Page 2 of Unspoken Lies

The voice that’s connected to is someone I don’t want to speak to, but running to my car would be wrong. Fuck, I’ve never wanted to be a coward more than I have right now. Elijah Fletcher is the last person I want to speak to.

I bet that he stood there and laughed while Rachelle was buried under the ground in that fucking casket. He’s a sadistic bastard that way, especially when it came to her. Fuck, she must have been so scared, I hate that she was taken right from under my nose. I failed her in so many ways, and it finally killed her.

“Goddamnit, Lili,” he snarls, pulling me to a stop.

“Do you really think that touching me is something that is necessary?” I ask coldly, staring straight ahead. I’m measuring the distance to safety and my car. Shit.

Why did I have to park so far away?That’s right, I was late because I didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning. Even then, it was a strangled kind of sleep where I twitched and dreamed about the people in my life that I no longer get to see.

All because of them.Malditos sean.

“It’s the only way that I’m going to be able to speak to you,” Elijah growls. “You refuse to look at any of us anymore, and no one can get you to say a word without the threat of being gutted.”

He can squawk and cluck like a chicken, it doesn’t matter to me in any way. Besides, he’s wrong. My knives are still strapped to my thighs. I’m not even thinking about pulling one of them.

See? I’m perfectly in control of the situation. Elijah is a rat bastard and a liar.

He’s also not the only scary one in this parking lot. I’ve been slowly amassing my own loyal people, and I can feel theireyes on us now. If he starts shit here, he won’t live to see the consequences. He’ll simply be one.

The Carlysle Kings aren’t the power team they used to be. Losing Ignacio hurt them, though the bet was honored by the Society. I have a feeling some really shady shit happened for the boys to throw Nacio under the bus the way they did.

People at this school deal in favors, and they’ve been promising them to me as I’ve helped them get their shit handled the last couple of years. Just because I’m grieving and heartsick, doesn’t mean that the world stops turning. I’d also be dead without something to do.

“It may still not get you the words you want,pendejo,” I murmur to Elijah.

“Will you just turn around?” he sighs.

Swallowing hard, I feel as if he’s dropped a gauntlet down. Even if he didn’t mean it like that, there are too many eyes around us for me to be able to continue to ignore him. Fuck my life.

His hand is still on my bicep, the skin underneath it on fire. It’s not because I’m attracted to him, but because I’m so fucking repulsed by his touch. Turning painfully slow, I tilt my head up to meet his gaze.

“Does that mean you’re going to remove your shit stained fingers now?” I ask.

“You’re a real pain in the ass,” he mutters under his breath. “I’m no longer a King, Lili. I’m just me now. The torch has been passed the fuck on.”

“My girlfriend is still dead because you killed her. None of it goes away because your actions had consequences,” I spit out, my lips barely moving. We are garnering attention I don’t want. “Nacio is in prison because your stupid fucking secret society pulled a bunch of strings. You will always be a King, Elijah.”

“I had to do this,” he says brokenly. “My parents and their business, Lili. It’s all bad, I can’t be like them. I had to. Please believe me.”

While his words are disjointed, I can get the gist. His parents have always been shady, and they’re now on Mr. Emil’s radar as well. I have a feeling he’s working on something to help himself with his own grief.

“It’s still not right. I’m going to take over for my father one day. Fuck, I am already working for Mr. Emil, Elijah,” I sigh. “Unlike other people, I’ve always known what my life would look like. You just pushed me firmly into it a little sooner.”

“No, we were all supposed to get out,” he hisses. “Why would you do that? Your father adores you. He’d never push you to kill people.”

We’re both speaking as quietly as possible, but the tension is visible.

“What did you think was going to happen when you ripped my entire life away from me?” I ask, pulling my gun from the small of my back.

I’m tired of having his too warm hand on my skin. I’ll be scouring it with scalding water and a body brush to rid the feeling of his touch. He’s a traitor and selfish.

Pressing the cold steel to his stomach, I raise my brow. His body is hiding my movements because he’s too fucking close to me.

“Lili, you’re not going to shoot me, are you?” he breathes. “Liliana?”

“I asked several times for you to remove your filthy, murdering hand from my arm,” I whisper. “Apparently words don’t have any meaning to you.”

His hand drops like a stone as he nods, and I return my gun to its home. Turning, I smooth my shirt over the top of my skirt to hide it, my foot sliding forward to walk away.