I suspected all along that Waylon isn’t a good person. There is something he’s hiding. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll figure it out long before Liesel does. I may want her dead, but I want to be the one to inflict pain. I don’t want Waylon to beat me to it.
“I wouldn’t trust Waylon if I were you.”
“I trust him more than I trust you.”
“He didn’t even have your agreement before announcing your engagement. Sounds pretty untrustworthy to me.”
“At least he hasn’t threatened to kill me. He doesn’t try to control me, unlike you.”
I lean in close, getting a whiff of her sweet perfume. It’s intoxicating, but I won’t let it affect me.
“But does he love you?”
Her eyes narrow, her pulse races, her body stills. “He loves me more than you will ever love anyone.”
“Maybe so, but I wouldn’t call that love. He’s just as controlling as I am. He announced your wedding without you. He made you sign a prenup. And you can’t even tell him about me. It doesn’t sound like true love to me.”
“The announcement wasn’t him—it was Nolan, his campaign manager. I had just as much money to lose as him. I don’t want a man to take care of me. I want to take care of my own damn self. And not telling Waylon about you is to protect him, not because I can’t.
“Waylon and I may not be head over heels in love, but our union will outlive the best marriages because we know what we are getting into. Our marriage doesn’t rely on falling in and out of love. Our marriage relies on mutual respect and understanding.”
I chuckle. “You don’t even know who Waylon is.”
Now it’s her turn to lean toward me.
I hold still and try not to breathe, so I don’t inhale her scent again. I can’t help myself anymore, though, so I take a deep, unsettling breath.
“I know exactly who Waylon is. Just like I know who you are. I’ll take my chances with Waylon.”
“You don’t have a clue who I am anymore. You haven’t cared about my life in years.”
“I know you. You’re a liar, just like me.”
I grin and feel her eyes on my dimples that drive her mad. “You don’t have any proof of my lies, do you? You have no idea if I’m married with kids or not.”
She smirks and moves her hand to mine, until she’s stroking the inside of my wrist. Her eyes tilt down to my crotch.
“I don’t know if you are legally married or not. I don’t know if you’ve sired a string of bastards that are genetically related to you. What I do know is that you want me. One touch and your cock is as hard as steel. One kiss and I’m all you can think about. It doesn’t matter if you’re lying or not—you want me.”
I remove my hand from her grasp. “I want you dead.”
Her eyes dart back and forth. “I’m pretty sure that’s a lie too.”
“Pretty sure? That’s a weak statement to bet your life on.”
She stands. “My entire life has been a series of bets on my life. Somehow I’ve survived them all. I can survive you.”
“Maybe. But right now, you have a lot less money to fight me with unless you plan on asking Waylon for help.”
“I won’t be asking any man for help. I’ve built a small empire before. My only mistake was not ensuring it was better guarded. I won’t let that happen again.”
“Tomorrow, I want answers. Real answers, not lies, or I’ll steal more from you until you have nothing left.”
She whips her hair over her shoulder. “I guess I’ll just have to steal right back from you. I hope you aren’t lying. I hope you are really married with kids. Because I will destroy them all. If you have a heart to break, I’ll shatter it. This is war, killer.”
She pauses. “And unlike you, I won’t wait six months to kill you. The first chance I get, you’re a dead man.”
I smile. “You can’t kill me, and you don’t have any money to hire someone skilled enough to lay a finger on me.”
Her smile is bigger than mine, which scares me. “I’ll have more money than you can imagine soon enough.”
With those parting words, she leaves.
Not five seconds after she leaves, I see a man I didn’t expect to see here—Maxwell.
I frown; maybe he’s more skilled than I thought.
9
Liesel
I have a plan.
Langston declared war. He has no idea why I’m with Waylon. He has no clue about all of the struggles I’ve been through to get the money he so easily stole from my bank account. He has no idea what I will do to continue to survive.
Six months—that was the death sentence Langston gave me. I don’t give a damn about the time. Not anymore. But I do care about finding the truth.
Langston just sparked a fire in me.
This is war.
That was his goal in taking all of my money. He wanted to make me desperate. He wanted to make me beg him or Waylon for help. Dependent—that’s the one thing I vowed I’d never be again. I’ll do anything to protect myself before letting a man take care of me again.
Now, I want the truth, too. I want every damn secret Langston is keeping from me, and I want to use every single word against him. I want to drown him in his lies. I want to tear apart his family, his life.
I want everything from him.
But most of all—I want to know why Langston hates me. Why he started this war. Why?
I’m missing a crucial piece of the puzzle, and I’m tired of being left in the dark.
I’m a powerful woman. All the shit I’ve been through has made me invincible to pain. I no longer have fear. I no longer cry. That makes me stronger than Langston’s weak ass.
He
