Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

38

Huxley

“Bad news,”

I say as I enter the hotel room.

“Rowan is in town, and it looks like he is staying.”

Brynn turns to me with narrowed eyes.

“You said I would be safe here.”

“He must know about my involvement. If that’s the case, then he’s here for me. I deleted all communication you had with Chase. You never existed in his life. But we need to be certain that he has never seen you with him before.”

She waves me off.

“Our dearly departed Chase was never good enough to be welcomed into Rowan’s inner circle, let alone me.”

“Are you sure? Because Maya Adam's passport still has your face attached to it.”

She looks at me with suspicion.

“Why wouldn't you change that?”

“Because you don't change more than you need to. If I changed your passport picture, then I'd have to hack into every system and change it on those too. That increases the chances of getting caught. All someone would have to do is show the fake picture to an ex-employee or student from your class and it would be game over. Maya Adams has only disappeared, but still exists. So, I'll ask again. Has Rowan ever seen you with Chase?”

“No,”

she grits out.

I take a calming breath.

“Okay. Then we proceed as planned. Go over your basic details again.”

“I look hot as a redhead,”

Brynn says, pouting at her reflection.

“Why have I wasted my life being a blonde?”

“Will you focus?”

I snap.

“You’re meeting Xavier in a few days, and I need to make sure you’ve got this covered.”

“Blah, blah, blah.”

She drops onto the bed.

“My name is Brynn Jones. I moved back to London after living in Australia.”

She breaks into a sob.

“My heart is broken because my boyfriend cheated on me. And now I’m in this big city alone and I need a man to save me.” Her cries vanish as fast as they came. She dabs her tears away and shoots me a pointed look.

“Is that good enough?”

“Xavier needs to know you are completely alone. You have no family. No friends. Understood?”

“A lonely damsel in distress.”

She inspects his nails.

“Please tell me he’s at least got an enormous dick. There needs to be something in it for me.”

Having enough of her fucking around, I drag her until she’s sitting. I get into her face.

“This is not a fucking joke. And don’t forget, this is as much for you as it is for me. You wanted a new identity, a new life; I am giving you that. Don’t fuck it up.”

Her fingers brush over the fabric I yanked on.

“Whatever. What else?”

“He’s looking for a mother. A woman who will serve him and his needs. I hope you like kids and cooking.”

“Gag,”

she remarks.

“But a sociopath is an excellent pupil and we are superb at faking our emotions.”

I nod. I pace the hotel room as I think about anything else I’ve missed.

“Xavier is an alpha male. He likes his women to be submissive.”

“From everything you’ve told me about your little girlfriend, I find that hard to believe. Or is she submissive in bed?”

My thunderous glare makes her laugh.

“Touchy subject. Got it.”

“When you meet with us, only carry your burner phone. It cannot be traced. We have to assume Xavier will track your other phone. If you’ve told him you’re going home, then drop your phone off before meeting us.”

“Anything else?”

“You need to emulate Emery. That is the woman he married. She was softly spoken and followed his orders. But make him feel like he needs to work to get you. If you give in too easy, he’ll get suspicious.”

“How do you expect me to do that?”

“Tell him you’re not ready for a relationship. When you find about Savannah, try to leave him.”

I stop in front of her.

“And if you feel you’re losing control over him, tell him you love him. If you’ve done that, tell him you want to marry him. Xavier craves the image of a family. He won’t be able to resist the temptation to have it all.”

Brynn climbs off the bed and watches me go through every possible scenario.

“That’s all fine and good. But you haven’t considered the most important thing. What if he doesn’t want me?”

We stand toe-to-toe.

“Make him want you. Give him every reason to see a victim in you. We need to get you within his four walls. We need to know his comings and goings. We need someone inside the house to jam the signal long enough for me to override the cameras with a loop. It has to be you, Brynn. You cannot fail.”

“What if he finds out and kills me?”

“This is poker. We’re all betting our lives.”

“And what if Rowan finds out the truth?”

“I have covered our tracks. And if he pulls out a miracle and finds out about you, we have our agreement in place.”

“Does she know?”

I shake my head.

“It’s best to keep how we met a secret from Savannah. She won’t like it.”

“I like secrets. It’s makes everything more … fun. Let’s play.”