Page 79 of Web of Lies
"Exactly," Riley's voice interrupts from behind me. Noah and Evelyn both turn their heads as she comes down the stairs and walks up beside me. Her damp hair is pulled into a messy bun, with a few stray strands sticking out. The oversized T-shirt she usually sleeps in hangs loosely on her frame, clinging to her damp skin. She crosses her arms over her chest and tugs at the shirt.
"I know two weeks isn't a long time," she says with a sigh, "but I've learned a lot. More than I ever thought I would." She steals a glance at me. "I'm not scared anymore. Not of holding a gun. Not of what I need to do. I don't know if that's a good thing, but it's the truth." I can see the way she's mustering every ounce of courage to say the words out loud. Her voice wavers at first, but her eyes don't.
She turns to Noah, her posture straightening. "Thank you. For helping Kyle train me. For taking me hunting even when I didn't want to go."
Noah studies her for a long moment before he gives a single nod. "You've come a long way in such a short time. Just don't forget who you are when it's done."
A flicker of unease passes over her face, but she covers it with a small chuckle. "I hope I won't."
I can't help but feel proud of her. Just a few weeks ago, she couldn't even hold a gun properly, but now she's speaking confidently in front of Noah and Evelyn. She's tougher than ever. At the same time, though, I feel more protective of her. Noah's right; this world has a way of chewing people up and spitting them out as different versions of themselves. But I won't let that happen to Riley. I'll make damn sure she doesn't lose herself in the process.
Riley then looks at Evelyn. "Thank you, too. For letting us stay here. For still trusting me when you had every reason not to."
"Riley," Evelyn says, her voice wavering as she says her name. Tears glisten in her eyes as she leaves Noah's side and walks up to Riley, pulling her into a hug. "I'm proud of you," she whispers into her shoulder. "So, so proud of you."
Riley blinks, stunned for a moment, her eyes darting to me like she's not sure how to handle all that emotion. I catch her look, the silent plea for backup, but all I can do is chuckle. She then slips her arms around Evelyn, holding her tight.
My lips curve into a smile at their display of friendship. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced: soft, emotional, and open. Still, I can't help but glance at Noah. He's watching them with a subtle smile that I've seen only on a few rare occasions. Definitely more now that he's with Evelyn. Our friendship was never like this, and it never will be. But underneath it all, we share something in common—someone who is always there for you, no matter how bad things get.
"When this is all over," Evelyn says, pulling back just enough to look at Riley, "you both have a place here. If you need time tobreathe, our door is always open." Her gaze shifts from Riley to me.
"Thanks, that means a lot." I give her a nod.
Before Riley can respond, Evelyn wraps her arms around her again, holding on even tighter than before. Riley stiffens for a beat, then melts into it, her chin resting lightly on Evelyn's shoulder.
I glance over at Noah, lips twitching into a smirk. "So what about us? You gonna hug me too?"
"If you even try to put your arms around me, I'll break them." Noah doesn't even flinch, his face completely unfazed.
"Always the sentimental one." I chuckle under my breath and shake my head.
Chapter 36
Riley
The second the familiar elevator jingle of Kyle's penthouse rings through the air, followed by the quiet slide of the door opening, my stomach churns. My pulse quickens as I brace myself for the worst—that someone might have found this place, broken in, left behind a mess, or worse. But when I step inside, the apartment sparkles. Every surface is spotless, and all the clutter we left behind has been replaced by perfect order. Relief washes through me, my shoulders sagging as the tension finally eases. I half expected to walk into chaos, but the place looks like nothing ever happened.
"Did someone come and clean?" I ask, hesitating as I step into the living room.
"Yes, my parents," Kyle says casually.
"They were here?" My eyes widen.
"Yes. They took care of your spiders while we were gone." He doesn't pay me much attention, instead letting his gaze wander around the penthouse. "They were also supposed to drop off Dumpster this morning."
As if on cue, at the sound of her name, a shrill meow echoes through the penthouse, followed by the soft patter of paws against the marble floor. Tail held high, Dumpster rounds the corner, baring her fangs as she trots to Kyle, who sweeps her up into his arms.
"There's my girl." Her shrill scream is now replaced by a purr as she stares up at Kyle.
"Do they even know how to care for spiders?" I ask, walking into the living room where the terrariums sit lined up exactly as we left them. My pulse eases as I move from one to the next, checking carefully. Every spider is in its place—including Mocha, my little escape artist.
Kyle follows close behind, setting Dumpster down on the floor. "Don't worry, I gave them a full rundown. Does everything look okay?"
"Yes." My gaze sweeps over the glass enclosures again, catching the small details like every water dish topped off, fresh substrate in spots, even the streaks of old poop stains wiped perfectly clean. "Everything looks perfect." Relief swells in my chest, and I can't help the smile that spreads across my face as my Brazilian Black crawls slowly out of her hide, stretching her long legs.
"Good," Kyle says, his hand settling on the small of my back. The warmth of his palm makes me straighten instinctively, my gaze shifting up to meet his. "I wanted everything to be perfect when we got back, so we wouldn't have those little things to worry about."
"Thank you." My smile widens. "That means we can get straight to work."
