Page 56 of Iris' Lying Eyes
In his gruff tone, he says to the room, “Dinner.”
After, he pulls me along, his hand over mine squeezing as he says, “What was that about?”
“What?” I play dumb, and he grunts.
“What did he say to you?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Relax,” I mumble.
Entering the dining room, he pulls me away from the door. “I’ll decide that. What did he say?”
“If you don’t trust him, why is here?” I ask, stalling for time.
He pushes me further into the shadows and says, “He’s a means to an end, otherwise it’s none of your fucking business.”
“A means to an end?”
What the hell does that mean?
Huffing, he grabs my chin. “He has info on all the players.”
“So…you’re using him?” Just like me, I think but don’t say. What a cluster.
“Yes. Now tell me.”
Staring at his chest, I mentally slump, damning myself for lying again. With each fabrication that comes out of my mouth, the bruises around my heart deepen.
“He said he’d take me to John.”
“For?” Bastion rasps, and I raise my gaze.
“What do you think?”
His eyes widen before they narrow once more, and I suppress a shiver when he smiles coldly. “Go.”
“Where?” My heart is pumping wildly, but it drops to my toes when he says, “Anywhere. I don’t fucking care.”
Chapter Twelve
My last glimpse of Bastion leaves me reeling, but I push the pain aside and walk down the drive in the darkness. I guess I don’t have to worry about him coming after me now that I’ve been sanctioned to go.
Too bad it’s not what I wanted to hear. And now that I’m leaving, I acknowledge I’ve always wanted B to stand up for me.
I wanted him to fight for me. But to what end? We’re both broken.
Shoving aside the thoughts that only push me further down the drain, I turn to a side street now that I’m free of the estate.
I’m pretty sure I killed anything that may have been lingering from that long-ago day when we were lovers. It’s what I do.
It’s what I’ve had to do since John came into my world. I end the good before someone else can take it.
As soon as I’m a mile down the road, I order a cab and sit on the curb while I wait. I was too distracted to change into jeans before I left, so now, I’m shivering in the moonlight with nothing but my bag.
Hm. I go to pull out what I brought, thinking to change behind an empty bush when the driver arrives.
Forgoing my thoughts, I slide inside. Speaking of which, I left an entire closet of outfits behind. What will Bastion do with them? Why did he buy them to begin with?
My phone buzzes, and I check it absently, my fingers fumbling as I open the screen.