Page 19 of Don't Lie To Me

Instead, I straighten my shoulders, lift my chin, and waltz into my club, faking an air of confidence to mask the churning nausea threatening to send me running to the bathroom. I’m the perfect actress, I have been since I was a little girl and I worked out it was the only way to survive this world. Don’t show any of them how you really feel. Don’t show any sign of weakness at all. Last night was a momentary slip-up. One I will never let happen again.

I don’t know where my brothers pulled the cleaning crew from at such short notice, but what was a total shitshow before I left the roomis now back to resembling my classy establishment. They even went so far as to have a bouquet of fresh white roses left on the bar for me, their subtle sweet scent wafting my way.

Myriah holds a fresh cup of coffee up in front of my face as she greets me with a sly smile.

“You look like shit,” I tell her, looking her over.

“Didn’t have time to go home and change,” she admits, her head dropped, and I know there is a good story behind her guilty expression.

I look her over properly, taking a sip of my long black as I do. She’s still in last night’s dress, her hair is in a neat ponytail, but her make-up is a little smudged. “Did you stay here last night as well?”

She nibbles her lip. “Most of us did. After you left, things got hectic.” Her cheeks glow with heat as she makes eye contact with Asher.

She didn’t! I don’t want to know if she and my brother hooked up. It’s been brewing for a while, and knowing Asher, he would have taken the chance to make a move, but I don’t need to hear about it. “Hmm. Go home and get yourself fixed up. Your shift doesn’t start until midday.”

“Thank you, Sloane,” she mutters. “And happy birthday.”

“Can’t have you walking round here looking like that, now can we.” I offer her a half smile so she knows I’m kidding and I actually love her to bits.

She throws me a kiss before taking off for the door. I will deal with the fallout from whatever that was later.

What the hell did I miss out on last night? I throw a look to my brothers who have gathered at a table in the middle of the room with fresh coffee mugs of their own. Irritation crawls under my skin when I realize Romeo is still here, and he’s sitting with them looking alltoo relaxed. What, has he been accepted into the family just like that? Something fishy is going on here.

I march over to the table. “I thought I told you to get lost,” I snap at him. It’s not really what I want, but I can’t deal with his come-fuck-me eyes right now. I have to sort out my brothers and my club. Also, my head feels all kinds of weird. I have a swig of my coffee, hoping that will help.

“Quick costume change.” Romeo smirks smugly at me in a way that tells me he knows all my dirty secrets, and right now, he’s imagining how quickly he could remove this dress and have me on my back for him.

I take a step back from the table, losing my edge. Why are my brothers all looking at me like that? All four of them are here at this table. Jagger and Malachi sit down one side with Asher and Cruz on the other and Romeo at the head. “What the fuck is going on?” I spit, not liking the look of this at all.

“Why don’t you take a seat, Sis, we need to talk to you about something,” Ash says calmly. He looks like he’s sobered up a hell of a lot in the last half-hour.

Jagger has also changed out of his wet clothes and has his emblemed jacket on over his bare chest.

“I would prefer to stand,” I mutter, eyeing them all suspiciously. I feel like I’m about to need the upper hand here. Cruz won’t make eye contact with me, and Malachi looks guilty as hell.

“I’m glad you and Romeo are getting along so well, because from now on, you will be working together,” Jagger announces.

I blink back at him, trying to process what he just said. Romeo and me working together from now on? No, those words don’t make any sense together at all. “Excuse me?” I snap back at him, glancing toward Romeo as I do.

Romeo stands and moves around to where I’m standing, his hand trailing up my arm. I feel the energy shift, and I see Cruz’s fists ball under the table; he’s about to lose his shit and get all protective twin brother on Romeo like he always does. And right now, I’m not sure I would stop him. My heart races like crazy and the room spins around me so much it blurs. Romeo’s touch is the only thing I can focus on, light but very deliberate.

“What Jagger is trying to explain is that I now own a rather large share of your club, so from today, the two of us will be business partners.” His grin widens as if I should be elated to hear this information.

My glare turns icy, Romeo’s face blurring as my insides churn with a tempest of anger, betrayal, and hate. The pain in my chest is a searing, burning agony, a terrible weight coupled with suffocating fear. My head spins, a dizzying black washes over me, the room before me clouding, and then a bone-jarring thud as I slam onto the hard concrete floor, the sound of all my fears echoing in my ears.

Chapter 8

Acool,dampclothrests on my forehead as I blink my eyes open to find Onyx’s concerned face above me, his embrace a haven of warmth and comfort. He scoops me up in his arms and takes me to a booth seat, resting me down.

“What the hell, Onyx? What happened,” I ask him, confused as fuck.

He looks me over as if he’s checking for signs of damage. “You passed out, trouble.”

Rubbing my head, I can feel a dull ache on the side where I must have hit it during the fall.

“I’m calling Ricky to take a look at you.”

“No, don’t bother him. I’m fine.” Trying to prove my point, I force a smile even though I’m not feeling it.

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