Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

30

Xavier

The alcohol doesn’t give me the answer on how to handle Savannah, but it helps to ease my pounding headache. The easiest option would be to give into all of her demands. Incorrect. The easiest option would be to kill the fucking bitch. Maybe I should lie low and kill her the way I did with Emery.

At the thought of my late wife, I find myself missing how simple life was with her. She might have been a cheat who used me to have a baby, but she was malleable. She knew the truth much earlier than she let on and kept it to herself because she knew life with me was the best it would get. I ruined everything by walking past that ugly coffee store. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have allowed that poison into my life.

“I hope the paparazzi aren’t outside my club,”

Rowan says, appearing from the back.

“I don’t need the media attention.”

“Fuck off,”

I grumble.

He takes a seat on the stool next to me.

“Is it true?”

He takes my silence as an answer.

“I’ve got some good lawyers on standby.”

“I’ve got my own, thank you very much.”

“Mines have a certain specialty. Alternatively, I can contact another team who can take care of the problem differently.”

Looking away from my glass, I turn to him. He’s dressed in his usual black suit that screams money. His black hair and beard have recently been groomed. As always, his fingers are adorned with those rings that never leave his person.

I divert my gaze back to the bar in front of me.

“Last time you offered that service, you failed miserably. Had you done your job right, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

He quietly hums under his breath before asking, “What are you doing in my club?”

“Do you want to explain why your cameras are off?”

Rowan grins.

“Stalking me, are you? I can certainly understand why that woman believes you stalked and killed her sister.”

Finding no humour in the situation, I scowl at him.

“My system flagged it as a failure.”

He claps my shoulder.

“No worries, my friend. I just yanked a few of the wires out. I have a few private meetings upcoming and I don’t need proof of them. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you to reinstall them.”

The slight commotion at the front door has us both turning around in our seat. I furrow my eyebrows when Ray enters.

“What are you doing here?”

He beelines for Rowan.

“If I catch any more of your men loitering outside of my house, I will put a bullet straight through their brain before I shove a knife into your chest. Is that understood?”

Rowan salutes him.

“Can I keep the pictures of your wife undressing? She’s so fucking hot.”

He leans back and toys with his facial hair.

“I have to ask. Did you meet her when she was on stage shaking that ass for money or outside of that?”

Ray doesn’t rise to the challenge on his face.

“We’re done.”

He turns to me.

“Is she a good PA? Or is she better off being a stripper?”

My eyes are still glued to Ray. Wanting to deduce if he’s involved in any of this, I watch his reaction as I say, “She quit as my PA today.”

It lasts only a millisecond, but surprise flashes on his face.

“Maybe I should hire her for my club. I could stick a pole up and she’d feel right at home.”

The word home reminds me I have to handle Brynn after the show Savannah put on in the morning. The look of horror and fear was pushed to the back of my mind while I dealt with lawyers who insisted silence was the best answer. According to them, getting defensive would only cast more of a doubt.

I stand up.

“Have a good evening, gentleman.”

Ray also leaves and walks alongside me in silence.

I call his name before he can unlock his car door.

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

He peers at me and then shrugs.

“Does it matter? Will you tell me the truth?”

“It depends whether you will be honest if I ask whether you knew Savannah was behind all this.”

His hands are shoved into his trouser pockets.

“I don’t need to ask the question.”

He knows it’s true.

I walk over so we can speak in a hushed manner.

“She has started a personal vendetta. She won’t stop.”

Ray chuckles.

“You know, I defended you. Before she was sectioned, she told me you murdered Caitlyn, and I laughed. I told her I was there when she left and saw how devastated you were. I said there was no way you could fake that. I was your friend. I would have known if you murdered a woman. It turns out I was wrong.”

Surprised at the tortured look on his face, I can’t help but step back with the ghost of a laugh on my tongue.

“Do not play the saviour in front of me, Ray. You snapped a man’s neck and never even flinched.”

His eyes home in on me and it’s almost as if he’s really seeing me for the first time.

“I am not judging you, Zav. I’m just trying to understand what she did to deserve that. She loved you.”

This is my chance to deny it. But I can’t stop the words from slipping out.

“She betrayed me in ways you will never understand. But I never meant to hurt her and then all of a sudden my life was over. It was too late to protect her life, but I could still protect mine.”

He nods his head.

“Very well.”

I know that he won’t go to the police. But I still need to ask.

“What happens now?”

Ray lets his mask slip just long enough for me to see sadness etched onto his face.

“I’ll keep your secret, as I would have done back then.”

“And Savannah?”

“You protect your past all you need to, Xavier.”

He pauses, and when he speaks again, the threat is breathing and alive between us.

“Just remember, I will protect my future. No matter the consequences.”

Brynn is frantically packing her bags when I enter the bedroom. She’s in such a rush she doesn’t even notice me standing in the doorway.

“Don’t I get five minutes to explain myself?”

She jumps at the sound of my voice and turns to face me. Her lips are pulled into her mouth as she tries to stop her cries. But her tears stream like a waterfall down her cheeks. She stares at me for a few more seconds before returning to her packing.

“Elise is down for the night. Maria should be well enough to resume her childcare duties.”

I walk towards her and take her hand in mine, but her scream has me letting go. My chest feels tight. “Brynn?”

She backs away from me, hands trembling.

“Don’t touch me.”

She’s trying to be menacing, but her fear doesn’t let it come through.

“I’ll call the police.”

“It’s all lies!”

I don’t want to shout, but my desperation takes control.

“It’s all vicious lies started by someone to ruin me! Why can’t you see that?”

She shakes her head frantically.

“No. No! You don’t get to do that. She was on the news, Xavier! I saw her pain, and it was real.”

Her head falls into her hands and she lets out a loud cry.

“Have I been laying in bed with a man who murdered a woman because she wanted to break up with him?”

Taking slower steps to not frighten her again, I hold her face and force her to look at me. The tears that stream my face are real because I cannot lose Brynn. That is exactly what Savannah wants. How would the world perceive that? How can I convince them of my innocence when I can’t even do that with the woman who loves me?

“If there was any truth to this, I would be in handcuffs. And have I given you any reason to be scared of me? This is all lies. You have to believe me, Brynn.”

She pushes my hands off her.

“I don’t think I can. Since the beginning, you’ve lied to me, Xavier. And each time the truths just get worse.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and stare at the ground.

“This is exactly what she wanted. She always said if she couldn’t have me, nobody can. She promised to ruin me and she got that.”

Brynn’s stare burns through me.

“Who are you talking about?”

She steps towards me.

“Savannah?”

The hatred and cold I feel whenever I think about Savannah fills every fibre of my being.

“You saw the look of joy on her face this morning. She set this all up. She paid that woman to say all those lies about me.”

Brynn doesn’t look like she believes me.

“Why would she do that?”

My lips curl in disgust.

“Because she’s a fucking raging lunatic. Remember how I told you I had her sectioned because she was convinced somebody was stalking her? Well, she was convinced it was me stalking her.”

Her brow arches.

“Were you?”

I tug at my hair.

“No! If anything, I was trying to end things with her! Ask Ray! I told him to track down her ex-boyfriend, which he did. And do you want to know what that man said? He said he fled the country to get away from her crazy fucking ass!”

She shakes her head.

“But why would she go to this extent? If what you’re saying is true, why would she hire someone to go on national television and say all that?”

“Only an insane person can make sense of anything she does.”

“And why would Caitlyn’s sister agree to lie about her sister being dead? If all this is lies, where is Caitlyn? Why hasn’t she come forward to vouch for you?”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“She’s part of this.”

It’s the first lie that comes to mind.

“It’s all part of a scheme to extort me.”

“Then let’s go to the police and prove that to them.”

“My lawyers are already on it. I’ve handed over all the communication I’ve had with her and they’re putting together a timeline.”

I look up at her.

“I’m innocent, Brynn.”

“I want to believe you.”

“She won’t stop until she’s taken everything from me. She started with Elise. Now my reputation. Please don’t let her take you from me.”

Brynn stands between my legs and runs her fingers through my hair.

“Let me help you.”

“What do you mean?”

She steps back and I see a strength in her she’s kept hidden.

“You know what they say. Keep your friends close and enemies closer. I’ll befriend her and let her think she’s turning me against you. She’ll spill all her secrets and when she does, we’ll take her down.”

I’m amazed I never thought of that. But needing to keep her from mistrusting me, I shake my head.

“I don’t want you in the middle of the crossfire. I’ll handle her the legal way.”

Her blue eyes brighten and darken altogether. A look of power comes over her.

“When someone plays dirty, you can’t expect to remain clean. You need to fight fire with fire.”

“What a fitting analogy,”

I mutter.

“Fire with fire.”