percy lifted his head and shot me an innocent smile, his lips quivering for a moment before he smiled. “Do I get a kiss?”

Richard looked away as I leaned in and pressed my lips against Percy’s. God, they were so warm and sweet. I hated everything about this. I hated that all my resolve had gone out of the window. And I hated the creeping doubts that filled my heart after I pulled away from him.

Would he pick my side or Richard’s? Would he put his blanket trust into someone he barely knew, a certified liar and a thief, who reminded him of another liar who had just been sent out of the house in a cloud of dust? Or would he trust the man who had helped him create all this wealth that, as a side effect, attracted scammers in troves?

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