Page 13 of Twisted Lies

After all the suds are out, I move to the conditioner. I finish just before the water turns cold. Wrapping myself into the fluffy maroon towel, I step out. Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement.

“What the hell, Kevin! You scared me half to death,” I gasp, holding the towel tighter against myself. I had not shut the bathroom door.Not that I needed to. “Last I checked, this is my room. What are you doing here?” I demand as water drips off my hair.

“I knocked,” he replies.

“Most people wait to be called in or some response before entering.” I point out.

“You did not respond. I was worried,” he says as his eyes linger at my breasts, thankfully hidden under the towel. Desire reflects in his eyes. My body heats at his gaze.

“I was in the shower,” I state, pointing to my hair and the towel. “I’m fine. The only thing you would need to save me from is cold water.” He continues to stand in my room, eyeing me as if debating on pouncing. Seeing that he’s not going to leave, I shut the door in his face.

Plugging in the hair dryer, I quickly dry my hair till it’s back to being blonde. Styling till it’s the exact way I want, I redress and exit the bathroom. Kevin has not moved far. He is leaning against one of the bedposts. “Still here?” I ask.

He shrugs. “We need to talk.”

“About?” I ask, silently debating if I should open the bedroom door. The large room feels smaller with his presence. I was hoping with the time it took to dry my hair, I would get my mind and body on the same page, but it seems my wires are crossed.Again. I’m not sleeping with Kevin, no matter how much I want to, and no matter that he is a fantastic kisser. It makes me wonder what else he’s good at.Down girl. Best not to have these thoughts.

“About what happened the other night…” His words have me flashing back to that moment. I don’t want to go back to the blood. Why can’t he just stop? We don’t need to discuss this. It’s not my business. My memories have been invading my every thought and dream since last night. The blood must have set it off. The sooner we stop talking about it, the better. It’s not like he’s going to tell me the full story anyway.

“If you’re not going to tell the truth, I don’t see the point.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What makes you think what we already told you wasn’t the truth?”

“You haven’t said much. But I highly doubt you didn’t see the shooter. You knew them. I could see it on your face.”

His face turns deadly. “Careful how much you pay attention. There will be no rewards for the best detective in this house.” For a moment, fear washes through me. Kevin is back to being the type of tiger that would bite the hand. “The person who shot me will be taken care of. Till they are found, there will be more guards. Mia said you weren’t thrilled. I wanted to tell you it’s not a choice.” He speaks as if he’s the judge, jury, and executioner. My temper flares.

Fury replaces my fear. “That’s not your choice. I don’t need more men at my back. I’ll just leave if it’s that big of a deal.” I need to leave anyway. The sooner I get out of this trap I’ve seemed to have made for myself, the better.

Kevin steps forward. I hold my ground in stupidity and pride. “You misunderstand. You’re not leaving. We both know you’ve seen too much to have that freedom. You’re trapped here like the rest of us.”

“What, I’m now your prisoner?” I demand as he takes a small step forward.

“If that’s your choice. Or you could go back to what you were—Becca’s nanny. You can stay comfortable in this room. Eat, drink, be merry, and go back to ignoring your instincts. Or you can be a prisoner. Either way, you’re not leaving. You choose how to spend your years. You’re not stupid; you know the first few weeks it wouldn’t be as easy as walking out the front door.” His lips are now an inch away from mine.

“I will never be a prisoner,” I spit.

His lips curl into a smile. Not a happy smile, more sinister than anything. “Then you made your choice. Go back to how things were. Pity. I was looking forward to playing out some prison fantasies with you.” I let out a shocked hiss at his words. My hand swings to hit him, but he grabs it before I have time to lift it far. “Careful, Lily. I’ll have to punish you. I’ll take you over my knee.” Fantasies flash through my mind, and I whisk them away. The last thing I need is the thought of us in bed with handcuffs and blindfolds.

He expects everyone to fall to their knees in front of him. Women and men partially trip over their own feet to give him whatever he wants. That’s why I hit him after he kissed me the night of the party. I wanted to keep kissing and drown in the pleasure, but if I did, I would have been like all the others. I had two options that night: keep kissing him, or hit him and hope the action would snap the insanity out of me. His personality is like a wave, always crushing and moving. I won’t get dragged to sea.

“Go to hell,” I snap, trying to yank my wrist away.

“Been there, did not find the weather nice. The company was fun,” he states, releasing me. Just like that, he exits the room like a phantom. Leaning against the wall, I try and catch my breath. Who does he think he is to come in here and threaten me? He has no right. Taking large steps, I open my door to tell him my thoughts when I practically run into the back of two large guards. These two are new and huge. They glance down at me as if waiting for me to explain why I’m leaving my room. Twisting back around, I slam the door and pace my room before beating up a pillow in frustration.

“Damn you,” I shout, throwing the defenseless pillow against the wall. There has to be a way out. Maybe if I talk to Mia, she’ll speak to him. It’s a long shot, but it would be worth it if it worked. I was hoping to have Mia write me a reference, but that won’t be possible if I have to slip out. I can always get a job at a restaurant for a time. I’ll have to get a new identity.

I’ll keep my first name. I’ve always kept my first name. My last name will never be mine again, but I’ll be damned if they take my first name as well. It’s the last thing I have from my parents. But I allowed myself to get content here, making it harder to leave. Hell, I even enjoy my banter with Kevin. I need to remind myself this is just a job. Kevin and Mia will be fine without me. The deeper I get into this, the less chance I’ll have of leaving. Kevin’s words from earlier keep ringing in my ears. I have seen more than I should have. If Kevin sees me as a threat, I don’t want to think about what he’ll do. If he’s distracted by finding his shooter, maybe that will give me a chance to slip away. Who am I kidding? Nothing goes on here that he doesn’t see. I know the guards give him a report every day.

Laying on the bed, I try to calm my racing heartbeat. I hate him. I hate his commanding attitude. I hate the fact he expects people to ask how high when he says jump. I hate the fact that sometimes I’ll catch a general expression on his face, and my heart will skip a beat. I hate the most how my body heats at his closeness and how some nights he invades my dreams—making me hate myself even more than I do him.

* * *

ELIJAH

Damn her. Why do I let her get under my skin? For a tiny woman, she manages to annoy me, unlike anyone else. The plan was to explain adding more guards. Not to threaten her and not to see her in nothing but a tiny towel. That had given me a hard on that would last till I can get a moment alone.

It all took a wrong turn. For someone used to being in control of all things, it was frustrating that a single word from her forces my plans out the window. Claire thinks it’s cute how Lily affects me, but I find it annoying and destructive. I don’t need any distractions. Especially now that I’m so close to getting my throne back. Rebecca has a plan. I’m worried she’ll use any weakness she can find against us. Lily is a weakness. I’m not sure why or how, but she has become one.

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