Page 103 of Tangled In Lies

Phoenix shakes his head, still completely composed. “She didn’t.”

I rear back. “What? She didn’t? But how is this possible then?”

Phoenix waves his index finger back and forth. “I can’t be the only one handing out answers. A truth for a truth?”

He raises his brows, looking at me like he knows he’s got me cornered, and I have nowhere else to go. He isn’t wrong. He just doesn’t know I was already planning on telling him everything today anyway.

So I push away the sense of dread that wants to overtakemy brain and nod. “Deal.”

His mouth curves into a ghost of a smile because he knows exactly what he’s doing.

Beautiful bastard.

I wait for him to tell me more, still in shock over his revelation. It also raises the question of what else he hasn’t told me.

He raises an eyebrow. “I think it’s your turn.”

Of course. Dang it.

I open my mouth, still not completely sure where to even start, when he lifts his finger again.

“How did you know I was at the warehouse where they arrested me?”

Shit. Going straight for the throat.

My mouth is dry, and I reach for my juice, drinking the whole thing in one gulp.

Phoenix’s gaze on me is intense.

Try to focus.

It wasn’t his baby.

It. Wasn’t. His. Baby.

I didn’t kill his baby.

Oh my God, I didn’t kill Phoenix’s baby.

But you still killed your sister and her baby.

I cringe at the thought, then blurt out the words before I chicken out. “Text message.”

Phoenix’s expression doesn’t change, like he expected this answer. “From Freddy?”

“Yes. He texted me to call nine-one-one, what to tell them, and the address.”

He opens his mouth again, probably to ask more, and this time, I’m the one to lift my finger tointerrupt him.

“My turn.” I pause for a moment, my thoughts going a mile a minute. “If the baby wasn’t yours, who was the father?”

“Chris Wellinger.”

“What? Are you serious?” I’m yelling again, but I think we both know my composure left the room a long time ago. “You kidnapped and beat up the father of your fiancée’s baby?”

Wow, that sounded bad in my head but even worse out loud.

“Yes.” His gaze narrows on me for a split second as if to tell me I’m done with my turn. “Was that the first time Freddy contacted you when you called nine-one-one?”

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