Page 21 of Deception

He stopped and tugged my hair, then twisted my arm. I cried out in pain. My eyes stung from the unshed tears. I tried to slow my steps, but that earned me another sharp tug. “Because of you, we can’t go into the house anymore. We have a curfew. Have to report in every hour.”

I was trying to make sense of his words. How could he think that was my doing? I had no influence over anything, no voice.

His iron grip on my hair prevented me from responding, the pain rendering my mouth and body immobile. A tear escaped, slowly trickling down my face. We neared one of the houses, and I tried to plant my feet on the smooth tiles but earned myself a slap and a hissed threat instead.

Unfortunately, my small frame was no match for him. I didn’t know how to throw so much as a simple punch. I’d never even worked out. He obviously knew it. And he delighted in the power he had over me.

I somehow wrenched out of his grip and a loud rip filled the air, my top giving way when he grabbed it to stop my escape. He tackled me onto the hard ground, smashing my face against the hard-packed dirt.

The soil invaded my nose and mouth, making me cough. Another rip, and hot and humid air caressed my butt and legs.

Don’t think about what’s going to happen, Ever. The square root of 576 is 24. 9345 is 96.67. 2933 is 52. No, it’s 54.16.

No. This was not how my story would end. I couldn’t put my head in the sand and hope for the best. I needed to fight. When his weight shifted, I planted my feet on the ground and roll us over. And then I jumped up and ran. I didn’t care where. I didn’t care that I was only wearing one shoe, the sharp rocks cutting into my socked foot.

Shouts sounded behind me, and I pumped my arms and legs harder, my body straining, my lungs screaming at me to stop. When I thought I couldn’t go any farther, I spotted the cliff.

Without thinking, I jumped.

12

LUCIUS

How could this fucking day get any worse? Maurizio wasn’t happy that I’d banned the guards from the house. He went through my every move with a fine-tooth comb. Santino provided him with a detailed account of all my movements.

Maurizio had called him into the office with us. I knew Santino had to respond when asked what I’d been up to. It was a power play. Maurizio was showing me that my once best friend was now loyal to him.

I would have done the same. But it just meant I had to get creative to make it out unnoticed tonight.

Maurizio puffed on his cigar, his dead eyes, which didn’t miss a thing, pinned on me. “What about the girl? You tired of her yet?”

I tensed at the question, cursing myself for showing a reaction. If he found out exactly how much I’d come to care for Everleigh, he’d use her against me. “I’m not done with her yet.”

And I probably never would be.

Shouting outside interrupted any further questions he might have had. We all went out to the balcony, watching guards rush to their quarters. Then I saw what they were yelling at.

A small figure was sprinting right for the cliffs, long hair flowing, legs pumping. Someone else was chasing her.

I didn’t waste another breath and scaled down the balcony. I’d done it a million times, knowing how to get out of most rooms in the house. Maurizio’s office was one of the easiest to get in and out of.

Landing hard on the tiles, I ignored the pain jarring through my bones and took off.

I was a fast runner. I stayed in shape and worked out every day. But I’d never pushed myself as hard as I did at that moment. Within seconds, I was almost on them. But Everleigh had reached the cliffs and wasn’t slowing down.

She looked back at who I recognized as Ignacio, one of the guards, the sorrow in her eyes shining bright enough for everyone to see. She thought this was it; the look was one I recognized well, had seen too many times to count. I called out to her, but she didn’t slow down.

And then she jumped.

Not hesitating, I followed. She hit the foaming waves seconds before I did. The cliffs sat low to the water at the spot she’d jumped in from. But the waves crashing against the rocky walls were strong, and undercurrents and sharp rocks dotted the coastline. Even for someone who swam every day, they were a challenge to navigate.

She disappeared under the waves, and I dove. The churning and pull of the water made it impossible to see anything, but I knew where she went under and blindly swam her way. Ignoring the burning in my limbs and the urge to gasp for air, I pushed forward.

And then my hand brushed against fabric.

I latched on, pulling her to me. Once I’d dragged her close enough, I wound my arm around her middle and kicked my legs. We broke through the surface, getting thrown back and forth like driftwood. My lungs were burning, and I struggled to keep us above water.

The cliffs loomed tall, and we were getting too close. The waves would smash us against the rocks if I didn’t swim farther out. The only access point was a pier where we kept a boat. If I could make it there, we might have a chance.

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