Page 25 of Tangled Lies

This whole thing had been sprung on me and was the reason I’d sped up my need to leave. But I really wasn’t prepared for an engagement party. All I wanted to ask was why it mattered if we had an engagement party. The wedding would be coming quickly after, but maybe I was the one that didn’t have a clue.

“And Carrow has requested you move into his home sooner rather than later.”

That got me looking up. I couldn’t remain passive.

“I… He what?”

The cards had just been dealt, and now I had to figure out who was bluffing. The issue was that, my uncle had more tricks up his sleeves than I could anticipate. I didn’t see this coming, at least not yet.

My skin crawled as Carrow reached for me. My body reacted and I had to swallow the vomit.

“You are my fiancée. It’s time for you to start learning how I do things. Besides, I have a business gathering tomorrow night. A charity auction really. I expect you to be at my side.”

I don’t know why, but I glanced at the mom to see if she would give away anything about this. All I saw when I glanced her way was a woman who seemed rather broken.

I took my free hand and pushed his away from my forearm.

“I, um, I need to go to the bathroom. You’ll excuse me.”

I stood quickly, rattling the ice in my water glass as I grazed the table. I squeezed my small clutch so tightly I was worried I'd break the thing.

“Of course, Margaux. Please hurry back. Perhaps we move you tomorrow morning then?” It was my uncle's voice, and although he seemed to be requesting with his words, the way he looked at me made it clear it was anything but.

Shit.

I backed away from the table, no longer able to hold the fake smile.

I walked away as fast as I could without my uncle’s suspicion. I needed to get out of here. My time was up. Did he know my plans?

I walked to the front of the restaurant where I thought the bathrooms might be. Either way, I was hoping I could just walk out the front door and keep walking.

“Miss Harrington.”

I froze. I didn’t have to look. I knew it would be a guy in a black suit that followed my uncle everywhere. I suppose they followed me too, until recently. Reina had somehow tricked my uncle and made him trust her. Or rather he believed she had guards too. I took another breath and turned on my heel. I didn’t want this to get back to my uncle.

“Is there a bathroom here? I seem to have missed it.”

The guy had a poker face I couldn’t read, but he moved aside and waited to take my elbow in his hand and pull me back toward the restaurant. I held my breath until the bathroom came into sight.

“Miss, the bathroom is right there. You will come straight out when you are done.”

I nodded to the guy in black and hurried into the room. I leaned against the door and considered my options.

If I went home tonight, I would be forced to go to that asshole's house tomorrow. If I went to his house, something told me I would be just as controlled, and I doubted even Reina would get through. I flattened my hand against my too tight chest, fighting the heavy weight of an imaginary boulder pressing down on me.

This wasn’t supposed to be my life. My parents loved me, or as well as they could. At least they’d allowed me some freedom and my mother did truly care that I was happy. The awful scene of their last moments pushed past all the panic. Blood dripped down my mother’s face as she reached for me.

My father hadn’t moved, and neither had the driver. I wasn’t sure, but the way my father's head had hung, I thought I’d thrown up back then. Now? Anger had replaced the sick.

My mother, though, she had told me to trust no one. But that wasn’t it. There had been a name on her lips. Ro something. I never got to ask her to repeat it. I never got the full name, but in this moment, all I could think was, what were the chances it was Ronan?

My hands shook at the idea that my uncle or that future jail keeper of a fiancé would be coming to find me. There were plenty of stalls and all with their own doors that locked. I moved quickly to one and closed myself in.

I pulled out the phones from my purse. Who could save me now? Not Reina.

I unlocked the new phone and pressed the green cell button. Four names, or rather letters that stood for four very real men.

J.