Page 42 of Mischievous Lies

“Yes, it’s part of my charm. But are you a lot calmer now?”

“No, I’m pissed off at you,” I say, pointing out the obvious.

“Good. You work best when you’re thinking of me anyway,” he arrogantly replies. “I’ll be around shortly. We’ll figure this out.”

I notice then that I do feel better. Well, I can think much more clearly, at least. And maybe, just maybe, Hawke said what he did to bring me back from the verge of hysteria. There’s something comforting in his promise of figuring this out together. I’ve never depended on anyone for this type of stuff. Hell, I don’t even go to my father for this stuff. I mean, I’ve never had to before.

“Do you want cheese on your burger?” Hawke asks.

“Hawke,” I growl out. He might be used to people dying around him, and I thought to a degree, I was desensitized too but it’s never been someone I’ve been so close to. For the first time, I’m experiencing what it’s really like in this dark world.

“Bacon, too?”

“Gosh, you’re annoying,” I grumble as I hang up, fighting a smile because it’s unreasonable at a time like this. But I alsoappreciate his ability to keep me grounded when I’m having a reality check of what it really means to be a part of this world.

CHAPTER 26

Hawke

Iring Ford and tell him and Billie to get their own burgers because I have a date. Then I hang up before he can ask who because I don’t fucking date. I know it’s not a date, but hearing the concern in Ivy’s voice makes my skin feel like it’s being peeled from my muscles. I want to stop her immediate pain and confusion.

I contemplated telling Ford, and it took everything in me not to mention her predicament because I know he’d want to help. But the truth of the matter is I don’t know what it involves, and I’m pretty sure Ivy doesn’t usually share information about her jobs with anyone. I’m surprised she called and told me, but it shows her desperation.

I go to knock on her apartment door, but she pulls it open before I can make contact and looks at the bag of food.

“I can’t believe you actually got burgers and fries,” she scoffs.

“And milkshakes,” I say, offering her favorite flavor. Vanilla. She shakes her head but swipes the milkshake from my hand before turning and going back over to her laptop, where it sits on the coffee table.

The TV has been muted but is flashing with thatVampire Diariesbullshit she told me she likes. Something aboutvampires banging, which I guess I’m not entirely against. Popcorn is scattered on the floor.

I follow her to the couch and cozy in behind her as she rewinds the footage for me. I chow down on the burger as I casually throw an arm over the back of the couch. She spares me a look but doesn’t reprimand me, too focused on the screen.

“My friend is dead,” she says the moment the hooded figure slits her throat. I glance at her, expecting tears, terror, or something, but she looks more confused than anything.

“Do you know the other woman in this footage?” I ask, trying to silently encourage her to eat her burger, but she ignores it. She stands with the laptop and walks into her room, and I trail behind her.

“No. But I can figure out who she is.” She plugs the laptop into her three screens. The room is pitch black, other than the glow from the screens. She tucks her feet under her ass as she starts typing away on the keyboard. “I don’t know if this was something I was meant to see personally. I’d say it seems pretty targeted, but my identity for these types of jobs is concealed.”

Different tabs and searches appear for the mystery woman’s face. I’m absolutely amazed as I watch Ivy work, her fingers rapidly moving as different codes and screens flick quickly by. I don’t know how, but she seems to know exactly what the fuck is happening. “I need to send this footage within thirty minutes of it being recorded. Which means I have eight minutes left. There!” she says triumphantly as the name and image of the woman come up on the screen. Her name is Elizabeth Carinne.

She continues typing, and within seconds, a whole profile comes up. “Her father’s a politician. Maybe this was targeted.” I sit back in awe. I knew she was hot shit, but this has my cock hard. She’s not only beautiful, but she is hands down the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met. “Yep. The email address I’m sending this to belongs to her father. Which means they gotinvolved in some shady business. But I don’t know why Makayla was there. It doesn’t make any sense. She’s a party girl. Not some criminal.”

She looks at me then as if I might have all the answers. “I don’t think we can judge on appearances when it comes to criminals. I look like one. You don’t, but what you’re doing right now is not deemed acceptable by society… or the law. AKA, you’re a criminal.”

“Thaaaanks,” she says slowly and looks back to her screen, but I notice the small smirk on her face.

“Are you still going to send it?” I ask.

She lets out a shaky breath. “I need to know who was behind this. Not just because Makayla was my friend, but this feels bad. There’s something wrong here, and I can’t explain it. Why did I have to watch?” She sighs. “Either someone just paid me a generous amount to watch on purpose and have me involved, or there’s another reason why I saw this.”

The likelihood of that is substantial. She begins typing away again, and I whistle as I adjust my rock-hard cock. “I knew you were hot shit, lover, but watching you work really does it for me.” She looks over her shoulder with a promiscuous smile. “I mean it. You’re really good at this. I knew you were talented, but… it’s mesmerizing.”

A flash of something crosses her blue gaze before she looks away. I’m not entirely sure what that was about, but then something grabs my attention.

“Wait. Go back,” I say, pointing to the screen. She seems confused, but does as I say. “Pause.” She does, and the image on the screen freezes. “Isn’t that the same ugly-ass tattoo your friend’s boyfriend has on his hand?”

She narrows her gaze, peering more closely at the image, and then her eyes widen. “Jared lured them in?” she says, baffled. “But why?”

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