Vicious Lies (Lies 1)

We both need truths.

We need to continue to hide behind our lies until the bitter end.

What happened that day when we were five changed the course of both of our lives and led us here.

“What will it be, Liesel? Will you come with me willingly, or will I take what is owed to me?”

She shakes her head slowly. “You evil bastard. You have no right to take me. I’m not yours. I’m not your property!”

“I’ll take that as a no, you won’t come willingly.”

“I will fight tooth and nail. And I will never stop fighting. You know my past. You know the pain I’ve endured. You will never break me. You will never get any truths from me.”

“I know.”

“Then what do you want with me? My body? To fuck me every night like your whore?”

I’m silent.

“You want my money? My power? My name?”

I don’t answer her. I let her throw her theories out. I let her spill her lies. I let her expel her anger out. Better to get it out now than later.

“What do you want with me?” she yells.

I step closer, and to my surprise, this time, she doesn’t back away. She’s done running. She’s ready to fight. I’m prepared for her to draw a knife, a gun, even blow up the entire house with both of us in it if she has to. I knew she would fight when she was done running. It’s exactly what I want.

I grab her wrist and yank her to me until my breath is just above her mouth. I pause, lingering for my words to make the most impact.

“I want the same thing I’ve always wanted—I want to know what was on your half of the paper. I want to know the truth, not the lies. I want the treasure that secret leads to. I want to take everything from you. I want the truth, Liesel, and I don’t care what I have to do to get it.”

“Why do you want the treasure? You have more money than you could possibly ever need.”

“To ruin you.” Like you ruined me.

“You won’t kill me,” she says, her voice shaking, not sure if her words are true or more lies.

“If killing you gets me the secret, I will.”

Then I shove a sleeping pill into her parted lips and cover her nose and mouth with my hand.

She struggles for a moment as she backs into the corner of the wall. Her eyes go big, and the veins in her eyes turn bright red as she struggles for breath but still refuses to swallow the pill.

“I’m crueler than you’ll ever be, Liesel. You don’t know how far I’ll go. You may think what I did to Siren was savage, but it is nothing compared to what I will do to you.”

She stops fighting as more oxygen leaves her body. Soon she won’t have a choice but to surrender.

She closes her eyes hard and then opens them defiantly before finally swallowing. I may win this round, but she thinks she’s only allowing me so she can fight another day. So tomorrow she can slice my balls clean from my body.

I kiss her neck, thanking her for swallowing the pill that will soon knock her unconscious.

“I can’t wait for you to fight back, Liesel. I’m going to enjoy every second of it. But for now—sleep. Tomorrow you can fight.”

I remove my hand, and she gets one solid breath in before she collapses. I catch her in my arms, finally having a moment to really study her. To hold her close. To revel in the fact that she’s finally mine.

Mine—if only that were true.

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