Fated Lies (Lies #3) - Ella Miles Page 0,4

the scruff on my chin. The tear slows and pinballs between each fiber of hair on my face until it reaches the edge of my chin. There it drops onto the deck where my feet stand.

That is the last tear. I’ve already decided that I can’t keep spending my days crying. I need to take action. My tears won’t save Siren. They won’t protect my children, my wife. They won’t make Liesel tell me the truth. They won’t put an end to my suffering.

So I stop crying.

I hear footsteps approach. Even though the man is capable of walking without sound, he lets me know he’s coming to talk.

I’m not sure I’m ready to talk, not after everything I’ve been through in the last few weeks, but Enzo Black won’t give me a choice. He’s one of my best friends. I’ve known him since we were kids. We’ve protected each other. He made me filthy rich. He’s my brother in every way that matters.

But right now, I don’t want to hear his opinion because I already know what it will be. Punish Liesel and then let her go.

Enzo leans on the railing next to me. He’s a patient man, more patient than I am. He could wait me out, and I’d start talking.

“Why?” Enzo asks, still staring straight ahead. If he doesn’t look at me, maybe I’ll answer more honestly. I haven’t had many reasons to lie to Enzo or any of my friends, but lately, I find myself lying more than telling the truth.

When I don’t answer, Enzo sighs and then turns and looks at me.

I stare back. His eyes are swollen, his dark hair disheveled, and he’s wearing sweatpants and a grey hoodie. He looks like he hasn’t gotten any more sleep than I have. He doesn’t look like a boss; he looks like a broken man.

“Why go after the treasure? Why not just let Liesel and whoever else finds it have it? We have more money than you could ever need. And if you need a raise, just ask.”

It’s not about the money. It was never about the money. I wish I could tell him the truth, but it would endanger him and his family. If I told him the truth, he’d murder me for risking his family—something I’d never willingly do.

“I can’t tell you.”

He narrows his eyes, trying to figure out what I’m not telling him. He won’t figure it out. I’m a fantastic liar.

“Are you going to make Liesel pay for what she did?” he asks. He doesn’t give away if he wants me to punish her or not. There was once a time when Liesel was his friend too. He knows her more intimately than I do, but Enzo is also a man of honor. He won’t let someone hurt his family without consequence, and Siren is his family.

“Yes,” I say.

“Good,” his voice is strained as he says it like it hurts him, but he knows it has to be done. “Liesel used to be part of this family. She used to get our protection. Not anymore. She chose to leave. She chose to hurt this family. That is the one thing I will never forgive.”

I nod, and then I look at him with all the pain of our past. “This is our fault.”

“How do you figure?”

“We failed her. We didn’t protect her when we should have. Time and time again, we failed to save her from the darkest among us. From your father. From others…”

Enzo turns back to the ocean. It’s too painful to know the part we played in making Liesel this way.

“We did fail, but we were kids then. Since then, we have done everything we could to protect her. She made her choices,” he finally replies.

“We were never kids, never given the choice to be innocent. We should have protected her. There isn’t any excuse that’s good enough. Someday, we will pay for that sin.” I run my hand through my hair, feeling the salt from the ocean turn my hair into blonde waves. “And I’m not sure we didn’t fail again as adults.”

“We’ve had an eye on her this entire time.”

“I know, but how did she end up in that twisted game on that boat the first time? How did we miss that?”

“Because she wanted us to. Listen, Liesel isn’t innocent anymore. She’s a woman who can make her own decisions. You have to let her go. Punish her, get Siren justice, but then let her go.”

I can’t.

I frown.

“What do