Dark Lies (House of Sin 2)

He knocks on the door two times.

I pause while undressing.

“You okay in there?”

My heart races in my throat, and I sit down on the toilet before my legs buckle under me again. “Yeah.”

I don’t want to show any weakness.

“I’ll make something to eat,” he says, and then he stomps off again.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. The image of the pills dropping from his cabinet flashes through my mind again. Did he intend to give those to me?

The thought did cross my mind. Then again, not every man is out there to get me. But then why does this all feel so unnerving?

I quickly strip off this wet dress and pat myself down with a small towel I find next to a tiny sink. It’s better than nothing, though I won’t touch my sensitive parts with that. I’ll take a proper shower when I get home.

I put on the flannel dress, which looks awful but is better than nothing, and then leave the bathroom. But I stop in my tracks the moment I spot the man with a cell phone against his ear.

“Yeah?”

My eyes widen, and my lips part.

“Missing?”

I stare at him as tears well up in my eyes, and my heart sinks into my shoes.

Missing.

Whoever it is on that phone is talking about me.

Eli knows … and now this man knows too.

The old man glances at me over his shoulder, confirming my suspicions.

I stop breathing for a moment and contemplate whether to steal the phone and run or stay and pray for mercy.

The man just glares at me as though he’s already made up his mind while my eyes glance back and forth between him and the door, thinking about my options. That man is probably much faster than I am in my current condition. He’d probably catch me before I managed to escape.

Instead, I whisper, shaking my head, “Please … Please, don’t tell him I’m here.”

Chapter 4

Eli

“Is Amelia there?” I bark into my phone. I don’t even care to ask how he’s doing. All I care about is finding her. “She’s missing.”

“Missing?” the guy replies, clearly unimpressed by my rage.

“Yeah, a petite girl with black hair, rosy cheeks, pink lips. She stole one of our boats and fled the island. She’s likely traveling through the woods. Did you see anything?”

I hold my breath while he groans. “No, nothing that I know of.”

I sigh out loud.

“I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“Call me if you spot her,” I reply.

“Of course.”

I disconnect the call and stare at the phone for a second, almost squishing it in my hands until it breaks. I have to remain calm and keep my cool because exploding won’t help. She’s gone either way.

“Did the guard see her?” Tobias asks, interrupting my train of thought.

“No,” I say, and I pass by him.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“To my study.”

He frowns, trying to follow me. “Why?”

“To think.” I don’t need him to chaperone me.

He grabs my shoulder and stops me in my tracks. “Don’t do this.”

“Do what?” I bark back.

He raises a brow. “Don’t think I don’t know what you do there. We all do it in our own way.” His fingers squeeze against my shoulder blades, close to where the scars are, and I hiss in pain.

“Then you know why I must,” I retort, shaking his fingers off.

“Haven’t you punished yourself enough?” he says, raising his brows at me while blocking my way. “Eli … I care about you.”

“And I care about her,” I say, throwing him a look.

He sighs. “I know what it feels like to lose someone you care about.”

“Maybe … But I still have a chance to get her back.” I gaze at him from underneath my eyelashes. “And every second only makes the chance slimmer and slimmer.”

“I know, but the guards are doing everything they can to find her,” he reassures me.

“We need more boats. I should be out there looking for her,” I growl.

“I know,” he says, and he pulls me in for a bro-hug. “It’s all coming. Just not as fast as we want.”

I push him off me. “I need to do this.” I walk farther toward my study.

“Why?” he asks. “Why do you feel so guilty?”

In a fit of rage, I spin on my heels, and yell, “Because I made her remember exactly what she did!”

His eyes widen as he freezes to the floor. “All of it?”

I nod.

“How did she react?”

“Not good. Obviously.” I close my eyes and take in a deep breath.

“You feel guilty,” he says.

I hate that he can read me so well. That he knows exactly what I’m thinking and feeling without the need for me to say even a single word.

Maybe that’s why he’s always so good with the girls who come to our House. He always gets through to people so easily, unlike me.