Page 64 of Sweet Lies

He steps closer, but I hold my ground. I won’t let him intimidate me that easily. Breathing out, I remind myself it’s Andre and no one else.

“I don’t remember you complaining. But we could have a refresher course, seeing as how we’re going to be spending so much time together in the coming week.”

“You really must have a death wish—Elijah would kill you.”

“You shot him. Do you think he cares what you do or who with?”

Placing my hand on his chest, I clasp the fabric of his shirt between my fingers and pull him closer, then raise my lips to his. I watch as unease enters his eyes.

“You can’t handle me,” I whisper before pushing him away. To his credit, he doesn’t stumble—just grins in my direction.

“A lot can happen in a weekend,” he responds, waving me forward.

Let’s hope so. The quicker the others believe we’re a strong united front, the better. Then I can return to my life and go back to forgetting all about my family. I’ve not needed them in a long time, and they never needed me.

* * *

ANDRE

I cover my grin by sipping my drink. Rebecca stepped onto the plane as if it were hers and not her brother’s. If it wasn’t for the nervous tic in her eye, I would never have known she was unnerved. She glares at me as she passes, but her side brushes my shoulder and I smirk, knowing it was deliberate.

I slide the plush leather seat back so I can stretch my legs. Elijah’s seated in the far back with his eagle eyes taking in the smallest detail. Claire is seated behind me with Rebecca closer to the back. There are only six seats on this plane but it seems everyone wants to be as far away from each other as possible. The size of the plane makes that difficult. If it wasn’t all so tense, I would laugh.

Finn, one of Connor McCarthy’s sons, is the last to take a seat. While living in Chicago, Elijah started working for Connor. Once he found out who Elijah and Claire were, it caused issues, but they came to a business arrangement that seems to suit them both. Finn is here as a sign of good faith.

It seems like Connor’s men like Elijah; I overheard two of the three sons speaking about him with respect. So if any one of the families pulls anything, they’ll have the Irish mob to deal with—once more, Elijah has planned for all the possible outcomes.

Logan won’t want to pull anything because he has a separate arrangement with Alex, Claire’s husband and his half-brother. I’m going to need to make a map of who’s working with who. I’m going to end up with a headache trying to keep up with all these side plots. It was much simpler being a hitman—you were given a name and finished the job, in and out with little to no thought. Elijah was going to need to start paying me a shitload more.

The plane’s door closes almost silently and then the soft hum of the engine alerts us that we’re on our way, moving gracefully down the runway before we lift into the air. Closing my eyes, I let the hum put me to sleep.

The shove against my shoulder has me jerking awake.

“Nice of you to rejoin the living,” Claire says, smirking as she walks past. Everyone else has already deplaned.

I stand up and stretch to get the feeling back in my legs, then pull my bag out of the overhead locker. There are more weapons in it than clothes. In theory, this was supposed to be a peaceful gathering, but I’m not one to be unprepared.

Moving quickly down the aisle, I join the others on the runway as two black SUVs pull up. Claire, Rebecca, and three of their men take the first one. Before Elijah gets in, I stop him.

“Why am I here?” I demand. I’ve asked a few times, but he hasn’t given me a straight answer.

“I’m paying you,” he snaps, opening the car door.

I climb in after him, then shut the door on the other men before continuing. Let them wait till this conversation is finished.

“You paid me to find your sister, which I did. I’ve also done you a few small favors I haven’t charged for—don’t make me regret that.” I didn’t want to make any overt reference to our deal in case things ended badly. It seems I should have insisted on being paid upfront since events are looking grimmer by the day.

“Yes, you did. Now I’m hiring you for more. You’ll get your money and a little extra.”

“I’m a hitman, not a bodyguard. My job is to get in and get out, not stick around for the fallout.”

“You’re also one of the only people I trust. Not to mention Rebecca trusts you. I need her on our side.”

I open my mouth to debate the last accusation, but he holds up a hand, stopping me. “Don’t think we were ever blind to you two. That’s why I called you. I knew that if anyone could find her, it would be you. Hell, you knew the whole time.”

So he’s figured it out.

There’s no point in lying now. “Not the whole time. It was her choice when to come home. She deserved to have it be her choice.”

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