Page 82 of Ruin Me With Lies

“And now I functionbetter.Your point?”

“Alright, fine.Whatever.She’s all yours.”I wave him off and head to the wet bar, the capitulation burning like acid on my tongue.

If he were anyone else, I’d just take her, no arguments.But I won’t fight with my brother over her.She’shisfind,hisassistant.I can’t just steal her from him because she fascinates and entertains me.Because I like the way she smells…the way she lies…

“She’s a pain in the ass anyway.Don’t know how you put up with her.”I pour myself a finger of whiskey, irritation spiking the more I think about her.“She listens, until she doesn’t.She’salwaysfucking hungry.I’ve never seen a thing so small eat so goddamn much.Yet can’t sit still for more than five minutes.”

I take a drink.“And isn’t it annoying how she shakes her foot and nibbles at her cuticles when she’s in deep focus?Or how she tries to deflect with random conversation aboutabsolutely nothingwhen she’s hiding something?And why the hell does she keep strolling into smoke-heavy rooms with zero regard for her faulty lungs?”

Another sip.Slower this time.“Did shenothave a childhood?How does she know so damn much about every goddamn thing when she’s only twenty-three?”I stare down into the glass.“And oh-uh-uh-ohhh, she thinks she’s so damn clever, doesn’t she?Butrightbefore she lies, her left eye always twitches just a tiny bit.Ever notice that?”

When several seconds of silence pass without a response, I glance over at Lorenzo.He’s just sitting there, staring at me with a strange expression.

“What?”I bite.

“Nothing.”He shakes his head slowly.“Nope.I’ve never noticed...anyof those things.”

“How’s that possible?You spend the most time with her.You should be well-acquainted with her irritating personality by now.”

“Maybe because I don’t paythatmuch attention to her?”he says, still with that strange expression.“I give her work, she does it.She gives me lip, I tune her out.”He lifts his glass to his mouth but doesn’t sip, watching me over the rim.“If I didn’t know any better, I think…”

“You’d think what?”

He shakes his head, as if he doesn’t trust his own thoughts.“Never mind.”

“Anyway,” I say, brushing it off, “her idea to have Skullaz MC incite a cartel war to create a smokescreen for us to take out Hernandez amid the chaos is brilliant.She’s good at this tactical shit.”

Toogood.That’s the problem.

“Let’s hope those idiots don’t fuck it up,” Lorenzo mutters.“Skullaz are the dullest tools in the crime shed.There’s a reason half of them are behind bars.”

Working with those cockroaches wasn’t exactly on my vision board, but out of every strategy we’ve thrown around, Raya’s was the smartest: use them instead of kill them.

“We gave them enough incentive to get it done right,” I say.“They know it’s do or die.”

“And Lucy Rainford?”he presses.

“Not worried.She’s easy.”I swirl the whiskey in my glass.“I’ve got enough dirt on her to end her career by lunchtime.That’s why she’s scared shitless right now, trying to feel me out.But I’m letting her sweat for a while.Once Hernandez is taken out and she’s the last ally left on the board, she’ll come crawling.”I take a slow drink.“And when she does, I’ll own her.”

Lorenzo nods and downs the rest of his whiskey.“Whoever that fucker is, you think he’ll show his face once all his allies are down?Or will he run?”

“The mistake is assuming it’s ahe.”

“Mm-hmm,” Lorenzo hums thoughtfully.“We’ve got blind spots.Raya doesn’t.That’s why I like having her around.She’s sharp.Picks up on the little shit we miss.”He takes a sip.“I’m counting on her figuring it out before we do.”

I say nothing.

Lorenzo trusts no one.Has faith in no one.Not even himself.But somehow, by some wonky glitch in the matrix, he’s latched onto her.Put his faith in her with all this.

It’s so out of character for him, so bizarre, that I can’t bring myself to tarnish his inexplicable attachment to her by voicing what’s clawing at the back of my mind...

That the one trying to take us down…might be Raya herself.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Raya

“WELL, THAT WENT FAST,”I mumble through a laugh.“Good lord.”