Page 76 of Beautiful Liar

I wiped my face and grabbed my bag off the floor. I pulled out the first aid kit and started cleaning Kieran’s wound. My hands shook.

“It’s okay,” Kieran said gently. “He didn’t hit anything vital.”

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be here.” The sob made me hiccup.

“I’m where I need to be,” he said and leaned into me, seeking a kiss. I couldn’t deny him, so I met him halfway. My heart bloomed under his kiss. Nothing else mattered but him. Was he real? I wanted to believe Kieran was real and this wasn’t some sort of play on words, or some message I was missing for our escape. He smirked. “Stop thinking so much.”

I wiped my face. “Fuck you,” I said without much heart in it.

Kieran was right. Luca had mostly gotten the fabric of his pants than skin. I stuck a couple of bandages on it and used the insulin kit to check his blood. “Fox had us all carry one for you. You’re going to be okay. Your friends will take care of you.”

“What was your plan, Tomás?” Kieran asked, forcing myattention back to him. “The only reason Luca does anything is because Alessandro wills it. Luca is Alessandro’s dog. You knew that already. You said as much. He didn’t want me, he wanted you. Why?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. My head dizzy.

“Tomás. I’m in this with you. I will protect you until I stop breathing.”

“Stop! Just … please.” I leaned back on my heels, unable to look away from the depth of Kieran’s eyes. I had a million reason why I shouldn’t tell Kieran my truth. I didn’t want him to die. He shouldn’t have to fight for me. This was my shit. I fucked up. My fault. Enzo was right. It was all my fault. But I had to tell Kieran the truth because our lies would tear us apart and I didn’t want to be in a place where I didn’t have Kieran by my side. And if he didn’t love me because of it, that would be okay. Because I lovedus. “I told you I’d tell you everything after the games. Let’s get you out of these first and finish this fucking night.” I rummaged through my bag pulling out a small folding knife. “What every growing boy needs,” I said with a snort and sawed the ties until his hands were free.

Kieran jumped to his feet, rubbing his wrists, his eyes perusing the immediate area for Luca. When Luca didn’t appear to fight him, Kieran went to the dead bodies and tapped them down. The curse he let out echoed in the chamber.

“What is it?” I asked.

“He took the guns.”

Kieran narrowed his eyes at me. I quickly got on the defensive. He didn’t care and approached me. “Why?”

“We should go.”

Kieran’s glare my way could cut flesh. His eyes lowered to my collar. “We can’t. Luca has you tethered. The collar is a tracker and an explosive device. He could kill you and track your body all in one shot.”

I swallowed hard and wrapped my fingers around the leather. “Don’t.” Kieran quickly lowered my hand away from my throat. “Luca’s a sick fuck. Now tell me what I need to know to get us out of this alive.”

I swallowed hard. The thought of my head popping too damn real. Either way, I was screwed.

“Tomás,” Kieran said, bringing me back to the more pressing concern than my head exploding. “Why?” he asked again.

My throat tightened and I could only say one word. One name. “Enzo.”

I watched as the one name that haunted my existence cleared everything that had been wrong with us since we first kissed. Kieran only needed several seconds to put it all together. Watching things fall into place in his expression made me tremble. “Alessandro is Enzo,” he said so low, so brittle, I thought the words would shatter my very soul.

“I didn’t know until Luca told me yesterday morning. And then Enzo was here, and he’s married to Maddox.”

“And Maddox doesn’t know.”

“How could you be so sure?”

“Because I saw how crazy he got when he learned about Amir’s death. He wanted to come get you out himself. He cares for you, Tomás. He’d kill Alessandro if he found out.”

“That’s why Enzo wants me dead. He’s tying up loose ends. He killed my mother.” I swallowed the thick wedge in my throat. “Luca just told me. They made it look like she OD’d.”

Kieran reached to hug me, but I pulled away on instinct. I didn’t deserve his care, his hug. I didn’t deserve his kindness. I hated the look on his face. A mixture of pain and anger. He settled for anger. “And you knew Luca wanted you dead and you still didn’t take my collar. You still didn’t tell me so that I could’ve protected you.”

“It’s my fault.”

“Do you really believe that?”

I lowered my eyes, shame a toxic, writhing entity under my skin.

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