Page 109 of Papers Don't Lie

“What an interesting life we had these past few weeks,” Kiaran says, chewing his food.

They just got back from England where they made sure—I don’t know how or what they’ve done—Carter won’t be getting out of prison anytime soon and that none of his friends will give us a hard time.

Kai told me even Ryker helped, who’s sitting next to my sister, looking as bored as always.

My eyes rise to meet Kiaran, seated in front of me. “Yeah.” I swallow the food. “Thank you for that. To all of you.”

“It’s nothing,” Tristan lets me know from my left. “Los Angeles was starting to be boring anyway.”

Kiaran laughs.“I guess fucking your assistants turns boring after a while.”

I’m expecting Lacey to say something like "language" with a frowned expression, but instead, she giggles in a fist, looking up at Tristan.

“Fuck off.” Tristan pushes.

“Can younotswear with a child around? My god.” Raven shakes her head, placing a hand on her stomach, but the Graves brothers do nothing but laugh.

“When did she learn what it means?” I squint my eyes, and Lacey takes it as her job to reply.

“I always knew.” She shrugs.

“She just acted like she didn’t until I found a conversation on her phone with a girl at school and made her tell me every curse word she knows,” Kiaran says. “It was aloooongand creative list, I tell you that.”

“Lacey,” my husband says. “You’re not allowed to spend time at Kiaran’s place anymore.”

I’d say he’s joking, but by the look on his face with his eyebrows pressed together and lips pursed, he’s not. Kai opens his mouth to say something else, but his phone rings, and he fishes it out of his coat before answering.

He listens for a few seconds. “Who? Mm-hmm. Let him in." Then he hangs up the phone. I look up at him, asking him with my eyes who it is, hoping he understands. Kai glances at everyone before he gives me the information I want. “It was Levis letting me know the lawyer is here.”

I frown. “Who’s Levis?”

“Kendrick’s replacement.”

“Wait, why?”

A small smile finds its way on his face. “Kendrick has a date tonight.”

I can’t help but join him. Kendrick was a good friend when I needed him, and not only for me, but for Kai. He’s the most loyal person I know, and I kind of owe him for the way my life turned out.

“Who’s the lawyer?” Tristan asks, his expression turning sour.

The door opens, and Kai’s attention moves to me. “He was sent by your parents."

FIFTY-EIGHT

KAI

Esmeray blinks repeatedly, her mouth slightly agape. The lawyer left five minutes ago, and she still hasn’t said anything but simply looks at one fixed point on the wall in front of us.

“I can’t believe this,” Raven says, pacing from one corner of the room to another while we are all seated on the couch.

She clearly has nothing in common with Esmeray besides looks. Since the lawyer left, she can't stop talking and cursing, clearly forgetting about Lacey's existence, while my wife sits next to me, not once saying anything.

“How dare they?" she finally whispers.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Tristan intervenes, focusing on my wife and taking her out of her trance.

Esmeray looks at him. “I won’t.”

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