Page 69 of Wicked Riddles & Bitter Heartbeats

Interesting.

“Before we talk about me, let’s talk about you.”

“That’s not how this is going to work.”

“Actually, James, it is. I’m the one in control here.”

Though, I’m not sure for how long. My skin is crawling and my head is getting fuzzy. It’s a good thing it’s dark because if I were face to face with him in the light, able to see how much we look alike, I may actually lose it.

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your family.”

“My family?” he snaps, sounding confused. “Don’t have one.”

“That’s a lie,” I growl as I step forward, the anger swelling in my chest. I stop abruptly, my eyes snapping shut as I try to focus and keep calm.

“No, it’s not.” His tone his calm, and so I open my eyes. “My mother died some years ago. I never met my father. Never married. No kids.”

“No… siblings?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

“Not that I know of.”

Not that he knows of?

“What does that mean?” I ask through gritted teeth. I’m barely hanging on. He’s lying right to my goddamn face.

But… what if he’s not lying? What if he really didn’t know?

I told myself that wouldn’t matter, but suddenly, it seems to matter.

“It means my father fucked anything that walked—hell, people that didn’t walk too—so maybe there’s someone out there who shares my DNA, but if so, I don’t know about them. Now, are you going to tell me who the fuck you are?”

The comment about his father,ourfather, catches my attention. I’ve never known anything about him. Not that I know much about my mother, but there are a few things I’ve learned over the years. My father is a fucking mystery. But that isn’t what I need to focus on right now.

I step into the moonlight, getting closer to him. His eyes narrow for a long moment, then widen.

“I know you,” he whispers.

“Do you?” I ask.

“From the hotel. You ran into me.”

“It could be said that you ran into me.”

It’s a childish thing to say, and I’m not sure why that’s my response. This is a stupid argument.

“Does it matter?”

I huff out a laugh. “No.” I take a step closer to him, and he doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t do anything to act like it scares him. “What does matter is our DNA.”

“Our DNA?” he says through a chuckle. “What the fuck does that mean?”

I grin, holding his gaze for a long moment before saying, “You know, I was sure looking you in the eye, I’d know the truth.”

“The truth about what?” He frowns.

I’m not sure how much longer I can get away with being so cryptic. He’s going to want answers, and I’m dancing around them.