Page 40 of Beautiful Liar

I’d been so wrapped up in Tomás, I hadn’t thought about anything else. “What do you know about it?”

Wren’s gaze shifted to my left. Over my shoulder. “Nothing conclusive, but I know in my gut that Alessandro is involved somehow.”

“Wren, your father—”

“Don’t fucking call him that! He killed my mother. He meant to kill me in the fucking womb. And I’m sure he’s done that to others. That was my in to your fucking group and you’ve done nothing!” Wren’s eyes were ablaze, his mouth a thin line on his face. With River gone, Wren was unrestrained.

And it broke me.

I owed Wren peace just like I owed Tor, Rumor, Fox and all my other brothers.

I cupped Wren’s face. He fought me. But not hard. Then I drew him into my body and held him. He sobbed into my shoulder. I didn’t know the reason for it, whether it was the flood of memories Luca being here brought, the truth he believed that Alessandro killed his mother to kill him in her womb, or that River was getting married, but at the moment, I had to be what he needed. I had to be the pillar to keep him upright.

I pulled away and bumped our foreheads together. He smelled unwashed, drunk. “Tell me what you need. Do you need me to move this forward with no evidence? Do you want me to end Alessandro Mancini as soon as we’re out of lockdown? I’ll do it. I’ll kill him for you if that’s what you need to find your peace.” And that was not a fucking lie. Despite still not having any proof of Alessandro’s wrongdoing, I would kill him without prejudice if it meant keeping Wren sane.

Wren considered it for several seconds, then shook his head. “No. I want, I need the proof.”

“Then we’ll get it. I promise you.”

He nodded. I squeezed the back of his neck and then released him. “Tell me what the fuck did Luca say?”

“I couldn’t stop him. He’s fucking insane and he didn’t care that you knew it was him. He was dressed in his insane getup as if he were hunting.”

“I’ll handle it. Everyone good?”

“Fox and Henry are asleep.” Wren’s eyes landed on the bed again and then at me, a smirk making its way to his handsome face. “So … you and Tomás.”

Fucker. I shoved him out the door, but not hard. I felt myself blush which was stupid. I hadn’t come clean to everyone yet, but I owed Wren the truth too.

He laughed and it lifted a weight off my shoulders.

“For the record, I called it on day one.” He lifted a finger.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

All humor died away when the sound of a siren shrieked in the distance.

My phone buzzed and I startled. And then the house phone started to ring, the sound ominous. An indicator of doomsday. With no other option, I answered my phone.

“Kieran,” Dr. Casera said. He sounded whipped. “You are required to attend a strategic planning meeting at noon today. As an heir, you will have to choose your five participants in the funeral games.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “Fuck, Casera. No.”

“It has already been deemed so,” he said, dryly. “It is time to prepare.”

The line went dead.

Wren looked so small and frail in his robe. We didn’t need this fucking shit right now. “Wren,” I said. A hint of desperation and warning in my voice.

“I know. I know.” He started back to his room. “Time toget fucking sober.”

Not what I meant, but that was a good place to start.

Chapter Seventeen

Tomás

Clouds invaded the morning skies as time passed. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed on that cliff. My brain had shut down giving me a short reprieve, but when my body started to shake uncontrollably, I had to call it. Getting out tested my patience. I wasn’t a fucking woodsperson. I liked the city streets lined with numbers and street names. Out here, there was shit to let me know where the fuck I was going. I followed the fading glowsticks. One point led me to another and another. Luca shining the way.

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