Empire of Lies - Whitney G. Page 0,34

his mouth, but unless Meredith Alexis Thatchwood was some type of undercover criminal and she’d fooled me with her daily routine somehow, I didn’t see how she could be the kind worth killing.

Her taste is still on my lips, and I know I won’t be able to stop replaying the past few hours in my mind for a while. There’s something there between us, something I’ve never felt before, and a part of me wants a little more. I also know, without a doubt, that for the first time since we started this hell-ish, underground service, that I’ll struggle with a job. Especially if she’s involved.

Leaning back in my seat, I think long and hard about why she would ever deserve to be murdered—who she possibly could’ve hurt to make them seek out our private firm, but I can’t think of anything.

Usually, there’s no contact between me and the actual client. No explanations, either. They asked one of the underlings or associates for a job, and those words slowly made it up the chain. The less people who needed to interact, and the less facts I knew about who was involved, the better.

“That number makes you want to reconsider, huh?” Trevor puffs an ‘O’ and cracks his window. “I’ve done all of my due diligence, by the way. They have the money, and they have a lot to lose if this ever gets out, which protects us as well. I told them that there’s nothing to worry about.” He pats my shoulder. “I told them that they’re dealing with the best.”

I shake my head. I can’t resist getting the background story this time. “Who the hell are the clients who want this done? Do they even know Meredith, or is this some scorned lover, former friend type shit?”

“They more than know her,” he says, blowing another “O” before turning to face me. “Well, ‘he,’ anyway. He’s her father.”

—

END OF EPISODE #1

Queen Of Lies

Book 2 in the Empire of Lies Series

Whitney G.

About Queen Of Lies

From the New York Times bestselling author of Reasonable Doubt & Turbulence, comes part two of a sexy and thrilling serial.

The woman I fell in love with is a walking contradiction...

She's sexy as hell, yet infuriating. Hopelessly in love with me, but carefully plotting to get the hell away.

She honestly thinks that I'm the 'king of lies'?

Well, she’s f-cking fooled you...

She's the queen.

Queen of Lies is the second book in the Empire of Lies Series.

Book 1, King of Lies, can be downloaded for FREE by tapping here.

Prologue

Michael

Since you’re still reading this story, I’ll have to assume that you’re a masochist. That, or a hopeless, starry-eyed reader who keeps a horde of romance novels with alpha male heroes at your fingertips.

I’m willing to bet that you open every book you buy with the same set of expectations and desires—yearning to dive deep into the mind of a ‘bad boy’ hero, waiting patiently for him to rip your heart to bleeding pieces for the sake of angst. All so you can watch him grovel his way back to the heroine, for him to stitch every shred of your feelings back together by the time you reach the last page.

You repeat this obsessive pattern over and over again. No matter the author, no matter the book.

You’ve done it so many times, that you probably have no idea what it’s like when that doesn’t happen, and that’s okay.

I’m more than willing to be your first…

Michael

Before We “Met”

I stare ahead at the passing traffic, not wanting to believe the words that are falling from Trevor’s mouth. There’s no logical reason why a father would ever want to kill his own daughter. And as many times as I rack my brain for a plausible answer, I can’t think of anything that would make a billionaire like Leonardo Thatchwood even think of taking that risk.

He’s the type of man who plays it safe whenever he bets. A man who will walk away from the table with all of his chips in tow, if he even senses that the game won’t end in his favor. From what I’ve witnessed by following him here or there these past several weeks, he’s the very definition of the word ‘cautious.’ He also has far too much to lose, if one blemish ever lands on his carefully curated record.

I could’ve sworn he was attempting to run for public office…

“How sure are you that it’s her father who wants her gone?” I look over at Trevor, still stunned at the