Page 58 of Don't Lie To Me

I slam the door for emphasis and flick on the shower to scorching, then dropping my sheet, I step under the spray, letting the water cascade over my body and hair. I don’t know how to step back into my club the same woman I was yesterday. There is part of me that now feels broken or missing. It’s the strangest feeling, and last night, I may have dealt with it by drinking too much and taking way too many pills, but in the light of day, I know I need to wrap my head around my new reality. I’m not Sloane Stryker at all. I have no clue who I am.

When I’m done washing off my poor choices from last night, I shut off the water and take the spare plush towel, wrapping it around me. I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror. I still look like the same person I was before I found out the truth, but there is an emptiness inside of me that’s all-consuming. I have so many questions. Why did my brothers keep this secret from me? Who is my real family and why would someone murder them? Why is the new police commissioner searching for me? I know who will answer some of those questions, but the thing is, do I want to see him again after the stunt he pulledlast night? Can I even trust him or is the handsome detective trying to manipulate me for his own gain, just like every other man in my life?

I take my time drying my hair then step back into the bedroom. Both men are gone just like I asked them to be. I breathe a sigh of relief. Finding my skirt, top, and bra from last night, I slip them back on. My underwear, however, I’m pretty sure is in Romeo’s pocket. So, for now, I’m bare, and there is nothing I can do about it. That worries me less than the lack of make-up on my face.

I take a deep breath, trying to prepare myself to face whatever awaits me on the other side of the door, then turn the handle. As I expected, Onyx is waiting across the hall, one leg propped up on the wall, knee bent. His eyes don’t even find mine, his steely expression back firmly in place. With a huff, I ignore him and stride down the hall, swiping myself back into the VIP section. Doing the walk of shame once was bad enough, but twice is utterly disgraceful. I don’t make eye contact with the girls already in the room doing dance classes. I just stride through like this is normal. I’m in charge, and there is nothing out of the ordinary to see.

When I push open the door to the main bar, I’m met with folded arms and the dark expression of Jagger. He and Romeo stand close in deep discussion. Jagger’s eyes follow me across the room, but I’m not ready to deal with him today. I’m not ready to deal with anyone. I want to lock myself away from the world and pretend yesterday didn’t happen. Pretend I don’t know the truth.

“Sloane,” Jagger’s voice booms across the room, an angry edge to it that would scare most other people in this town.

I keep walking. Fuck him if he thinks he can lie to me my entire life and I’ll come running when he calls my name. Not going to happen, asshole. I push open the door to the back hallway and head for my office. The only place I canescape them.

Locking the door once I’m inside, I locate a black striped pencil skirt and a white high-neck top to change into. Then I fix my face back in place, delicately painting on my make-up. Lastly, I slide open the drawer where I keep my pills, looking for the smallest taste of sanity, anything to calm the anxiety churning up my insides. But my heart kicks up a beat when I find the drawer is empty. What the fuck? I pull the drawer out and turn it upside down like that will make them magically appear. Then I pull open all three other drawers in the vanity. Fuck, they’re not anywhere. My chest tightens. I can’t do today unmedicated.

“You looking for these, little sis?” Jagger snarls from the doorway.

I flick my angry glare toward him. “How the fuck did you get in here?” I snap back, not wanting to play his dumb fucking games today.

He steps inside the bathroom. “What the fuck are you thinking, popping these things like a fucking junkie?” He holds up the half-empty bottle, shaking it for emphasis.

“They’re prescription.” Anger boils inside me as my hands involuntarily curl into fists. If he wants a fight, he’s about to get one.

“But you’re not taking the dose you should be, are you?” the smug asshole says, stalking around me, making his overbearing presence known.

I huff out a laugh. “And which asshole went and ratted me out? The bodyguard or the motherfucker trying to take over my life?”

His dark eyes flicker with barely contained rage. “That’s not important.” His hand comes to my arm, and he looks at me with way too much disappointment.

“Yes, it is. I need to know who around me I can trust, and right now, it’s looking like not one of you fuckers is really in my corner.” My breath catches in my throat, that last realization hitting me like a sucker punch to the gut.

His face softens a little. “Sis, that’s where you’re wrong. You have all of us only wanting what’s best for you. Both Onyx and Romeo are concerned about you, rightfully so. And after what happened with detective lover boy last night, I think I have cause to be monitoring this situation more closely as well.”

I pull out of his grip on me. “Fuck off, Jagger, I don’t need your concern. I have this situation under control.”

His lips tighten into a thin line, a furrow in his brow adding to the scowl that makes his gaze feel like a cold weight on me. “I don’t believe that for a second, but even if I did, I’m your brother. It’s my job to take care of you, Sloane.”

I stare back at him, so close to tears it’s not funny. I bite the inside of my lip to stop the waterworks from breaking free. I don’t fucking cry, not over anything. But knowing Jagger isn’t really my big brother cuts so deep, it threatens to open old wounds I buried so long ago when I lost my mother. He’s been my constant for so long, and even though he’s the president of the Iron Strykers, he’s always taken really good care of me, even when he was pretty much still a kid himself.

“Sloane, what is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Onyx said we have to keep it to ourselves, to keep me safe, but I can’t. I won’t look at him, knowing the truth, and pretend. “You’re not my brother.” My bottom lip trembles as the words spill out, a fresh wave of pain radiating through me like little tiny knives stabbing at my soul.

His eyes burn with something dark and unhinged. “What the fuck are you going on about?”

I knew he wouldn’t come clean with me. I shove past him and into my office, heading right for where I put the papers I was given last night. He storms into the room right behind me, his heavy boots stomping as he follows me.

I collect the papers Reef gave me and shove them in his face. “Don’t fucking lie to me,” I yell, not able to keep the pain inside anymore.

I see the moment he realizes what he’s holding. He drops it, his tanned face paling. “Wh… who gave this to you?” he stutters out. My big bad brother is shaken by something after all. The truth fucking hurts.

“That’s not important.”

“You could be in real danger, Sloane. Tell me who gave this to you.”

“That’s not even my name,” I say sadly. “Who the fuck is Ava Kingsley? Please, Jagger, you have to tell me what you know.”

Chapter 22

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