Page 75 of Unspoken Lies

We all place our order while she nods and writes it down.

“I’ll get this into the kitchen, and then bring it out. Our cook is pretty fast,” she says before walking away.

“There’s something about the late hour that always makes me hungry,” Jared says.

“Calvin usually has snacks for us in the fridge, but sometimes I just want junk food,” I admit.

“Calvin?” Rachelle asks.

“Yes, I stole him away from my parents,” Jared says with a wry grin. “I don’t think he wanted to work for them anymore after I finished school.”

“I could always tell that you were special to him,” she whispers, remembering the last time she tried to say something nice about Calvin before glancing away.

“Rachelle,” Jared says gently. Rachelle is blinking quickly, semi-trapped in the past. He tugs gently on one of her curls, the pain effectively helping to pull her out.

“Ow,” she mutters, pulling away.

“I was wrong for overreacting about the photos,” he says. “Calvin was so damn happy about them, and they were proudly displayed. I was angry because he’s one of the staples in my life. Outside of my best friends, he’s the person who’s always been proud of me. I was irrationally pissed about you doing something nice.”

“I did it for him,” she says staunchly. “Calvin asked me for a favor, and I said yes.”

“Do you always keep your promises?” Theo asks, a strange glint in his eyes.

Fuck, what is he up to now?

“Mostly, yes,” she says with a nod.

The waitress returns with our drinks, and Rachelle opens her straw before sticking it in her water glass to take a sip. Biding his time to ensure she doesn’t choke, Theo watches her.

“What if I asked you to seriously get to know us. Could you promise to give us a chance?” he asks.

“I do know you,” she says innocently. “You’re not good men.”

“That’s not true,” I say. “We may not be the best men, but you don’t know us.”

“You also heard your stepfather. He asked you to spend time with us,” Jared insists. “What will you tell him when he asks?”

“He won’t,” she says. “Emil is a very busy man. He won’t remember something like that.”

Pulling out his phone, Theo pulls up the camera app and holds it up.

“Smile, Rachel,” he says before snapping a phone. While the three of us grin widely, she looks as if she’s a deer inthe headlights. I know Theo purposely used her fake name to continue to ensure she’s safe.

Just because we have ulterior motives, doesn’t mean that we want to fuck up her safety from the Kings Society. Rachelle Reyes will remain dead for as long as necessary. Theo texts someone before smirking.

“Your stepfather says he’s glad that you’re giving us a chance,” he says, showing Rachelle the message.

Jared snickers as he reads the rest of the text.

“If you hurt her, I’ll make Liliana cut your balls off,” he reads.

“I don’t doubt that she would,” I say, shuddering. “Liliana has gotten really fucking scary.”

“So what will it be?” Theo asks, waving his phone in the air.

“One date each,” Rachelle agrees.

“Three,” I negotiate. “This one doesn’t count. How else will you learn about us?”