Page 12 of Twisted Lies

Once more, there is only one answer to his question. “Yes. You can count on me. I’ll look after them. I’ll protect the business and family with my life.” He leans back into his chair and eyes me up and down before nodding. We sit for what feels like hours in silence. Lost in our thoughts and on how our futures would differ if she were still alive. I know things will change. He’ll go after the ones who ordered the hit. I know without a doubt I’ll be involved in their deaths. It will be the way of things. Whatever happens in the future, I will never let anyone take my family away again.

ChapterFour

ELIJAH

The next day I’m discharged from the hospital. Claire picks me up, and we return home. However, I don’t waste time going into the house. I leave her car for my own and head toward Connor’s. We need to discuss business. Keeping a man like Connor waiting is never a good strategy.

“Kevin, just in time,” Connor says in the way of greeting as I enter his office. Two of his other enforcers are there, including Aaron. I didn’t like Aaron the first time I met him, and I don’t like him much more now. I’m surprised Connor’s sons aren’t here. Sean, Finn, and Owen have been involved this last year with the business. Sean being the oldest, already has an air of entitlement around him, but I do like him, along with his brothers. They have charisma. I have found they are much nicer when they are together. When they are apart, they’re meaner and more intense. It’s as if they have the ability to talk the other off the edge.

“Boss,” I respond, nodding.

“I’m assuming you know what Alex has done with Jason Griffin?” Connor asks.

I have no clue what he’s talking about; I’m going to murder both Claire and Alex if they’re keeping something from me. Last I heard, Alex told Jason he killed Pat Riley. He was working an angle for himself but told Connor it was to cover himself. If there was more, and if Connor found out, there would be trouble. Trouble I’ll be expected to fix. Months earlier, Pat had started some problems for Connor. Both Connor and Pat were working for Jason for years. Each working with different products. Connor with drugs and Pat with weapons. Connor hoped that by taking out Pat, Jason would only work with him, opening more opportunities and taking a thorn from his side at the same time. He had Alex do the hit to prove himself. He was also a scapegoat. Alex, of course, figured all this out and went to Jason. What deal they came up with no one knows.

“If you’re referring to Alex telling him that he killed Pat, then yes, I know. However, if there is new news, I’m not aware.”

The truth in a lie is always a good place to start.

Connor slams his hands on the desk. None of us flinch. We were used to Connor’s moods, and it would show weakness. “It’s your job to know. It’s your job to make sure the family comes under no threats.” His words give me a flashback to the day in my father’s office, but I quickly banish the memory from my thoughts. “I don’t trust Alex. He’s gone behind my back to speak to Jason. We don’t know what was said, and this concerns me. If it concerns me, it should fucking concern you. Find out what Alex’s play is and find out now. He’s your brother-in-law. Don’t make me have you choose,” he threatens. I know he means his words. He’ll have me kill Alex to prove my loyalty. Alex would not be easy to kill, and it would destroy Claire. If Connor orders me to kill him, I’ll have no choice. He’d kill Claire, my niece, and myself to make a point that no one says no to an order.Alex, what the fuck did you get us involved in?

“I’ll find out, boss. Alex would not dare cross you. He needs the alliance. But I’ll make sure.”

“You do that. Leave me. All of you!” he commands. Saying nothing to the others, I leave. There was nothing else that needed to be said. I need to get home and speak with Claire. See if she knows anything. If not, Alex would be getting a phone call or visit. If he betrayed us again, Connor wouldn’t have to worry about ordering me to kill him. I’ll happily put him in the ground.

* * *

LILY

When Kevin returns, he’s in a pissed-off mood. He doesn’t look at me as he orders me to get Mia before slamming his office doors. I want to bitch at him for being an ass, but today is not the day. I’m getting better at picking up on his moods. Some days I know I can push his buttons, and it will be fine, but other days like today, there is a little something extra in his eyes that tells me to stay away. It’s like living with a large tiger. Somedays, it will let you near enough to pet it, and others it will bite your hand off without a thought. Today was a biting the hand off kind of day.

I find Mia in her room, Face Timing with Alex and tell her that her brother wants her. Alex does not seem thrilled at the information, but he’s not here and can’t kill the messenger. Going to my room, I take inventory of what I’ll take with me when I leave. It’s not much. It never is. Most of the things I own now were gifts from Mia. I’ll leave those behind. I don’t feel right taking them. For the first time in years, I’m not looking forward to reinventing myself. I was starting to like this version of Lily.

Maybe the steam from a shower will clear my head, making room for new ideas. Thankfully, my room has its own bathroom. I don’t have to use the one down the hall, which gives me more privacy. My bedroom is large with a king size bed and several chests. The walk-in closet is large but wasted on me; I don’t have enough clothes to fill one side. The bed has a warm yellow comforter. It was cream when I moved in, but I had to get something brighter. The walls are white with no wall hangings. Mia said I could hang pictures, but I have none to hang, and I did not want to feel at home here. Tossing my clothes to the floor, I catch the scar on my side. Still as hideous as ever. It’s a neon sign that something terrible happened. Always a reminder of my past mirrored on my skin, so I’ll never forget. As if I could. Thankfully, no one has seen it here. I only go to the pool alone. Too many questions would be asked if it was seen. Whatever they’re a part of, I know they would, without a doubt, know what it’s from. They’d question how I got it. I could lie as I have before, but they won’t be as easily fooled, unlike everyone else who has asked.

Stepping into the hot water, I let the warm water run over my skin. Glancing back at the scar, I remember what happened after the men left. I wish the hot water could burn it from my memory.

The night my family is killed, they leave us for dead. There is so much blood they don’t bother to check on me. They assume I’m dead.

Crawling on the floor, I make it out the door to the woods that back the house. I don’t know how far I go before I pass out. When I wake up, I’m on a hard sofa in a small room filled with newspapers and bottles. Not liquor bottles, but fruit juice and soda containers. The floor is dirty and filled to the brim with items.

“Shhh.” I jump at the sound. A wrinkled old woman with long white hair says from the corner, “They can hear us.”

Whispering, I ask, “Who?” I’m afraid it’s the men that killed my family.

“The government. They can hear through walls. The paper helps to interrupt their frequency.” Great. I went from killers to crazy people. I nod as if her words make sense. Glancing down at myself, I see that I’m in new clothes, and my body has been bandaged. The pain is light at the moment. She must have given me some sort of pain meds. The wound on my side itches and pulses more than the rest. Moving my hand to the bandage, I try to see how bad it is. “Don’t. Leave it. That was the worst. I had to cauterize it, or you would have bled to death.”

“Cauterize?” I ask, unsure of the word.

“I could not take you to the hospital. They would ask too many questions. They would have found me. Yes. Yes. I could not do it. You understand? It will scar. You must understand. Scar,” she repeats, getting irritable.

“I do. Thank you.” I am unsure how else to respond.

The woman hobbles to my side, hands me a cup filled with hot liquid, and tells me to drink. After a few sips, the room begins to fade. Once more, the darkness takes me away. I stay with Sally for a few weeks. We become friends of sorts. She helps me get a new identity. For being a little crazy, she knows some good people. I know I can never go home. By now, they know not everyone was dead. Or at least, not everyone died in the house. I can’t take the chance of them finding out I’m alive. Sally gives me some money for a bus, and I run, leaving them all behind.

After that, I lived on the streets. It was hard, but at least I lived.

What was once hot water is now lukewarm and would soon turn cold. Picking the shampoo from the floor, I quickly squeeze some of the lavender smelling liquid into my hand and scrub it into my hair.

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