All The Truths (Lies & Truths Duet #2) by Rina Kent

The tears won’t stop. Mom and Reina’s voices won’t leave my head.

They just won’t.

Murmurs. Screams. Hisses.

They’re all there, in my head.

“Are you okay, kid?” The uniformed man crouches in front of me. He has a red beard and tattoos down his arms.

He looks like the pigs who’ve chased Mom and me all our lives.

I shrink further into the pole, clutching my bracelet tight.

“Kid? Have you lost your way home?”

He doesn’t have an accent like those guys, but he could be one of them.

Don’t trust anyone. The world is out to get you, Rai, Mom used to tell me.

“Wait.” He reaches into his pocket and retrieves a picture then studies it and me intently. “You’re that mogul’s missing daughter.” He retrieves a device from his pocket and says a number then something about finding the missing child. “What’s your name?” he asks me. “Do you remember your name and where you came from?”

Rai Sokolov. Daughter of Mia Sokolov. I’ve been on the run since the day I was born, homeschooled my entire life, and had no friends until Mom brought my long-lost twin sister to meet me a month ago.

Then, they were both taken away.

My mom and my sister.

The only one I have left is my dad. If I want to be with him, I have to forget my life and embrace another one.

A tear falls down my cheek as I whisper, “Reina. My name is Reina Ellis.”





Reina has returned to the forest.

What the fuck is she doing here?

My shoulders are about to fucking snap with tension as I trail through the tall trees, pushing away the low branches.

Does she have a death wish? Those who attacked her that day could be lurking here, waiting for her return.

It was fucking ugly, and that says something considering I hated her at the time.

Hated her? Past tense?

I still fucking do.

My plan is in place. It’s chipped and ragged around the edges, but it’s still the same.

Then what the hell are you doing here?

I briefly close my eyes, eradicating that voice.

I only came because she doesn’t get to die by someone else’s hand. Her life is mine, fucking mine, and she has no right to end it without permission.

That’s it.

That’s all.

My steps turn wider and harder as I cut through the distance. Dry leaves crunch under my shoes, and the smell of the forest is nearly asphyxiating.

The sun has begun its descent, casting a somber hue on the trees.

Darkness never scared me before. It was a place to take refuge in. Darkness is where the monsters become invisible, and I’ve long since converted to the other side.

I’ve long since given up on what people consider normal. My life is anything but.

My life has been submerged in darkness since Ari’s death, and I’ve inflicted it on the world—or rather, on her.

Reina.

She’s the subject of my darkness now, and nothing will save her from the things my wired brain is planning.

Nothing will save her from me.

She might be a monster, but there are degrees in those. Her level would never reach mine. Reina was bound to lose before we even got started.

I would pity her if she hadn’t already killed that part of me.

If she hadn’t pushed her off the edge and let her head shatter to pieces.

The image of Ari’s smashed face and her limbs lolling in awkward positions still haunts my nightmares.

Her ghost still visits me in the darkness, asking me to let her soul rest in peace.

This isn’t revenge; this is fucking justice.

Which Reina has never been served in her life.

There’s no doubt in my mind she headed to that cottage, so I don’t bother with searching the forest and stride straight there.

As the trees and the earthly ground blur in my vision, I can’t help recalling that night.

The night Reina could’ve been gone once and for all.





The night of the accident





Reina leaves early.

She never leaves her precious squad and cheerleading buddies first. Being a perfectionist who always makes sure everyone does their tasks, she’s usually the last to go home.

The break in pattern and her suspicious behavior can only mean one thing.

She’s running away and leaving Blackwood.

Fuck no.

I trail her to the forest, which happens to be at the edge of town. She’s definitely leaving.

Well, she has a surprise waiting.

I park my car at the front and continue on foot.

Black is the only color in the forest. It’s a moonless night without stars in sight.

The deep silence stakes its claim, refusing to budge. I retrieve my phone and turn on the flashlight.

Ideally, I don’t want her to know I’m onto her until I’m at her face. I want to see her expression falter a little, her eyes widening the slightest bit, before she seals herself in.

That’s about the only time I get to see a reaction in her robotic face. Reina hides her emotions so fucking well, and it made me a motherfucking idiot during high school.

I made it a habit to stand outside her house, just to see her laugh with her father.

I even took a picture as proof that she does smile and laugh—just not with me.

Shaking my head, I forge ahead. Thankfully, that idiot and his irrational fixation on Reina died with Ari.