Page 4 of Twisted Lies

“Connor will kill me first if he finds out I’m meeting Lucas Rossi’s son. Let me enjoy my guilty pleasure while I can,” he says, blowing out smoke.

“Connor is what I wanted to talk to you about. Elijah and Claire died, and they need to stay dead. We need to reinvent ourselves.”

“And just how are you going to do that?” he asks.

“With your help.”

He appears unsurprised. He must have already had an idea of what I wanted to discuss. James is not a stupid man. “Oh no. I’m not getting involved. I can’t, and you know that.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I had any other choice. We were friends, and you’re the only one I can ask. All I need is an introduction to Connor. Vouch for me, and I’ll do the rest.”

“No way in hell. You’re asking me to sign off on my own death sentence. Not even for you will I do that. When he finds out the truth, we’ll both lose our heads.”

“Not if Claire and I act as if our lives depend on it. This is our only option. If I had another way, I would. I’ve never asked anyone for a thing in my life. James. I’m asking you for this meeting.”

He says nothing, which is better than saying no. He’s thinking about the idea. James and I grew up together. Claire was with us half the time while Rebecca watched from afar. My theory was that she had a large crush on James. I’ll never get to ask her now.

Our fathers were childhood friends. There was an incident neither of them spoke about, but my dad saved James’ father. He always said if there were anything he could do to repay him, he would. They moved away when we were going into middle school. He never got to repay that debt, as he died when we were in high school, but James and I have stayed in touch through the years.

A small part of me hopes that if he won’t do this favor for our old friendship, he does it for repayment. I’m at the end of my rope, and James is our lifeboat. The waves are getting higher by the day, and with Claire getting closer to having her baby, we’re running out of time and money. If I were able to get to the money in the offshore accounts, I would be in a better position, but getting to that money could alert the others that I’m alive. I need to wait till the perfect moment to drain the accounts.

“If I’m going to do this, we need to have all our stories straight.”

Relief flows through me, and I feel a small weight lift off my shoulders. “Thank you, James. This will not come back to haunt you.”

He appears unconvinced. “I already regret this, and I’ve not done anything yet. Let’s discuss how we’re going to pull this off.”

In an hour, we have the plan and times down. Everything will fall into place. All I need to do is convince Connor McCarthy I am who I say I am. No one will ever expect us to be alive, let alone working in the same business. The perfect place to hide is in plain sight. This plan would work.We have no other choice.

* * *

It only takes a few days after meeting Connor for James to call. “You’re in. How the hell you pulled this off, I have no clue, but he likes you. I guess my word goes further than I thought, or I did an outstanding job with your background.”

I would never tell my sister or James, but I was slightly concerned this crazy plan wouldn’t work. “Thank you.” I breathe easier, knowing I’m a step closer to order. Putting myself in this position will allow me to still be in the game and keep tabs on my enemies. They would never see what’s coming. It would take time, but time is all I have now.

“Be at the house tomorrow night. Connor expects you there.”

“I’ll be there.” Hanging up, I turn to Claire, who’s sitting at the kitchen table in our new home. “It worked.”

“Great. Now I get to play the part of house sister for the rest of my life. Can’t wait. While you, on the other hand, get to be a made man again and go about your life in a very similar manner,” Claire mutters, clearly pissed at the situation.As if I’m going to start doing backflips.

“Yes, Claire. My life is just perfect. I went from being the one giving orders to taking them in a matter of moments. This is the way we get our revenge, it’s only temporary. I promise you. Everything we lost, we will get back. They will pay for what they did to us. To Bec and Dad. To our men. Our family. They will pay.” I already have plans in place, but the less she knows at this point, the better.

“I hate to tell you, brother, but Mia and Kevin are our lives now. I’m going for a walk,” she says sadly, and leaves me alone. She’s wrong. It’s only going to be a year max—just enough time to get things in order. We will be back.It will only take a little time.

* * *

A Few Months Later

Claire had been in labor for quite a while before the baby was born. I had been pacing the lobby for hours, and the other visitors were getting ready to throw me out. Then my niece was finally born.

“How are you?” I ask, stepping into the white room. The baby is curled against her body, and I itch to hold her. Guilt crushes me as I think about how angry I was when I found out she was pregnant. But I know I would do anything for my niece, no matter who her father is; she’s a Rossi now.

“Can I hold her?” I ask, stepping closer to the bed.

“Of course.” Gently, she hands her over.

“Did you decide on a name?” I ask. She had been tight-lipped on her name options.

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