Page 59 of Unspoken Lies

“Shit in one hand and wish in the other and see which one carries more weight,” I say without thinking. Liliana snorts but it’s how I feel. “Brea is the reason your shop is making money. I hope you pay her well. She said that you didn’t think it would be successful.”

Elijah opens his mouth before closing it abruptly. He says something under his breath in another language, and I wrinkle my brows.

“Rude,” I mutter.

Nacio leans in to catch what he says before leaning back on the pillows.

“No, she doesn’t know about your other business ventures,” he says easily as they glare at him. “We all grew up learning languages, Arabic isn’t going to throw me, assholes.”

“It’s the one language I didn’t pick up at school,” Lili says under her breath so the guys can’t hear her.

“What other business ventures?” I ask to cover up what Lili said. “Drugs or sex?”

“How little you think of us,” Elijah says. “You really didn’t notice that the shop is a front? Before you freak out, it’s hiding a speakeasy behind one of the mirrors. The code phrase is something about donuts. I always forget, but Brea has that on lockdown.”

Rolling my eyes, I realize that’s what I was hearing in the background on my first day.

“I heard someone say it but didn’t ask questions because I was focused on filling out the employment paperwork,” I confess.

I explain how my first day went, right up until I ran into Elijah and called Emil when he passed out from hitting his head.

“How does my father fit into this?” Nacio asks.

“Your dad, ugh. I need to call him,” I groan.

Lili hands me her phone, and I immediately miss holding her hand.

“Before I call him, Ignacio said ‘business ventures’ as in many of them,” I remember. “What are the other ones?”

“It’s just one other,” Theo says. “The speakeasy is hiding the sex club downstairs in that building. They have to make a previous reservation, jump through a bunch of hoops, and pay a membership to use the facility. Even though the speakeasy serves drinks, they have to be able to prove that they’re sober by blowing into a breathalyzer when they step inside. There’s also a two drink limit to be able to play in the dungeon.”

“Wow,” I mutter. “I think I’m a little too innocent to have heard that.”

Liliana chuckles under her breath as Ignacio gently squeezes my body in a hug.

“Nothing wrong with that, Baby Girl. Call my dad if you’re ready. I don’t think they’re leaving any time soon,” he says.

Nodding, I enter the number that I have memorized. It’s one that will forward to his phone and only exists for me.

“Rachelle,”Emil breathes. Despite my fake name, he’s always given me a sense of normalcy by calling me by my real name. “How bad is it?”

“The Kings have graced me with their presence,” I say sarcastically, resting my head on Ignacio’s chest. “I think the jig is up, but I don’t know where that leaves me.”

The guys make a guttural, angry, strangled noise, but I ignore that as Nacio’s fingers rub the strip of skin underneath my shirt.

“Alive,”Emil grunts. “It leaves you alive. This was never going to be long term, Rachelle. The Kings Society can never find out though. Please put me on speaker.”

Bringing down the phone, I click the screen to do as he says.

“Hi, Mr. Emil,” Liliana says smirking.

“Hello, trouble,” he mutters. “Can you boys hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” they say together.

“That never gets any less creepy,”he sighs. “What’s it going to take for you to keep Rachel’s existence a secret?”

“I hate her new name,” Elijah groans. “We aren’t planning to tell the Kings Society.”