Page 25 of Beautiful Liar

I ran my fingers along his forehead, moving the errant curls out of his face. “About what?”

He shook his head, sleep dragging him under. “I’m sorry for falling in love with you.”

A vicelike grip clamped my chest. A silent scream started somewhere inside my core. He’d closed his eyes, his breathing even, asleep when I wanted to shake him and force him to explain what the fuck he meant by that. Did he regret falling in love with me? Did he not love me anymore? Did he want out?

What the ever-loving fuck?

I pulled away from him, pressed my fingers to my dry eyes, and breathed. There was no way I was getting anything from him tonight and I wasn’t even sure I wanted to fucking know.

I cleaned up in the shower, dressed, and headed out just as Morgan was sneaking inside. I turned on the lights and he almost squealed.

Morgan was a second-year scholarship student. A normie whose parents had run drugs for an MC that worked for the Brennans. Every fucking student here had some sort of tie to the Four. It was the design of this place.

After he figured I wasn’t going to kill him, he raked his hand through his short brown hair. I expected him to say something. He didn’t. We stared at each other until he finally took a sharp inhale and released it. His eyes lifted to the top of the stairs as if waiting for someone, then back down to me. “Are you taking him?”

I wanted to. Badly. “Not tonight.”

Morgan arched a brow.

“Why the fuck do you care?”

He opened and closed his mouth, his brow pinching. Smart motherfucker better think before he spoke. “Dr. Casera called me in for questioning and Ilied,” he blurted. “I lied to protecthim.”

I didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. Tomás. I took a step closer. Morgan wanted to talk so I was going to let him talk. We were breaking so many fucking dangerous rules right now. He knew it as much as I did. “And what do you know?”

“Things … about Jack.”

I cocked my head. “I don’t play games, Morgan.”

“You’re an heir now. People are saying shit’s going to go down in this place. Soon. I want protection. I can be your acolyte.”

I snorted. “Brands areearned.”

“There’s no time. But I’ll do what you want. Except,” he shifted on his feet. “I’m not a killer.”

“No. I am. And demanding to be branded is a good way to get killed.”

He swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I will honor you and the brotherhood. I know this is for life. So long as you know that I don’t kill, and if … you still want me. I can at least keep eyes on…” he lifted his eyes again to the stairs. To Tomás. “He’s different. Not like us.”

My jealousy flared. Before I could stop myself, I moved. Morgan didn’t have time to squeal when I spun him and anchored my arm around his throat. “You fucking think you have anything I can’t get from someone else?”

He shook his head.

“Tell me what you know.” Right. I had to release him for him to talk.

I did and he gasped. Coughed. Face red. “Amir,” he said between breaths, “was spooked about something. Said Jack fucked him over. I’m here on a scholarship. My mother was a club whore who OD’d. Maddox set me up here and I didn’t mind the handout. But Amir and Jack. They hated it here. Wanted revenge and Amir believed Jack had something to bring down the family.”

“What?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Amir told Jack not to fuck with Tomás, but he wouldn’t listen. I don’t know anything else. I told them to leave me out of it. What am I going to do, man? If they find out about Jack having something…”

They’ll fucking reset the fucking school.

“You can brand me. Protect me. It’s the fucking code. The four won’t be able to force me to talk if I’m protected by you. Dr. Casera said they’d honor that. You’re anheir.”

Fucking Casera. Unfortunately, I trusted the fucker. He genuinely cared about the students and this place. If he sent Morgan to me, then I had to take the possibility that Morgan’s fate was linked with Tomás’s very real. I didn’t trust Morgan, but I didn’t trust anyone. “I do this and you betray me, I will make sure you get to see your entrails before I kill you. Are we clear?”

He nodded.

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