Endless Lies (Lies #6) - Ella Miles Page 0,8

still alive,” Maxwell says next.

“What? That’s not possible. I buried that motherfucker. I stood at his grave. I—”

“It was an imposter—someone her father hired to pretend to be him. You’ve never actually met her father. Neither has she.”

“That’s not—I have to go to her. I have to help her! I can’t stay here. If her father’s alive, I—”

“Need to stay away from her. Her father hates you. Hates what you represent. He thinks you’ll destroy his daughter and everything he built. If you go to Liesel, he’ll attack you again.”

“Fuck!” I yell, not sure what to do. I should try to contact Liesel at least to figure out what her plan is and how we can help. But I’m not sure how to contact her or if Corbin will let me talk to her.

“Corbin won’t hurt her,” Maxwell says.

“He has before.”

“He won’t now. He wants Declan as much as you do. He wants to take down her father as much as you do. He won’t hurt her until that’s done.”

“And after? What then?”

Maxwell’s silence answers for him. Once they save Declan and kill her father, Corbin will finish his revenge. Liesel saved my life in exchange for working with Corbin to get Declan back. But what else did she trade? What else did she have to sacrifice?

“What do you think I should do?” I ask.

Maxwell’s brow furrows. “You do whatever it takes to keep Liesel safe while getting Declan back. You protect your family. You don’t cower. You fight. But you don’t let her father know that you’re helping Liesel.”

The corner of my mouth lifts; he’s right. Maxwell seems to be the kind of man who will help me. We have an uneasy truce that I still don’t understand or trust, but I’m going to need his help.

“I’ll tell your friends that you’re awake,” Maxwell says, exiting the room.

When the door opens again, Atlas and Rose come running inside and jump on the bed before Phoenix can corral them.

I glare at Phoenix, who stands in the doorway. “Be gentle with your father. You don’t want to hurt him more.”

“Sorry,” both kids say at the same time.

I smile at both of them sitting on my lap. “Don’t be sorry. I missed you both so much.”

I try to move my arms to squeeze them both, but they are so heavy I can barely lift them.

“Guys, give your dad a hug,” Phoenix says, noticing that I can’t give them one as I want.

The kids don’t have to be told twice. They cling to my neck as my arms lift enough to pat them on their lower backs.

“You’re going to be okay?” Atlas asks.

“Yes, I’m going to be just fine. I just had a car accident, so I’m a little beat up, but I’ll survive.”

“Good,” Rose says.

“Do you want ice cream? Ice cream always helps,” Atlas says.

“I’d love some ice cream or anything else you two make me.”

“Come on, kids, let’s go make some ice cream with Aunt Kai, and then we can let your dad rest,” Phoenix says, letting me know that she’s not been hanging out with the kids unsupervised. It’s then that I spot Kai just outside the doorway, keeping an eye on Phoenix.

“What about our other mom? Is she coming back soon?” Rose asks.

I take a deep breath, stalling as I try to figure out how to answer.

“Your other mom is with your brother right now,” I start. I hate calling Liesel their other mother when she is their mother and has sacrificed so much for them, while Phoenix has done nothing but use them. But I know it’s what’s for the best for the kids right now. They barely know Liesel, and Phoenix has done nothing but love them in their eyes.

“When will they be back?” Rose asks.

I squeeze them both. “I don’t know, as soon as they can. They want to be with us very much but it’s safer for them right now to not travel. As soon as they can though, they’ll come here. I promise.”

4

Liesel

My father is alive.

For most people, hearing that a parent you thought was dead is, in fact, alive might bring joy. It might raise their spirit. They might race to go find them and regain the lost time.

Not for me.

For me, hearing my father has been alive this entire time and that I’ve never actually met him sends shockwaves through me.

The man I met, who gave me the letter, wasn’t my father.

The man I buried wasn’t my father.

I’ve always known my father