Page 40 of A Smile Full of Lies (Secrets of Stonewood #1)

“Is it the same one he’s had since college, in that fancy ass gated community overlooking the river? If so, I remember it being one of the big apartments on the third floor.”

“Yep, that’s the place,” Alyssa nodded. “We need to canvas his neighborhood and find your in. Make it natural, like you just happened to bump into him. If you can get him to talk to you somewhere in public, it won’t seem as weird as if you just pop up out of nowhere and knock on his door. Know what I mean?”

The drive across town felt like we were heading to my own execution, the streets widening into manicured lawns and gleaming mansions, with sleek three-story apartment buildings tucked away at the back corner of the community.

The whole gated community was built around a lush, manicured golf course.

Thayer’s building was a relic of his golden boy days, every rich boy’s dream with riverside views for the privileged.

This was the rich side of town. It was Thayer’s world, a place I’d avoided ever since he shattered me.

But this was for Knox, for Ava, for his parents, for the ghost of the life Knox had before he lost them. I wouldn’t let myself turn back now.

We parked a block away from Thayer’s apartment, Alyssa blowing out a long, steadying breath before we climbed out of her car.

My pulse thundered as I slipped out, the cool air biting my skin, sweat trickling down my spine despite it.

We stood facing each other on the sidewalk, and Alyssa spoke in a murmur I had to strain to hear.

“Let’s split up. I’ll take the east side and check service entrances. You go west. Scope out the lobby, sidewalks, the garden, maybe the café across the street that’s just for community members. Look for a way to bump into him without raising his suspicions.”

My heart pounded as we parted, the afternoon sun casting long shadows.

The neighborhood screamed wealth — designer dogs on leashes, luxury cars purring by.

I wandered the west sidewalk, pretending to window-shop, eyes on the building’s entrance.

Four years since I’d seen Thayer, since he’d shattered me with his cruelty.

The thought of his face — handsome, sharp, and sensual in a slightly unsettling way — twisted something dark in me, a mix of revulsion and an old, unwanted pull.

I rounded a corner, and there he was. Thayer, stepping out of the café, coffee in hand, looking every bit the fallen prince with his dark hair tousled, jaw stubbled, and his eyes hidden behind blackout sunglasses.

My breath caught, bitterness flooding me like bile.

He’d broken my heart, and laughed while he was at it, and now?

Now I knew he was the monster behind the Stonewood Slaughter.

He was responsible for Knox’s grief and suffering.

He spotted me and pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head, a slow, insidious smile splitting his face.

“Ros? No fucking way.”

I choked back the venom I wanted to spit at him, forcing myself to be polite even though it left my skin crawling.

“Thayer. Small world, huh?”

“Yeah, too small.” He stepped closer, that smooth charm a veneer over something fractured inside him. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?”

“Just… wandering,” I said, deflecting. “I needed air, and I missed the garden here. It’s peaceful. I could always clear my head there when we were together.”

He nodded, but his eyes narrowed, and his dark gaze turned probing.

“I heard about that Hollowing thing the Southern Scare Collective hosted at Stonewood Manor. Knox letting a bunch of tacky thrill junkies turn the place where his family got slaughtered into a haunted house attraction for the Halloween season? That’s kind of fucked up. What was he thinking?”

My pulse spiked.

“Yeah, twisted is definitely one way I’d describe it.”

Memories of Nox Obscura hunting me down and making me come flashed through my mind, but I blinked them away.

He pressed, leaning in as he stepped closer to me. The move felt too intimate, too familiar, and so fucking wrong.

“Why the fuck would he do that? You and Knox are still neighbors, right? Did you talk to him about it at all?”

I shrugged, my heart racing.

“Who knows why Knox does anything?”

Thayer shook his head, smirking down at me, but his deep brown eyes flickered, something brittle there and gone again in a blink.

“Knox never does shit without a reason. He’s always been calculated as hell in everything he does. I’m struggling to wrap my head around him opening that grave just for kicks and giggles.”

“I honestly couldn’t tell you what he was thinking,” I said, deflecting again. “I gave up trying to figure him out ages ago.”

He looked like he wanted to push, but let it drop, changing the subject instead.

“I heard through the grapevine you two are shacking up together now. How’d that happen?”

I squirmed internally, dying to bolt, but his expression was fragile, and I knew him well enough to spot the explosive lurking underneath his calm, like a ticking time bomb. Abruptness could set him off.

“I’ve been having a lot of financial issues since Gran died. My power got cut off and Knox offered me a place to stay until I sort my shit out.”

Thayer stared at me, his gaze shuttered, as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. He shook one out and took his time lighting up, taking a long, slow drag and blowing the smoke over the top of my head before he spoke again.

He pursed his lips, his gaze darkening as his gaze bored into me.

“You fucking him, Ros?”

I crossed my arms, heat rising in my cheeks.

“My sex life’s not up for discussion, Thayer. We’re not together anymore, remember?”

“We could be.” His voice softened, edged with desperation. “You could’ve come to me for help when your money situation got bad, but your stubborn pride got in the way, didn’t it?”

I swallowed hard, looking away.

“Maybe it did.”

He studied me, then smiled faintly.

“It was good seeing you, doll. Why don’t you come grab a drink with me?”

Internally, I was screaming, my sense of calm fracturing, but I held it together.

“Yeah… it was really good catching up with you, but I’m actually meeting a girlfriend for late lunch in a few minutes. Maybe later on?”

Thayer nodded and offered me a crooked smile.

“Make it soon, okay? I’m sure you remember where my apartment is, so feel free to come by anytime. See you around, Ros.”

“See you, Thayer.”

I rushed away, my legs shaking so hard I wasn’t sure how the hell I was staying upright. My breaths came in short, ragged bursts until I reached Alyssa’s car. She was waiting for me, her piercing gaze full of wariness and concern.

“What happened?”

I spilled it all from the bump-in, to the Hollowing probe, to the living-together dig, to the drink invite. My hands shook, the encounter’s tension tangling with old bitterness and fresh fear.

Alyssa cursed.

“You set a perfect hook without even trying. Use it. Go to his place wired later today, play off that ‘another time’.”

I nodded, unable to speak.

We drove to the station, but Alyssa parked in the lot, glancing around.

“I can’t do this inside. It’s too risky and there are prying eyes everywhere.

Give me five minutes and I’ll be right back.

We’ll wire you here, in the cruiser. This op’s got to be completely under the radar until it’s over.

One wrong move and I’m done. Even if this works, there’s a fair chance they’ll kick me off the force for going rogue. ”

“I understand, and I really appreciate what you’re doing for me. I just… I can’t lose Knox. I can’t let him fuck up and do something stupid and go to prison. I spent years pushing him away but now that I gave in, I don’t think I can live without him.”

“One day,” Alyssa murmured, “I hope I find someone who makes me feel for them the way you feel for Knox. I’ll be right back.”

Five minutes later, in the back seat of her cruiser, she clipped the tiny mic to my bra. Once it was on, she taped over it, just to make sure it was secure. Then she had me put the transmitter in my pocket, testing the feed.

“Get the confession. Your backup is me, a block out from the apartment. Play vulnerable, get him talking. If he cracks, run for it. Don’t do dumbass hero shit.”

“Got it,” I nodded, adrenaline buzzing in my veins. I was doing this for Knox, making a move before he got the chance to figure out my secret and become a monster in his own right.

Twenty-five minutes after that, wired and so wound up I could barely function, I headed to Thayer’s apartment, slipping in through the service entrance Alyssa had propped open when we were here earlier in the day so I wouldn’t have to face the doorman.

My body hummed with nerves and adrenaline as I climbed to the third floor and knocked on Thayer’s door, praying I could get what I needed without setting him off.

Thayer opened the door with that same smug, all-American shit-eating grin that used to melt me. Now it just made my stomach churn.

His apartment hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d been here years ago — still sleek, expensive, and utterly soulless. Everything was gray, white, or chrome. Not a single thing out of place, except the man himself.

“Ros,” he said, dragging my name out like a joke he was letting me in on. “Didn’t expect you to be the one knocking on my door after all this time. Even after our little chat earlier today.”

I smiled like it didn’t cost me every shred of self-control I possessed.

“Well, I figured Halloween was just a couple days ago… thought I’d pay a visit to an old ghost.”

He laughed, motioning me in with a dramatic sweep.

“You still got that mouth on you, huh?”

I stepped inside, letting the door close behind me. The apartment smelled like his cologne — dark spice and smoke — and something faintly metallic underneath.

“Care for a drink?” he asked, heading toward the kitchen.