No More Secrets

PRAISE FOR KERRY LONSDALE No More Words “Lonsdale expertly maintains suspense throughout. Psychological-thriller fans will be well satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly “A perfect summer read.” —Red Carpet Crash “[A] mesmerizing first installment in her newest No More series . . . No More Words simmers with drama and secrets, sure to dazzle readers as an unmissable summer read.” —The Nerd Daily “Lonsdale’s first book in a new trilogy about love, betrayal, and the secrets families keep. Read in one sitting!” —Frolic “[Lonsdale] creates stories that readers will want to read again and again.” —Write-Read-Life “Lonsdale is at her best with this multilayered story about three dysfunctional siblings and the secrets they keep. What a ride. I’m still a little breathless. This one was an addictive page-turner—impossible to put down. Fans of domestic suspense will EAT THIS UP.” —Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law “Kerry Lonsdale is back and better than ever with this multilayered tale about three siblings torn apart by a series of tragic events. Nuanced and smart, filled with characters with real emotion and depth, No More Words is everything you’ve come to love from the master of domestic drama. A mesmerizing beginning to a new trilogy that will have you one-clicking the next in the series.” —Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of Stranger in the Lake “Full of suspense, romance, and drama, No More Words is a powerful story about what it means to be a family. Emotional and honest, it tells the story of three siblings, each dealing with demons from the past. I fell in love with all three Carson children and look forward to the second and third installments of this series. Kerry Lonsdale is a master storyteller of family drama, and this is Lonsdale at her best.” —Suzanne Redfearn, #1 Amazon bestselling author of In an Instant “Kerry Lonsdale starts her latest trilogy off with a bang! Brimming with drama, suspense, and family secrets galore, No More Words will have you tearing through the pages to figure out what really happened to this broken family, and who is playing whom. With beautifully drawn, complex characters and a twisted plot that reveals itself layer by layer, No More Words is a stunning thriller that deserves a top spot on your ‘to be read’ list.” —Hannah Mary McKinnon, bestselling author of Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me “No More Words burns and smolders with the tension of a lit cigarette. Kerry Lonsdale has created a page-turning story of family secrets and assumed truths that forces readers to ask what they would do if the buried past came calling at their door. Nothing and no one can stay hidden forever.” —Amber Cowie, author of Rapid Falls “Every family has its secrets, and the way Kerry Lonsdale twists ALSO BY KERRY LONSDALE THE EVERYTHING SERIES Everything We Keep Everything We Left Behind Everything We Give STAND-ALONE NOVELS All the Breaking Waves Last Summer Side Trip THE NO MORE SERIES No More Words No More Lies This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Text copyright © 2023 by Kerry Lonsdale Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781542019101 (paperback) ISBN-13: 9781542019095 (digital) Cover design by Rex Bonomelli Cover image: © Poravute Siriphiroon / Shutterstock; © ArthurHidden / Getty For you CONTENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR 1 Lucas Carson rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling fan rotating on low, blades spinning faster than a clock’s second hand melting his waste of a life. As if the Mojave Desert hasn’t already done so. He takes a mental assessment, digging up the motivation to get out of bed. His head pounds from the six-pack of empty beer bottles on the nightstand. More from the shots of tequila. The crust around his eyes that caked overnight stings. He scrapes it off. His body aches, his right calf especially. He must have tweaked it last night when they were going at it. He drags his hands down his face, the stubble chafing, and drops an f-bomb into his cupped palms. Faye came knocking after midnight. He shouldn’t have let her in. She stirs beside him, her body going taut as she stretches her arms overhead and purrs. The sound drips with enough innuendo that Lucas can’t believe it isn’t intentional. Her eyes slide open, revealing the stunning green that gets him every time she shows up at his door in a skimpy dress, mountain-high heels, and legs that go for miles. She has ten years on his thirty-three, but it doesn’t show anywhere on her. She’s a knockout. And he’s a fool for a no-strings-attached lay. He sits up in bed. She smiles, catlike. He swings his legs over the side. She reaches for his wrist to keep him close. He pulls his hand away and shoots up