CHAPTER 44

Lies & Half-Truths

Riley was watching me again.

She thought I didn't notice, but I did. Every flicker of hesitation. Every moment she glanced away when I caught her staring. The way she bit the inside of her cheek when she thought too hard about something.

Something she wasn't telling me.

The safe house was quiet, save for the distant hum of traffic outside. It was one of Julian's old boltholes—underground, reinforced, built for people who didn't want to be found. People like us.

Riley sat across the room, her back against the wall, legs pulled up, arms wrapped around them. She looked small like that. Almost vulnerable. But I knew better.

She was a storm waiting to break.

I exhaled slowly, setting my gun down on the table between us. "You're thinking too loud."

She blinked, her brows pulling together. "What?"

"You're staring," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Either you like what you see, or you're debating whether or not to put a bullet in me."

Her lips twitched, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "What if it's both?"

I huffed out a dry laugh. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Silence settled between us again. Heavy. Suspicious.

She was hiding something.

And I was done pretending not to notice.

"Why are you really here?" I asked.

Riley stiffened, just for a second. A blink-and-you-miss-it kind of thing. But I didn't miss it.

Her fingers curled against her knees. "I told you. I want The Oath gone as much as you do."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the truth."

I studied her, tapping my fingers against the table. "Yeah? Then why does it feel like a half-truth?"

She didn't respond.

Didn't move.

Her silence stretched too long. Too calculated.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "You're not just here because you hate The Oath. You're not just here because of what they did to me. There's something else. Something you're not saying."

Riley's jaw tightened. "You don't want to play this game with me, Nathan."

"Wrong." I tilted my head. "I think I do."

She pushed to her feet abruptly, pacing the small space. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.

She was nervous.

Good.

That meant I was right.

I waited. Let her unravel.

And then—

"I made a deal," she said.

The words were quiet. Controlled. But they sliced through the air like a blade.

I went still.

A slow, creeping cold curled in my gut. "What kind of deal?"

Riley stopped pacing. She didn't look at me.

"You're not going to like it."

"Try me."

She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Julian isn't the only one who wanted you back, Nathan."

A chill ran down my spine.

I pushed up from my chair, closing the distance between us in two slow steps. "Who?"

She swallowed hard. "The Oath."

A beat of silence.

And then—

My fingers curled into fists.

"You've been talking to them," I said, voice low.

She didn't answer.

My jaw clenched. "Damn it, Riley!"

"It's not what you think," she shot back, eyes flashing. "They don't know where we are. I didn't tell them that."

"But you told them something."

She looked away.

I inhaled sharply, barely restraining the urge to punch something. "Are you out of your mind?"

"They would've found us eventually," she snapped. "I needed leverage."

"Leverage?" I barked out a laugh, sharp and bitter. "Do you have any idea what they're capable of?"

"Of course, I do!" she shouted, stepping closer. "I lived it, Nathan! I saw what they did to you!"

The words hit harder than I expected.

I exhaled roughly, dragging a hand through my hair. "And you still went back to them."

Her expression softened, just for a second. "I went back to keep us ahead of them. To figure out what they want with you."

I shook my head. "I already know what they want."

Riley stilled.

I met her gaze. "They want me back."

She didn't deny it.

Didn't say a damn thing.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

I took a step back, suddenly feeling like the ground beneath me wasn't as solid as I thought.

"How deep are you in?" I asked quietly.

Riley hesitated. "Not as deep as you think."

I let out a slow breath. "That's not an answer."

Her hands balled into fists. "I did what I had to do. For you."

"For me?" I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes," she said firmly.

I shook my head. "I trusted you."

"You still can."

"Can I?" I exhaled sharply, my chest tight. "Because right now, it sure as hell doesn't feel that way."

She took a step forward. "Nathan—"

"Just stop." I held up a hand, cutting her off. "I need a second."

Riley flinched, but she didn't push.

I turned away, pacing. My thoughts were a mess. My pulse too loud.

She was working with The Oath.

She had been lying to me.

And the worst part?

I didn't know if I could blame her.

Because a part of me—the part that was still fractured, still searching for missing pieces—was terrified that The Oath still had a claim on me. That Riley's betrayal wasn't really a betrayal at all.

That maybe—just maybe—she was just trying to save me from myself.

But I wasn't sure I wanted to be saved.

Not if it meant being a prisoner all over again.

Not if it meant facing the truth I had tried so hard to forget.

I ran a hand over my face. "Tell me one thing," I said finally.

Riley's voice was quiet. "What?"

I turned back to her. "If The Oath ordered you to turn me in, would you do it?"

Her breath caught.

I watched her struggle with the answer.

And that silence—

That damn silence—

Told me everything I needed to know.