Page 19 of Pretty Girls Never Lie (St. Mary’s)

“Where are we going tonight?” My voice stays neutral with my attempt at staying calm, but on the inside, I’m messy. Chaos fuels my blood, and I’m jittery with thoughts of what tonight will entail.

I don’t want this.

But with Thomas being dangled in the background like a toy, I don’t have much choice.

Brantley’s snarky offering fills my head the longer I’m in the car with Zachary, but there’s nothing he can do to help me, even if Ididwant his help.

I’ve been on my own for years, thanks to his father.

I may have thought I needed Brantley back then, but I most definitely don’t need him now.

Zachary puts on his blinker, and I watch in the mirror as St. Mary’s gets smaller and smaller. “Somewhere private.”

Shit.

“I want something first.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

I jerk forward with the sudden tap of the brake.

“Oh, is that right?”

His dark eyes level me with suspicion, but he knows me well enough to know I won’t back down. “I want to see him.”

The roll of his eyes makes me bite the inside of my cheek. “I told you, he’s asleep.”

“I won’t wake him.”

“You must think I’m a fool, sweetheart.”

For once, the past is on my side. “What makes you think you can’t trust me, Zachary? I could have turned on you two years ago.” I stare out the windshield and dig my fingers into the leather beside my thighs. “But I didn’t. So trust me when I say I won’t wake him.”

Foster care will teach you that the things you think are unimportant are actually vital to your survival.Never bite the hand that feeds you.

Zachary’s hands flex against his steering wheel, and I know he’s contemplating my request.

“Please, Zachary.”

My eyes water with my pleading, but I turn and look out the window so he can’t see. Two years ago, I was desperate for attention and love. Zachary used that to his benefit and abused his power as a foster father. He took my vulnerabilities and feasted on them. It took Jess finding out to set me straight and show me that what Zachary was doing was the farthest thingfrom love. He’s a man who likes a thrill, and sneaking into my bedroom while his wife slept two doors down was just that.

My phone call to him after I found out that Thomas was their new foster child—no doubt Zachary’s doing—gave him another thrill. I’m not fooled into thinking his subtle touches and sweet nothings in my ear are real. Zachary never cared for me.

It was a sick form of manipulation, just like it is for him to use Thomas to get me back.

And now, he’s getting manipulated in return.

“You have to be quick,” he says. “If Jess finds you with me, I’m afraid of what she’ll do. She has no idea that Thomas is your brother. Different last names and such.” He turns and heads for the freeway.

“But you knew, didn’t you?” I ask as sweetly as possible, making him think it’s a game. My tone is flirty, and it’s not hard to hide the glee in my voice because I’m about to see my brother for the first time in years.

“Of course, I knew, sweetheart.”

I reach forward and turn up the music to drown out the beating of my heart. I stare out the window at the blurring stars and think of anything but how wrong I feel for being in his passenger seat.

To my surprise, Brantley comes to mind.

He was my safe place once, and admittedly, I haven’t felt safe since.

My legs shake as I rush up the stairs leading to St. Mary’s with my bleeding heart in my hands. Zachary speeds away with his shirt undone and his tie looser than before. I tremble when I grip the iron doorknob, and that’s when a tear swells before it fallsonto the warm stone beneath my feet. The crickets stop chirping at my quiet sob, and I put my hand up to my mouth to keep myself together.

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