Vicious Lies (Lies 1)

“Time to leave, boys,” Langston says, his voice low and deep, full of a harsh threat if they stay.

I don’t have to be a fortune teller to know the boys will get up without protest. I know the look that Langston is giving them, I’ve heard the voice. No one denies him when he uses it. His voice alone holds that kind of power, which makes it all the more shocking that he doesn’t use it to rule his own empire. Instead, he follows others’ orders.

Langston pulls out a chair for me to sit.

I won’t sit in it. He already knows this, which is why he gives me a smug knowing smile when I sit in the opposite chair. He takes his seat as well, and we both place our cups of coffee on the table.

“So, my little huntress is going to finally make a kill?” Langston asks.

“I guess that means we aren’t going to small talk first.” I cross my legs, purposefully pushing the hem on my dress higher up my thigh.

Langston’s eyes flick down to my legs before meeting my gaze again. “I’d rather get right to the point than play games with you.”

I smile. “We never play games with each other, killer. We just lie.”

The disappointed frown Langston gives me affects me more than I want to admit.

“Yes, I plan on killing someone,” I finally say.

“Who?”

“Does it matter?”

Langston shrugs. “Not really, but it’s not like you to actually kill a man. You hunt them down, you track them, but you never do the killing. Never get your pretty little hands dirty.”

“No, that’s your job.”

“So did you change your mind? Am I the one who is going to do the killing?”

I shake my head. “This one’s mine.”

His eyes narrow into tight slits as he stares deep into mine. There was a time where we could both read each other with one look. That time has long passed. He has no idea what’s going on behind my hazel eyes. No idea what I’m hiding beneath the mask of makeup, curled blonde hair, and tight dress.

“Why?” he asks when he can’t find the answer on his own.

I lift my coffee to my lips, avoiding giving him an answer.

“Tell me the truth. Why did you come when you knew it was me who sought a killer?” I ask.

“Now, why would I do that? We never tell each other the truth,” Langston says, his voice angry and sultry as he throws my words back at me. It might be the only truth we ever tell each other.

I toss my hair over my shoulder. “This was a mistake. I’ll find someone else.”

Langston leans back in his chair. If I got up and ran out, I know he wouldn’t chase me.

We never chase.

We don’t play games.

We just lie. And lie and lie.

It’s the only thing I can count on when it comes to us.

“No, you won’t,” Langston says.

I frown, my eyes flitting back and forth over his, trying to figure out the hidden meaning.

“I will. I don’t need you.”