Lie, Baby, Lie ✔️

chapter five- wade

Chapter Five

I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. The reasonable thing to do would've been turning around the second I saw Mia Critt at the shooting range. I should've left, but I found myself drawn to her against my instincts.

She's an excellent shot, but I saw that yesterday, so I was well aware of it when I approached her. There's something different about her now, something that changed right after she killed Frank. Despite who her brother is, there was a purity inside her I could see when we talked the night she helped me get to the hospital. It's gone now. Extinguished.

I get some target practice in when I can, just in case I need the skill when I'm working a job for Thomas. My normal place closed down last week, so I tried a new one out today. I'll admit, I'm a little glad I did.

I don't know what it is about Mia Critt that has my attention. Yeah, she's beautiful and sexy as hell. I'll admit it's impossible not to check her out when we're in a room together, but that's not it. I've been around her plenty of times, but now I feel like I know her. She's not just the queen anymore. I can see past her bravado and the shield Thomas puts over her. She's more like me than I bargained for.

When I see her at my front door, I let her in without a word. She steps into my apartment, and because her tank-top is tight, I can see there isn't a gun in the back of her jeans.

She trusts me enough to leave it behind. I'm a dangerous man. I could do whatever I wanted to her because I know I'm so much stronger than she is, but I'd never touch her. She doesn't know that, though.

She's too naive for her own damn good.

I lick my dry lips and muster up some real words. "Want a beer?"

"No," she says quietly. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Suit yourself."

I take one out of the fridge and use the bottle opener to get the cap off. She's on my couch with her long legs crossed, swaying her foot back and forth from nervousness.

"Why did you invite me over?" she asks finally.

I take a long swig of my drink. "Because I remember the first time Thomas made me kill someone. I felt so guilty, so screwed up inside I could barely take it. I needed someone then. You probably do too."

Every word of it is true. She was right about needing alliances in Purgatory, I just never thought I'd be considering one with anybody. The way I figure it, you're safer on your own, even if humans aren't wired to be that way.

A single brow arches. "What happened to staying away from me?"

I shrug. "Guess I'm taking a gamble on you."

The thing is, I feel bad for her, I really do. I want her to be free of him, even if I barely know her. She looks like a girl who could have a future beyond all this. That is if she's bold enough to take it.

She looks worn out and miserable. The murder she committed has definitely added a few years to her. Experiences like that always do. Her age is hard to tell; she's seen a lot, so much it's difficult to believe she's young.

"How old are you?" I ask, curious.

"Just turned eighteen," she answers. "Not that being an adult makes a difference. I'm just as stuck as I was at seventeen."

As she lets the strands of hair slip through her hand, I see the bruise on her arm, the purple spots shaped like fingers. I wonder if she notices it. She probably does.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," I say softly.

"Don't be."

"I am," I insist. "It's a fucked-up thing. What Thomas did was wrong. Frank didn't deserve to die. You shouldn't have to do his dirty work."