Page 48 of Devious Secrets

“Fine. I need to call Billy to see if those men came back.” After I check for Mira’s message, I should ask Billy to check my mail. Maybe she mailed me something from wherever she’s hiding.

“They haven’t. I have men at your building in case they do, so you don’t need to call Billy.”

“I still want to talk to him.” Need. This is a definite need.

“Why?”

“Because.” There. Two can play the game of simply making a statement and letting it lie there. See how he likes having it played on him.

“That’s not an answer.”

“It seems to be when you say it,” I mutter.

Great. Now he’s making me sound like a brat.

I thrust my hand forward. “I just want my phone. And it’s mine, so give it to me.”

He stares at it for a moment, then lifts his eyes to mine.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

This man wants me to lose my mind, that’s what his game is. If I go crazy, then he can easily kill me without any sort of remorse.

Not that he would have an iota of remorse anyway. The man has a skull on his table!

“I don’t trust you.” He pulls out his own phone and swipes across the screen until he finds what he wants, then turns it to me.

My heart skids to a halt.

“You lied to me, Megan. Again, you lied.”

Aprofile picture of Detective James Calloway stares at me from Alexander’s phone.

“Do you know this man?” While still holding the phone so I can see the screen, he swipes his middle finger across the screen. “And before you lie to me again, I want you to think real hard.”

The second photograph is of the detective stepping out of my apartment building.

“Uh.” Thoughts, explanations for why that man would be in my building fly through my mind.

Just because he was in my building doesn’t mean he was there to see me. He could have been at anyone’s apartment.

“That’s it?” He puts the phone away and folds his arms over his chest.

“What do you want me to say, Alexander?”

“The truth.” He takes a predatory step in my direction. “Let’s try that for once, Megan. I’m tired of your lies. You tell me one more and you’ll spend the night in the pit.”

My throat closes around that threat. I have no doubt he means the room with the meat hook and he’ll put me there and leave me.

“If you would just leave me alone, you wouldn’t need to know anything.” Every step I take backward, he matches until I hit the couch and fall onto the thick cushions.

Taking the opportunity, he leans over me, completely caging me in.

“I’m not going to leave you alone, Megan. Now tell me the truth. Why would a detective be at your apartment? And who sent you to get the drive on Dexter Thompson?”

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