Page 2 of Deceptive Games
Rory wouldn’t handle prison, so I bit my tongue and stalked out to my car, refusing to let Slash do that to her. You’d have thought that after a lifetime of friendship that he’d back off with this one goddamn thing.
I opened the driver’s side door and slid in, slamming my hands against the steering wheel out of frustration. I did it again before remembering I’d told Rory to wait for me in the car, and I glanced over to find her watching me silently.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I scowled, trying not to raise my voice.
“I helped you.” Her voice wavered, telling me she didn’t believe her own words and was second-guessing everything.
“We’ll talk about it at my house. I don’t want to fight with you while I’m driving,” I said sharply, starting the engine as I waited for her response, but I didn’t get one.
After a moment, I put the McLaren in reverse and drove towards home, trying to figure out how I’d get Rory out of this. Even if Slash didn’t have the murder weapon, Rory’s DNA was likely to be all over Liam’s house. Door handles, light switches, everywhere.
People who weren’t born into the life of crime didn’t usually have a criminal mind, which meant they touched things and didn’t try to cover their steps in case something went wrong.
If Rory was on a job for Slash in that house, she wouldn’t have known to keep her hands off shit to avoid incriminating herself, and he was an asshole for not telling her.
He’d done this on purpose to back her into a corner.
We didn’t speak the entire drive, my annoyance only growing when we walked inside and she still didn’t speak.
“You going to tell me what happened, or do I have to pry it out of you?” I snapped when she met my gaze.
“It’s a long story.”
“Then start fucking talking, Aurora. Since when did you and Slash start hanging out, huh? Did he drag you there then tell you to kill Liam, or did you know the plan all along? Did you walk into that house with orders from Slash to kill him?” I demanded, stepping against her to look down at her, but she didn’t flinch back from me.
The stubborn woman glared right back at me and put her hands on her hips.
“Slash said if I helped him with something, he’d let me fight. He just wanted me to see if Liam would spill crew secrets, that’s all.”
“So why did I walk in on you covered in blood and Liam dead in the van? Did Slash force your hand? Did Liam hurt you?”
She sighed, running a shaking hand through her hair and cringing when she remembered it was covered in drying blood.
“I panicked. Between Liam touching me and him talking about killing you, I didn’t think. I grabbed his gun from the counter beside me and shot him. He had to die.” Her voice was strained and she glanced away from me, her guilt and conscience getting to her.
That was good, because it meant she wasn’t like me.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I asked in a low voice. “You could go to prison, Aurora. You murdered someone and left your fingerprints all over the place.”
“Slash said he’ll handle it,” she said firmly, and I hated how she seemed to believe that.
I moved towards her, my hand wrapping around her throat lightly to keep her in place.
“You really think that? You’d trust Slash with your life? You got rid of his problem and gave him the perfect scapegoat. What happens when the cops start sniffing around? Slash won’t want it connected to him, and he’ll let you take the fall. All you did was leave him with the murder weapon and other damning evidence.” A flicker of worry flashed across her face, and my fingers tightened a little more. “Did you fuck Liam to get him to talk?”
“No.” Her pupils expanded slightly and her answer was quick, making me narrow my eyes.
“Were yougoingto let him fuck that tight little cunt?”
“I’d do anything to keep you safe,” she said sharply, shoving me with annoyance, but I didn’t move. “I wanted to help, no one forced me. If fucking Liam got me the answers Slash wanted, then it was worth it.”
I rolled my eyes, tightening my fingers to hold her attention. “So you had a choice? If you’d said no, Slash would’ve been peachy about it?”
“Um, yes?” It sounded like a question, not an answer.
She gasped as I shoved her back against the wall and pressed against her, her eyes going wide.
“You know I hate it when you lie to me. I don’t give a fuck if Slash dangles the best temptation in the world in front of you. Never meet up with him in secret, and don’t do his dirty work for him. He’s one of my closest friends, I’ve known him for almost my entire life, so I promise you that he’s a bad person. Do you know what could’ve happened if Liam caught onto you?” I asked, my voice turning soft, and my hold loosened a fraction as I dropped my forehead to hers. “Liam’s always been a sadistic cunt. He would’ve tortured you, raped you, and then killed you.”
