Dangerous Lies(39)

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. Taking another glance at Jake, his feet hadn’t moved. Following my gut, I reached my trembling hand through the narrow space and grabbed the keys. No doubt they belonged to the cupboards.

Ignoring the sense of betrayal for invading something he clearly was trying to keep private, I stood before them.

My speed of my breathing increased, the only sound coming from my nostrils as I worked up the courage to try one of the keys in the lock. Taking one last look toward Jake’s legs, I raised a key to the hole, finding which of the three fit.

The second key worked on the first cupboard. Inhaling another breath, I latched onto the handle and swung the cupboard open.

I couldn’t contain my gasp with what I saw.

Weapons. Tons of them.

Two big military grade guns were displayed on the wall. Below them were drawers, and I bit my lip and opened them, only to find more. Handguns and ammunition neatly placed, no dust or cobwebs around them. They shined as if they were cleaned on a regular basis.

My whole body shook. Jake had never talked about having an infatuation with guns, and by this collection, he had to have been obsessed. With a trembling hand, I ran my finger along one of the handguns where a name was inscribed.

C. Stanton.

I covered my mouth, holding in my scream of terror. It was the same name that was on the uniform, and every bone and nerve in my body knew Jake Cooper, the man I’d just begged to consume me and love me, wasn’t who he had claimed to be.





Chapter TwentyThree





Calm, relaxed, and ridiculously satisfied was my current state. The only missing factor was a warm, beautiful, naked body pressed against me, her citrus scented hair filling my nostrils. The past forty-eight hours had been rectified. I had fallen for Cora a long time ago, but it was becoming a reality now.

Keeping my eyes closed, I stretched my arm out in search of her, only to feel the cool sheet under my fingertips. I opened one eye, only to see that it was dark outside still, and that I was indeed alone in bed. Sitting upright, I swung my feet off my side of the bed to find Cora, only to be startled to see she was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.

I smiled at her, but it disappeared instantly.

She was glaring at me, dressed completely, sitting with her arms and legs crossed. If she were a bomb, she’d be on the verge of exploding. I swallowed, terrified of the petite woman as if she were a monster.

“… Is something wrong?” I asked with a forced smile.

Her eyes only narrowed more. “Why don’t you tell me?”

I laughed to hide my uneasiness, but my cover wasn’t working.

She stood from the chair, her arms still crossed. “Who are you?” She asked, her voice shaking.

I swallowed, holding my hands out. “Who have you talked to?”

Her strong demeanor broke, her hand covering her mouth with wide eyes. “Oh my God,” she gasped. The green of her eyes was bright, but with fear instead of wonder and awe.

I went to stand, covering my junk with a pillow, searching the ground for my boxers or shorts.

“Don’t come any closer to me,” she warned, pointing her finger in my direction.

“Cora, let me explain.”

“Are you going to kill me?” Her voice squeaked.

“What? No!” I snorted, appalled she’d say such a thing. “Why on earth would you think that?”

She dangled a set of keys in front of me.

My stomach knotted. She found my stash. “Cora, I would never hurt you. Those are for my other job.”

Her face scrunched as if she swallowed something sour. “You asshole! How come you never told me you had another job? And don’t you think a job that involved you having a shit ton of weapons would be an important topic to cover before fucking someone?!”

My head cocked to the side, guilt flooding into me. “I should have told you.”

“Damn right you should have. Who’s C. Stanton?”

I took a deep breath, terrified to tell her the truth.

“Jake,” she prompted, her patience dwindling.

Tossing the pillow to the bed, I snatched my shorts and slid them on. “Let me get dressed and make some coffee-”

“Who the fuck is C. Stanton?” She interrupted, clearly not in the mood for any bullshit. Taking in another sharp breath, I prepared for the worst.





Chapter TwentyFour





My heart was pounding while I waited for his response. I knew who C. Stanton was, but I had to hear it from him, even if that meant my heart would crumble into a thousand pieces.

His mouth was set in a straight line as he contemplated his words. He knew he’d been caught in his lies.

His gaze found the floor. “C stands for Colton. Colton Stanton is… me.”

Every muscle in my body weakened by the blow of his lie. For five years he led me to believe his name was Jake Cooper. I gripped the frame of the chair with my hand to keep me standing.

He lunged to stop me from falling, but I threw a hand out at him in warning. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

Both his hands shot to his sides. “Alright, I just didn’t want you to fall.” His brows were scrunched as if he was in pain. “Please, let’s talk about this.”

My breathing was sporadic along with my thoughts. What the hell was I going to do? “I can’t believe you.”