Page 25 of Twisted Lies

One good thing about going out with Sean and his brothers is that we skip the line. People move out of the way for Alex and Kevin as if there is an invisible force surrounding them, making the others move. Both men are so used to it that I doubt they even notice. Alex swings his arm around Mia’s shoulders while Kevin walks behind me, glaring at others and finding the exits, I’m sure. Alex leads us to the darker part of the club. The bright lights appear just to touch the edges of this section. I recognize some of the men. They sit at benches against the wall with bottles and glasses littering the table in front of them. They nod in greeting.

Alex takes a seat and Mia drapes herself across his lap. “Alex, welcome back. Dad wants to see you,” Sean states matter of fact.

Sean, Finn, and Owen are in their signature suits. All three of them are tall, with Finn being the shorter of the three. Sean appears the most Irish with red hair that’s cut to the side. Finn and Owen have lighter hair, with Finn’s hair getting close to his shoulders. To me, Sean is the most intimidating, with tattoos covering his arm to his neck. Owen is the more playful of the three.

Alex wraps his arms around Mia before answering. “I’ll see him when I have the time.”

“You’ll see him when he asks,” Finn says, lighting a cigarette. Glancing at Alex, I fear what I’ll see. I don’t know which of these men I would want to piss off the least. Mia looks unconcerned while Kevin looks between them, trying to envision where this will lead.

“Careful, Finn, you forget your place. Respect your elders.” Alex is not much older than Finn and knows there is more to that statement.

“Boys, let’s have a fun night. Enough talk about meetings and the like,” Mia chirps. Grabbing the bottle of vodka on the table, she pours two shots and hands me one. Lifting the clear liquid to my lips, I shoot it back quickly and try to ignore the taste. After a few seconds, it warms my body. I know, in a way, Mia is trying to distract the others and bring the attention back to us. Honestly, I would have preferred to remain unnoticed. The others look me up and down as if I am a piece of meat. I wish I had more clothes.

* * *

ELIJAH

My hand inches toward the hidden gun at my back. Hiding the rage that’s building from the way the other men are looking at Lily is beyond difficult. For being a master at covering my emotions, I’m having a rough night. It started from the moment Lily walked down the stairs in her nothing-top and the jeans I long to peel from her legs.

Coming here was a mistake. Whatever meeting my sister and Alex think we can have here with God knows who could have waited. It should have waited until Lily wasn’t around. Maybe Claire and Alex are sniffing the glue. The sooner I figure out what they are thinking and planning, the sooner we can leave. I need a cold shower and a drink that a hundred people are not breathing on.

“Lily, it’s good to see you out. Kevin and Mia keep you hidden away,” Sean says.

For a moment, I see fear enter her eyes. Good, at least she’s intelligent enough to be scared of him. Just not smart enough to fear me. She glances my way and must see something there because a slow grin replaces the fear. She leans back in her seat and crosses her legs.

“What can I say? I got out for good behavior,” she says, grinning at Sean. She shouldn’t be grinning at Sean this way. Her smile should be reserved for me and me alone.

“Good behavior is boring. The only way to live is on the wrong side of life. It makes the heart beat faster,” Sean says, placing a hand on her knee. Her leg twitches at the touch, but she does not pull away. Either because she’s enjoying it, or she knows it will cause issues. Either way, I don’t like him putting his hand on her.Mine.

“Sean, you’re living on that line now. Kevin may just remove you or your hand any moment,” Finn says, chuckling.

Sean looks in my direction and slowly pulls his hand away, grinning the whole time, but there is now a nervous twitch to his eye. Good. “Come now, Kevin. We’re all friends here. Family, really.”

“That’s how I’ve controlled myself and not already shot you.” I laugh, trying to ease the tension in my body. Now is not the time to start shit with them over a woman. But she isn’t just any woman. “To the family,” I say, lifting my glass up.

“To family,” they all repeat. Lily doesn’t say anything but does take a sip of her drink. Something moves near the far-left corner at the other end of the club, drawing my attention. The figure is almost blending into the darkness.It can’t be.Why would he be here?

“If you will excuse me. I need to get another drink.”

“Why don’t you wait? We’ll get the waitress,” Owen says, lifting his hand to get her.

“No. I’ll get it.” Before they start questioning my motives, I walk through the groups of people dancing and talking, blending into the crowd. Standing at the bar for a few seconds, I no longer feel their eyes on me. Moving away, I find the darkness on the other side of the room and stick to the walls as I move to find the back door. If it is Andre, he knows I’ve seen him, and the back alley is where he’ll be waiting.

Pushing open the large metal door, I step into the cold outside air. I would take the cold over the hot club. It’s hard to breathe with that many people around, too many things to think about, and possible issues. Being outside in the dark is much more my home. Pushing my hands in my front pockets, I roll back on my heels, waiting. I know it’s him. It has to be.

Andre was one of my father’s most trusted men. He’s my age but took his father’s place when he was killed at a meet. That’s how much his family was trusted in my father’s eyes. After my dad died, Andre did what he did best and blended back into the darkness. He’s become one of the most sought-after contract killers that exist; one does not contact Andre. He finds you.

“You look good for a dead guy,” Andre states, stepping from the darkness.

“What can I say. Have a good moisturizer. Last I heard, you were in Rome.”

“Where did you hear that?” he snorts.

“I still have some friends.”

“Ha. We both know your friends are trying to see how all this plays out before coming out of the woodwork. You better make sure what side they’re on before you call anyone friend.”

“What should I call you then?”

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