Page 89 of Beautiful Liar

“I trust you,” River croaked out.

I walked out of Arcas and slipped into the awaiting SUV. I had expected Jacob but got another guy who introduced himself as Nathan. A second sedan sat idle behind us.

“Where’s the other kid?” Nathan asked.

“He’s not coming.”

Nathan looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t, and we were driving a few seconds later.

Nathan took me to the mansion. Security detail had been heightened. I was even frisked, my weapons removed before being led through the grounds by three security guards to Tristan’s office. Still no Jacob, which made the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. Where Maddox usually sat with Tristan, Liam sat instead.

“Sit,” Tristan said.

I gave the room a perusal.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Kieran, I’m not going to shoot you. Just sit.”

I sat. “You’ve heightened security.”

“We’re at war.”

“With who?”

“Every goddam motherfucker who thinks we’re weak. He slammed his hand on the hard desk and got to his feet. Liam watched his brother, keeping silent, but there was an air of concern in his expression. As an analyst, Liam would process the information differently. Without emotion. Using only facts. It was a skill Henry and Graham possessed and it made them invaluable with tracking shit down.

“Where’s Maddox?” The question was out before I could realize Tristan’s concern wasn’t entirely about the war.

Tristan raked his fingers through his hair. “He’s gone.”

I gave Tristan time to gather his words.

“After Carl spoke with him in private, he took off. I need to know what the fuck happened.”

“What does Dr. Casera say?”

“He said Tomás Moya gave him a video file to give to Mads. He said he didn’t know what was on the video file only that Tomás thought it would clear things with Alessandro missing. That’s all Dr. Casera said.”

“And you believe him.”

“Yes.”

“So what do you want from me?”

“Answers. What was in that fucking video and where is Alessandro?”

I swallowed the wedge in my throat. “And why the fuck do you think I’d know the answer to that?”

“Because Tomás is your lover. Because you are a smart motherfucker I never underestimated.”

“Tristan…” Liam warned.

Tristan lifted his hand to his brother and took a deep breath, calming his shit, but his attention to me never wavered. “I know it was you who disrupted Cillian’s drug lines, forcing him to borrow from Brennan Holdings and sink us. What you don’t know is that I own those investors who put up the money for you. I still own fifty one percent of the shares, the voting shares. Iletyou take over my company. I want that to sink in before you speak.”

And it did. In a hard way. “You used me to get the company away from Cillian.”

“Don’t ever think I let you—”

That’s as far as he got when I lunged at him. I saw the shock in his eyes, but I was too far gone to fucking care. He used me to get the legitimate business away from Cillian for his own means that had nothing to do with me.

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