Page 67 of The Truths that Deceive

“Looks like Smith found a prize,” Mercer says.

He’s followed by Malone, Liam, Orion, the Black Widow, and Jones.

The Widow insisted on coming.

Calista takes them all in. “Smith?”

Before I can speak, the Widow shoves me out of the way and puts an arm around Calista. “Smith, you could have at least left one of them for me.”

With that, she takes Calista out of the room.

I don’t want to let her out of my sight, but I don’t have a say in it, and to be honest, the less time spent here, the better. Iglance at my fellow Knights, including the one marrying my daughter, one of my closest friends, and the one I really don’t want to engage with at all anymore.

Jones lifts an eyebrow. “Plan going well?”

“You might have hurried shit up a little bit.”

He ignores the dig with nothing behind it. “You get anything of interest from her? Other than that bruise on her throat?”

I ignore that.

“Enver never told me who wants her; chances are he doesn’t know.”

“Not what I asked, but from what he told me, it’s one of those jobs where the client pays extra for delivery and no questions.” He shrugs, looks around, then gazes down at the two dead assholes, their deflated cocks almost ghoulishly comical.

It’s a fitting end.

“Why are there so many fucking cretins in this world?” Jones asks.

I glance at him again. “Fuck if I know. I just wish I’d been able to make them, and the big one, suffer a little bit first.”

“If you’d left them to me and Mercer,” says Malone, slinging an arm over my shoulders. He’s sporting a beard and judging from the almost preppy look, he’s either changed his ways or it’s for a job. “We’d have loved to have fucked them up for you.”

Liam calls him over. Malone pats my back, then leans in close. “Talk with Orion. He had to deal with the same shit when Mercer and Ivy got together. If ice and rock can communicate, you can do it, too.”

I scowl at him. Ivy is Orion’s sister. It’s not the same thing at all. “You find a woman and you’re suddenly a relationshipexpert?”

“Hey,” he says, moving away from me, “when you meet a girl like Scarlett, you have epiphanies.”

“Still can’t believe she likes you.”

He puts a hand to his heart. “It’s a goddamn wonder of the world. And so’s the fact that Calista has it bad for your old ass. Go figure.”

Malone winks and disappears to talk to Liam before I can respond.

“Your question?” I say to Jones. “She has shit, but she’s reluctant to spill it.”

“That you know of.”

“Yeah, well…” I mutter as I take in the place with new eyes. Alone, I’d have gotten out. With Calista? I was on my way when the cavalry turned up. “I appreciate the help, don’t get me wrong, but I could have gotten us the fuck out.”

“You definitely got yourself the fuck in.”

I smile grimly. “I did. Not how I’d planned but it takes getting caught to catch the fish. Or some shit like that.”

Jones shoves a body with his foot, then bends down and searches the guy. I let him conduct the search on one and then the other because I’m liable to do damage after death, and it might look a little fucked in the head.

It is fucked in the head.

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