Lie, Baby, Lie ✔️

chapter twenty-three- wade

Chapter Twenty-Three

Romero gave me an address for a cabin up in Oregon. It's remote and unassuming, probably the sort of place he sends his men to lay low for a while. I filled him in on some of the details of the situation, which is probably why he chose it. I'm willing to bet he's a man with safe houses all over.

It's an eleven-hour drive, even with my speeding. I find myself so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely notice the time rushing by. At one point, Mia curls up in her seat and falls asleep. She's restless even after nodding off, constantly shifting and whimpering. Her discovery today is probably the reason.

Thomas killed her parents. She said so herself, and I know there was no doubt in her mind about it. It's a heavy accusation, and her lack of hesitation means it wasn't a hasty jump to that conclusion. He must've confessed to it. I never would expect him to admit to murder like that, but Thomas Critt has no shame or empathy. He likes the pain he causes.

I didn't realize just how deep his selfishness went. He's not the type to spare anyone who gets in his way if it means he can't get to the top. Mia and I were right to get the hell away. His admission proved every suspicion I had.

Eventually, I leave the main highway in favor of a weaving path through endless trees. The place is completely off the grid, so I don't have a GPS to help me. Romero's directions remarkably lead us exactly where we need to be because I find the shack in a clearing. It seemed improbable, but I'll have to give credit where credit's due.

Not to his face, of course. The guy is still a dickbag.

Mia's eyes flutter open when I cut the engine. "We're here?"

"Looks like it," I reply.

It's early in the morning, just before sunrise, and I should be groggy, but I'm not. Being anywhere near Romero puts me on edge, and the adrenaline works well to keep me on my toes.

Mia scrubs at her face and grimaces, dreading the part where we actually have to enter the lion's den.

Romero meets us at the door, flanked by two men as I expected. He scans us head to toe and chuckles.

"You both look like shit," he observes. "Come in."

We're ushered to a couch in the living room, and Romero opens a liquor cabinet just a few feet from me. He takes out a bottle of whiskey and pours himself a tall glass, offering me some silently. Neither of us wants any, so he puts back his pretentious alcohol and collapses into a chair facing us.

"I'm surprised you called," he says. "Not disappointed, but surprised. Considering you weren't too pleased at lunch, I assumed that would be the end of it. I have to know what changed your mind. Wade mentioned Thomas was unhinged yesterday, correct? Did he find out about your fling?"

"It's not a fling," Mia says defensively. "And no, he didn't. He did, however, reveal that he killed our parents."

Romero's eyebrows lift in genuine disbelief. "You didn't already know that?"

"No?" It sounds like a question. "Did you?"

"The Critts were running an excellent drug ring," Romero explains. "Yes, they had enemies, but most of us do. The competition is intense, but they knew how to navigate it. They were good at forming alliances, making friends instead of new enemies. They had made several deals before, and it wasn't like they went into that one blind. Your mother made sure the best demons were brought along to every single venture they had."

"Clearly, these demons were incompetent," I cut in.

"Or maybe they were paid to be," Romero argues. "The man they met with wouldn't have tried anything before because he wouldn't have made it out. The resources of Purgatory were always superior. It had to be an inside job. All of us in charge knew from the moment we heard the Critts were dead that the leadership change was hardly an accident. I assumed this was common knowledge down in LA too."