Empire of Lies - Whitney G. Page 0,84

me off, looking far more livid than I’ve ever seen him. “But since you want to suddenly act like you’re such a ‘good person,’ let me tell you a story about someone I know. It’s about a little boy who spent years of his life locked in chains, being held captive in a disgusting basement with his twin brother, being used and abused within an inch of his life. Day after day.” He glares at me, stepping closer. “And the first time he choked the hell out of his uncle for keeping him there and ruining his life, it wasn’t enough for him… It wasn’t enough for him when he buried him several feet under, and never told another soul. Because he knew that the twenty-eight men who used him and his brother like sexual ragdolls would get away with it if he did it the ‘good person’ way. That they had enough money to hold up justice in the courts for years. And since this man still can’t function decades later, because all of the memories still drag him out of his sleep every fucking night, he hunts them down one by one, city by city, until they get what they deserve.”

My heart drops as he looks into my eyes, and I know that this ‘story’ doesn’t belong to someone he knows. It’s his.

“What about that, Meredith?” he asks, standing right in front of me as the water drenches us both. “Is that a good enough fucking reason?”

“I…” I feel tears pricking my eyes, and I don’t even know what to say. I’ve never seen this pained look of vulnerability in his eyes before. “Michael, I’m so—”

“It’s ironic that you want to get on your high-horse, in comparison to me.” He cuts me off again, pressing his chest against mine. “Because deep down, you’re just as fucked up of a person as I am. In fact, I don’t think you’re as good of a person as you like to believe. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve attempted to look down at me over the past few days—to try to keep your distance, to try to act like you’re not as terrible as I am.”

“No….” I shake my head—understanding his pain and anger, but he’s reaching right now. “I’m nothing like you.”

“You’re too much like me.” He tilts my chin up with his fingertips. “You’re fucking intrigued by what I do, by the gritty ecosystem that you know nothing about. But you’d definitely take full advantage if someone gave the access to you…” His voice trails off for a few seconds. “You liked dancing at Club Swan back in New York, but you loved the high you got by stealing from the greedy people who you thought ‘deserved’ it. You tried to justify it, by telling yourself that you needed tens of thousands of dollars to start your life over, but you could’ve taken all the money you stole and moved on long before Rio Warren ever caught you…”

I feel my cheeks heating as he reads me like a book, as he reveals the part of myself that I never shared with him.

“Every man you stole from had shady ties to other companies,” he says, sliding his thumb against my bottom lip. “Which leads me to believe that you researched all of the people you stole from first—once again, trying to justify what you did. It also makes me see that you’re a hypocrite…”

I shake my head, attempting to get a word out, but he doesn’t let me.

“Furthermore,” he says, “You’re still here with me when you could’ve left long ago. I’ve left the keys on the dresser for you, left my phones out—all five of them, and there’s no indoor security system here. You could’ve walked out of this damn shower the moment I started talking, too. The other door is right behind you.” He pauses. “You want to prove me wrong?”

“I’m here because you’re supposed to take me to the airport…”

“You’re here because you’re a willing captive, Meredith.” His free hand pinches my nipple as he continues teasing my mouth with his other hand. “And at times in your life, you’ve been just as bad as me.”

“No,” I say, still in disbelief about the way that he’s described me. “None of the things I’ve done have hurt other people…None of the things you listed has anything to do with me being a good person.”

“Meredith…” He looks into my eyes, pressing his forehead against mine. “A ‘good