Vicious Lies
Page 20
“And you can’t ask me to marry you to get the treasure. You can’t even force me to marry you in exchange for giving me back my life.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m already married to Waylon.”
His eyes flash to my hand to see if he somehow missed a wedding ring. He didn’t.
“Liesel Dunn wouldn’t get married without a gaudy engagement ring.”
“Oh, I have a ring. I have everything. We were going to announce it at the next fundraiser event when he announced his candidacy, make a big splash.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
Langston studies me, but he has no clue. The only way to know for sure is to go look it up in the wedding registry back in New York.
“Yes,” he hisses, his pain oozing off of him.
“You can get me to spill all of the information on my half of that letter, but it won’t matter. You can’t go after the treasure for yourself. This whole exercise in kidnapping me and threatening my life was all for nothing.”
Boom.
An explosion rings through my ears.
Langston tackles me to the ground, shielding me with his body.
“What was that?”
“We’re under attack,” Langston says, but he’s not worried. His voice is calm. Fighting a battle is his happy place.
“You have to do exactly what I say if you want to survive, you hear me?”
I nod, my body trembling from his weight pressed against mine.
“I wasn’t going to ask you to marry me, that was never the plan.”
“Wasn’t it?” I breathe, not sure why we are still talking about this when bombs are going off in the distance, growing closer with each moment.
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’m married, too.”
No.
My mouth falls, my eyes swell with threatening tears, and my heart slows.
“I’m married. I have two kids.”
More burning words. He just lit me on fire and left me to burn.
“Your marriage won’t help you. You have to be married to a Dunn to be able to go after the fortune, and last I checked you didn’t marry me. I’m the only Dunn left.”
Langston is quiet a minute.
Another explosion goes off, and somehow his body presses harder against mine until I swear I feel his erection at my stomach. I must be dreaming, though.
“I married a Dunn.”
I frown, completely confused.
“You cheated on your wife with me and Phoenix?’
“Phoenix is my wife—Phoenix Dunn.”
I search my brain, trying to figure out how she’s related to me.
“My cousin,” I say, remembering long ago when my father once mentioned I had a cousin. He told me she’s the only family I have left if I wanted to search for her. I never did. I didn’t want family.
Another explosion, this one close to the house.
“You promise to do what I say?” Langston asks.
I know he won’t let me up unless I do.
I nod.
He frowns, knowing I’m lying.
“Run, Liesel. Run until you can’t run anymore. Tomorrow, come find me, huntress. Come find me, and I’ll tell you a piece from my half of the letter. I’ll give you another piece of the puzzle.”
Langston removes his body from mine.
I run.
And run.
I run from the pain.
I run from Langston.
I run for my life.
He wants me to hunt for him tomorrow, to find him.
The only thing I plan on hunting for is a way off this island. There was once a time when I thought Langston was the one. The man I would marry—the love of my life.
But this isn’t a love story. This is the story of all the reasons Langston and I can’t be together.
Reason number one: we lie.
Thank you so much for reading Vicious Lies! Langston & Liesel’s story continues in Desperate Lies!
I lied. Langston lied too, right? RIGHT? He can’t be married. But his truth isn’t the only thing he’s hiding…
One-click DESPERATE LIES now >
“AMAZING! Talk about edge of your seat suspenseful, non-put-down-able, emotional and gut wrenching book. WOW, just WOW!” —Reviewer
Make sure you’ve read Lies We Share: A Prologue to read Langston and Liesel’s past.
One-click LIES WE SHARE: A PROLOGUE now >
Haven’t read Enzo and Kai’s story yet?
I should have run away, found a new life, and started over.
Instead, I returned.
To find the man who sold me.
One-click Taken by Lies for FREE >
Haven’t read Zeke and Siren’s story yet?
She saved me. And now, seeing her about to be sold to the highest bidder, it’s my turn to save her.
One-click Sinful Truth for FREE >
JOIN ELLA’S NEWSLETTER & NEVER MISS A SALE OR NEW RELEASE → ellamiles.com/freebooks
Love swag boxes & signed books?
SHOP MY STORE → store.ellamiles.com
Also by Ella Miles
LIES SERIES:
Lies We Share: A Prologue
Vicious Lies
Desperate Lies
Fated Lies
Cruel Lies
Dangerous Lies
Endless Lies
SINFUL TRUTHS:
Sinful Truth #1
Twisted Vow #2
Reckless Fall #3
Tangled Promise #4
Fallen Love #5
Broken Anchor #6
TRUTH OR LIES:
Taken by Lies #1
Betrayed by Truths #2
Trapped by Lies #3
Stolen by Truths #4
Possessed by Lies #5
Consumed by Truths #6
DIRTY SERIES:
Dirty Obsession
Dirty Addiction
Dirty Revenge
Dirty: The Complete Series
ALIGNED SERIES:
Aligned: Volume 1 (Free Series Starter)
Aligned: Volume 2
Aligned: Volume 3
Aligned: Volume 4
Aligned: The Complete Series Boxset
UNFORGIVABLE SERIES:
Heart of a Thief
Heart of a Liar
Heart of a Prick
Unforgivable: The Complete Series Boxset
MAYBE, DEFINITELY SERIES:
Maybe Yes
Maybe Never
Maybe Always
Definitely Yes
Definitely No
Definitely Forever
STANDALONES:
Pretend I’m Yours
Pretend We’re Over
Finding Perfect
Savage Love
Too Much
Not Sorry
Hate Me or Love Me: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Collection
About the Author
Ella Miles writes steamy romance, including everything from dark suspense romance that will leave you on the edge of your seat to contemporary romance that will leave you laughing out loud or crying. Most importantly, she wants you to feel everything her characters feel as you read.
Ella is currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy five year old black lab who is scared of everything, including her own shadow.
Ella is a USA Today Bestselling Author & Top 50 Bestselling Author.
Stalk Ella at:
www.ellamiles.com
ella@ellamiles.com
r: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share