Page 57 of Sweet Lies

His eyes widen as he glances at the gun. “Boss, I don’t think…”

“Go. He won’t shoot you. He’s not here for you,” I snarl.

Julian stands slowly.

“Keep running things how you and Ben have been. I’ll be back soon enough. Tell no one about this.” The last thing I need is this getting out.

He nods and slips out the door.

Andre waves the gun in my direction. “Here’s how this will work. We’re going in my car. You’ll walk out of here without causing a scene.”

“You’re such a dick,” I respond, turning my back to him.

He moves quickly behind me, and I feel the gun against my side. He leads me to the car on the street. As I turn to say something snippy, the butt of the gun catches the side of my head, and I go crashing down.

* * *

I wake up as he finishes tying my arms together against the wooden chair. The room is bare with white walls. I hiss as he tightens the ropes binding my hands to my sides. Not from pain but annoyance.

“I won’t miss next time,” I growl, moving against my bonds.

He chuckles.

Before he steps away, I kick up and almost make contact. His hand grips my leg, and I try to ignore the rush of feelings that assaults me at his touch.

“I’ll dodge,” he says, smirking.

“I hate you,” I yell, annoyed I’ve given him any response at all.

“You’ll learn to live with the feeling. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”

“I trusted you,” I say to tug at his heartstrings. I should have known better though—Andre has no heart.

“You’ve not trusted anyone in a long time, and I highly doubt I was top of the list, Bec.”

I change tactics. “Please let me go. You don’t owe my brother anything. Please. He won’t forgive me. If you give me to him, he’ll have my head hanging by the fireplace before breakfast.” I try to manage some tears, but it seems all my anger has dissolved any that might have formed.

I yell, giving up that tactic, which gets me duct tape across my lips. I scowl as he steps back, and I hear the vibrating of his phone. He pulls it out and frowns at the number then leaves me, and I curse his soul to hell one more time for good measure.

My hands move quickly, trying to find any way to freedom, but it just makes the ropes pull tighter against my skin.

The sound of the front door opening reaches my ears, and I prepare myself for my brother.

Andre enters the room with Elijah close behind. He’s in his signature tailored suit, hair styled to perfection, shoes shining, nothing out of place. He seems at ease with the situation, as if he has everything in hand.

“Hello, little sister,” he says, moving closer.

With one quick motion, he rips the tape from my lips. It’s not the most pleasant experience, but I let my anger rush over me and ignore the tingling pain and loss of skin around my lips.

“Are you going to untie me?” I demand.

“Are you going to shoot me again?” he asks, and I can tell his lips want to move into a smile.

“Depends how long you take to untie me,” I hiss, moving in the seat. The motion causes the chair to move up and down, its legs banging the floor.

Elijah turns to face Andre. “Leave us,” he orders.

“What are you going to do?” Andre at least has the sense to ask, and I almost laugh at his concern, considering he got me into this situation.

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