Sweet Liar by Debra Doxer

Author:Debra Doxer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, mystery, young adult, romance action romance book series

It was three in the morning when a sound woke me. Pumpkin jumped off the bed and trotted toward my closed bedroom door. The events of last night came back to me, and my stomach jumped when I realized the noise was coming from the kitchen. As I stayed under the covers listening, I could hear the familiar noise of the coffeemaker burbling, and I relaxed. I doubted Victor would break in and stop to make himself coffee.

Awake now, I decided I might as well see why Jonah wasn’t sleeping. As I came out of my bedroom, I found him just settling down on the couch in the living room with a mug in one hand and the television remote in the other.

“Can’t sleep?” I asked.

He turned to face me. “No. Sorry if I woke you.”

“You didn’t,” I lied, not wanting him to feel bad.

As I walked around the couch to sit beside him, I was struck by how vulnerable Jonah looked. His hair was sticking up in the back, and he needed a shave. The pajamas he wore were too small, and his face was pinched, like worry was his new best friend.

“Is everything okay?”

“Sure.” He scratched his cheek, and I looked at him like I didn’t believe him, because I didn’t.

Laughing softly but without much humor, he sipped from his mug. “Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone before?”

My body stilled at the thought, and I nodded.

“I’m a disappointment to my father.”

I hadn’t expected that.

“Unlike yours, my father wanted me in the organization, but he also wanted me to be different. He says I’m more like my mother than him, and he doesn’t mean it as a compliment. He means I’m too soft, which is probably why he didn’t tell me he was coming to your house tonight. He knew I’d try to stop him.”

I recalled them arguing outside the front door that first night, and wondered how much Jonah had been protecting me from his father. “The fact that you’re not like him is a good thing, in my opinion.”

He said nothing. Instead he looked down at the mug in his hand, seeming to regret what he’d revealed. “You should try to get some sleep,” he finally said.

After opening up, he was now shutting down, and I didn’t want to let him. “How come you haven’t asked me if I learned anything at my dinner with the Hoyts?”

He gave me a sideways glance. “Would you tell me if I did?”

“Probably not.”

Despite my response, I found myself wanting to discuss it with Jonah. I could have used his advice. He was smart and levelheaded.

He watched me a moment longer before rubbing his hand over his cheek. “My father won’t wait long, Candy. He knows you talked to them. You’ll have to tell him something soon.”

Those words reminded me once again who he was aligned with.

I’d been quiet for so long that he gave me a searching, hopeful look. “If you tell me what you learned, you won’t have to tell my father.

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