Page 106 of The Truths that Deceive

Her mouth turns up in a cynical smile. “Why was I there? To parade in front of your kid? Because last thing you said about who I needed to be was either a fake wife or fake sex toy. You know, the usual.”

I don’t laugh, even though I want to.

“If I knew you’d want that, I’d have made other plans.”

“We weren’t there long.”

I breathe out, slip a hand around her waist, sliding down to her ass. “Because I was done when I was done.”

“Doing what?”

“Meeting your senator, making sure introductions that your other friend Johnny set up went smoothly.” I lean in, waggle the phone in the air. “And trying to glean anything at all about a connection between stolen weapons sales and the sex trade.”

“You don’t strike me as a guy with a subscription toGirls With Big Guns.”

I slide up close a moment, letting her feel my hard cock. “I preferMouthy Prey Monthly.”

“You would.”

Calista shifts, rubs against me. Then I step back.

“Along,” I murmur, “withPrimal Sacrifice.”

“Sounds positively pagan.”

“You have no fucking idea.” I slip my thumb along her bottom lip, the phone in my other hand. And she sighs softly.

“I’ve had sex with you, I think I might.”

“We’re just dipping toes in.”

“You’re not the big bad wolf,” she says, sucking my thumb into her mouth.

The stroke of her tongue and the wetness shoots straightand hot to my cock. “More like a panther. I like to hunt. I like to play.” Fuck, I pull my thumb free and step back, waving the phone. “Why do you have this?”

Calista snatches the phone from me. “Wrong question. It should be ‘what did you find, Calista?’”

“What the fuck did you find, sweetheart?”

Her smile is small, but there, and her fingers fly over the screen. It lights up and she holds it out.

“Call me. Aaron.” I lift my gaze. “I didn’t know you were that close.”

She spins free, darting past me, and throws the phone. I catch it easily. “We’re not, dickwad. At least not anymore. Look at the time stamp.”

I do, and now I frown. “So, I guess the question is, who the fuck sent this?”

“I need a computer, some hardware to scramble the signal, and a booster if this isn’t wired.”

“Don’t ask for much, do you?”

Her gaze shifts to me and she coils fingers around my tie, pulling herself into me. “All I want is the people who used and hurt my mother until she was dead, and for my brother to have a good life.”

“Fuck, Calista, I hate it when you sound like a murderous do-gooder.”

“No, I think you like it. That’s your guilt.”

I toss her the phone and she pushes farther in to look around.

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