Tangled In Lies (Tangled & Torn #1)

2. Phoenix

Chapter 2

Phoenix

I ’ve waited for this moment for so long, and now that it’s finally happening, I can’t take my eyes off Evangeline.

The blood roaring in my ears is so loud, everything around me changes to background noise. The whispers and subtle stares of judgment when I walk past the people I once wanted to impress so badly don’t bother me anymore.

Some of them only see the criminal in me. Someone who was put in prison for doing something illegal.

Others see past that—mostly for their own agenda, or pockets—and focus on the billionaire heir of Montgomery Enterprises, the largest merger and acquisitions firm in the world. The same person they shun one second and try to kiss his ass the next.

Senator Walsh is in the crowd, his hand a bit too firm on his young assistant’s lower back, something I file away for later.

Right now, they don’t matter.

No one does, except for one person .

My body hums at seeing the panicked expression on her face, and I don’t dare glance away. Since she set eyes on me, her gaze hasn’t wavered once. It’s like she knows I’m the predator and she’s the prey, and if she looks away from me for only one second, I’ll pounce and kill her.

Little does she know what I have in mind for her is far worse.

If everything goes according to plan, she’ll be begging for death. But she doesn’t deserve the luxury of a quick death. What she deserves is drawn-out torture.

And that’s what I’m here for.

She was my downfall, and I’m here to return the favor.

But first, she needs to know I’m back.

This is the first public outing since I was released almost two weeks ago, and being here, surrounded by so many people, makes my skin itch. The fact something so simple is such a shock to my system only fuels the hate and the need for revenge further.

Even though Evangeline’s father told the crowd to enjoy the party, most attendees are still staring. I practically feel their gazes searing into my back like pins and needles.

Her dad takes a step toward me and to the side, severing my view from Evangeline.

My muscles tense.

“Good to see you, Phoenix. Welcome home.”

I shake his outstretched hand and smile. Time to play my part in this game. “Thanks, Mr. Caldwell.”

He chuckles, his large midsection shaking from the action. “Oh, stop with the formalities and call me Byron.”

I nod. “Byron. ”

He motions toward his wife. “And my beautiful wife, Audrey, of course.”

I take her hand and lift it to my lips. “Lovely to see you again, Audrey.”

The smile she gives me is warm and welcoming. Entirely pleasant to the naked eye. If I hadn’t grown up in this environment, surrounded by phony people my entire life, she could have fooled me too. But I know better.

And as much as prison was an . . . inconvenience, to say the least, it allowed me to hone my people-reading skills further. There’s only so much you can do and focus on when you’re locked away. Unless you want to waste your time staring at a blank concrete wall or wallowing in self-pity.

It also gave me ample time to prepare for the moment I’d come face-to-face with Evangeline again.

Ignoring her, I focus on her brother first, studying his face.

He doesn’t hold my gaze for long, his posture slightly sagging when he says, “Hey, man.”

Alex and I weren’t close friends, but we spent enough time together that it stung when he, just like everyone else in our circle, cut all ties with me when the news broke of my arrest.

Bunch of spineless bastards.

When I can’t prolong it any longer, I turn toward Evangeline and drink her in.

Eve, the sweet girl I was obsessed with years ago but couldn’t have.

But she’s not my Eve, my Angel, anymore. She hasn’t been in a very long time.

She’s Evangeline now .

The photos I’ve seen of her while I was locked up haven’t done her justice. She’s matured, and even I can admit she’s done so beautifully. What makes her appear even more devastating now are her trembling chin and her wide eyes. I hope it’s out of fear. I hope she imagines me slitting her throat or something equally terrible to pay her back for what she did to me.

But that would be too easy.

Too quick and too final.

She deserves something a lot more painful and torturous.

Revenge won’t bring back what I lost, but it will make me feel better.

Just like she’s been occupying my thoughts for the bigger part of the last three years, I want her to experience the same inconvenience now that I’m back. The same compulsion. To have her constantly glancing over her shoulder and incapable of sleeping at night.

But she doesn’t know any of that yet. That’s a surprise for later.

With a smile that should pass as genuine, I close the distance between us and wrap her in my arms. “Happy birthday, Angie .”

She stiffens under my touch. Without having to see her, I know I hit my mark with the nickname, as intended, since her sister was the only one who called her that.

Her familiar floral scent floods my nose, still the same lavender fragrance. It’s still as delicate and sweet as before, hitting my depraved nervous system with a ferocity I didn’t anticipate. Unexpectedly, it’s not unpleasant, a good thing if I go through with my plan.

I pull back enough to graze her cheek with a kiss, the perfect gentleman. Her skin is soft under my lips, and I have to use every ounce of control in my body to refrain from biting her. The urge to inflict even the smallest fraction of pain is almost impossible to resist.

Reluctantly, I let go of her and push my hands into my pockets, pretending nothing’s amiss.

She’s still holding on to her brother’s arm as though it’s the only thing keeping her upright. I hope like hell it is.

Directing my attention to her dad, I dip my head. “Thanks for the invitation, Byron. I appreciate it.”

Evangeline’s head snaps in her father’s direction. It seems she didn’t know about her father’s involvement in my appearance today.

Byron chuckles. “You’re always welcome here.”

He doesn’t specify what here means, but if I’m correct and he refers to his family, he might truly not know what his daughter did. How else could he possibly think I’d forget his own daughter was the one who put me behind bars? Let alone forgive such a betrayal. Impossible.

Since he seems very secure in his hospitality, I put it on extra thick and place a hand on my chest. Right over my heart and the tattoo that’ll forever be my reminder of a hard-learned lesson. Trusting people will leave you with two outcomes: either you gain a person for life, or you learn a lesson for life. “That means a lot.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

I only smile and nod, unsure if I can keep up the act if I speak right now.

Unable to stay in their, in her, presence for any longer tonight, I clap him on the upper arm and lean in so only he can hear me. “I have some people who’re waiting for me to mingle, but we’re still on for our meeting tomorrow, correct?”

Another overeager smile for me. “Absolutely. Your parents will be there as well?”

“Yes, they’re scheduled to return in the morning from their trip and will meet with us right away.”

“Perfect.”

I lower my voice. “I want Evangeline to be there too.”

Byron stares at me with a small frown marring his forehead but quickly schools his expression.

Before he can ask any questions, I add, “But let’s keep it between us. It’s supposed to be a surprise, one I’m sure you’ll like a lot.”

He nods curtly, the excited gleam reentering his dark eyes. “Yes, of course.”

“Enjoy your evening.” I glance at each of them, ready to get the hell away from them before my control slips, but then I catch her gaze, and the blood rushes too loudly through my body again. My mask disappears, and for a moment, I let her see a sliver of the darkness and pain to come.

With my hands in tight fists in my pockets, I somehow manage a wink. “Bye, Angie.”

This time, she doesn’t flinch. This time, she expected it because she got a glimpse of the monster I’ve turned into. The monster she created.

Unable to look at her for another second, I spin around and quickly disappear into the crowd. Everything’s too loud, too crowded. A bead of sweat rolls down my back, and I despise every second of it.

I don’t make it far when a hand grabs my bicep and I freeze .

Bad move.

People should know better than to just touch others, especially a man like me.

I spin around—too quickly—and smack Alex’s hand away.

He raises it in front of him. “Sorry, man. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No worries.” I stare at him, waiting for him to make the first move and say what he came here to say.

“Listen. My father thought it would be best if I didn’t visit. I’m sure you understand. You know how our parents are about appearances and all.” He rubs a hand over his jaw. “So are we . . . are we good?”

Alex could have found other ways to get in contact with me, but he didn’t. And I got over it. Eventually. The question is, does he know about his sister’s involvement in my downfall? Like he said, public image is a top priority for most people in our circle, and most would go to great lengths to keep their family’s reputation in a positive light, no matter the cost.

My old friend is still waiting for an answer, and I appreciate he hasn’t run off with his tail tucked between his legs.

I hold out my fist to him. “Yeah, we’re good.”

With a sigh of what is undoubtedly relief, he bumps his curled-up hand against mine. “Thanks, bro. Glad you’re back.”

None of this means shit to me, but even if he truly has no clue about the little snitch in his family, I doubt he’ll want to be friends once he realizes what I have in mind for his sister.

You gain some, you lose some.

Holden—my partner in crime, so to speak, and best friend—steps up beside Alex and claps him on the back. “What a nice welcome.” He stresses nice like the troublemaker he is. “Great party, man. Your family knows how to be hospitable.”

Alex sways forward from the impact of Holden’s paw and stares at the newcomer.

I wave my hand between the two. “Alex, meet Holden Donahue. Holden, this is Alex Caldwell.”

The two size each other up for a moment, with Holden not once dropping his shit-eating grin. I’m not sure if it’s because he knows he could easily take Alex if it came to that, seeing as he’s built like a tank, or if he just wants to get a rise out of him. Nothing is ever certain with Holden. But he’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met and has been my steady companion in the last few years until he was released two months ago. He’s proven his loyalty over and over when people wanted to take a chunk out of the billionaire inmate and earned his spot by my side.

I might not have survived my time in prison unscathed if it wasn’t for him. Well, mostly unscathed. There were times when I wanted to shed blood, both mine and others. Mostly at the beginning of my sentence when I was still grappling with what had transpired outside my new home.

Not just Evangeline’s utter betrayal, but also her sister’s death.

My fiancée’s death.

Alex takes a step back from Holden and dips his head in my direction. “Let’s catch up soon, yeah?”

I nod. “Sure thing.”

We watch Alex’s retreating figure until he disappears from sight.

Holden chuckles. “Look at him scuttle with his tail between his legs. I thought the Caldwells were all such badasses.”

I raise a brow. “Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? It’s called self-preservation.”

He puts a hand on his chest. “Aww, thank you.”

I shake my head at his antics.

Holden rubs his hands together. “So, what’s the deal? Are we leaving, or are we mingling? I saw some ladies checking me out.” He flexes his biceps as if there’s a single person in this room who hasn’t witnessed the way his suit jacket strains at the seams.

I roll my lips. “Not sure.”

Michael Simmons, a former investor of my father’s company, walks by, and our gazes collide. His eyes narrow at me, but to my surprise, he stops.

After scanning the crowd around us, he takes a step closer to me. “I’m only doing this because your grandfather was a dear friend of mine. Your father is a cunning man and ruining the company your grandfather had spent most of his life creating. He’s made a lot of enemies, and if you stand by his side, he’ll drag you right to Hell with him.”

I stare at him. “I’m afraid I’m already there, actually have been for the last few years.”

He nods. “Very well. Watch your back then. A lot of people are out for blood.”

Holden and I both watch the old man making his way toward the exit.

He asks, “What was that about?”

I shrug. “No clue. I’m sure he lost a lot of money, like so many others did when the stock prices dropped after my arrest. It created a lot of disgruntled investors.”

Holden hums, knowing my father’s business isn’t my priority at the moment.

My gaze wanders across the room to take in the pretentious crowd as they chitchat their night away. Observing. Searching.

It doesn’t take long for me to find her .

Evangeline’s walking away from her parents, her gaze glued to the phone in her hand. Her friends join her, both talking to her, as she points to the hallway on the opposite side of the room. Mason rubs her lower back in small circles, and she leans into him. Next to her, Ruby takes Evangeline’s hand, and the three of them make their way through the throng of people.

Something hard presses against my chest.

I stare down at Holden’s arm keeping me in place.

He tsks in my ear. “Easy there, tiger. It won’t help you if you make a scene right now. You’ll get your hands on her soon enough. Stick to the plan.”

An edgy, twitchy feeling overtakes my body, but I force myself not to react.

Holden moves his arm up to my shoulder, still keeping a tight grip on me. “Let’s get out of here before we need a body bag.”

His previous words are in my head on repeat and the only reason why I let him drag me out of here.

You’ll get your hands on her soon enough.