Page 50 of Twisted Lies

“What the hell was that?” He smiles.

“That was me gaining the upper hand and tossing you into the pool,” I respond.

“If you were one of my men, I would consider killing you for getting my costly suit wet.”

“You don’t frighten me,” I answer, realizing that it’s the truth. I’ve never frankly been scared of him. It’s instinct, knowing he would never hurt me.

“You really shouldn’t have said that,” he says, reaching for me.

“Don’t you dare!” I bark, flipping my legs out in a useless attempt to get away. I may have been able to get out of the pool if I was farther away, but with him being only a few only inches from me, I have no chance. He grabs hold of me and plunges me into the water. Seconds later, I resurface and cup his shoulders, shoving him under next. His arms wrap around my midsection and he pulls me under with him. Under the water, I open my eyes and meet his gaze. Time slows as we both flip our limbs under the water to stay beneath the surface—the upper world disappears, leaving us the only ones in this underwater world. I hold my hands out. His hands link in mine. Holding his gaze, I try and read his mind but get lost in his eyes. The seconds may feel like hours, but soon enough, we both have to go up for air. Something has shifted for us under the water. I cannot name it, but I feel it. It’s as if the air around us shifted.

“Sir, Mr. Ferrari is on the phone.” A dark-haired man I don’t recognize speaks at the side of the pool. I’m sure he wants to know why we’re both in the pool, but he doesn’t dare ask or raise an eyebrow at the scene.

“Thank you, Franco,” Elijah says coldly as he swims to the stairs and climbs out. I’m only a step behind him as we stand, dripping water. We both follow Franco inside. I feel like a child who has been caught doing something I shouldn’t. I don’t regret pushing him into the pool. I got to see a side that few do. The spontaneous side. He winks at me as he follows Franco down a hallway to the left. I take that as my cue to find a shower and change into dry clothes.

* * *

ANDRE

Later That Night

Rebecca has gotten good at hiding. That’s high praise coming from me. I’ll find her; I always find my marks. She’ll just take me a little more time, and that’s annoying me. I had hoped this would be easy. I would take her to her brother and call it a job well done and go back to forgetting Rebecca Rossi.

I lied to Elijah when I told him I didn’t know she was alive. I found out a couple of years before. Her terrified, broken face flashes through my mind before I banish it back into the box where one might consider me human. I could have stopped this at the very beginning, convinced her to choose another way or told her to go to them. The moment she saw them, I knew something had taken over her. It was written on her face. Her eyes grew hard in a split second. It was a reaction anyone could have read. If Elijah or Claire had seen her face, they would have known their future. I would have let Rebecca do her own thing, but unfortunately for her, Elijah is of more use to me alive and back in power. I can’t have her messing with the plan. Once I get her to Elijah, it’s a simple family matter. I’m sure they’ll get it worked out.

Elijah would never kill Rebecca even if he believes he would. Bec, on the other hand, I’m not so sure. She’s a wild card, and I hate having these in a game. She knows I’m trying to find her and has been since sending me on wild goose chase. My patience is running thin, but today’s the day. I received word she was staying at a nearby motel and have been waiting for her to appear. Day fades to night and for a second, I think this is another chase she sent me on. But then she appears. A wig covers her head, but I would recognize her anywhere by her body and how she moves. Doing what I’m good at, I blend in and catch her door an inch before it closes. She’s packing a bag when I slip behind her. With a shirt in her hand, she turns as if expecting me.

“I would offer you a drink, but I’m sure this isn’t a social call,” she states calmly.

“There’s no reason for this to be unpleasant, Bec. Your brother wishes to speak to you about your last encounter.”

“You mean when I shot him?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“That could be the time, yes.”

“Why would I come with you when I have so many other plans?”

“We both know he’ll find you. You don’t think you could show up how you did and shoot him with no consequences.”

“I had hoped he’d bleed to death, and I would see him at the family reunion in hell,” she spits.

“If you wanted him dead, I’m sure he would have been. I taught you better than that. You wanted their attention; now you have it. Let’s end this game.”

“I’m not done playing. They left me in hell. You know that, and you still take their side. Why?” she hisses, stepping closer.

“I’m not taking sides,” I respond. “Your brother returning to his seat is good business for me. He wants to speak with you, and we both know he’s running out of patience.”

“Poor guy. For the first time in your life, I think you’re betting on the wrong game,” she says as the sound of a gun firing fills the air. For a moment, shock overwhelms me. I’ve been shot plenty of times. So many, I’ve lost count. I underestimated Rebecca and her desire for revenge. I can tell by where she hit me that I won’t die if I’m seen.

“Oh, Bec, I didn’t know you cared,” I mutter sarcastically, holding the wound as blood slips through my fingers.

“I don’t. You’re my next message to my brother. Simple as that. Next time it will be a different message,” she states. “Move,” she orders. I have my gun on me, as well as other weapons, but like her brother, I don’t think I can harm her. Or at least not yet. I still see a girl I pulled off the street who was broken in so many ways but still lived. This woman in front of me is very different. I worry we’re all going to have to come to terms with that, but I don’t want to be the one to kill her. That’s one job I might just refuse. I watch as she slips into the night. Breathing deeply, I make my way to the car. Putting it in reverse, I head to her brother’s. He’ll have a doctor on call who will keep this quiet. Damn the Rossi siblings.

* * *

LILY

We’re playing a game of checkers when the doorbell sounds. After Elijah got done with his meetings, he found me reading in the room. We found ourselves in the family room watching an old Western. Around seven, we were both hungry and made homemade pizzas. After dinner, we got out the game and have been playing for the last hour. It was nice to just be in his company and not have any interruptions. What was even better was since there were very few around, or the men were just better at being invisible here; either way, Elijah seemed more at ease.

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