The Lies I Believed

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

I arrived at the hotel with no time to spare. Lucky for me, Aaron was waiting against his car when I pulled up. I straightened my wig, unwrapped the skirt of my dress, and sat in the car for a few more seconds. I didn't have time to be mentally prepared for this. If something happens that leaves me traumatized, I'm going to have Aaron pay my medical bills. I may be rich, but money isn't easy to come by when you're mentally scarred.

"I see you made it just in time," Aaron simpered. "Ready to have the wildest night of your life?"

"I swear, if you're taking me away from a family gathering to be your little plaything, I'm going to murder you," I snarled.

"Hold your horses, Danni. I'm not that type of guy." He opened the passenger door for me and watched me get in. "I'll explain what's gonna happen on the way."

I waited for him to get in and pull away from the curb. My heart raced as I thought about Asher not finding me and panicking. If he doesn't panic, then I'm hoping Hayden has every excuse in the book in his head. Asher doesn't fall for excuses that easily, but maybe Abuelo gave him some good news. He'll wonder where I am, then socialize with the rest of the family. They'll be a distraction until he finally demands I come back.

"Nice outfit," he muttered.

I looked down at my clothes and shook my head. Without my skirt, it was just a fancy top and leggings. Not something I'd usually wear when doing something like this. With these low heels, I looked like a cheap stripper.

"I'm going to need your phone. Can't have anyone trying to follow us tonight." He glanced at me.

"I'm way ahead of you," I said. "I powered it off and left it in my brother's car."

"Does your brother know anything about what's going on? You wouldn't dare put your family in danger just for the sake of your own safety, would you?"

"He thinks I'm going out to get more things for the party. I'm assuming I won't be missing for long."

"If everything goes as planned...you shouldn't be missing for more than thirty minutes."

"Give or take another ten minutes." I sighed. "Is it a good thing traffic is heavy tonight?"

Aaron tapped the steering wheel and looked out his window at the passing cars. I awaited his answer in silence.

"Maybe. I want to get in and out fast. You don't know anything, so it's going to be hard to convince everyone else that you know. Once we're in the office, we need to search it thoroughly."

"How far is it?"

"Not too far. No need to worry so much. There's a secret tunnel we'll use to escape. My car will be waiting for us at the exit. I'll drop you off a little before the hotel, so no one follows you. I suggest you forget about us meeting quickly or there will be consequences."

"Trust me, I know how to act clueless."

We rode in silence for a couple more minutes. We left the heavy traffic behind, so I prayed we would get to where we needed to be in time.

My mind kept wandering back to Sha'Kera and Derek. I don't want to believe something is going on between them, but it looks like it. Hayden's always been so reserved about their marriage. I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped out and said they wanted a divorce. Not everyone is destined to have perfect marriages. I wish I had been.

Aaron finally pulled into a pothole filled parking lot. I hope it's not like that everywhere. The entire place looked abandoned. I couldn't help but think that I was being led to my death. Aaron doesn't seem to be the most trustworthy guy in the world. Since he gives me no choice but to listen to him, it's best I follow directions as best I can.