Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

27

Savannah

I take the lift to the top floor alone. Huxley has decided that he’s still angry with me for hiding Rowan’s attack on me. He can’t understand that I won’t give Xavier an easy out via death. I want him to suffer, and Huxley’s promise to kill him won’t give me that. He knows I’m right, which is why I’m letting him be angry because he will see sense soon. I apologised, and that is all I can do for now. That and celebrate my victory.

I giggle to myself as I walk towards the office. The high from the weekend hasn’t worn off. Getting Xavier alone served two purposes: a confession and getting him away from Brynn long enough to swipe the necklace. I wish I could have captured a picture of his face in both instances.

But I’m sure I’ll get to feed on his misery today. Xavier is already at his desk, rapidly typing away. My high spirits are apparent when I greet him.

“Good morning, Mr Rivers.”

“Good morning, Miss Hayes.”

His face gives nothing away. I expected him to threaten me. I expected him to unleash the monster inside, but Xavier keeps his expression neutral.

His calm demeanour throws me off, and my eyebrows furrow as I take my seat. Most of the day passes like that. Xavier doesn’t mention the weekend’s events as if they never happened. We work in a harmony that leaves me unsettled.

Why isn’t he attempting to retrieve his necklace?

Maybe it’s not the real necklace. As part of covering his tracks, Xavier had replicas made when he realised I knew the truth. What if he just made me think Brynn was wearing the real one as a ploy? Maybe it was a test to see if I would make a move. There’s only one way to find out.

An exaggerated sigh passes my lips.

“I have a hypothetical question.”

“What’s that?”

I push my chair so his face isn’t blocked by my screen.

“Hypothetically, if I wanted to check if a diamond was genuine, how would I do that?”

He lifts his head at the mention of a diamond.

“Have you acquired a diamond you believe to be fake?”

“Maybe. The seller is quite the liar.”

He scoffs at me.

“Seller? If you steal an item, does the owner count as a seller?”

“If you kill your mother and turn her into a diamond, does that count as jewellery or a memorial?”

I smile at him.

“All hypothetical, of course.”

“Of course.”

He calmly goes back to his work. The only sign of his frustration is the soft sigh he lets out.

“Get your work done, Miss Hayes.”

“Why aren’t you freaking out?”

I ask, unable to take his composure any longer.

“I won on Saturday. Why haven’t you sent Rowan after me again? I mean, you already paid him to scare me.”

His hands clasp together in front of him on his desk. He looks at me.

“I paid him to kill you. I don’t make empty threats. I don’t scare people. I kill them, as you kindly reminded me on the weekend.”

“Why aren’t you doing that, then? Why are you hiding the anger I know you’re feeling at losing?”

He smiles.

“We’re playing poker, Miss Hayes. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of a poker face? I’ve been playing right into your hand, but that stops now. And you should know by now I always have an ace up my sleeve. I have not lost, Savannah. I’ve only just begun to play.”

Mia looks at me with worry.

“What happened to taking it slow with her?”

Xavier’s words from two days ago haven’t left my mind. The threat it carried has me in a chokehold. He’s been too calm, too composed. Xavier is acting as if none of this is happening and history has taught me that means he has something in the works.

“We don’t have the time. We need to get her to go to the police and reopen her sister’s file. If I have to drag her there myself, I will.”

Mia frowns.

“Does Huxley know about this?”

Choosing to ignore her question, I say, “The longer we sit on this, the more time he gets to figure it all out.”

I check the time again.

“Where the fuck is she?”

“Chill,”

she hisses.

“Are you okay?”

I can’t explain it, but there’s a tingling down my spine.

“With the diamond in play, he’s going to come at me with everything. We don’t have the time for Scottie to become besties with you.”

“But Huxley said—”

My narrowed eyes stop her from speaking.

“This isn’t Huxley’s game. It’s mine. If I say we’re doing this, then that’s the new plan.”

Mia’s eyes soften with worry.

“We’re on your team, Sav. Huxley and Jordan are following the money trail now that we know Xavier set up an account in Bali. That will lead us to the fake Elliot, and they will force him to come forward and admit that Xavier paid him to play a dead man.”

My nails dig into my thighs.

“We can’t bet on that. Do you think Xavier it sat at home playing tea party games with Elise? No. He’s sat there studying the cards. He’s forming a game plan. He’s making a list of cleanup. I won’t give him the time to bury the truth again. All he has to do is kill fake Elliot and our proof is gone.”

She slowly nods her head and accepts defeat.

“I hope you know what you’re doing because that’s her. Go easy on her. She’s done everything she can to move past this.”

Mia waves at the petite woman.

Scottie slides into the seat opposite us. Her wary eyes don’t move from my face until she addresses Mia. “Hi.”

“Hey. This is my friend Savannah.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Her eyebrows pull together.

“This is going to sound bizarre, but you look so familiar.”

Mia cowers into her seat as she lets me take the rein on this conversation. She shoots Scottie an apologetic smile and I feel a small sting of betrayal.

“You might have seen me in the papers being linked to Xavier Rivers.”

I grab her hand when she tries to leave the booth.

“Please hear me out.”

Her tearful eyes land on Mia.

“He sent you? Is that why you became my friend?”

Mia pleads on our behalf.

“We’re not here for him. We’re here for Caitlyn. Just sit with us for five minutes and let us explain.”

Shaking her head, she begins to ask, “How do you know…”

She grabs her bag.

“Don’t ever mention my sister. What do you know about her?”

“I know he murdered her,”

I say when she tries to walk away. Standing up, I walk towards her.

“I know he told everyone she went abroad for a job opportunity. I know she made the mistake of loving him and the cost was her life. I know he hasn’t paid a damn consequence for stealing your sister’s life.”

She is frozen except for the tears that dampen her cheeks.

“Who are you?”

“I’ll explain everything, but please just sit down. I’m not here to protect him or threaten you.”

“How can I trust you? He probably sent you here.”

I grab her hands.

“Why would he do that? I’m risking my life by being here.”

She steps away from me.

“So, why are you here?”

My eyes harden and I let the vengeance shine through.

“Because he’s going to kill me, too. He killed the mother of my daughter. He killed my friend. And I want to bring him down. I want him to burn.”

Scottie looks between Mia and me, trying to decipher if this is all a cruel prank. She tries to hide it, but I see a small glimmer of hope and desperation in her.

“How are you going to do that?”

I lead her back to the table and explain as much of the story as I can. I tell her about the asylum and the plan we’ve put into motion. Scottie listens in silence and horror when I go into the details of Xavier’s insanity.

“He admitted it to you? He actually said he killed Caitlyn?”

I nod.

“She realised what he was and tried to leave him.”

Her first tear falls.

“How did he…”

Mia and I share a look. I remember the sinking in the pit of my stomach as he graphically described Elliot’s last moments. When he mocked him for calling out for me, I almost broke my drunken act and throttled him.

I take a deep breath before breaking the news to her.

“He strangled her.”

My voice is barely above a whisper. I have to pull my lips together to stop myself from crying.

“And then he cremated her. Before…”

Scottie is crying.

“Before he what?”

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get the words out.

Mia holds my hand under the table.

“He turned her into two diamonds.”

The other customers stare at us as Scottie breaks into a full-blown sob. She hyperventilates as she struggles to breathe. She stands up to escape, only to fall to her knees.

I can’t stop the few tears that escape. There's nothing we can do to stop this type of heartbreak. I wrap my arms around her and let her sob into me.

“I’m sorry.”

She grips onto me tighter and howls for her dead sister.

“All this time … she…”

“I know. But we’re going to get her back. We won’t let her death go unanswered. We’re going to burn him the way he burned her. We’re going to exact our revenge and claim justice. He’s got away with this for too long.”

Scottie cries for a few minutes longer before she releases me. She grips my hands.

“Tell me what I need to do.”

I share a look with Mia, who nods at me.

“You’re going to tell the world what he did to your sister. You are going to be the brick we pull out. And then,”

I squeeze her hand, “we’re going to watch him come tumbling down.”