Page 7 of Sharp Lies

Because I didn’t think I could make this decision by myself.

“Great, thanks. And... water?”

She didn’t answer but turned and left, and I couldn’t help but feel that I’d somehow let her down by lying to her. Though she wasn’t the one who’d have to deal with the fallout of Tony finding out I’d told someone what he’d done.

Shit, what was I going to do? How was I supposed to handle this? I’d gone from thinking I was in love with the guy and the luckiest girl in the world to being terrified of him in the space of a day. I wanted him in jail. I wanted him to pay.

And I didn’t think I could do a damn thing about it.

When the door opened again, I turned toward it, thinking Sally had come back with my water. Instead, I saw a giant of a man. Broad shoulders, a massive chest. Dark hair and a pale complexion. Expensive suit.

Hands flexing into fists at his side.

I gulped and shrank back into the mattress, praying Sally would hurry up with that water. Because I didn’t want to be alone with this man any more than I wanted to be alone with his son.

“Mr. McCarthy,” I said, trying to control the shaking in my voice.

He strode through the room like he owned the place, his brows caught in a glower and his mouth firm. He didn’t bother to say hello or ask me how I was feeling.

Instead, he got to my bed, placed his hands on the mattress on either side of my hips, and leaned down until his face was only a foot from mine.

“I hear you’ve had an argument with my son,” he said, quietly menacing.

“N-Nothing serious,” I said quietly.

“And yet you’re in the hospital, and people are asking questions.”

I gulped. “I hit my head.”

He narrowed his eyes and gazed at me for a second—trying, I assumed, to figure out whether I was going to keep telling that story or if I was just trying to get him out of my room.

I was definitely trying to get him out of my room. As for the story, I hadn’t decided yet whether I was going to keep telling it or not.

Of course, his next statement made his feelings clear on the matter. He leaned even closer to me, heat radiating off him like he was about to burn me.

“And I suggest you keep that story on your tongue,” he growled. “I know it’s not true, and you know it’s not true. But no one else is going to know about that. Got it? Any whisper of what Tony did and his career could be damaged. I can protect him from some things, but not everything, and I won’t have a little slut like you endangering his future. He made a mistake letting you into his house. That much is obvious. I won’t have it damaging his prospects.”

I kept my mouth shut. He hadn’t asked me a question, and I wasn’t sure what I could say to his statement, in any case.

“That’s right,” he said, a smirk coloring his lips. “You keep your mouth shut like a good little girl. Keep his name out of your story. If you do exactly as I say, I’ll make sure you can keep that pretty face and those big eyes.”

I went as still as an animal being hunted. “What do you want?” I breathed.

“Easy. I want you to leave town. Get your things from my son’s house and leave. Don’t come back. Don’t say anything to anyone about it. I’ll give you $100K, and we’ll call it a day. Don’t say goodbye to Tony. Don’t say goodbye to your mother. Get out of town and don’t come back.”

Well, that was insane. “And if I don’t want to leave town?”

He leaned closer, until his lips were brushing my ear. “If you don’t leave, I’ll have you beaten so badly your own mother won’t recognize you. And then I’ll kill your reputation.”

I almost threw up. I’d never been so frightened in my entire life.

And the worst part was, I didn’t think he’d stop at hurting me. I was positive he’d hurt my mother as well. And I couldn’t have that.

So I agreed. He told me to leave the hospital as quickly as I could, pack, and go, and I agreed to do it. I hated that I’d given in so easily, but I didn’t know what else to do. By the time I checked out the next day, I did at least have a plan. I’d put half of the money in an account for my mother because she was going to be left here without me to help with the bills. And I’d put the other half in an account for myself.

An account I prayed I’d never have to touch.

Because that was dirty money, and I didn’t want to remember I had it.