Vicious Lies (Lies 1)

“Really?”

I glance around the room. I’m in Langston’s bed, tied by the wrists to one of the bedposts. Otherwise, the room is empty.

I doubt Langston is back from his expedition, so Joel and Amelia had to be the ones to tie me up.

I take careful inventory of my body as my breathing speeds.

What did they do to me?

I start at my toes and work my way up my body.

No broken bones.

No bruises.

My clothes are still on.

I exhale a heavy breath.

That doesn’t mean that they won’t do something to me—torture me, rape me.

I have to get out of here.

As much as Langston thinks he has his employees under control, I doubt he told them to knock me out or tie me up. Langston may like to threaten my life, he may torture me, but he’s a control freak. He won’t like his employees taking matters into their own hands.

I test the rope tying my hands together. It’s a good knot—the person who tied it clearly knows how to tie a knot. But they don’t know how to keep a woman like me tied up.

A woman who Langston tied up in the third grade after I stole his favorite Hot Wheels car and threw it in the river. I had rope burn for a week after that. Langston got in so much trouble from his dad. His apology involved teaching me how to get myself out of any binding. We practiced all summer until he could never use that power over me again without me being able to escape.

So untying a sailor’s knot is no problem for me. Joel could have made it more difficult if he hadn’t used a traditional knot and just tied me up any which way. That would have thrown me for a loop, made it more difficult to undo.

I’m out of the simple knot in three seconds.

I take a second to consider my options. Glancing out the window, the sun is just beginning to set.

I could barricade myself in the bedroom and hope Joel or Amelia don’t come check on me, but how long can I last? How long until Langston comes home?

No, I don’t want to be in this house.

I don’t know what Joel and Amelia planned after they tied me up, but I’m not going to wait around to find out. I head to the bathroom balcony and climb over. I scale down the vines, this time with more agility now that I know the easiest path down.

I land on my feet and stare back at the house. Neither Joel nor Amelia come running for me immediately, which gives me time to get away.

I head straight for the ocean. I figure if I run toward the beach, then I can head into the jungle and live off of coconuts until Langston returns and finds me.

I run as fast as I can down the cliffside, so fast that I don’t notice her until I’m right on top of her.

Phoenix.

She’s sitting in the spot where Langston and I have met every night at sunset.

It’s sunset.

There is a bottle of alcohol and two shot glasses sitting next to her.

“Care to join me?” Phoenix asks without glancing back at me.

I raise an eyebrow as I cautiously near her. I wish I had a gun, a weapon, something. She wasn’t the one who knocked me out, but she did stand by and watch Joel and Amelia drag me off.