Page 24 of A Real Good Lie

“Why are you doing this?”

“Your ex is a cockroach. I want him to know what he’s lost.” Jace’s lips brushed against his cheek.

“He’s not here.”

“No. But you are. And you should know that he’s the one who lost out, not you.”

“This doesn’t sound like pretend,” Callahan said softly.

Jace made a noise that might have been agreement, or not, and he pressed their mouths together for the second time that day and the third time ever. Callahan grabbed Jace and kissed him back, angrily, furiously, because how dare this man come back and how dare this man only be pretend.

How dare.

Callahan kissed Jace until he couldn’t breathe and then stepped back, gasping for air. He grabbed the handle of his suitcase with shaky hands and ran for the sliding doors. Once his feet landed on the concrete, he sucked in one breath after another until he was dizzy from it.

“Mr. McMillian?” a man in a black suit asked him.

Callahan looked up, registering his name written on a small white board in the man’s hand.

“That’s him,” Jace said from behind him.

Callahan straightened and Jace stepped up beside him.

“You left me again,” Jace said.

“I needed air.”

“Mmmn,” Jace made a noise that definitely sounded like disapproval, then he turned his attention to the driver. “I’m with him.”

“Of course.”

The driver took both of their bags and rolled them to the curb, depositing them both into the trunk of a town car. He opened the back door and gestured for them to climb in.

Callahan motioned for Jace to go first. It was the least he could do after leaving Jace twice in less than ten minutes. Jace crawled into the car and then bent down, craning his neck to look back toward Callahan.

“I’m sorry.” Callahan shook his head with one foot in the car and one on the curb. He looked at the driver, an older gentleman with hair that was more salt than pepper. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Gene, sir.”

“Nice to meet you, Gene.”

Callahan climbed in behind Jace and Gene closed the door. Jace gave him a weird look that Callahan couldn’t decipher, but didn’t say anything.

“We can talk about it when we get to the hotel,” he said while the two of them were alone in the car.

“About what?”

Callahan pursed his lips and turned to stare out the window.

“Our relationship.”

Chapter Eight

Jace Can’t Begin to Imagine the Life

“They say the easiest way to stick to a lie is to make as much of it the truth as you can,” Jace offered, studying the back of Callahan’s head as he stared out the window.

“You speak from experience?” Callahan asked, not turning toward him. “You lie a lot?”