Shattered Lies

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Where are we?” Lizzy asked as Sebastian got out of the limo.

  “A friend’s house. She’ll have a solution for Valeria’s problem.” Sebastian walked away, leaving them sitting in the limo to follow.

  Val looked at Lizzy who just shrugged as they watched the front door open. A woman with pink hair and more tattoos than Valeria could count smiled up at Sebastian before giving him a hug. They watched as she listened to Sebastian and then looked toward the limo and nodded. She smiled and waved at them before going inside the house.

  “Come on,” Sebastian said, somehow without really raising his voice.

  “Let’s do it.” Valeria slid out, followed by Lizzy. They saw Dalton and Grant park their van across the street, but they didn’t stop to talk to them.

  Lizzy took the lead as they went into the bungalow that looked the complete opposite from its owner. It was neat, elegant, and filled with old Hollywood antiques and fixtures. However, what sat in the front room was anything but traditional. There were shelves full of wigs, counters full of makeup, mustaches, beards, beauty marks, and thick paste.

  “Imogene is a makeup artist for one of the studios. I told her how you wanted to change your look for the party tonight, and she said she’d be happy to help.” Sebastian took a seat on a gold silk couch and the little pink-haired, tatted-up twenty-something smiled up at Val.

  “This is so exciting. The dress you have is killer, so I think we need to go with a killer look.”

  Oh, she had no idea.

  “Ice blonde. A beauty mark. And can you wear contacts? I’m thinking silver eyes to go with the ice blonde. You’re so tan I want to make the contrast very sharp.”

  Sounded good to Val. Colored contacts would be particularly useful since her blue eyes tended to get noticed. “This is so exciting. Thanks, Bashy,” Valeria said in her best Southern California voice as she blew a kiss to Sebastian.

  * * *

  An hour later Valeria didn’t even recognize herself in the mirror. The wig was a short, sharp-edged chin-length bob. Her eyes seemed glacial under the silver contacts. The deep blood-red lipstick made her lips pop and the one little beauty mark on her cheek, “for glam,” as Imogene said, made her a mix of Marilyn Monroe and an assassin. It was kinda perfect.

  “This was fun, thank you.” Valeria hugged the woman even though it went against her nature.

  “You’re welcome. You want me to do you next?”

  Lizzy shook her head. “I wish we had time, but the party already started.”

  Imogene laughed. “Oh, honey, no one who is anyone shows up on time. The more important you are, the later you arrive. And as Sebastian’s escorts, you all have oodles of time.”

  “In that case—” Lizzy took a seat and Val watched as Imogene applied makeup, a matching beauty mark, and a black wig in the exact cut as hers. They were polar opposites except for the beauty mark. Where Val was white hair and dark makeup, Lizzy was dark hair, bright makeup. On each side of Sebastian they looked like an angel and devil whispering in his ear.

  “What the fuck is taking so long,” she heard Dalton ask as they got ready to leave. The door opened and they walked out, each holding onto one of Sebastian’s arms. “Holy shit. I wouldn’t know that was you, and I sleep with you.”

  They got into the limousine as Lizzy blew Dalton a kiss. It was late now, well after midnight as they made their way through the gates of Laughlin Park. They wound their way through the old neighborhood and stopped in front of the wooded drive leading to Kerra Ruby’s house.

  “We’ll get out here,” Sebastian told his driver. “Ladies.”

  Sebastian got out of the car and held out both arms. Valeria and Lizzy didn’t think twice as they hooked their hands into the crook of his arms. Sebastian, no matter his faults, was someone who drew attention. Tall, handsome, wealthy, and powerful—a lethal combination to the women at the party tonight.

  “We are on the street closest to the back of the property,” Dalton’s voice said over the coms as they walked to the guarded entrance.

  Three security guards stood at the entrance with clipboards, walkies, and stun guns. “Name,” the tall man with no neck and bulging muscles demanded.

  “Abel.” Sebastian said calmly as he handed over his invitation.

  The guard looked at Lizzy and Valeria and back at the clipboard. “Okay, you and your guests are good to go. Enjoy your evening, Mr. Abel.”

  The house came into view after a short walk along the heavily wooded driveway. It was a tan stucco Spanish colonial with red clay shingles and iron light fixtures. The sound of music grew louder as they walked around the fountain in the middle of the circular drive, which showed off Kerra’s expensive cars all lined up.

  People stood talking in groups out front, inside the entrance to the mansion, and packed in the hallways and living room leading out to the pool area. Valeria saw actors, directors, models, singers . . . basically the whole list of people Tate had discovered were the influencers for Mollia Domini. And tonight Mollia Domini was on everyone’s lips. Even if they didn’t say it by name. They used the Stanworth name instead. Everyone was discussing what would happen now that Stanworth and Helena were dead. The morning news had reported they’d been identified by George’s son, Auden.

  “Blythe is, like, so brave.” Valeria heard a group talking as they strolled by.

  “Totes. And I even hear she’s going to go to battle with her uncle over control of the company.”

  “OMG! So brave. Like, all that money could be hers.”

  “Then maybe I could get a lead in one of the movies. Blythe and I are like besties.”

  No one seemed sad that George and his daughter, Helena, had died. They were more concerned about profiting from their deaths. Of course, Valeria was thinking the same way.

  “I see Roland. He’s talking to Manuel and Trip Kameron,” Sebastian said as he lowered his lips to her ear. “Giggle.”

  Valeria giggled. Then Sebastian whispered to Lizzy and she giggled. Somehow the sounds of them giggling seemed all wrong. They weren’t the giggling type.

  Sebastian strutted forward and stopped. They were only a couple yards away from them when he used his arms to pull them toward him, forming a triangle as he lowered his head. Lizzy and Val did the same so they could hear him.

  “What are we doing?” Lizzy whispered with a smile on her face even though she was just as confused as Val.

  “You always let what you want most come to you first. Now, ladies, it’s time to play your cover.” Valeria saw Lizzy’s eyes momentarily flash as Sebastian’s hand dropped to her ass. Before she knew it, Sebastian had pulled Val to him and his lips were on hers as his hand grabbed her ass and squeezed. She thought about kneeing him in the balls, but the sound of Trip Kameron’s laughing yell of, “Sebastian, you’re my fucking hero,” stopped her.

  Sebastian raised his head slowly as if he were mad at Trip for interrupting. Lizzy had moved her hand to Sebastian’s chest as she looked up longingly at him. Valeria looked back as Sebastian took a handkerchief and wiped the lipstick from his lips. Sebastian had made Trip look, resulting in Manuel and Roland also looking. They recognized Sebastian and waved him over.

  Sebastian dropped his arms to their waists and maneuvered them the ten feet or so to the small group of men. Manuel dismissed Val and Lizzy after one appreciative glance.

  “Apparently, we are hermanos,” Manuel said, welcoming Sebastian into the group.

  “You get that, too?” Sebastian said, sounding slightly annoyed.

  “Sí.”

  Sebastian didn’t react. He also didn’t bother introducing Val or Lizzy, which was probably a good thing since it was Valeria who had told both men they looked alike.

  “Sebastian, good to see you,” the man Val recognized as Roland Westwood said, holding out his hand for Sebastian to shake. Roland was exactly what a rich heir to a banking empire would look like. His body was money-bought. Rich clothes, rich haircut, the whitest teeth anyone had ev
er seen, and a body made by a private chef and a personal trainer. And underneath all that, he was a cocky bastard.

  “Roland. How’s my money doing?”

  Roland laughed and tossed back a whiskey. “You’re still rich. Richer than me, at any rate.”

  Valeria knew how much each man was worth, as best as she could tell. But there were always ways to hide money, and she was sure they all did. It was still a shock to think about how much Sebastian had made on his own. She might even be impressed if he weren’t such an asshole. It was more than Roland had inherited, and it was more than Bertie Geofferies, who had once been the richest man in the world, obtained.

  “Actually, that’s something I’d like to talk about with you and Roland,” Manuel said easily.

  “Me being rich?” Sebastian asked, taking a drink Trip offered him.

  “In a way. Trip, take the ladies to the bar and get them a drink,” Manuel ordered as if telling his lap dog to get down.

  “My pleasure,” Trip sneered. “I always love sharing with Sebastian. He has the best taste.”

  “If the laddie touches you, you rip his doaber off,” Grant’s Scottish accent became stronger with anger in their ear coms.

  Lizzy leaned over so that her lips were by Val’s ear. Trip, probably thinking they were going to make out, stopped and stared. “I wish you had some of the drugs I gave him last time.”

  Val’s lips twitch up at the thought.

  “Can you hear them?” Lizzy asked as she trailed her hand down Val’s arm.

  “Barely. I need to get a foot or two closer.”

  “Aw, come on, girls. No one likes a tease,” Trip whined.

  “I want to dance,” Lizzy pouted as she wrapped both arms around Val’s neck and began to sway. Valeria took the lead as they slithered their way closer to Roland, Manuel, and Sebastian.

  “Oh, yeah. Can’t leave the Trip out of this. After all, three is always better than two.” Trip pushed his way between the women, making a Trip sandwich. Valeria rolled her eyes as Trip rubbed his hands over her body.

  “I can kill him,” Lizzy mouthed from behind Trip. She moved her hands up toward Trip’s neck. Valeria laughed, which drew Trip’s eyes to her bouncing breasts. Whatever kept his attention away from them drawing closer to Sebastian and his group.

  Valeria swayed closer to the men in order to hear better. She only heard bits and pieces and thought about pulling her top down to shut Trip up. She tuned out his blathering about his large dick and prowess in bed as she closed her eyes and focused.

  “Puto DEA,” Manuel swore. Valeria pushed Trip’s head toward her breasts as he decided to start talking dirty in her ear. Although, it really wasn’t very well done. Telling a woman how she’ll please him when she does all the work isn’t really a turn-on.

  “Tell that tolla-thon to go fuck himself,” Grant practically growled over the coms as his accent deepened in anger.

  “Shut up,” Valeria cursed, even if Trip was an asshole she was trying to hear what Manuel was saying about the DEA.

  “Oh, you’re no talk, all action. Trip likey.”

  “Suck my finger, it turns me on,” Valeria said, not even looking at Trip as she shoved her finger in his mouth to shut him up.

  Lizzy had to turn away from the group as she tried not to laugh. But Valeria closed her eyes again and focused on the deep voices floating on the thumping music.

  “They cut your money off?” Sebastian asked seriously.

  “I still have it, I just can’t send it anywhere,” she heard Manuel explain. “I’m meeting a DEA contact tonight to see if we can fix this.”

  “We need your help,” Val heard Roland say a couple seconds later. “It’s an exclusive group of the most powerful people in the world. We help each other out.”

  “And you want me to help by funding whatever it is until Manuel pays off the right people and gets his accounts unfrozen?” Sebastian asked as if funding a secret group was no big deal.

  “Yes, but it’s more than that. We’d also help you,” Roland said, his voice fading as he tried to seduce Sebastian to join Mollia Domini.

  “This is so hot,” Trip mouthed around her finger.

  “Then take two.” Val jammed another finger into his mouth as she saw Lizzy tense. She heard Sebastian’s voice over the music, but just barely.

  “Is there a leader? I have a problem being the richest person and not being in charge.”

  “Well, sure there’s a leader,” Roland said, suddenly sounding nervous. “But you must first prove yourself before you can climb the ranks.”

  “Let’s fuck,” Trip bumbled around Val’s fingers.

  “Okay,” Lizzy whispered. “We like to play games. Why don’t you find a room, get naked, and we’ll come find you.”

  “Oh man, so hot.”

  Trip took off, and Lizzy threw her hands around Val’s neck as they swayed to the music. “What did Sebastian say?”

  “I don’t know. That little shit made me miss some of it.”

  Lizzy turned her head. “They’re walking away.”

  Val turned and watched. There was no way they could follow without being noticed as the three men walked into a distant shadowed part of the yard. Val looked around to find any way of getting closer when she felt as if the air had been punched from her lungs.

  “What is it?” Lizzy asked in a whisper.

  “Anthony.” Valeria said, barely moving a muscle.

  “Who?” Lizzy asked at the same time Dalton and Grant did.

  “My ex-boyfriend with the DEA.”

  “The one who set you up and got you fired?” Lizzy asked.

  “The very one.”

  Lizzy spun them around so that Valeria’s back was toward him. “Which one? Oh, never mind. He looks like a wanna-be biker?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sticks out like a sore thumb. No wonder he took a bribe. He’d be outed as an undercover agent in a heartbeat. Doesn’t he know bikers don’t wear designer clothes?”

  Val sighed. “He knew enough to have me blackballed at every government agency.”

  “He must be Manuel’s contact. He’s seen Manuel and is heading in that direction.”

  Lizzy kept turning Valeria so her back was toward him. “He stopped by the pool. Manuel sees him. Manuel’s looking around. His eyes are on us,” Lizzy laughed as she looked at Valeria. “We need to leave.”

  “Why?” Valeria felt her stomach knot. It was the same feeling she had when an operation went wrong.

  “Because Anthony is walking this way. Manuel pointed to us.”

  14

  “Get out,” Dalton’s calm words came over the coms.

  “Like hell. I can take Anthony with my eyes closed.” Valeria was ready. It was time for payback.

  “He’s stopped,” Lizzy giggled, spinning and sending her skirt flying up. “He’s staring at us.”

  “Fuck,” Dalton cursed. “This party is busted. Get out, now.”

  “Sebas—” Valeria started to ask.

  “Leave him. He has identification, neither of you do.” It was remarkable how calm Dalton and Grant were under stress. Grant calmly told them how to leave the party as the first sounds of “DEA!” were being shouted at the front of the house.

  Lizzy and Valeria moved quickly, shoving their way through the crowd. Some of the crowd panicked, some laughed and snapped selfies while others kept drinking and dancing.

  “Left through the mimosa trees,” came Grant’s steady voice.

  “The white or pink ones?” Lizzy asked as she led the way.

  “Pink.”

  “Go first,” Lizzy ordered Val.

  “You go. You’re already there,” Valeria called from where Lizzy was already halfway up the tree looking over the eight-foot stucco privacy fence.

  Lizzy nodded and climbed from the tree to the top of the fence and then disappeared from sight. Valeria reached up and grabbed the branches of the tropical tree with the fuzzy flowers. She hiked her foot and pulled herself
up.

  But suddenly she was being pulled back down. Instinctively she tightened her grip on the branches and tried to free herself. “It’s been a long time, baby.”

  Anthony’s voice slithered over her.

  “I’m not your baby.”

  “Did you think a wig and some makeup would fool me? Your back gave you away. How many times did I trace those freckles that make up a crescent on your shoulder blade?”

  “Do you need assistance?” Grant’s granite-hard voice said over coms, but before she could scream, the DEA and police flooded the backyard.

  “Freeze!” someone yelled right behind them.

  “Calm down, I’m with you. DEA Agent Anthony Gomez. I’m taking a suspect into custody.”

  “I’m not a suspect!” Valeria said, fighting against the cuffs Anthony was putting on her.

  “Hold on, lass. I’m coming,” she heard Grant’s voice say over the coms as Anthony flashed his badge and began to drag her across the yard and away from her team.

  Valeria fought. She darted out in front of Anthony and spun to face him. “Hijo de puta!” she cursed as she slammed her forehead into the bridge of his nose. She smiled as she heard the crunch of his bone. His grasp loosened enough for her to jerk away, but then she felt it. The pinch of taser prongs and everything went black.

  * * *

  Grant shoved the side door to the van open and went to leap out. Dalton’s iron-tight grip on his arm stopped him. Adrenaline surged through him harder and faster than when he was taking on enemy fire.

  “Let go!” Grant growled as he tried to shake him off.

  “We have to think about this. If you go charging in there, you’re no help to her at all. Listen, she’s not talking. It’s that Anthony guy talking.”

  “Thanks for your assistance, officer. I’ll take her from here,” Grant heard Anthony say, followed by the sound of car door closing.

  “Steal a car and follow them. We need to find Sebastian, Manuel, and Roland,” Lizzy ordered as she neared the van. Dalton let go of him. Lizzy reached into a duffle bag and tossed Grant a gun and a burner phone.