Vicious Lies (Lies 1)

More money than the queen of England.

We thought we had it all. We thought we knew what came next.

But all that came next was defending what we had stolen.

Our love wasn’t enough.

Fighting our enemies wore us down until we had no energy left. Until we had no desire to fight. Until our love dissolved into ash, and our hearts were torn apart.

Sometimes fairytales turn into nightmares.

Listen to my warning, child.

Don’t search for it.

Don’t seek the fairytale.

Don’t seek the money like your mother and me.

Run, Liesel.

Hide.

Don’t hunt.

Above everything else, don’t ever tell anyone the truth—who you are or what you know.

“I don’t understand,” Liesel says.

I wish I could explain everything to her. I wish I had more time. I wish I could ensure she didn’t make the same mistakes her mother and I did.

But there is no time.

And I can’t make her decisions for her. I’ve failed as a father in more ways than one. All I can give her now is my advice and hope she makes the better choice, becomes the better person.

“It’s all in here.” I hand her an envelope.

She stares at it with big eyes as she begins to remove the letter from the envelope. “What is it?”

I put my hand over hers, stopping her.

“Later. Read it later, when you’re alone. Then burn it. Forget about going after the money, the treasure. Lie to anyone who asks you about it.”

I want to ask her to promise me, but I don’t. That’s too much to ask of her. Someday, she may choose to go after the treasure. She may think it’s worth it. My only hope is that it is—for her.

Just please, God, don’t let it destroy her like it did me.

“I have so many questions,” she says.

“I know, and I wish we had more time.”

“Is this goodbye?”

“It is, my sweet daughter. It is.”

I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. I wish I could apologize for all the shit I’ve put her through. There is no apology big enough to earn her forgiveness.

“Go,” I say.