Page 41 of Tangled In Lies

The air is tight in my throat, only barely allowing me to suck in a breath. “I have to, for now. Phoenix needs me, so I’m going to be okay.”

Ruby sighs, clearly unhappy with this. “He better treat you right, or I’ll kick him in the balls.”

The door behind us squeaks, and we all turn our heads to look at the intruder.

Holden.

He takes in our small gathering. Nodding toward the hallway, he says, “Come on, Princess. The boss is waiting.”

Of course he is.

Ruby mumbles something that’s too quiet to hear, but I’m sure it’s all sorts of colorful words for my new bodyguard. Security detail. Prisoner guard. All the same at this point. Even though I’m not one-hundred-percent sure if his main job is to keep me from running or if he’s supposed toprotect me too. Maybe Phoenix gave him the green light to happily stand by and watch me get run over by a bus or something. As long as he records it on video for Phoenix to play on a loop. We couldn’t deny the man to bask in the glory of me getting what I deserve.

Thank you, brain. A pleasure, as always.

Pushing up on my toes, I kiss Mason on the cheek before doing the same to Ruby. “Love you, guys.”

They both say, “Love you too,” as I give them a small smile.

I silently follow Holden out of the building and to the parking lot.

The second I’m in my seat with my seat belt in place, I settle against the door and close my eyes.

Thankfully, Holden takes the hint and stays quiet the whole drive, allowing me to put all my emotions back into their tight spaces where they escaped after seeing Ruby and Mason. Hiding my genuine emotions from them is much more complicated than hiding them from anyone else, except anything related to Freddy. Whenever he’s involved, they usually know something is up, but I can’t tell them what it is.

At the house, I follow Holden out of the garage and through the kitchen, unbothered when he brings me to my room like a small child. The cracks in my armor are fragile today, and I need all my energy to keep them under wraps when I’m around Phoenix.

Holden doesn’t follow me into the room, waiting in front of the open door. “Dinner is in half an hour. Do you know where the dining room is?”

“Yes.” I don’t look at him as I put my bag on the bed and unpack my things.

I managed to do some of my homework during my free periods, but I still have more to do.

Accounting. My favorite.

Even in my head, it sounds ridiculous. I’m the last person to understand most number-related things. Math just isn’t mathing for me. That was Connie’s domain. When she died, my dad said it was now my job.

In one day, I lost my sister and the entire future I had dreamed up. Traveling the world, playing music, performing. Now I’ll spend my life with my nose in books and behind computers and my butt in a chair.

I can’t imagine anything more boring.

At least my dad got his wish for me to end up with a “real job” since I completely stopped with my music after Connie’s death, unable to play a single note or even go near a piano.

A noise startles me, and I stare toward the door. But it’s closed. Holden must have shut it when he left.

At least he’s been decent enough, a far cry from Phoenix’s open hatred.

That’s because you didn’t put Holden in prison.

With a sigh, I drop onto the bed and start my homework.

Sometime later, the door swings open with a loud swoosh, jolting me so much my pencil flies out of my hand and over the side of the bed.

With a hand on my chest, I try to calm my frantic heart and glance toward the door. Phoenix leans against the doorframe like he doesn’t have a care in the world. I see it forwhat it is: yet another reminder of how utterly out of depth I am when it comes to him.

“You’re late.”

Per usual, he glares at me, and I can see his nostrils flaring from where I’m sitting. I bet he’d spit fire right now if he could.

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