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But are you sure? Would you bet your life on it? Would you bet hers?
My hand trembles and I grit my teeth to steady myself.
“Fuck you. I didn’t play anyone,” she eventually says.
“Prove it,” I snap. “Strip.”
“What? Dude, why?” Kaiden jumps to her defence. Of course he does. He’s been duped too. But I’m not falling for it. Not anymore. Zie seems to have reverted to some sort of stunned silence. It’s like he’s not even in the room with us. Whatever. We can deal with his fragile ego later.
“She might be wearing a wire,” I explain, my tone – and my judgement – clouded with suspicion. Inside, my emotions are now a fully-fledged raging storm of fear, anger, betrayal. “My father said she played her role beautifully. You were there, you heard him. He said she was the perfect mix of fierce and bullshit vulnerability. Was this whole thing engineered?”
“Axel, you’re out of line!” Kaiden shouts, jumping to Odi’s defence.
“I don’t need your help, Kaiden,” Odi snaps. “I can handle this.” She looks me dead in the eye. “I’m not wearing a bug or a wire. Go fuck yourself. I’m not taking my clothes off for you.”
“My father said you played your role,” I repeat. “He said we couldn’t resist a damsel in distress.”
“Your father’s a liar.”
“And you?”
That chin – her fucking defiant chin – raises even higher. It’s like a giantfuck you.“And me, what?” she spits.
“Are you a liar, Odile Kemp?”
“Not about this.”
“So you’re not working with or for them?”
“Never.”
“Even though I saw you and him cosy up together at the hotel opening.”
Odi pales.
“What?” Kaiden’s head whips back and forth between us.
“He spoke to me,” is all she says.
“Care to share what that was about?”
She shakes her head.
“If you’re lying to me about this, Odi, you’re dead. You understand that right?”
“I think the gun explains it pretty clearly. Now, fuck off. I don’t oweyoushit.”
I drag a ragged breath into my lungs, and it actually clears a little of the panicked fog that’s descended and is clouding my judgement. I’m a fucking idiot.
Collapsing onto my bed, I put my head in my hands.
“Fuck. You’re right. Shit. I’m sorry. I just…he just…gets in my head and it fucks me up.”
No one speaks for the longest time.
“How on earth are you going to fake a paternity test, Axel?” Odi asks softly. She’s staring at the light grey carpet beneath her feet.
“I’m not.” I wish I could lie to her, say I’ve got it covered, but what we all need now is a healthy dose of honesty.
