Sweet Lies

Sweet Lies DARK LEGACIES BOOK THREE MARIE SCULLY CRAVE PUBLISHING Sweet Lies Copyright © 2022 by Marie Scully. All rights reserved. First Print Edition: November 2022 Crave Publishing Kailua, HI 96734 www.cravepublishing.net Formatting: Crave Publishing ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-642-0 No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental. Contents Trigger Warning Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Epilogue To My Readers What Do You Crave? About the Author Dedication As with everything in life, I could not have done this without the support of my friends and family. Trigger Warning This book may have triggers for some readers; read at your own risk. Prologue ELIJAH The sun is slipping through the blinds when I wake the next day. I stretch a little and feel Lily sitting up. “Why are you awake? Did I not tire you out enough last night?” I ask. “Funny. Open your eyes.” “Did you ever think I need my sleep? And you tired me out last night.” “Then I guess you’re getting old. Happy birthday,” she says, hitting me on the shoulder. I smile as I open my eyes to see her holding a white cupcake with a red, lit candle. “Who told you?” I ask as a small drop of wax falls on the icing. “Your sister threw you under the bus. Quick, make a wish before we burn down the house.” Sitting up, I take the treat from her and blow out the candle. “Thank you,” I say, leaning down to kiss her. “You’re welcome. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me your birthday was today. Thirty is a big milestone to celebrate.” She appears ready to add more but I interrupt her. “Because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.” “It is a big deal. You made it another year without anyone managing to kill you. Pretty impressive.” She grins as she swipes her finger through the icing then licks it off. “I could think of a better use for your lips. Plus, as you said, it is my birthday,” I state, wiggling my eyebrows and pulling her on top of me, managing to move the cupcake to the side. “If we start that, we’ll never get out of the room. Claire and Alex are downstairs, along with most of your men, to celebrate.” “She didn’t,” I moan. “No,” she says, rolling away. “I did. Now come on.” She grabs my hand in a futile attempt to pull me up. “Fine. You win. I’ll get up.” As I stand, my phone rings, and I pick up the call from Andre. “Hello?” Lily rolls her eyes and waves toward the dresser. I hold up my finger, needing to know what he’s calling about this early. “Elijah. I have her. I have Rebecca.” “Where?” I demand, grabbing clothes from a drawer. Lily looks at me, questions swimming in her eyes. “I’ll text you the address. She’s not happy, to say the least.” His tone is cold with an edge of frustration. Rebecca had given him more of a run around then any of us had expected. I try to keep myself from feeling pride, but it slips in. “I’m on my way. Keep her there no matter what,” I order. The last thing I need is for Andre’s feelings for my sister to get in the way at the last minute. Once I hang up, I start for the door, but Lily steps in front of me, blocking my path. “Who was that?” Her demand leaves no room for lies. “Something I have to deal with. I’ll be back soon. Have a few drinks for me.” “You’re lying,” she states. “Tell me the truth.” “Andre found Rebecca. I’m going to meet them.” “And Claire?” she asks, already knowing the answer. “She can’t know. At least not yet. I need to know the truth, and Claire won’t be any use to me right now. Her feelings will get in the way.” “And yours won’t?” she asks, moving her hands against my chest. “Of course. She’s my sister. But I won’t let anything happen to you or Claire. I need to know what she has planned. If it comes down to it, I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect my family.” “She’s your family.” “Yes, but we all make choices. She made a choice when she came after us. Leaving Claire out of this, for now, is the best choice. Tell me you understand?” Slowly she nods. “I do. I don’t agree, but I understand.” Concern marks her face. “I’ll be back soon. Cover for me.” Thankfully, she nods, and we go downstairs to find the others. I laugh as I look around the room—all of them, this tough group of mobsters, are wearing party hats. Claire must have threatened them or paid them off. “Happy birthday, E!” Claire says happily, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. “Thank you. I need to run out, but I’ll be right back.” She quickly pulls away, looking suspicious. “Why?” “I need to take care of something. I’ll be right back. I’ll grab more booze as well. We can party right through till tomorrow.” The men all cheer, but Claire still appears unconvinced. “I promise, Claire, everything is fine.” “Fine, go. We’ll start the party without you.