Page 106 of A Secret and a Lie

Forgotten about, I slither through the grass, hidden among the vegetation until my jaws unhinge and my fangs sink into my victim. By then, it’s too late. They should’ve remembered who rules this ecosystem.

The price of selling their secrets is overshadowed by the promising reward of sex. It’s not until they violate the rules, and Death takes a bite, that they understand the threat that lurks among them.

Scott Moorland is simply collateral damage, and he’ll be able to avoid complete necrosis if he cooperates.

“Why are you here?” he grits out after signaling to the bartender that he needs another drink just as mine is delivered.

My smile is warlike. “My guess is that you know exactly why I’m here, in the same way you know who I am.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But he contradicts himself by lowering his voice and ducking his chin.

“Are you sure?” I slant my head to the side. “You really aren’t aware of the sex ring that Percy Yo—”

His hand darts out, clutching my forearm tightly, imploring me to shut the hell up. “Lower your voice,” he hisses.

My grin widens. “Ah, so youdoknow what he’s up to. It’d be a shame if he found out you were talking to me tonight.”

“What the fuck do you want?”

My fingers wrap around the stem of my martiniglass. “A favor; a little slice of information about the extortion your boss seems to love so much.”

He snorts. “It’s not afavor, if you’re blackmailing me for it.”

My giggle sounds like rain on a tin roof. I lift my martini to my lips while he seethes silently, the tangy, salty gin coating my throat so that I’m breathing raw power. “Call it whatever you like,Seth, the outcome will be the same. Either you take the hit or someone else does, the choice is yours.”

“And you won’t mention my name?”

Pressing my forefinger and thumb together, I mime zipping my lips.

Wisps of silence envelop the two of us in a thin blanket for several moments, before Scott murmurs bitterly, “What do you know about the growing conflict in Kazakhstan?”

I arch an eyebrow, urging him to continue, the first secret that I collected swirling in my mind.I take money from Kazakhstan and do their bidding.

Please don’t be involved, I pray in my mind, knowing that it won’t matter. He’s involved. That means he’s no longer safe, not from me, even as a corner of my heart weeps.

Genevieve

I’m experiencing a slight earthquake so low on the Richter Scale that it’s not felt by anyone else. An invisible tremor grips my muscles and tendons as I enter the playroom I’ve reserved on the second floor. But I don’t encounter the usual anticipation that spills through me. Instead, I’m filled with dread, but I mask it with a faux smile dripping with seduction.

The door shuts with asnickbehind me as I stride toward the man on the floor, the scene having begun the moment I stepped through the door. Swiping the metal cuffs I placed atop the dresser, I crouch behind his nude form and secure his wrists.

Even as I move to stand in front of him, he doesn’t glance up at me, keeping his eyes trained on my shiny black boots. The metal buckles that stretch nearly to my hips pinch a bit as I widen my stance.

“We’ve been friends a long time, haven’t we?”

When he doesn’t speak, I smile.

“You have permission to answer me freely tonight.”

“Yes, Madam. Nearly twenty years.”

My fingers slide into his hair, nails scraping against his scalp as I tug lightly on the soft silver strands. “That’s right. I suppose the two-decade mark is a good time for us to go back over the rules of our arrangement, don’t you think?”

Clearing his throat, he shifts on his knees. “Whatever you think is best, Madam.”

He’s always been good for me; it’s part of what makes this difficult. We’ve been seeing each other for ages, spentyearsestablishing trust and a friendship of sorts.

“Look at me, Henry.”