Page 131 of Tangled In Lies

Panic squeezes my throat. Why does everything come out so wrong today?

“Yes, I guess? I mean, I’d really like to go back to school, meet my friends at the café, and return to the shelter. Those sorts of things. Back to how things were before.”

His hand tightens on my waist. “Before when?”

The elephant in the room keeps growing, and I’m unsure who will be the first to break. I want to know his answer to the question circling our heads too, but I don’t want to be the first one to answer it.

What if I put my heart out there and he doesn’t want it? After everything that happened, I’m not sure I’d survive it if he told me he didn’t want me anymore, that I should go back to the way things were before he barged back into my life.

There’s one thing he doesn’t understand: there’s no before him. There’s only with him and after him.

“Before when, Angel?”

I gnaw on my lip before giving him a morsel of truth. “The explosion.”

I close my eyes.

I wait for him to tell me that’s not what he wants.

“How fast can you get ready for a trip?” His breath whispers across my head. A moment later, his lips ghost over mine.

When my brain catches up with his question, I back away until I can see him. It’s gotten dark outside, but the lamp on the nightstand illuminates the room with warm light. Phoenix watches me, his intense gaze unwavering.

“You want to go on a trip?”

He nods. “Just to lie low for a little while. I’d rather be safe than sorry. It’ll also give the team and the police the chance to make sure Ben is really Freddy. Right now, it feels too good to be true.”

I think about it for two seconds and say, “Depending on where you’re planning to take me, I can be ready in less than an hour.”

Because he isn’t wrong. All of this happened so quickly, it still seems surreal. It will take some time to fully process the fact that the police caught Freddy. Right now, it still feels odd that Ben is my devil.

“I’ll make the necessary calls so we can leave tomorrow.”

Maybe we’re both a bit crazy right now.

When we finally get to a point where we can go back to our normal lives without stalkers, psychopaths, and explosions, we escape.

The little voice in my head whispers,“What if that’s why he’s doing this? Maybe he wants to stay in this bubble with you fora while longer too. Maybe he’s just as afraid as you are of what’s waiting on the other side, or that the police have the wrong guy despite the confession.”

Because what are we without all the secrets, lies, pain, and hurt?

Is there even anuswithout all of that?

Chapter 33

Phoenix

Eve’s delectable ass sways in front of my face, and I want to bite it.

“Welcome, Mr. Montgomery. It’s so good to have you back on board with us.” The slightly too-high voice coming from the top of the stairs is enough to deflate my throbbing cock.

“Michelle.” I walk up the rest of the stairs and give the flight attendant a curt nod.

It didn’t escape me that she ignored Eve ahead of me, and I curse the heavens that this was the flight crew on standby. But beggars can’t be choosers, and while it’ll cost me a lot of energy to ignore Michelle’s specific brand of persistence, we’ll somehow make it through the flight. It’s not her fault my father has fucked her for years or that she thinks I’m the same.

I thought so too, at one point.

She leans in when I try to step past her but is forced to step back since the tank behind me gives me a push.

---