A Lie For A Lie – Ren DeStefano

Finally, we’re getting somewhere. Innocent people don’t fear the police, but most innocent people aren’t reclusive billionaires who fear having a public record of their private lives. “You won’t believe it.” “Try me.” I lock the doors for dramatic effect. “Who is Annie?” Mr. X would kill me for taking such a risk, out here unprotected.

But I’ll take my chances. Flirting, charming, and playing nice haven’t worked. Perhaps Mr. Billionaire will respond to some aggression. “We were college sweethearts,” he says, sighing. “We were going to get married, but it got…complicated. We ended things, and I thought she was happy enough to be rid of me, but she started…following me. Everywhere. Harassing my family, anyone else I dated, all my friends. She chased everyone away.” From all the articles I’ve read on Bertram, very few talk about his private life.

There’s no mention of his parents, his sister, or any friends. I didn’t think that was too weird. Once you get successful enough, it’s lonely at the top. Right now, though, I’m astonished by how smoothly he lies, astonished by myself, for not being able to tell his truth from his fabrications. Annie Clarke isn’t an old spurned lover. She’s an innocent victim who may or may not be anchored to the ocean floor right now. But sure, I can play along.

“So, where is she now?” “Here—everywhere—I don’t know. It’s complicated.” I never could have imagined Bertram this flustered. “I haven’t seen her in a while, but she makes herself known.” He grabs my shoulders. His grip isn’t painful, but it’s firm. Desperate. “She hurts anyone who gets close to me. She’s hell-bent on destroying my life.” For once, I wish Elodie were here.

She may love a little gossip, but that’s what makes her so good at getting people to talk. I try to channel some of her energy now, batting my eyelashes and leaning toward him. “Bertram, whatever she’s done, I can help you. I’m a good storyteller.

Finding people and getting them to talk to me is what I do best.” “I don’t want you to find her.” He’s still holding on to me, but he seems aware of it now, and he eases his grip. “No matter where I go, she finds me. That’s why I lured you out to the beach, so we could talk somewhere with almost no cell reception and no cameras.”

“That’s why you were at the hospital, too. You were having me followed because you thought Annie was stalking me, too?

Copyright © 2026 by Lauren DeStefano Penguin Random House values and supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

Please note that no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. BERKLEY and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. Cover design by Colleen Reinhart Cover image by Richard Nixon / Arcangel Book design by George Towne, adapted for ebook Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: DeStefano, Ren, author. Title: A lie for a lie / Ren DeStefano. Description: First edition.

| New York: Berkley, 2026. Identifiers: LCCN 2025027616 (print) | LCCN 2025027617 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593438343 trade paperback | ISBN 9780593438350 ebook Subjects: LCGFT: Fiction | Thrillers (Fiction) | Novels Classification: LCC PS3604.E7644 L54 2026 (print) | LCC PS3604.E7644 (ebook) LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025027616 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025027617 First Edition: March 2026 Ebook ISBN 9780593438350 The authorized representative in the EU for product safety and compliance is Penguin Random House Ireland, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin D02 YH68, Ireland, https://eu- contact.penguin.ie.

ep_prh_7.3a_155318083_c0_r0 1kitap1.com/en CONTENTS Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six About the Author 1kitap1.com/en W PROLOGUE hen I was a little girl growing up in rural Oregon, I thought the entire world was made up of acres and acres of green grass.

I thought everyone’s life revolved in some way around farmlands.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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