Desperate Lies (Lies 2)

Kids.

Two beautiful, healthy kids.

Langston wasn’t lying. He’s a father. These are his kids.

I fucked up.

I did the wrong thing.

24

Langston

“This way,” Mr. Reyes says.

I follow Mr. Reyes out of the game room and down a hallway. He leads me through the ship to a thick, sealed door that has all of the highest tech—facial recognition, thumb scanner, and multiple external-facing cameras.

The door unlocks, and Mr. Reyes holds it open for me. I step inside cautiously, knowing a trap when I see one.

The door locks behind me. I don’t even jump. I knew it was going to happen, and I accept it. I want to meet the owner of this operation. I want to look him in the face and demand answers for what he did to Liesel. I know she didn’t do this willingly the first time. I’m not even sure she did this willingly the second time.

I wish I had a gun, a weapon. I always feel less anxious with a gun on me. But I’m thankful that at least Liesel is off the ship. I don’t feel her presence anymore.

The coward I’m about to meet had to ensure that I met him in this room, the only room on the yacht strong enough to hold me. He knew the only way to get me here was if I won, if I saw all the darkness that he forced Liesel to endure—that alone would motivate me to meet the man behind the voice, behind the darkness.

He’s not the devil. The devil is cunning; he has a plan. This man is just a vile pansy who will spend his life rotting in hell.

“Congratulations on your win, Mr. Pearce,” the man says. He’s sitting in a chair in the shadows, so I can’t see his face.

But I can finally hear his voice unmodified, and I recognize it.

“Show your face, you coward.”

“Why? I’m sure by now you’ve figured out who I am.”

“I have. I want to look you in the eyes when I kill you.”

He laughs.

I scan the room. It seems like it’s just the two of us, but this man must have set the trap ages ago. He will have everything planned. I have to be careful and find the perfect timing.

“What do you want with me? Why set up this elaborate game?”

“You claim Liesel belongs to you, but she’s always belonged to me. Always.”

“And how did this game prove that?”

“We’ve been playing these games for years. She’s always required to win, always required to do as I say. This is the first time I told her to lose.”

“Why?” This isn’t just about Liesel. This is about so much more. It’s about that damn letter Liesel and I accidentally split in half when we were eighteen. This man seeks the treasure—he might have known about it from the moment he met Liesel. He might have been playing her all along.

But does he control her?

Or is she playing him like she so often plays me?

That’s a question for Liesel. This bastard needs to die.

“I guess I’ll just have to kill you without seeing the whites of your eyes. It makes no difference to me.” I goad him, giving him one last chance to step forward.