Consumed by Truths (Truth or Lies 6)

There is a silent pause. “I let my anger get the best of me. I punched him. He was able to overpower me so close.”

“Fuck.”

“But he didn’t escape then. I got him tied back up, and then I went to get some ice for my eye. I have no idea how he did it. It would take a Houdini to get out of those ropes. But he escaped.”

“Fuck!” I growl louder. Passerbyers stop and give me a dirty look for my swearing. I snarl back at them as Kai frowns at the phone. Clearly as pissed off as I am about her father letting Beckett escape.

“Did he have help?” I ask.

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Do you have security footage?”

“Yes, but not of that room. Just of the perimeter.”

“Send it to me.”

“Done. What do you want me to do now?”

I want to search for Beckett myself. I’m the only one I trust, but I don’t want to leave Kai unguarded. So I won’t. I won’t leave her.

“Find him.” I hang up the phone.

Kai frowns. “This doesn’t mean the world has turned against us. And it doesn’t mean my father doesn’t care about me. He didn’t let Beckett go on purpose.”

I pull up the security footage he sent me. I watch Beckett sneak out of the house, grab Kai’s father’s car, and take off.

“No, I don’t think your father let Beckett go on purpose. He’s just incompetent.”

She nods. “So what now?”

“First, we get off the street.” I take her hand. There are only two hotels in this town. I want to go back to our room, but it would be too easy for Beckett to find us there if he is searching for us. So I start walking in the direction of the other hotel.

“Where are we going?”

“To a different hotel. Beckett will still be able to find us if he wants to, but it will slow him down. He’ll stop at the hotel where I used my credit card and real name first. This will give us a bit of a head start if he is searching for us.”

“He’s not coming for us. I truly don’t think he would hurt me,” she says.

I pull her into my body. “If he does come, I won’t let him hurt you.”

Her eyes flicker up. “And I won’t let him hurt you either,” she growls back equally as determined as I am to protect her.

“You aren’t going to make protecting you and the babies easy are you?”

“I won’t put myself at risk because of the babies, but I won’t just stand by and watch you die if it comes to it. These babies need their father.”

I link hands with her again, feeling the cool metal from her ring on mine. At least we are married now. There is nothing that will break us apart again. I’m sure of it.

We walk quickly down the street, but we stick out like a sore thumb. If Beckett is already here, he will notice us in a second.

The two towns aren’t close together, though. It took us over an hour to get here by boat. We have time to get off the street and make a plan that involves sneaking through the shadows out of here.

We stroll into the lobby of the second hotel hand in hand. Both of our eyes scanning for danger at every turn.

Kai tries to turn us toward the front desk, but I stop her and head straight for the elevator.

“What are we doing? We don’t have a room here,” she says.