Page 29 of Unspoken Lies

A heavily muscled arm leans on the bar, the body encased in a custom suit. His cologne smells expensive, but not in an obnoxious way. It is something that will, however, turn your head in a crowd though.

“Hey, Brunes, can I get a scotch please? Is everything good?”

The voice is one I didn’t think I’d hear any time soon, and my body begins to coil tightly. Fuck, please don’t notice me. I can feel the moment he turns and gazes at me.

“This is ridiculous,” he growls, pushing my hair away from my face. I’ve been hiding behind it for almost two years, since Rachelle left us.

I’m not surprised that he’d push into my space to see who I am. Jared Denton has no fucking shame.

“Hey, Jared, nice club,” I say without my voice cracking as Brunes, the bartender sets down a Naughty Virgin in front of me. Fuck, The Brothers Speakeasy is a nice touch.

While I’m annoyed I didn’t realize the connection, it is brilliant.

“Thanks, Liliana,” he murmurs. “Want to tell me why you’re popping up everywhere in town? What happened to Princeton?”

“No longer on the table,” I state, quoting Mr. Emil. “My life isn’t the same anymore, so I sold my life to the Devil.”

I don’t believe that Mr. Emil nor the mafia are evil. I have certain appetites that have to be fed, so this arrangement suits me.

“It’s a stupid move,” he says mildly, picking up his scotch as it’s put down. “Are you spying for your father?”

“I actually had no idea you were the owner,” I reply. When he looks at me as if I’m lying, I shake my head as I turn to face him. My hair slides through his fingers to sit on my shoulder again, and he sips his drink. “I’m here because this place looked fun and I was able to get a spot tonight for opening night.”

“I don’t know how I didn’t notice your name on the list,” he mutters.

“The law office screened names,” Theo says, coming up to us, his gaze heavy on me. “I received the names for the other part of the club.”

“Other part?” I ask, curious. “Is that what's behind the vault door?”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Lili,” Theo says with a tight smile. “Are you going to UCSB?”

“Yeah, how do you know that?” I ask, confused. Why do they appear flummoxed and hurt by my presence if they knew I was in the area?

“I keep seeing your hair, but you look a lot like Rachelle from far away,” he explains. “Let’s take a walk. Elijah needs to see you. He thinks you’re Rachelle’s ghost come to life. You also almost ran his ass over a few months ago with your car.”

“He said it was an SUV,” Jared says suspiciously.

“My car is very eye-catching,” I explain, tossing my hair. “I have another car now. I didn’t know it was Elijah. In my defense, I have some road rage issues. If he can complain about it, then he’ll live.”

“Same old Lili,” Theo sighs. “Come take a walk with us, please.”

“My father knows where I am,” I say, picking up my drink. I bite my lip because I need to pay for it, but Jared signals to the bartender that it’s on him. Well, they’re less likely to kill me if they’re letting me bring my drink, I guess. “Where exactly am I going?”

“Behind the looking glass,” Jared says with a smirk. “It’s where Elijah is right now.”

My heels don’t make a sound as I walk across the floor, and Jared says something into his ear com piece. I’m sure it’s helpful for getting information to his employees without having to go find them. The band is actually pretty good, and I can see people head bobbing as they vibe to the music.

It seems like a shame to leave now that I’m finally getting my bearings.

“If you’re spying, you may as well get the full effect,” Theo says with a dark chuckle.

“I’m not spying, you paranoid twatwaffle,” I murmur.

It’s just loud enough for him to hear, and he rolls his eyes.

“It’s only paranoia if the world isn’t trying to kill you, Lili. You know that,” he grunts.

Yeah, I definitely do. I hope this doesn’t fuck up my playdate later tonight.