Page 22 of Sweet Lies

I thought he would take me to his men, but he leads me to another staircase, the one I was trying to get to.How does he know about this? Very few outside the family know of its existence, as it’s hidden in a bedroom closet. One of the secret things Dad had added in case we required another exit.

“Where are you taking me? My brother will kill you for this,” I get out, trying not to stumble over my own two feet as he drags me down the corridor.

“I highly doubt he’ll have anything to say. Seeing as he’ll be dead soon.” He laughs, and I hate the sound.

“If you think it will be this easy to kill me, then you really don’t know my brother or sister,”I get out as confidently as I can, though my voice is trembling.

“You’d be surprised what we know. Have you figured out how I know about the stairs yet?” he asks once more, laughing.

I try to break free of his hold, but it only causes his fingers to tighten.

“Your sister’s fiancé isn’t as innocent as he’d like you to believe. Alex is my father’s bastard. He’s been feeding us information since day one. Your sister thinks she’s so smart. She’s been played this whole time.”

Mike betrayed us.Not Mike. Alex. It’s making sense now why he was in our dad’s office, why he seemed so comfortable at events with us. Because he was a part of this life.Oh, Claire, I’m sorry.

“I wish I could have seen her face when she realized the truth. Alex was good at his job. Too good, in fact. He got caught up in his own lie,” he continues as he tugs me down the stairs.

“Where are you taking me?” I demand, attempting to keep my voice steady.

He says nothing, shoving me first down the stairs, then outside.

As soon as I see the car, I try to twist away from him, but it does no good. The trunk is wide open, and I know I’ll find myself in there in just a moment if I don’t get free myself.

Using all my strength, I pull away, and when that doesn’t work, I dig my heels in and look around for any of our men. Somehow, I break away then, and can hardly believe my luck.

Not taking another second to be grateful, I rush toward the house. But then a thunderous bang fills the air. My feet stop moving, and my eyes focus on the house as it tumbles down.

Sebastian’s arms wrap around my midsection, and he swings me up, back toward the car. I try to scream, but nothing comes out, though I sense the emotions rolling around in my mind, howling to get out.

My body is flung into the trunk, which smells of old socks. Bursting up, I scrape my nails down his face and arms, and try to use my legs to get away, but he grabs hold of my head and shoves it down against the metal of the car. Black dots swim before my eyes, but I push them away.

The sound of the trunk shutting is drowned out by the rest of the house exploding. I bang against the shut trunk, trying to find a way out, tears streaming down my face as I try to hold back the thought of my siblings in the house. My whole family was gone in a matter of days.I’m next.Why did he take me? Whatever he has planned for me is going to be worse than death.

My hands hurt from hitting the car, and I lose track of time.Breathe, I remind myself, but it feels the longer I stay trapped, the less air there is. My legs inch what little they can and kick, trying to test the little space I do have.

What would Claire do? I try to focus on that. She would already have a plan in place or have gotten out of the car by now.

Elijah would have had the situation handled in the first ten seconds. But that’s them, and I’m me.

Once more tears leak out, thinking of them.Think—game plan; I need a game plan. I wish Claire or Elijah were here. They would know what to do.

Time passes, and I try not to let the darkness consume me. I need to get mentally prepared for whatever happens next. That’s what Claire and Elijah would do.

The car stops abruptly. This is it; this is how it ends. I’m not brave like my siblings and I know I’ll break.

The trunk pops open to reveal my new hell.

“As promised,” Sebastian states to a man I don’t recognize. He tosses a bag to the large man.

“What…what’s happening?” My voice shakes as Sebastian’s fingers dig into my arm, holding me at his side. I can feel bruises forming under his fingers and wince at the pain.

With one hand, the anonymous man unzips the bag and eyes the money hungrily.

“It’s all there,” Sebastian adds, almost insulted that his honor is apparently being questioned.

“You’ll have to forgive me if I double-check,” the man says, throwing the bag to a taller guy standing behind him.

After what feels like forever, the man nods, opening the trunk of his car and tossing the money bag in with a thud.

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