Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

50

Savannah

I pull my hood over my head, trying to conceal as much of my face as possible. Bouncing from leg to leg, I check my phone again to see over ten minutes have passed. The phone is pressed against my ear when I see her exit the lifts and walk towards me.

“What is going on?”

Francesca frantically looks around us, as if she’s scared someone is going to come charging at her.

I rub my face and shake my head.

“Where is he?”

She shrugs.

“I don’t know. He left a few hours ago. Are you okay?”

“He released sex tapes I didn’t even know he had to the entire world. What do you think?”

There’s a look of contemplation on her face.

“He said it was you.”

Tears brim in my eyes.

“Do you really think I would let him record our affair? Those cameras were hidden inside the wall, Fran. He was watching me the whole time; eating, sleeping, undressing…”

I wipe my tears.

“He promised to ruin my marriage. He said if he couldn’t have me, nobody can. I haven’t even heard from Hux since this all broke out.”

Her eyebrows furrow.

“Why would he do that, though? He’s denying it all. It makes little sense for him to…”

Her arms fold over her chest.

“I just don’t get it.”

“I’m scared,”

I whimper. I look over my shoulder before turning back to her.

“He’s dangerous. I’m scared he’s going to kill me.”

Francesca pulls me into a hug and her hands rub up and down my back.

“You’re going to be okay. Maybe just lie low for a bit. Let this storm blow over and then the two of you can figure a middle ground. Elise deserves that.”

I retreat from the embrace, releasing a sob.

“Elise. Where is she?”

Worry flashes in her eyes before she relaxes.

“She’s with Brynn.”

Every muscle in my body tenses.

“Brynn doesn’t have her. She told me she’s getting the hell away from him.”

I shake my head in panic.

“I need to go.”

“Savannah? Where are you going?”

I look over my shoulder and shake my head once again at Francesca.

“She is not safe with him. I’m going to his house.”

The front door is unlocked. When I enter the house, it is eerily silent. My slow footsteps feel heavy in the silence. I peer into the living room to see it is completely undisturbed. Stopping in front of the mirror, I stare at my reflection. My fingers trace my features before I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I pull my hoodie down and then open my eyes. Where my long black hair once swayed, a copper-brunette bob-cut replaces it. I finger the ends of it, realising how much it changes the shape of my face. My irises look darker and my skin deeper. Somehow my jaw looks sharper, or perhaps that’s because of how hard I’m clenching it.

I pull my hoodie off and discard it onto the sofa before continuing my walk around the house.

“Honey, I’m home!”

I follow my echo into the dining room and smile at the sight.

Xavier’s chin touches his chest as his eyes remain closed. His hands and legs are tied to the chair and I smile at the great job Brynn did. The closer I get to him, I see his chest rising and falling.

I kneel on the ground next to him. My lips press against his ear as I whisper, “Wake up, Mr Rivers. It’s time to play.”

Blue eyes stare back at me, making me jump. Xavier’s icy gaze lingers on me before he slowly lifts his head. He looks straight ahead. His hands wriggle and the rope I thought was keeping him hostage falls to the ground. He picks up the deck of cards I never spotted and shuffles them.

“Okay, Savannah. Let’s play.”

I can’t help but laugh at his confidence. I take the seat opposite him and when he tries to deal the cards; I snatch them from him with a tut.

“My game, Mr Rivers. I deal the cards.”

He smiles.

“Very well.”

He clasps his hands together on the table.

“I must say, Savannah. You have been a formidable player in this game. It’s a shame you’re going to lose.”

Dealing each of us two cards, I ask, “And how have you come to that conclusion?”

Xavier eyes his cards, giving nothing away.

“You started this path for justice. There is no jury that will convict me.”

“You seem very certain of that.”

A sigh passes his lips.

“Do you want to know how I won our game of chess?”

Feigning a bored expression, I mutter, “How?”

He leans in closer.

“I timed it perfectly. I let you do whatever you wanted and let you build my case for me. I introduced Elliot back into the game when Ray was the most vulnerable. And I got you sectioned just as the seed was planted, but before you could kill it. But you…”

He laughs.

“In playing the long game, you gave me all the time I needed to cover my tracks.”

I tap my fingers against the table.

“Place your bet, Mr Rivers.”

“Elise.”

My brow arches at his boldness.

“You’re willing to bet your daughter?”

He waves his cards at me.

“That is how confident I am.”

“Call.”

I toss the top card of the deck aside. “Burn.”

I reveal a card and place it on the table between us.

“How have you covered your tracks?”

“There’s now proof Caitlyn got onto a flight. There’s proof of her employment history and taxes. There’s proof that we communicated after she left the country.”

“All circumstantial. That’s not enough for a jury, especially when they know what you do for a living.”

He holds his finger up.

“Ah! But so is your so-called evidence. Where is her body?”

“The diamond.”

“A diamond that no longer exists.”

Xavier leans back in his seat with an aura of arrogance. I’m almost surprised he destroyed his collection, but it proves how desperate he’s become.

“Are you sure about that?”

I eye my cards.

“Raise. The diamonds.”

His stony stare fixates on my face. He’s trying to figure out if I’m bluffing or not. “Call.”

“You cannot bet something you do not have, Mr Rivers.”

A tingle of pleasure travels down my spine at the confusion on his face.

After a few moments of silence, he says, “Neither can you.”

My laughter starts slowly until it’s the only sound in the room.

“I really thought you would figure it out when I did nothing with the necklace. But you were so obsessed with getting mummy back, you never even questioned it.”

I place my cards faced down on the table and lean in closer.

“I never planned to hand it in to the police. All I needed was to know where the diamonds were stored. And you led me right to them.”

His shoulders brace back and he sits taller.

“You’re lying. I would have known if you entered that building.”

I feign confusion.

“And how would you have known that?”

I smile.

“I’m sure you’ve figured out how Brynn has been sneaking around your house by now. Or has the great Xavier Rivers lost his touch?”

He shrugs his shoulders and graces me with an arrogant smile.

“Okay, Savannah. Tell me how you replaced them with a replica when I have the original replicas.”

“I stole your move. I made new replicas,”

I state like it’s obvious. I toss another card from the deck. “Burn.”

Xavier doesn’t even look at the final card being revealed. He laughs at me.

“You couldn’t even come up with anything original. You stole from me. That’s just pathetic.”

“And you hired a hitman,”

I scoff.

“You didn’t even have the balls to take me on yourself. You went running to Rowan and, even at that, you failed.”

The only sign of his irritation is the flex of his jaw.

“That’s your great plan? Hand over a few diamonds that will hardly have any DNA left?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“Do you know how many juries are swayed by small fragments of a story? Sometimes it’s the smallest detail that has them jumping to conclusions. You just have to give them the most minute piece of evidence and their wild imagination will fill in the gaps. There doesn’t even have to be a body. The smallest trace of DNA will convince them that a person is guilty.”

The calculating look on his face has the hairs on my arm sticking up. He’s slowly piecing together the puzzle that I’ve spent two years building. His eyes frantically scan over my face before he finally speaks again.

“You cut your hair.”

“Do you like it?”

I stare at my losing hand, but smile at the victory I can almost taste. “Raise.”

He tosses his cards onto the table and stands up.

“You think you are so fucking smart. You’re setting me up!”

The cards in my hand are thrown onto the table as I let out a groan.

“Why are you ruining the game, Xavier? Sit down and play to the end.”

As he rounds the table, I stand up.

His hands are on my neck in an instant.

“You think I’m going to sit here while you orchestrate your own murder?”

He releases me and crosses the room.

This time when I laugh, it is with power. I stare at his back and watch him try to figure out how he lost. I’m taken back to that night when he claimed his victory. I remember being in his shoes, trying to figure out how I didn’t see it when it was right in front of me; so desperate to make it to the finish line as a victor. I hate the tears that brim in my eyes, but unlike that night, they are not ones of despair. This time they fall because I did it. I won.

The hatred I feel for him fills my veins, and the venom comes out as I repeat the words he said to me that night.

“You made it so easy for me, Xavier. You inspired my final move. All those months and years you spent hiding who you were, protected by the fortress you built around yourself. You gave me the perfect plan on how to destroy the very thing that protected you!”

He turns on his heels. He is clenching his jaw so tight, his veins are bulging out of his neck.

“Like hell I did!”

I remind him of his own words.

“My privacy is my protection.”

I step towards him.

“So, I took that away. Bit. By. Bit,”

I spit at him.

“I gave the world a reason to have their eyes on you. Starting with those pictures of us outside of the courtroom. I goaded you into an argument while Jordan snapped pictures of us from across the street. The world needed a gripping chapter to capture their attention of the tragedy that I orchestrated.”

“And then you got Brynn to leak the story about our affair.”

He’s almost speaking to himself. He stares past me in a trance.

“A motive. The elusive CEO was now threatened by his private affairs being leaked. But it wasn’t enough to pin my murder on you.”

I roll my eyes.

“I mean, how could the world believe the successful businessman could commit something as heinous as murder? So I made sure the people around you got to witness just how violent you could get. Starting with antagonising you after forcing you to watch Scottie's interview. I knew bringing up your beloved father would have you strangling me. How many people do you think saw that? I counted six.”

Xavier is beginning to unravel the small moves I made.

“That's why you argued with me at the Christmas lunch.”

I nodded.

“It's the only reason I accepted your invite. Your guests heard me scream that I hated you. They saw me storm out with tears streaking my cheek. I left them questioning what you had done to me to elicit such a reaction. The witnesses of your trial will be compiled of the people you kept at length because you were too afraid to show the real you. And the jury will be made up of the strangers I begged to save me. That live interview was the final piece of your motive.”

He’s looking at me again.

“So why get Scottie involved?”

“I needed to prove a pattern. The women around you disappear without a trace. Their bodies are never found. So, I started with Caitlyn. And then your mother. I got a recorded confession about Elliot. I know enough details about Sara for the police to investigate into her disappearance. With so many accusations of murder against you, it would be easy for them to add another name to your list of potential victims.”

Xavier takes a step towards me.

“Seeing as you stole one of my moves, allow me to steal one of yours. The great thing about having money is that you can click your fingers and be someone new. Before you even get this off the ground, I will be on another continent.”

“You’re a coward.”

“And you’ll have to kill me if you want to get rid of me.”

I run my fingers down his face.

“What do you think this is, Mr Rivers? It is not only me that will die here tonight. Why do you think I called our story a tragedy? After all the lives we have taken, we deserve to die.”

His blue irises latch onto mine.

“This was never about justice.”

“There is no outsmarting a man like you. There is only killing you. This was always about revenge.”

Xavier startles me when his head falls back with laughter. It fills the room alongside his applause.

“What are you going to do, Savannah?”

“I’ve already told you. I said it right at the beginning. I am going to set your empire on fire. I’m going to burn you. Welcome to our death, Xavier. After today, Savannah and Xavier will only be a tragic story.”

The fear and panic I expected on his face doesn’t appear. If anything, Xavier looks at me in awe. The light in his eyes only intensifies the longer he studies me. For just a split second, I see the Xavier that led the last game. He looks at me like I am truly the only thing worthy of his attention and love.

“You love me enough to die with me.”

I shake my head.

“No. I hate you enough to kill myself.”

He holds my face in his hands. His heavy gaze lands on my lips and just when I think he’s going to kiss me, he strangles me. For the first time tonight, I see his rage at losing. The life in his eyes is terrifying.

“You would have made a mighty queen if you reigned alongside me. But you chose wrong.”

My knee comes up and jams into his crotch. In my new freedom, I run out of the room in a coughing fit. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to get to my hoodie. I scream when he drags me back by my hair.

“I never loved you!”

My back is pressed against him. His lips are at my ears and he lets out a soft sigh.

“It’s quite poetic that you and Ray are going to die on the same day. That is the real tragedy.”

I struggle against his hold, but he’s too strong for me to break free. My hoodie is just steps away. Tears threaten to fall at my desperation.

Emery is sitting next to my hoodie with a look of determination. She’s telling me to think faster and harder. But my arms are trapped, stopping me from retaliating. If I don’t do something, I’m going to die.

My head slams back into his face and I use that split second to reach for my hoodie and run out of the room. Xavier’s shouts fade as I go wherever my legs take me. I’m in the kitchen and I eye the knife block. I can barely breathe. His footsteps are getting closer and I know the time to grab a weapon has slipped away. I dig into my hoodie pocket and grip my only defence behind my back.

“You can run, but you can’t hide, Savannah!”

He shouts, slowly getting closer to me.

“We’re playing on my turf. I have cameras watching your every move.”

Keeping my voice calm, I ask, “What cameras?”

I press against the counter as he joins me.

“I jammed the signal the second after I entered. All the police will see is me entering. And then, nothing. Maybe they’ll think the fire destroyed the evidence. Or that you turned it off to cover your crime; a crime that cost you your life.”

With a laugh, he pulls a gun out of the draw.

“I would have preferred to kill you the gentleman way, but this will have to do.”

He lifts the gun and aims it at me.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I walk towards him until we’re standing chest to chest.

“Look me in the eye and kill me.”

He presses the barrel against my forehead.

“With pleasure.”

“You don’t get to win,”

I seethe. My arm swings forward and I jab the needle into his neck and push the fluid in faster than Brynn advised.

Xavier grabs my top, but nothing can keep him upright. He falls to the ground with a muffle grumble. His eyes widen with panic as he tries to speak, but his mouth fails to open. His eyes dart down to his legs. The will is clear in his eyes, yet he cannot move.

I crouch down and force him to look at me.

“I would save yourself the trouble. Your mind is awake, but the rest of your body is asleep. How does it feel to have your voice ripped away, Xavier? How does it feel to be silenced? How does it feel being a prisoner in your own body?”

Grabbing him by his legs, I drag the dead weight back to the dining room. A sheen of sweat covets my skin and trickles down my back as I pull him back into his seat. His body keeps slumping forward, so I tuck him in so he is wedged between the table and backrest.

Leaving the house, I pick up the final pieces of my plan from my car. As I enter, I pour the gasoline onto the floors. When I take a seat at the table, I smile at Xavier. I place the bottle of fuel and the matches between us. His mouth looks full with words, but nothing fills the silence except the ticking of the clock.

No matter how hard I try to force my tears back, they fall.

“How many lives have you taken? How many lives have you ruined? All in the name of what? You once said it was for love, but you stole so much love in this world. All because you are impossible to love. There is nothing but darkness in you. But don’t worry, I’m about the fill you with light until you fall into eternal darkness.”

Emery stands behind me with a proud look on her face. She gives a slight nod of her head.

“When the police investigate how tonight happened, they will find all my evidence against you in my home. Every family who lost a loved one will finally have closure. Except Emery. But do not worry, Xavier. The best revenge I can exact on her behalf is to raise her daughter free of you. In killing you, Elise has the chance of being happy and loved. No more games. No more lies.”

I wipe my tears.

“The police will think you killed me to stop me from exposing you. The final nail in your coffin.”

His gaze is fixed on the table. A single tear streaks down his cheek. I can’t help but wonder what thoughts are swarming his mind.

I gather all the cards and shuffle the deck.

“All you had to do was let me leave with Elise. That is all I wanted. But the great Xavier Rivers had to win it all. But you lose. Xavier Rivers will no longer be a mystery tale of awe. He will be known for what you truly are; a serial killer. A cold-hearted murderer. The poker face has faded. The games are over.”

A low grumble passes through his lips. Maybe it’s a plea. Maybe it’s an apology. But it is all too late.

“Welcome to the final table, Xavier. Two are seated, but only one will leave.”

I pour the remaining gasoline onto the table. I pick out the card I want and hold it up in front of him. Standing up, I light a match and bring it to the ace of diamonds. I watch, mesmerised, as the fire burns the card to ashes. Just before it could burn all the way through, I toss it onto the flammable table and jump back as the fire roars.

The orange light reflects in Xavier’s eyes. He stays immobilised as the flames spread across the table.

“I lied before,”

I state.

“Savannah Hayes hated you enough to die for the greater cause. And she will die in here with you. The police will find traces of my DNA from the hair I will scatter. They will see me entering but never leaving. They will find my jumper and maybe a few fingerprints if there’s anything left for them to pull it from. Maybe they’ll think you got rid of my body. They’ll probably look for my body, but they will never find it. It doesn’t matter though; your victim’s bodies have never been found.”

Manoeuvring around the flame, I stop by Xavier one last time. I pull his chair out before pushing him onto the floor. I drag him through the flames to the hallway. I stand back and watch the flames get closer to him.

He looks up at me and it’s like I can almost hear his scream. His silent pleas fill the space before the flames do.

I admire my wedding rings before tossing them into the foyer and hear them clatter, ready to be engulfed by the fire. I crouch down to his level and smile at him. “I won,”

I whisper.

“The queen may have been exiled, but she will reign with a new name, in a kingdom so far away nobody will recognise her.”

I stand up and take a moment to bask in my winning.

“The best hand won.” Opening the door, I look at Xavier one last time.

“Game fucking over.”