The Lies We Tell (The Four 1)

ite links for one of my assignments. Then he hugged me goodbye and headed off in the opposite direction, while I started crossing the car park.

A sudden loud rumble sounded from between two parked cars, and a huge jet-black motorbike came roaring out of the space, heading straight towards me.

I froze in place, my legs unable to move.

Then my instincts kicked in and I screamed, diving to the side just as the bike reached me, collapsing onto the tarmac. The wheels came so close that I felt the whoosh of air as they passed me, the smell of burning rubber filling my nostrils.

What the actual fuck?

The bike skidded to a stop and slowly circled back towards me. I rose to my feet, my legs trembling, shuffling backwards into a small gap between two cars where the bike couldn’t reach me.

The rider lifted the visor on his helmet, and a pair of icy, soulless eyes met mine.

“What do you think you’re doing? You could have killed me, you absolute fucking lunatic!” My whole body was shaking. I’d never been so furious, or scared, in my life. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten, desperately trying not to fall apart in front of Zayde. Threats and being followed, I could handle. But endangering my life? What would have happened if I hadn’t jumped out of the way?

“Consider it a warning.” His voice was devoid of emotion, as he trapped me with his gaze.

I gaped at him. “What?”

“You should be very careful about who you make friends with.”

Almost the same thing Caiden had said to me earlier. “Have you been talking to Caiden?” My voice rose to a hysterical screech. “And I’ll ask you again, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to kill me?”

He ignored my questions. “Why are you here?”

“None of your business. I don’t owe you an explanation. And that goes for your friends, too.”

Curling his lips into a snarl, he spoke, low and threatening. “If you do anything to fuck with any of us, you’ll wish I had run you down. Your life won’t be worth living.”

With that, he snapped his visor back down and roared off, leaving me staring after him in shock.

SIX

“Seriously, Cade, what is it you expect us to do with this girl?” Cassius paced in front of me, exasperation clear on his face. “I kind of like her.”

“So do I,” my brother piped up. Little shit. I sent him a glare, and instead of dropping his gaze, he glared right back. “She is our sister. Stepsister.”

“She’s not my fucking sister,” I muttered.

“Look.” Cassius came to a stop in front of me. “You’re my best mate. In this instance I was down for following your directions—until I met her in person. Yeah, you have a problem with her, but I’m not comfortable with being dragged into this shit. I’ll still keep an eye her or whatever if you really want me to, but I’m not down for making her life hell. She only lost her dad, what, just over a year ago? Give her a break, yeah?”

“She’s her mother’s daughter,” I bit out angrily, my fists clenched.

“Cade. She’s barely stayed in touch with her mother, we all know this. We’ve been keeping tabs on her mother for the past three years, and I haven’t seen anything to concern me when it comes to Winter, other than the fact that she seems too friendly with James Granville.” He threw himself on the sofa next to me. “If we need to keep an eye on anyone, it’s that slimy fucker.”

My jaw tightened at the thought of Granville. Leaning forwards, stretching my fingers towards the ashtray on the table in front of me, I picked up my blunt and took a deep drag, the weed working its magic and mellowing my mood slightly. “Fine. You’re out. Anyone else?”

Weston looked at me. “I’m out.”

“West. You don’t know what…never mind.” He was my baby brother and I wanted to protect him. As far as he was concerned, our mother had died of a brain haemorrhage, a horrible accident. I needed to shield him from the truth.

“I’m still in.” Zayde watched me intently from the tall leather armchair he reclined in, his sharp gaze taking everything in. “I don’t trust her.”

“Who said anything about trust? She’s only a girl. What damage can one girl do?”

I laughed bitterly at Cassius’ words. Women were trouble. Wrapping men around their fingers with their honeyed words and whispered promises, all the while lying through their teeth to serve their own purposes.

“Can I at least ask you to be cautious around her? Don’t tell her anything. Don’t get too friendly with her.”