Page 64 of Savage Little Lies

I don’t sleep much anymore. When I do, my dreams are wild and vivid. It’s like my mind can’t ever fully shut off, leaving me exhausted and restless.

Is this what it’s going to be like for the rest of my life?

When this mission is over, I don’t even think Sean will be happy for more than a day. In fact, if a good enough deal comes along, he’ll probably still try to force me to marry some old asshole.

My life may never be my own, and the thought of that makes it hard to breathe. I want to escape, but how far would I have to go to ensure he can’t find me? How would it be possible to leave the country without any money saved up?

I tear my eyes away from the gray haze that the rain has cast over Las Vegas and glance down at my phone, knowing that I shouldn’t waste any more time.

I tap on my father’s contact and hit the call button, my stomach twisting as the phone rings in my ear.

“Am I going to be happy or disappointed again?” Sean asks me the moment he picks up.

His words make my throat tighten. I think that I have pretty good news, but I already know that it won’t be good enough for him.

“I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Dmitri postponed setting a date for the wedding,” I say to him as I pace in front of the window.

Sean doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, making me wonder what he’s thinking. Finally, he says, “Postponed isn’t canceled.”

I hang my head in defeat. At least one of the benefits of this mission is that I haven’t been able to see him in weeks because it might blow my cover.

Hardly anyone knows that Sean O’Malley has a daughter since his name wasn’t listed on my birth certificate. I didn’t even know until my mother grew desperate enough for money that she reached out to him when I was a teenager. She basically sold me out to him, even knowing the kind of man he was. In exchange for the money she desperately needed, he insisted I had to spend time with him.

“I know it’s not the same, but I’ve driven the wedge between him and Annika even deeper. The fact that he postponed means that him canceling the whole thing is a real possibility now,” I explain to him.

“I don’t care about possibilities! I care about results, yeah? And you’re not showing me any.” he snaps. “Are you even taking this seriously?”

My face burns with anger as I tighten my grip on the phone. I have busted my ass during this mission, risked my life, and I’ve made progress. I just don’t feel like going into the details of those results with my father.

“I’m taking this seriously,” I assure him. “You don’t realize all the work that I’ve put into this. Dmitri would rather be with me than with her. I just need to tip him over the edge and make him commit to leaving her.”

“I could’ve sent in a dolled-up whore and she would’ve got the job done faster,” Sean grunts, his voice full of disappointment and impatience, making me wince at the word whore.

My hand starts to shake next to my head, my vision turning hazy for a second as my rage deepens. “You’re wrong,” I say before I can stop myself.

Sean inhales sharply. “What did you say?”

“I said you’re wrong. You don’t know Dmitri the way I do, or all the walls he has up. No one else could do this but me,” I tell him through gritted teeth, my anger spilling over.

“It has been weeks, and all you’ve got to show for it is a delay in sending out the fecking invitations!” Sean replies in a cold tone. “Maybe I should just handle it myself.”

His words make my blood run cold. I know he isn’t bluffing. He will spill blood if it gets him what he wants.

“No! I’ve got this!”

“I’m running out of patience with you, Cara,” Sean growls.

“Soon,” I promise as I move closer to the window, the rain still coming down. Thunder rumbles in the near distance.

“I’ll tell you this, dear. If he doesn’t call off the alliance soon, this will have to come to a bloody end, yeah?” he warns me.

More than ever, I think he’s behind the shooting, behind the bullets that missed me by centimeters. Why wouldn’t he just admit it to me?

Is he worried that I would let the information slip and have Dmitri find out? I guess he trusts me about as much as I trust him.

“It won’t have to come to that,” I tell him, fighting to keep my voice steady.

“You shouldn’t be so opposed to bloodshed,” Sean scolds me. “It’s how our world works. But maybe you were never meant to be a part of it.”