Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

24

Savannah

There’s a chill creeping over me as I walk through the streets. I look over my shoulder to check if I am imagining the eyes I feel on me. When the coast is clear, I grip my bag tighter and speed walk towards my car. While walking, I scour through my bag to find my keys. In the blink of an eye, I’m pulled into a dark alleyway. A hand covers my mouth before I can make a sound. I recognise those eyes instantly.

His arm presses against my neck to hold me in place.

“Such a pretty lady shouldn’t be walking alone this late into the night,”

he whispers.

“Rowan,”

I gasp.

“What are you…”

My nails dig into his skin.

His face comes right up against mine.

“Do you see how it easy it is for him to kill you?”

He applies a little more force, before letting go and walking away as if he didn’t just try to murder me.

My lungs feel dry as I struggle to breathe oxygen back into my system. With little strength back in my body, I race to my car and drive home. Adrenaline is coursing through me the entire time, and I can feel a wave of emotions suffocating me.

You know how he plays the game. You should have known he would try to kill you.

No matter how much I try to get myself to accept that, my heart doesn’t stop hammering in my chest. My legs shake and my fingers tremble. I’m so lost in my thoughts, I almost crash into the car in front of me. I would have died if it were someone else. Huxley, Jordan, and Mia would have been waiting for me at home, none the wiser that Xavier wiped me out the game with the sign of a cheque.

Unlocking the door, I proceed to the living room. I snatch the wine glass from Mia’s hand and down it in one go. But it doesn’t ease the fear still striking through me. I take Huxley’s whiskey glass and do the same.

“What’s wrong?”

Jordan asks.

I should tell them the truth. But I know Huxley. I know what he is capable of, and I can’t have Xavier dead. Not until justice is served. “Nothing,”

I mutter, before climbing up the stairs to my bedroom. I throw my bag to the floor and let out a deep breath. I rub my face in my hands and beg myself to stop jittering.

The door opens and closes. Mia slowly walks into the room and takes a seat on the bed.

“What happened? And don’t say nothing. You’re shaking like you’re on something.”

I look down at my fingers and curl them closed.

“Xavier happened.”

I take a seat next to her and the flood comes.

“How am I supposed to do this, Mia? How am I supposed to take him down when he almost got me killed tonight?”

Her hands stop rubbing my back. “He what?”

she hisses.

Raising my finger to my lips, I beg her to lower her voice.

“He sent Rowan after me. I was just walking home and the next thing I know he was strangling me. This time didn’t work, but what happens when he asks the men that killed Emery to kill me? How am I supposed to win?”

I try to breathe, but only my sniffles come out. I press my arms on my thighs and lean forward, still trying to get rid of the panic.

“This is what he wants. He’s just trying to scare you. He can feel the walls closing in on him. You are his biggest threat because you know the truth.”

I turn to look at her.

“That is why I have the biggest target on my back. And then where does that leave everyone? I make Huxley into a widow. You and Jordan are forced to grieve another friend at the cost of Xavier. And Elise … who will protect her if I’m dead?”

Mia purses her lips as she struggles to offer me any comfort. She climbs off the bed and kneels on the floor in front of me. Taking my hand in hers, she forces me to look at her.

“Stop being so fucking weak. He does one thing and you’re a crying mess. Strap on a fucking pair, Savannah. We knew the game he was going to play because he only has one move. He can call himself the ace of diamonds all he wants. Xavier’s only move is to kill anyone who stands in his way. Yet, you’re not dead. Have you asked yourself why? Why did he send you away instead of killing you? Why is Xavier doing any of this?”

She locks eyes with me.

“Because he wants you. For as long as he thinks he can win you back, he will carry on playing. Your existence has been his sole purpose since he saw you in that awful coffee shop. He won’t kill you because he needs you to survive.”

“He has all these resources on his side,” I argue.

Determination comes over her.

“And we have the truth. The truth will always prevail. We won’t let it fail us.”

“It doesn’t matter if I take Xavier down. I won’t get to change what has happened. Maybe I should just cut my losses and come to a custody agreement for Elise.”

She wipes my tears.

“And let him do this to someone else? He needs to be stopped. He needs to pay for the crimes he’s committed. You’ve got to find the fighter your mum instilled in you. You’ve got to be stronger than this. A win won’t fall into your lap. We’re going to fight tooth and nail for it.”

“And what if, in the process, I lose everything else?”

“That is the gamble for a win of this size. You’re not just playing for yourself or by yourself. The voices that Xavier stole are rallying behind you. This win isn’t for you. It’s for everyone Xavier has ruined.”

I expect the suffocating hugs from Isabella and Hadley whenever we visit. I’m pulled away from Huxley as the women drag me into the kitchen. When I try to help them finish cooking, I’m batted away. I sit mindlessly as they chatter over the clinking and clanging of the pots and pans.

“I wish you two would make it here more often,”

Isabella pouts.

“Hux is always so busy with work. But we’re here for an entire weekend.”

“I’m stealing you tonight for a girls’ night. I was thinking classic rom-coms, manicures, and chocolate.”

I love how easy it is when we’re here. I can forget everything for a few hours and have a normal life with a proper family.

“I’ll try not to doze off ten minutes into the movie.”

Her excitement warms my heart.

“I love having a sister.”

“Me too. You are the best part of being married to your brother.”

A gentle kiss is placed on my head.

“I’ll try not to take any offence to that, sweetheart.”

Isabella stills in the middle of the kitchen to smile at her son with pride. Huxley is too engrossed in observing me to witness her joy for him.

“You look well.”

He glances up at her.

“Thanks. But this meal is needed.”

He takes the dish of roasted vegetable from her before placing a kiss on her temple.

“Thank you.”

I can’t explain why the sight has me fighting my tears. The fleeting moment was nothing extraordinary, but it was what a young Savannah dreamed of. I still dream about it. I miss my mum. I wonder if she would have enjoyed these visits to Huxley’s home in the countryside. Would she have felt safe in the home that is protected by pure love?

It’s nice seeing Huxley in this element. While his face is still a blank sheet, I note how his shoulders are more relaxed. His playful manner comes out with Hadley. His amber eyes fixate on the love between his parents with gratitude.

“How is Elise doing?”

Malcolm asks.

My heart swells with pride.

“Good. She’s developing a really powerful personality.”

Huxley takes my hand in his under the table.

“Just like her mum.”

The cheeky smile on Isabella’s face warns us of the incoming question.

“Any plans to give her a sibling?”

The siblings groan while Malcolm shakes his head with a tut.

My cheeks are warm.

“Not anytime soon. We’re just enjoying being alone.”

Hadley fakes a gag.

“Disgusting.”

Huxley kicks her under the table.

“Shut your mouth.”

Her mouth drops open. “Mum!”

When he mocks her, she shoots daggers at him.

“Don’t make me tell Savannah about the carnival.”

His smile vanishes.

“Don’t you dare.”

Too intrigued, my grin breaks out.

“Now you have to tell me!”

“I was five, so Hux must have been about nine. It was a summer carnival with rides—”

She drops her fork. “Ouch!”

When Huxley covers my ears, I push him away.

“Continue.”

“He says the hotdog tasted funny—”

“Mum!”

Huxley whines like a child.

“Make her stop.”

Isabella can barely get a word out past her chuckles.

“That’s enough. None of that talk at the table.”

“Kids!”

Malcolm shoots a stern expression at the both of them.

“It’s like we’ve still got a five- and nine-year-old at the table.”

Hadley hides her snickers behind her hands.

“If Huxley shits his pants again, it will feel exactly like that.”

The entire table, bar Huxley, bursts into a fit of laughter. I try to hold it in when I see the grumpy expression on his face, but their happiness is contagious. Everyone is speaking over one another and I realise I feel a sense of completeness I’ve never experienced. After a few minutes, the laughter subsides except for a few giggles that escape.

The silence chokes me as I exchange silent glances with everyone but Huxley. His pout tugs at my heartstrings and I try to ease his discomfort.

“What movie did you want to start with, Hadley?”

She clears her throat, but a chuckle still slips out.

“I don’t mind, as long as it ends with a kiss in the rain.”

“How many of these movies are you planning to watch?”

Huxley asks, peering at me.

“Until we fall asleep,”

she answers for me.

“Got a problem with that?”

“You’re not sleeping in our bed.”

“The bed is yours tonight. Savannah is sleeping with me.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but Huxley sulks even more than before. My heart feels like it’s going to burst. Not wanting to hide my love, I take his hand in mine for everyone to see. When his soft gaze meets mine, I smile.

“It feels good to be home.”

Hadley’s gentle snores fade away as I float in the air. Just as I think I am dreaming, I’m placed down on a firmer bed. “Hux?”

He lays in the space next to me before pulling the blanket over us. He wraps me in a cocoon made of his burly arms and musky scent. His nose is buried in my hair and he lets out a satisfied sigh.

“Go back to sleep.”

My slumber is fading away.

“What happened?”

“I can’t sleep without you.”

His vulnerable honesty has me turning, so I’m facing him. His eyes are closed, but there’s a ghost of a smile on his lips. I trace his features with my finger.

“I’m not having sex with you.”

A half laugh emits from him.

“I share a wall with my parents, sweetheart. They don’t need to hear how you worship me. I missed you. That is all. Now go to sleep.”

“Okay,”

I say so quietly, I don’t think he hears me. My eyes close and my breathing evens.

“I’m glad we came for the weekend.”

“Why’s that?”

“It’s a pleasant break from it all. There’s just trees, laughter and so much love. When I’m here, I can see the future. I remember why I’m doing all this.”

His thumb brushes over my lips.

“What future do you see?”

When I open my eyes, he’s already looking at me.

“I don’t really know. I just see us sitting around a table laughing as we did tonight. I see Elise freely riding her bike on the country roads. I see dirty nappies and late night feeds. It’s all so very mundane, but I just know we’re happy.”

I don’t realise I’m crying until Huxley wipes my tears.

“I will lay my life down to make your dream come true.”

“How can you love me so much?”

“How could I not? You are worthy of so much more, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to be enough.”

I kiss him gently.

“You are enough.”

The weight in his eyes shifts to a playful light.

“You want more babies?”

I bite down on my lip to stop my giggle at his fingers trailing up my thighs.

“Not right now.”

He kisses my jaw.

“You know what they say; practice makes perfect.”

His fingers slip past my underwear and become accustomed to my sensitive nub.

“Hux,”

I quietly scold.

“Your parents are next door.”

He’s disappearing under the blanket. A feather kiss is placed on my thigh. His Cheshire grin has butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

“You better worship me silently, then.”