Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

39

Savannah

“You okay?”

Huxley asks, when I abruptly stop.

I close my eyes and inhale a lung-full of the damp air. I smile as the breeze brushes my skin and makes it sting. “Freedom,”

I whisper.

“I’m free.”

His lips curl into my favourite smile.

“For one night. And then tomorrow you sign it away when you marry me.”

His embrace is too warm and enticing to not snuggle into it.

“This is the only type of prison I want.”

He allows me a few more seconds before pulling away.

“Come on. Everyone awaits.”

He leads the way through the cemetery.

When I see Mia and Jordan in the distance, I run towards them as fast as my legs can carry me. The wind flies through my hair and has it flowing like a cape behind me. My lungs squeeze tight from the combination of laughing and running. I jump into their arms and hug them as tight as I can.

“I think she missed us,”

Mia laughs.

“It’s good to see you, Sav.”

I pull back and grin at my friends.

“You’ve seen me.”

Jordan shakes his head.

“No. It’s good to see you.”

He takes my hand in his and squeezes tight.

“I never got the chance to thank you properly for everything you helped me with before it all went downhill.”

I smile at my two friends.

“Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for risking everything to be here.”

Mia wipes her tears away.

“There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He playfully rolls his eyes.

“Let’s not do the emotional shit. Tonight is a celebration of your freedom and your mother’s life.”

Huxley wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the top of my head.

“Are you ready?”

I step out of his embrace and take slow steps towards my mother’s headstone. My fingers feather over her name and I let out a deep breath.

“Are you sure she’s in there?”

“I did not leave until they replaced all the soil,”

Jordan promises.

They step aside, granting me this moment alone. In the night's silence, I finally grieve for my mum.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,”

I whisper. My heart aches before it shatters into a million pieces. Nobody offers me false promises or holds me back as I fall to my knees and cry.

“She looked very peaceful,”

Mia says, crying too.

“I hope the bad man are all gone, mum. I hope you’ve finally found the peace and quiet you were never given. I miss you.”

I sniffle back my cries, wipe my tears, and stand up.

“Let’s do this. Where are we with everything?”

Huxley gives me a rundown of everything that has happened since we made our plans. He could only share limited information before because of Dr Cooper and Xavier’s surveillance.

“And what about Brynn?”

“She’s making progress with Xavier.”

“When do I get to meet her?”

“You don’t,”

Huxley says.

“Why not?”

“Xavier is going to scrutinise everything you say and do. We need your reaction to meeting her to be as genuine as possible. When it’s time to make your paths cross, it will happen.”

“And what if Xavier doesn’t let it happen? I highly doubt he’s told her the truth.”

“Then we’ll make it happen. But we need to play it smart. We need to give Xavier a reason to believe why Brynn stays when she finds out the truth.”

I nod my head.

“Okay. The table is set. The cards are dealt. Let the game begin.”

We stand in a circle and stare at one another.

“I’m giving everyone another chance to back out,”

Huxley warns.

“If you don’t want to do this, nobody will force you.”

Mia puts her hand in the middle. “I’m in.”

Jordan places his hand on top of hers. “Me too.”

Huxley looks at me before joining them.

“Till death do us part.”

I stare at their hands of unity, and for the first time I feel a sense of belonging.

“They say when you embark on the path of vengeance to dig two graves. One for your enemy and one for yourself. Savannah Hayes is dead and buried. But this Savannah will stop at nothing to unearth the truth. Once they’re all piled up, I’m going to throw Xavier into the grave and bury him in it. And then I’m going to light the son of a bitch and watch the fire burn bright as the life in his eyes dies.”

I place my hand over theirs.

“I will not stop until I am burning his lies.”