Lying In Plain Sight

Lying In Plain Sight The Final Book in the Moms Who Lie Psychological Thriller Series Brett Monk, McKenna Langford Big Why Media Copyright © 2023 by Brett Monk All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Contents Foreword 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty One 22. Chapter Twenty Two 23. Chapter Twenty Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty Five 26. Chapter Twenty Six 27. Chapter Twenty-Seven 28. Chapter Twenty-Eight 29. Chapter Twenty-Nine 30. Chapter Thirty 31. Chapter Thirty-One 32. Chapter Thirty-Two 33. Chapter Thirty-Three 34. Chapter Thirty-Four 35. Chapter Thirty-Five 36. Chapter Thirty-Six 37. Chapter Thirty-Seven 38. Chapter Thirty-Eight 39. Chapter Thirty-Nine 40. Chapter Forty 41. Chapter Forty-One 42. Chapter Forty-Two 43. Chapter Forty-Three 44. Chapter Forty-Four 45. Chapter Forty-Five 46. Chapter Forty-Six 47. Chapter Forty-Seven 48. Chapter Forty-Eight 49. Chapter Forty-Nine 50. Chapter Fifty 51. Chapter Fifty-One 52. Chapter Fifty-Two 53. Chapter Fifty-Three 54. Chapter Fifty-Four 55. Chapter Fifty-Five 56. Chapter Fifty-Six 57. Chapter Fifty-Seven 58. Chapter Fifty-Eight 59. Chapter Fifty-Nine 60. Chapter Sixty 61. Chapter Sixty-One 62. Chapter Sixty-Two 63. Chapter Sixty-Three 64. Chapter Sixty-Four 65. Chapter Sixty-Five 66. Chapter Sixty-Six 67. Chapter Sixty-Seven 68. Chapter Sixty-Eight 69. Chapter Sixty-Nine 70. Chapter Seventy 71. Chapter Seventy One 72. Chapter Seventy-Two 73. Chapter Seventy-Three 74. Chapter Seventy-Four 75. Chapter Seventy-Five 76. Chapter Seventy-Six 77. Chapter Seventy-Seven 78. Chapter Seventy-Eight 79. Chapter Seventy-Nine 80. Chapter Eighty 81. Chapter Eighty-One 82. Chapter Eighty-Two 83. Chapter Eighty-Three 84. Chapter Eighty-Four 85. Chapter Eighty-Five 86. Chapter Eighty-Six 87. Chapter Eighty-Seven Up Next Can We Keep In Touch? About The Authors Foreword by Brett Monk Welcome to “Lying in Plain Sight”! The fifth and final book in the “MOMS WHO LIE” series. As in all the other books, McKenna and I are just having a blast working together to bring you this story. In addition to the five full-length novels in the series, there’s also a special FREE bonus novella called “The Lying Begins” that’s not available on Amazon or anywhere else other than the link below. It tells the story of just what happened twenty years ago, the night of the prom when Maddy and Amelia were in high school together. Once you’re thoroughly hooked on this story, you’re definitely going to want to read it, too.When you join my reader’s community, you will not only get free books and other content by me and some of my friends, but you will get the inside scoop on discounted products and upcoming releases. Plus, I share some personal thoughts and “behind the scenes” photos and notes about my life, media adventures, and favorite grilling recipes. :-) Community members also get to vote in polls and make suggestions for upcoming books and projects. You might even want to consider being a “beta reader” or an “advance review reader”, both of whom get to read the books before they’re available to the public. https://www.brettmonk.comBut for now, enjoy “Lying in Plain Sight” .- Brett Chapter 1 Warner I am a liar. “Just—tell me straight, Warner. Do you have feelings for my sister?” Lyla stands in front of me, her head tilted and her arms crossed, the two of us out in the cold under an orange tree. She’s tense. She’s hurt. She wants the truth from me. But I also think I now know exactly what she’s hoping that “truth” is. “No,” I say, my stomach dipping because it’s angry at me for what I’m doing, “I—I don’t.” In a town like Toxey, where lies seem to just be swarming through the atmosphere, creating those cumulonimbus clouds in the sky that hardly ever seem to leave, I find myself wondering if maybe lying is a learned trait. If it’s something you’re destined to start doing once you live here because you learn the most from the people you surround yourself with. As I stare at Lyla, who looks like she’s far, far away from believing my bull, her ice-blue eyes as stormy as the sky above us, I think about her family. They’re all liars themselves. It only adds to my “learned trait” theory. Still. Maybe lying is a gene I inherited from my mother. An incessant one. A gene passed down to help keep me protected from all the bad in the world that might reveal itself to me were I to tell the truth. “Warner.” Lyla’s tone is full of warning. But don’t let me get ahead of myself. Nine days earlier… When my phone vibrates in my pocket, I almost don’t want to see what bad news I am going to receive next. Still, it gives me something to temporarily distract myself from what is currently happening in front of me, so I take the chance and pull it out. It’s a text message on my old iPhone 8—the one that needs my thumbprint to unlock it—from Audrey: Audrey: Um… Warner. Stop dodging my calls. Can we please talk? Like… ASAP? What the heck was that? My stomach revolting inside of me, I put my phone back and don’t answer her. Yes, my lack of response is mainly because I just don’t want to—how can I possibly explain to Audrey why I kissed her like a huge idiot after I already told her I don’t have feelings for her?—but it’s also because I already have a mountain of other problems I am currently dealing with. “Warner?” The voice is deep and strict and dripping with concern. It’s the voice only a father would have—the voice of Dean Reeves. He’s standing in my living room. “Huh?