DECEIT (B723) by Hazel Grace (ebook reader for surface pro .TXT) 📕

That’s just—no. Whatever you’re thinking about doing, hell fucking—“

“Alexander was here earlier,” I report against his admonished stare. “He’s been blowing my Instagram up since I left the house. Each message is more endangering and threatening than the last. His first trip to find me was in Bridgeport because I have my phone pinging off that satellite. I wanted to see how many connections he has in locating us.” I meet Mills’s eyes straight on. “He has them. And if he’s dealing with Chung-Ho, he’s got people in dark places too.”

“Chung-Ho Gwan?” Mills frowns. “The dude from Korea, how?”

“His brother is a congressman, apparently. I just found that out.” And I could kick myself in the ass for not doing a full background check on my piece of shit ex-boyfriend.

“Emmy.” Mills strides towards me and grabs both my hands. “Come home. We’ll protect you and—“

“No. Ledger already got up our asses about the shit we’ve pulled with Marty and then Bishop. You know what they’ll do. It’ll be a fucking disaster.”

“Bullshit,” he snaps. “He tried to kill you. And we know how to do things low-key.” I perk a knowing brow. “We do and can.”

“I don’t know what Alexander has or what he can do. He has investigators, I learned that. I’m sure he has muscle, he mentioned his family is always being threatened. He’s a CEO of a large stock company. He shows up every day for work. He will be missed if this isn’t done right.”

“Then we’ll do it right.”

I slowly shake my head. “This needs to be done by one person. And that individual is me.”

“Okay, so you wanna do it yourself, fine, but—“

“Can you honestly tell me that the boys won’t lose their shit? The only reason you haven’t is because you’re here with me.”

“I am losing my shit.” He gestures up and down his body. “Do you see me freaking out right now?”

“Mills, Kyson will snipe any asshole that walks out of Alexander’s work that’s wearing a suit just to make sure he doesn’t let the right man go free. Marty is a psycho. Bishop…you can’t tell him anything.”

“Emmy, I—“

“I would never ask you to do this for me if I didn’t need it. I know it’ll put you through so much bullshit with the guys, but I trust no one else with my babies. Mills, they are my entire world. I can’t let Alexander chase us around forever.”

Mills dips his head then sits in the chair along my bed. This burden and responsibility is the biggest thing I could ever ask him to do.

As powerful and stealthy as we are, Alexander is too important. We can’t go guns blazing or drop him in the nearest river. We can’t bury him in an unmarked grave because dozens of squads of cops will create search parties.

I don’t know how I’m going to do this.

I just know I need to do it alone and without B723 getting involved or hurt.

“I can’t…Emmy.” I can hear his voice crack through his chest as his fingers reach for my hand. “I can’t raise kids. Especially yours, I mean, I’ll fuck it up. I’ll—“

“Be amazing,” I insert, compelling myself to sound calm and competent in him because this has to work. “You’re kind-hearted and you’ll make sure they’re loved until I can come back and claim them.”

“Come back?” He pulls from me, eyes searching my face for answers. “Where are you going?”

I bite down on my lower lip. I’ve asked way too much of him already, but I’m not done. Not by a long shot.

“I’m going to need you for something else too.”

He immediately frowns when the door to my hospital room opens, putting me on edge before I see that it’s Lucien with a clipboard and his white doctor’s coat. His eyes find mine, and he’s pissed.

He’s upset because he knows the plan.

And that he’s not the only one I’m letting walk into this deceived bullshit I’m trying to pull off.

Mills and Lucien lock eyes, and something passes between them because the room is deathly silent and eerie.

“She told you, eh?”

My best friend stares at him. “She was getting to it, but I know that I don’t wanna be privy to the bullshit that’s going to spew out of her damn mouth now.”

“She wants to fake her own damn death,” Lucien mocks. “And she needs me to warrant it.”

Mills’s expression turns lethal, and I recoil back against the softness of my pillow. “You are out of your fucking mind.” He slices his eyes to Lucien. “You didn’t agree to this, did you?”

Lucien comes to my side and unwraps his stethoscope from his neck. “Unfortunately, I did. She left me no other choice.”

“What did you do?” I don’t even get a chance to open my mouth before Lucien answers for me.

“Your associate said to me that if I didn’t come to make sure things were administered correctly that she’d pay someone else to do it.”

Mills tugs at his black tee. “Do what exactly?”

“Give her the antidote to bring her back to life if she has to kill herself.” My best friend gapes at me like I’ve grown a second head.

I’ve done a lot of planning within my short time here. Some ideas are a little more deranged and fucked up than others.

I keep Mills’s gaze and ask him the most important thing I need to know. “Are you in or not?”

I need to up my workout regimen because Scarlett’s cooking and the amount of food she makes have my muscles turning a little mushy. Hardy has been bitching low-key about gaining ten pounds, even though I don’t see it, and our sister is loving the fact that she can help and takes pride in making dinner for the family.

Tonight is homemade pizza night, and if you would’ve asked me over ten months ago if I’d have a tiny five-year-old in my lap sprinkling mozzarella cheese on our pizza that she’s insisting we share, I would’ve told you to smoke another one.

She is meticulously making sure that no