Page 12 of Filthy Liar

“Can you leave it alone?”

“I could, but I won’t,” she said sweetly, getting to her feet. “I assume since you’re so worried about Ander that you’ll be going to find him? Don’t even think about bringing him back here. He’s not welcome.”

I took Raven’s elbow and pulled her closer just in case, and Zane chuckled darkly. “If you think I wouldn’t go through you or your buddies to get to her, you have another thing coming, Donahue. Get her out of here before I prove it.”

I wasn’t dumb enough to pick a fight with him, he’d destroy me, so I pulled Raven behind me as I headed back to the bedroom, leaving Reid and Zavier to deal with it.

Irritation radiated out of Raven as I shut the door behind us. “We can’t just?—”

“Beckett’s a monster when she wants to be, but she’s not a liar. If she said it wasn’t her, then it wasn’t,” I cut in, grabbing some clothes out of her bag to push at her. “Get dressed.”

“Where are we going?”

“Nowhere yet. I have a feeling Ander will tell us soon though,” I replied, knowing she’d want to see him in person.

Was it smart? No. The chance of him betraying us now we knew the truth was strong, but I had to trust that his feelings for Raven were genuine.

Her body relaxed from my words. “You’ll take me to him?”

“When he says it’s safe to, yes. If it wasn’t Beckett’s doing, then Stefano was most likely the one to burn the house down. Which means he either thought we were in there, or he’s aware of Ander’s involvement and is sending him a message. We have to be extra vigilant, so if I tell you to do something, can you not fight me on it?” I asked, not wanting to boss her around, but needing to know she was safe.

“Keep me in the loop and don’t hide things from me. If you hear something, tell me,” she said as she tugged her shirt off to put her bra and a tank on, my eyes refusing to leave her body. She wouldn’t have stripped in front of me unless she was okay with me looking. If she’d asked, of course I would've looked away.

“I can do that,” I promised, my eyes dropping lower as she kicked her shorts off and grabbed her cargo pants, taking her time to shimmy into them. “I really want to tear those back off you and fuck your cunt with my tongue.”

“Maybe later,” she said with a grin, stepping closer and standing on tiptoe to give me a quick kiss. She didn’t say anything, but I heard her words all the same.

We’d be okay.

CHAPTERTHREE

ANDER

“You’re going to get me in trouble with my daughter,” Rory said with amusement as I sat opposite her at Wet Dreams later in the afternoon, her eyes sliding distrustfully to Dante as he sat beside me. “You’ve got big balls, Lavaro. I’ll give you that.”

“Dante Ricci,” Dante said as he leaned forward to shake her hand, knowing manners and respect got you further than brute force in this world. “I apologize for my family bringing trouble to your door.”

She eyed him for a moment before taking his hand to shake it, trying to get a read on him. She wouldn’t, Dante could camouflage himself in any situation. He was brilliant at blending in.

“Rory Donovan,” she finally said as she leaned back. “I take it you want something since you’re both risking me murdering you. Especially you, Lavaro. I told you not to fuck with Raven.”

I sighed, knowing no amount of explanation would be good enough for her. I’d lied, end of story.

“I’m here because of Raven. I need help with something.”

“Spit it out, I don’t have all day.”

“Rent me a house.”

She huffed out a humorous laugh, crossing her arms. “Why? So your daddy can burn it down? Those houses are for those less fortunate, not mafia princes who dug a big hole and need a handout.”

“Not for me. I’ll pay for it, but it’s for Raven and the guys. Even if it’s a one bedroom. They need somewhere safe, and Ashburn Valley is the safest they can get. I won’t even go near the place if you don’t want me to, I just have to know they’re okay,” I stated, watching as she silently thought about it.

My phone rang, and I glanced down to see Raven’s name on the screen for the millionth time today. No doubt she’d heard about my house burning down and was worried, but I’d been busy handling shit with Dante all day and hadn’t had time to talk to her.

I put it back in my pocket and tried hard to ignore the next call, but I quickly sent her a text when she tried again, knowing she was likely freaking out.

Ander: I’m in a meeting trying to organize something. I’ll call you when I’m done here, promise.

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