Page 21 of No Promises, No Lies

She’s scared of me.

Good.

She should be.

13

NO PROMISES, NO LIES

RORY

“I’ll tell you what, answer a few of my questions and I’ll let you go.” His smile was beautiful andalmostconvincing. “I promise.”

My hands tighten into fists, where they’re tied—a little too tightly—behind my back. “A promise is just another lie, dressed up to look beautiful enough to believe. Preying on hope.” I mutter under my breath, looking away from him.

Despite my sheltered upbringing from the worst of this world, I wasn’t naïve.I knew who stood before me; figured it out before he stalked back in here to question me. Aidan O’Rourke: the Irish Devil, second son of the mob, and Breakers’ enforcer. He was chaos personified, a captivating mix of skill and brutality. I’ve seen their faces, know their names. There’s no walking away from this.

Not for me.

I lean back in the chair his henchman wrestled me into and watch him study me from the corner of my eye.

“What’s your name?”

“Rory.”

He’s silent for a long moment, trying to get a read on me. If he’s surprised I answered, he doesn’t show it.

“Why do you dance at Elements?”

The question is unexpected, and I can’t help but look up at him in surprise. “I—I don’t?—”

“Don’t lie,” he warns sharply.

“No promises,” I bite back.

He smiles.The devastating kind of smile.“No lies,” he repeats, his green eyes darkening.

“Contrary to what you mightthink, I didn’t lie,” I snap back at him, although he is not someone I should be mouthing off to.

“I’mnota dancer.” I glare at him. Getting kidnapped clearly makes me cranky.

A muscle ticks in his jaw. He still thinks I’m lying.Whatever, screw him.

“If you’re not a dancer, then what were you doing at Elements?”

Should’ve been ready for that…I bite my lip to buy time and watch him track the movement. There’s no way I can tell the truth and not make this situation exponentially worse. A quick bullet in my skull, as some unknown dancer, would be a Godsend compared to what the Irish would do to Adrik Kostalov’sdaughter.

Still, my competitive nature flares at this little game we’ve started.No promises, no lies. Thinking fast, I shrug, brushing him off. “I went to Elements with a friend.” It’s not an outright lie, although, calling my bodyguard afriendis stretching the truth—frenemy, maybe…

Aidan’s face gives nothing away. “And do you usually end up in the back office of a strip club when you visit them withfriends?” His arched brow is dripping with skepticism and is on my nerves.

“No,” I snap again, exhaustion giving way to irritation and a short fuse. “Gunshots started, and I got pulled in there.” Also, technically not a lie—justout of order.

The way he stares at me gives me the shivers. It’s intense…he’sintense. Ever since he entered, the room feels smaller, and it’s harder to breathe. I’m pretty sure he could tell if I outright lied, but skating the line between truth and lie… he doesn’t seem to know what to think.

“And so what?” The way he cocks his head reeks of predatory authority. “I’m supposed to believe you justhappened,to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? That the girl who bumped into me earlier this week at the rink is thesamegirl I find in the Russian Pakhan’s office a couple of nights later? You expect me to believe that’s just acoincidence?” He straightens from where he’s been leaning against the far wall and takes a step toward me. It’s an effort not to cringe back. Every instinct in my body screamsdanger.

Run.

---