Ten Thousand Lies Read Online Free Page A

Xanthe’s chest, his body spasming with his muffled sobs.
    “Hush,” whispered Xanthe, smoothing a hand down his greasy face. “We’re family. Of course you came home.”
    David didn’t dispute that. “It’ll be all right,” he softly told Rex.
    My respect and admiration for this man grew exponentially.
    “We’ll do whatever we can to keep you safe. We…” There really wasn’t anything I could promise.
    If my father found out, then he’d come for them. David and Xanthe would end up dead, simply for loving the kid. He’d have Rex killed, too. He wouldn’t bother with trying to sell him later on.
    Holy shit. We’re fucked.
    Looking to Deo, I saw he knew it, too.
    “Ronen?” I asked quietly.
    “I’d say we start praying, brother.”
    That chilled me to my motherfucking soul.
    Ronen was an atheist.

    Ronen and I gave David and Xanthe our numbers, and we essentially stole theirs. If we got wind of anything coming their way, we’d give them a heads-up. Then, we helped them get Rex into David’s car, so they could take him to the hospital.
    “I want you to call Deo and give him updates about Rex,” I told Xanthe. “Right now, it’s too dangerous to contact me or Ronen. Deo’s good people. He’ll listen if Rex needs to talk about…well…”
    “Okay,” said Xanthe.
    I trusted her. I couldn’t explain it, but I had the feeling that if David refused to do as I’d asked—demanded—she would follow through. There was just something about her, like a kindred-spirit sort of vibe. Looking to Ronen, I could tell he sensed it about her, too.
    David Malcolm was hard to read. Most people would be shitting their pants, dealing with the likes of me and my boys, with the very real threat of death hanging over them. But he seemed to be just fine with the fact that The Godwin could be after him. He didn’t strike me as stupid, just the opposite. I couldn’t help but wonder though where his head was.
    “We’ll be in touch,” I told him. “Hopefully, one day soon—”
    “If we live that long, you mean,” David said coolly.
    My stomach clenched. “Yeah. The next few days, keep your eyes and ears open.”
    David nodded and pulled his station wagon out of the drive. The three of us hopped into the van—Deo had switched the plates while Ronen and I had stood, talking to David—and headed down the street.
    “She was something else, yeah?” asked Deo as we made our way out of Iffley Village. “That Xanthe chick—she was ready to find and murder Rex’s dad herself.”
    “We need to bloody figure this shit out in the next hour, Jamey,” said Ronen from the backseat. “We might already be up shit’s creek. Any word from your dad or Max?”
    I shook my head. A sensation like a lead brick dropping fell into the pit of my gut. That neither of them had gotten in touch with me in hours was a fucking bad sign. Max was in this with us. He’d never leave us high and dry unless…
    My father would have no problem murdering his children if they crossed him. Betrayal was dealt with swiftly. That we were his blood would only ensure he’d destroy us that much quicker.
    “Deo,” I said, my brain clicking into overdrive. Fucking finally.
    “Yeah?”
    “Call your mum. Make sure she’s out of the way. Your cousins will protect her well enough.”
    Deo and his family were some huge motherfuckers. His mum and aunt were South Pacific Islanders—Maori—while Deo’s dad was German, and his uncle was Welsh. Somehow, the mixing of the gene pools had created some bloody massive people.
    He was on the phone with his mum within seconds, telling her to get the fuck out of her home and go to her sister’s.
    “What are you thinking, Jamey?” asked Ronen quietly.
    “Deo needs to stay here. We can’t leave David and Xanthe alone. We’ll take the tube back to London.”
    “Damn it.” Ronen hated the tube, especially late at night.
    “What do you want me to do?” asked Deo as he pulled the van into the tube station,