Page 135 of Unspoken Lies

It must have been humbling to leave Carlysle Prep only to find that you’re a child to the rest of the world. Thankfully, money does talk and the lawyers helped them get the club off the ground. The permits for liquor licenses alone had to have been annoying to get. God, I can’t imagine the nightmare of all of the details.

Still, it had to have been better than prison, and they had each other to work through it.

“Very little of our family’s inheritance is touching this, or whatever we got from the Kings Society,” Jared explains in a low voice as we watch a woman get fucked hard on a St. Andrew’s cross. I guess there’s definitely a kink for fucking in public like this. “We got private loans to buy all of this.”

“I guess it’s smarter to make sure it completely belongs to you,” I admit. “This place is amazing.”

“It all started because Elijah’s inheritance is under a trust. He was frustrated not to have access to money, and hated having to essentially ask for an allowance from the Kings Society,” Jared explains. “In the last two months, it’s been thriving and we have a great team. Even the mystic shop is doing well. We thought it would be a loss leader. We underestimated the need for it in this area.”

“Rachel loves doing the readings,” Liliana says. “When she talks about it, she lights up.”

“What are the odds she’d find us,” Jared grunts. “Real talk, we need each other and Rachel needs all of us. She has differentrelationships with us all, though admittedly some of them are rocky.”

Liliana arches her perfect brow at him, something she’s always done when we’re being dumb or she’s feeling a bit superior.

“I fully understand that we’re to blame for it,” he grumbles. “She hides when she’s in pain or not feeling her best because she doesn’t want to bother anyone. I know for damn sure that she’s not like that with you two. I basically had to demand that she sleep in our bed. Before you come for me, she’s been having nightmares. I’m not sure if it’s from the new medication or not, but they’re happening. Elijah slept on the floor by her bed until I snapped.”

“Laying down the law like a good husband, huh?” Liliana teases him.

“Ugh, I kind of hate you,” he complains.

“How was her sleep once she was sleeping with you?” I ask, ignoring their sniping.

“It was a lot better,” he admits. “We skipped the pool workouts for obvious reasons and went for walks instead. I think a part of her thinks she shouldn't trust or care about us. She’ll be really relaxed and happy, until she remembers everything. I don’t know how to move past it. She’s the worst with Elijah.”

“You know why she is,” I say in a warning tone.

“She told us your father told her all about how that night went down,” Jared says. “If we had stopped at any point, decided then to fake her death and not go through with it, things would be very different.”

“We can’t live in the past, and neither can she. I’ll talk to her,” I decide. “I’m doing this for her, though. Holding onto all of this hurts her.”

Jared seems to accept this with a nod and we walk back upstairs. I catch a glimpse of Elijah as he gazes over the domainas if he’s the king of it all. I suppose he is, in a way. He doesn’t look my way at all. It’s probably for the best if he’s in the zone.

Jared takes us through a back door and then we’re back in the mystic store.

“Her appointments should be coming to an end,” he says. “You can take her home. We should probably work a full shift for a change.”

The tone is self-deprecating, showing that he’s poured time into Rachelle in an effort to take care of her. Jared is frustrated by the wall he keeps hitting with her. Even though they’re the cause of it, I still can understand where he’s coming from.

He’s gone before I can say anything, and Liliana gazes hard at me.

“I can’t fix it for him, baby,” I remind her. “I can make it easier for the three of them, but they have to do the work too.”

“That’s not why I’m staring at you,” she says. “I wanted to make sure that you knew that you can’t fix it. Now let’s go get our girl.”

Rachelle is getting her things as we find her, appearing happy.

“We’re taking you home,” I tell her. “I’m starving. How do you feel about tacos?”

“Is Liliana making them?” she asks with way too much excitement.

“I am now,” Liliana laughs. “I hope Calvin doesn’t mind that I’m taking over the kitchen.”

“I think at this point, he’d be happy that I’m eating. I just wasn’t hungry,” Rachelle says, looking guilty.

“You were sad, huh,querida?”I ask as we wave at Brea and leave the store.

“I was,” Rachelle whispers. “I know you had to work, and it’s silly?—”