Page 21 of Iris' Lying Eyes

If it is, he’s lost his damn mind. I’m not sharing a bedroom with him. I’ll never get any damn sleep between knowing his big, beautiful body is so close and the images I battle in the dark.

No fucking way will I reveal that weakness.

“Is this . . .?” I start, but my escort is gone. Yep, I’m definitely going to have to teach that one.

Now that I’ve been plucked from my home, I’m left with nothing of my own beyond my new cell phone. Holding onto the old one was too risky, considering that John wouldn’t hesitate to track me down via it.

This newest turn of events was not what I expected, but I have time to make a new plan. Right now, I’m tired and hungry. Maybe food will become my new addiction because I find that if I don’t eat when I should, I get itchy.

This is why I discard my shoes and poke my head out the door. The place is so fucking big it might take me days to find the kitchen, but I have nothing better to do.

With a shrug, I head back the way I came, glancing into the stark rooms as I pass. Although the floors are clean, they’re completely bare. Did Bastion move into this empty behemoth or clean house when he arrived?

I only know enough about Sebastion Bruno, to know he was dangerous. But if the rumors are true, the former mafia head of his family, was assassinated in his own home while eating a steak dinner. After that, the Bruno family slowly died out, or so I thought.

Despite the horrors I’ve seen, the thought of him dying here gives me the willies, and I shiver before shaking it off. I have more to fear from the living than a potential ghost.

On the ground floor, I look both ways before heading to the left. On my trek, I pass another set of empty rooms before pausing on the threshold of what I assume was once a ballroom.

Beautiful, majestic chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and I flip the switch, delighted when the crystalline light cascades over the gleaming floors.

I can only imagine the parties that took place here. They must have been opulent based on the space. It shouldn’t be romantic, but old-world mafia wining and dining sets off a fire in my belly.

Dangerous men are hot, to a degree. Sue me.

“Well, well. What are you doing here?”

Gripping the jamb, I close my eyes. Please tell me that Roman fucking Bruno isn’t standing behind me.

Of course, my wish is ignored because when I turn, I meet the amused gaze of none other than he and frown.

What the fuck is he doing here? Based on the little information I have, I assume he’s Bastion’s father, but he’s the last person I would expect Bastion to include in his new role.

Bastion spent the majority of his childhood in foster care. Why would he invite this fucker back into his world?

At his stare, a chill marches down my spine, but I summon a lazy smile. Where John is a monster, Roman is a true psychopath. I’ve spent years tiptoeing around him.

I’m not sure anyone beyond a select few understands the depths of his depravity, but I’ve seen it first-hand. This makes me a liability in Roman’s eyes.

What I know could send him to prison—again. And this time, he’d be lucky to outrun the electric chair. Not to mention I’m sitting on shit that he’d kill me to have.

Does he know what’s happened?

The hole just keeps getting bigger, a thought which makes my stomach roil. Roman knows his way around a hole. Skeevy fucker.

Cocking a brow, I say, “I’m with Bastion. You?”

Not only am I fucked if he decides to remove me as a problem, but if he ever learns about my actions? Fuck no.

Now what? I definitely can’t stay here, despite my grudging agreement with Bastion. My secrets are mine, and I’ll never allow them to see the light of day for this psycho bastard.

Besides, there’s no way he isn’t contemplating all the ways I can fuck him over.

Roman’s nostrils flare, and I heed the warning as he says, “Where else would I be?”

Good question. This is as much his life as Bastion’s, but somehow Bastion superseded him as head dick. At least, I presume he did. As such, I would have expected him to stay far away from his dad.

But maybe they’re closer than I thought. What do I know? It’s not like Bastion ever spoke about him. The jerk has been ridiculously close-mouthed about his past. Case in point, this douche standing across from me.

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