Page 69 of Don't Lie To Me

“Put me the fuck down, Onyx.” I slam my fist into his back as he marches on, taking us both to the elevator. My fist connecting with his back does nothing, if he feels it, he doesn’t even flinch. He’s too damn strong for me, and before I know it, the doors ping shut, locking us both inside.

I’m still upside down as he doesn’t release me, but I see the elevator climb four floors, right up to the top, and I know exactly where we are headed. The doors open onto a penthouse apartment, all decked out in industrial-style furniture, with exposed-brick walls and sky-high windows framed in black iron. So different to the half rundown warehouse it was when I was here last. The room wooshes past as Onyxstrides with me out into the space, dropping me onto the plush white leather sofa in the center of the room.

With my heart racing like a bird trying to escape its cage, I glare back at him. “Fuck you,” I spit out angrily. He knows what for; lying to me, tricking me, siding with my brother and keeping me in the dark, and bringing me back here, a place he knows I never wanted to come again.

He turns and strides right back to the elevator to retrieve our bags. As he does, I sit up, trying to find my bearings after being hauled up here upside down. When my eyes come into focus, I realize we’re not alone. I flinch, a cold sweat coming over me. There sitting at the oversized glossy kitchen table are Reef and Romeo. I stand in a rush, my heart leaping out of my chest. “What the hell is going on?”

“Wildcat give you trouble, Onyx?” Reef’s eyes light up with amusement as he stands and approaches me. He strides toward me so casually, I almost have to do a double take to make sure it’s the same dude I have come to know.

I flick my eyes between Onyx and Reef, so confused at their friendliness. I think I must have hit my head on the way up. “What are you doing here?” I direct the question to Reef since Onyx is still not saying a word.

Reef offers me a half smile, one that would normally melt my panties, but right now it makes me clench my fists, ready to fight. “Things have gotten out of hand. We decided it would be best to find you some place safe until we get control over the situation again.”

“It’s just some psycho stalker; I have dealt with worse,” I mutter, confused as to why they are overreacting so much over this situation I find myselfin.

“We don’t know what this is, but from the state your bedroom was left in, I think we can all be grateful you didn’t go home last night. We’re not taking any chances of him getting his hands on you.”

“What do you meanwe… Are you all working together?” I look between them, the silence heavy and thick, waiting for an explanation.

Romeo stands, joining us. “Why don’t I show you to your room,” he suggests, his face warm and caring. I don’t even understand how he beat us here; he was at the club when we left.

I blink back at him, trying to get my body under control. “Not until one of you fuckers tells me what is going on. Why are you all here together? Why are you acting like this is worse than it is?”

Reef’s hand laces into mine, pulling my attention back to him. “We want to protect you, Sloane. This place is safer than your apartment now.”

I search Reef’s beautiful face for answers. Out of any of them, he is the most likely to tell it to me straight, right? He’s a cop, doesn’t he have to? Because this shit is borderline kidnapping. I don’t want to be locked up in this place, and I definitely didn’t agree to any of this. “Why are you all here together?”

“We have a common goal, doll face.” Romeo’s hand brushes my cheek as he moves in closer. He’s obsessed with touching me, and as much as I crave his hands on me, right now is not the fucking time or the place.

“Me?”I blink back at him, knowing something is off. They’re keeping shit from me. There is no way all of them would be happily here together to ensure my safety against some psycho stalker. Reef is a cop, for fuck’s sake, the opposite of everything the rest of us stand for. This is something else, and I, for one, intend to work out what on earth they are up to. Either they have been lying to me all along and they already knew each other when they came into my life or… orwhat, I have no idea. But I don’t like this, all of us under one roof. Or maybe I do, but not like this.

I unlace my hand from Reef and step back from them, my head feeling even more frazzled than normal. “Onyx, show me to my room,” I demand, trying to keep my shit together in front of them.

Romeo’s growl is low, rumbling through his chest and carrying a palpable sense of irritation toward me for asking Onyx instead of him.

“Let her go,” Reef tells him, and I feel the tension between them heighten, an erratic energy crackling in the air.

Onyx moves from his place over on the other side of the room and tilts his head to the side, telling me the way to go, and I follow him down a short hallway. He pushes open the heavy oak door, the second on the right, revealing a dimly lit room, and I follow closely behind. Dominating the room’s center is a large wrought-iron bed frame, its ornate curves catching the light, draped with textured white linen. Soft white drapes frame the window, letting in the glow of the full moon. Off to the side, an ensuite bathroom boasts black subway tiles in a herringbone pattern, the cool, dark tiles contrasting with the warmth of the large black soaking tub in the center of the room; a massive shower with a double showerhead completes the space. I have to hand it to my brother, he has terrific taste, and even though industrial chic wouldn’t normally be my thing, he’s pulled it off nicely.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Onyx mutters dryly from his place in the doorway.

I turn back to him, my eyes narrowing, a silent challenge passing between us. I nervously fiddle with the bracelet he gave me on my birthday, the fragile metal a constant tick against my skin, a reminder of him. “Out of the three of you, it’s you I can’t believe deceived me. Why didn’t you simply tell me this was the plan, why exclude me?”

He closes the gap between us, his large frame taking up way too much space, his dark eyes peering down at me. “You’re the most stubborn person I know, Sloane. If you don’t want to do something, you won’t. I wasn’t giving you a choice this time, there is too much at stake.”

His words cut deep. They might be true, but it shouldn’t matter. This is my life, I should be free to make whatever bad choice I want. “You’re not the man I thought you were,” I snip, bitchy as all fuck, taking a step back from him. He’s hurt me today, created a distance between us I never thought possible.

“You can hate me all you want, but let’s get one thing straight, trouble. My job is to keep you alive. If your feelings get hurt in the process, that’s not on me. I made it very clear right from the start who we are to each other. Stop fantasizing we’re something we’re not and let me do my job.” His words might be harsh, but his body betrays him. His eyes haven’t left mine and stare into my soul in a way that makes a pain form in my chest.

Tears well in my eyes, and for the first time in nine years, I can’t stop them scrolling freely down my cheeks. Being back in this place with everything that’s going on, it’s just too much. His face instantly softens, he can’t hide the truth. “Stop lying to yourself,” I mutter, unable to help the raw emotion in my voice.

“Sloane.” His hands come to mine, and he pulls me into his chest, so close I can feel the way his heart pounds erratically. He kisses my hair softly as he holds me. “You’re going to be the death of me, trouble.” His fingertips trail up my arms, and before I know it, they’re lacing in my hair and his lips find mine. He kisses me like his life depends on it, each flick of his tongue erasing the lies he just told me. I knew there was so much morehere.

What was passionate turns hurried and desperate as he picks me up. My legs wrap around his waist, and he carries me into the bathroom, placing me down on the countertop. He pulls back ever so slightly, his eyes searching mine. “I shouldn’t be in here with you.”

I blink away my tears as I stare up at him. “But you’re not going to leave me all alone while I’m upset, are you?”

His hands fiddle with the knot on my top, untying it, tugging it over my head. “I break every one of my damn rules for you.”

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