Page 78 of Sweet Lies

For a moment, I turn his plan over in my mind, trying to picture all the possible outcomes. It could work. My brother has never been one to leave anything to chance; if he thinks this can work, it will. Was I ready to move forward? I feel like if I agree to this plan, it will mean I’ve forgiven them, and I’m not fully prepared for that; however, I want to try for the first time in years. I want Sebastian to pay in blood for everything he’s done. He’s the only one left on my list, and it’s long overdue that he join his father in hell.

“I’m in,” I answer, enjoying the power the words give me.

He nods his approval. “I knew you would be.”

“How could you be so sure?”

“Because, Bec, you’re a Rossi,” he answers, resting his hand on my shoulder as the house reappears in our vision. We’d done a circle around the property.

Entering through the back door, we pass several of Elijah’s men. They nod in his direction but say nothing. We find Claire in the family room with a computer on her lap.

“We need to talk,” he says as we pass, not waiting for her to get up, knowing she’ll follow.

Andre is down the hall, leaning against the wall, on his phone. He falls behind us as we enter the office. Claire shuts the door behind her.

“Sebastian has been in contact with Rebecca,” Elijah announces to the room.

Andre steps forward, a look of concern on his face. “Why? What does he want?” He directs the second question to me, and I try not to take too much pleasure from his concern. He’s made it clear that he isn’t coming back when he leaves this time.

“He wants her help killing me. Apparently, there’s more of a history between them than we thought. Do you want to tell Claire? I’m sure Andre already knows the details.”

“He doesn’t know the last part of the story.”

Facing Andre, I speak. “A few weeks ago, he showed up at the gambling hall. He had no idea I was the new owner—or at least he acted well enough for me to believe him. He told me about Claire’s and Alex’s marriage and offered to assist me in killing them.”

I hear Claire gasp, but I don’t stop looking at Andre’s face; if I do, I know I’ll run from this room and never come back. He’s my anchor whether either of us liked it or not. “That’s when I decided to get their address.”

“That’s what started all of this. That does make a lot more sense.” Andre nods thoughtfully. “Is this the first time you’ve heard from him since his visit to the hall?”

“Yes. I thought he’d crawled back into his hole to wait things out.”

“I would have thought the same thing…unless something is pushing forward his time frame.”

“Yes.” Claire speaks for the first time, unable to look at me. “But what caused it is the question. If we find that out, we’ll find him. E, should we tell the other families, since they’re looking for him as well?”

“Not yet. We still don’t know if there’s a mole somewhere. We need him to believe that Rebecca is on his side. Get her to gain his trust.”

“But why would she work with him after everything he did?” Andre asks.

“He’s betting on my anger with my family winning out over what he did. That I’ll see them leaving me and Claire marrying the enemy as a worse betrayal,” I add uneasily, knowing it was partially true.

“How did you receive the note?” Claire asks me, her tone hard.

“I didn’t recognize the man. He just slipped it into my hand. Honestly, I didn’t even notice he was there at first.”

“Once we find the man, you can deliver a message to Sebastian. From there, we’ll work out a plan.” She takes a step forward. “If that’s all, then I need to call my family and give them an update about what the hell is going on here.”

“Claire.” I step toward her, but she holds up her hand, stopping me.

“All this could have been avoided if you’d just talked to us. I stood up for you with E only to find out that it’s Alex who had you coming back. You hated me so much you came out of hiding. Good to know,” she snaps heatedly, stepping around Andre.

“Claire…” Elijah starts, aware she doesn’t know the whole story, but Claire doesn’t turn back; instead, she slams open the door and leaves.

“You should tell her your story,” Andre says, appearing uneasy at having been left in the room with me and my brother.

“I don’t know how much good that will do,” I mutter. This is why I wanted to keep my anger, so I would feel no guilt over what I’d done. Now the familiar feeling invades the pit of my stomach.

Annoyed with myself, I step out of the room and breathe a little easier being alone, without everyone’s eyes on me.

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