Page 90 of Cunning Lies

The front door clicks. Kenzo enters, and my body instantly flushes. It doesn’t matter if I hate the brooding silence that’s been following him like a shadow lately; my body knows the dirty things he’s whispered in my ears.

But just because he’s good in bed, doesn’t mean he won’t leave me.

He faces the hallway, taking in the mess.

He starts, “What the—”

“I’m sorry. I tripped.” I gesture to the shards on the ground. “I was trying to make room for a candle, putting this vase in another room, and then I—”

“Where’s the candle?”

I search for something—anything—to explain myself, but my mind is blank.

“Is everything about you a lie?” he asks. “Maybe the love for candle-making is a scam too.”

Tingling sensations ripple through my body, putting me on edge. He’s called me a slut, a bitch, a whore, butthis—Kenzo pointing out that I’m lying again—is more insulting than that.

And I need him to believe me. I need something to work in my favor.

“Excuse me?” I ask. “You think I’m lying about the candles?”

“You’re all liars. You probably don’t even know when your uncle has lied to you.”

I blink, trying to make sense of what he’s saying, but there’s nothing there. Only emptiness. Uncle Jay doesn’t lie to me; we’re on the same team, fighting for the same goals.

Instead, I focus on the candles.

“I’ve always loved making candles,” I say, tucking hair behind my ear, my fingers running over my tattoo. “That’s one of the only things I’ve always,alwaysloved.”

“Then what about Jay?” he asks.

My stomach drops. “What about him?”

“Have you told him about our firearms deal?”

I shake my head. That much is true.

“But that’s what you’re after, right? Someone hired you to steal that contract from us.”

I don’t want to lie anymore, so I stand there, gawking at my feet, my insides swirling with nerves. “Yes,” I mumble, so quietly that the word barely makes it to my own ears.

“Who sent you?” he asks, raising his voice.

“I don’t know.”

“Who are you protecting?” He runs a hand through his hair. “Is it yourself? Go on, then. Be selfish. I can stand behind that. But if it’s for Jay?” His eyes leave mine. My stomach churns.

“What’s your problem with my uncle?”

He scowls at me, but he doesn’t open his mouth. It’s like the words are tearing him apart, and that makes me nervous. Kenzo is contemplating how to tell me the truth. And that’s not like him.

“Fine. If you’re so hell-bent on being honest, then out with it. Why do you hate my uncle?”

“He’s lied to you since he adopted you.”

I won’t believe this. I refuse. This is stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“So what?” I snap. “Everyone lies. You may hold truth to your chest like a badge of honor, but you’re exactly like us. I bet you’re lying to your family about me.”