An amateur's guide to conning a conman

Chapter 22

She noticed my stare and looked down. Her fingers touched the large emerald.

" Oh do you like it? Someone got it for me. Too bad they sold me a fake." Her voice hardened.

" What do you want from us?"

She smiled the way a mother smiles at her child and it brought chills up my body.

" I'm bored." She said like that explained anything, " So we're going to play a game."

She nodded towards the man behind me and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a switch blade. My mouth went dry.

Dante exhaled sharply beside me. His eyes darting between me and the women.

" So when I was training to be a sweetliar so many years, my mentor liked to play a game called scream or tell. Reveal a secret or something bad would happen. Does everyone know the rules?"

We nodded.

"Okay dear, you first."

My breath hitched as the blade made contact with my neck, the blade cool against my skin. I ddin't dare breathe

" Now if I were you. I wouldn't lie. Francis can spot a liar from a mile away."

I swallowed thickly and nodded.

" Easy question, What's your name?"

" Sia." I answered, my eyes trained on the blade. I let out a breath when the man moved on to Dante.

The women repeated her question and Dante answered, sweat slick on his brow.

I made eye contact with Titus, my eyes watering. He smiled weakly at me and mouth it was going to be okay but I didn't know if I believed him. I repeated the Krill siblings' names in my mind, listing off their best traits and memories.

The blade was back against my skin.

" Tell me something no one else knows."

I steadied my voice, " When I was ten, I ran away from home because I got my dad into trouble with the law."

They moved back to Dante.

" Who hurt you the most?"

His eyes flicked to Titus who couldn't meet his eyes. Dante licked his chapped lips before answering, his words bitter.

" Titus Gales. I told him I loved him and he couldn't repeat the words to me yet says them almost weekly to his targets."

It was like something clicked in the fortune teller's mind and she smiled warmly at me.

" How do you feel about Titus?"

" What? I-"

The blade dug deeper, just enough to break skin. I winched at the sting.

" I don't know." I said, " I-"

I felt the wetness seep into my shirt before the pain.

" Just answer the question." Dante hissed, he was angry.

" I think I'm in love with him." I said quickly and immediately regretted it.

I didn't dare meet Titus's eyes or Dante's.

Her eyes brighten like some kind of sick monster.

" Go on." She coaxed, even going as far as raising a finger for the man to remove the knife.

I could finally breathe, " I don't like sweetliars, I despise them. But Titus was different."

I thought back to the night of us playing piano and softness of his hands, the intensity of his gaze last night.

" I shouldn't feel any way towards him but I do." I finished softly.

The women looked like she had just been told she had won the lottery.

Tears were freely falling now and I tried hard to muffle my cries but it didn't really help.

Dante sat coldly beside me, his eye void of emotion. I doubt in this situation he cared about my feelings towards Titus.

" Now this is interesting." She snapped again and the man holding Titus dropped his grip and quickly walked behind Dante and pulled out his own knife.

My heartbeat quickened again.

" Now this is getting interesting. Now it's your turn to play. Every lie you tell, both of them get cut."

Titus smiled the same way he always did, but his lip twitched. " I don't expect anything less."

" Tell me your experiences with him."

" I dated Dante a few years ago. He was my first boyfriend, first everything really. He was there for me when I didn't know who I was, who kissed away all my injuries, and stayed when I needed him but we were just kids who were in the middle of our apprenticeship."

" Did you love him?"

Titus didn't answer her, his lip set into a straight line but when the blade touch Dante's neck, he did.

" I was too scared to say I did, that I do. That's why we broke up."

Dante was staring blankly at Titus, there was no emotion.

" And how do you feel about the girl?"

" We were framed a few weeks ago and in that short time, I've learned that she is one of the most compassionate, nurturing, and kind person I've ever met."

The man cut me so fast across my face, I didn't even realize it until I felt the sharp sting on my cheek.

Dante hissed and I saw a line of blood drip down his chin.

" I wasn't lying." Titus looked ready to lunge.

" I said how do you feel about her? Not your experiences with her. You know she already loves you, so how will you respond?"

" I- I like her." Titus finally said and despite everything, my heart skipped.

" When she's caring for her kids, her eyes brightened like nothing else, when she smiles, I don't want to ever look away and she doesn't even realize how badly I want to pull her into my arms and kiss her."

I didn't like the way the women was grinning at all of us.

" Well I've up my mind. I won't kill you all for trespassing. Just one."

I stared at her, sweetliars weren't supposes to kill people. They weren't even suppose to be violent.

" And you'll decide who gets to walk out of here alive. So dear, who do you want to save?"