by T. C. Clark
What did he do now? Irene wasn’t answering her phone, and so far all of his messages had been left unanswered. He hated her for what she’d done to him.
He stopped thinking when he heard a knock at the door. Liam stood up on shaky legs and walked to the door. What the hell would he say to Irene?
He frowned when he realized he was worried about her feelings. She’d done this to them. It didn’t matter what happened next.
Liam opened the door. “Damn, what the hell are you doing here?”
Tatum’s face scrunched up. “Did you drink all of the whisky in the hotel?”
Before Liam could close the door, Tatum pushed his way inside.
“What do you want, Tatum?”
“I came here to check on you. What else would I want from you in this state?”
Liam sighed; he didn’t have the energy to throw Tatum out of the house. “I’m fine.”
“Really? Tell that to your eyes or to all of these broken glasses. Fine seems like a bold statement for your current condition.”
“I need you to leave, Tatum. I’m in a fighting mood tonight and I promise you that being on the receiving end of that would be a mistake.” Liam sat back down on the bed and closed his eyes.
“Hey, I just came here to say good riddance. If Irene was a gold digger who was willing to break up a marriage, it’s better to be rid of her now before she becomes too close to the family. I mean what kind of woman would do the things Sybil said? I will admit Irene put up a hell of a show, didn’t she? After I left you here, I looked into her. Did you know she donates a third of her proceeds from her store to homeless shelters across her city? Or that she personally paid for three of her family members to go to college? All of this to look good on paper. What kind of psychopath does that?”
Liam opened his eyes. “What are you trying to do? You were there, she let that fucking man kiss her, and then she left with him. Why the hell are you telling me all that?”
“Do you love her, Liam?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You saw what happened tonight,” Liam snapped. Tatum was usually smarter than this. Why was he pushing him?
“It’s a simple yes or no question.”
“I’m really not in the mood for this right now, Tatum. So you need to back off.” Liam stood up and walked over to his brother. He was in a fighting mood tonight. Tatum would do well not to provoke him.
“First off, I’m not afraid of you, little brother, so relax. Secondly, isn’t it strange that Irene disappeared to the bathroom forever, and then came back with a shaken look on her face and a complete change in attitude about your relationship?”
“She probably met up with Bryce then.”
The thought of Irene with another man was enough to make him crazy. Liam slammed his fist into the desk to keep from striking his brother.
“Bryce didn’t go in after her, but that woman, Sybil did.”
Liam frowned, why did that matter? “What are you getting at?”
“Maybe there is more to the story.”
“So what if there is. She left me, Tatum. I loved her and she left me.”
“Fine, you want to be a quitter and give up, then let’s do that. But don’t come bitching to me later when she’s moved on with someone else.”
“She did this, not me, Tatum,” Liam said through gritted teeth.
“Yes, she did, but the question is why.”
“Irene hurt me. What part of that don’t you get?”
“Love hurts,” Tatum said simply.
“How the fuck would you know? You’ve never loved anyone before!” Liam snapped.
“That’s true and I probably never will. But I’ve witnessed love before, and I saw it in her eyes every time she looked at you. So much so that I came here to convince you to figure out the truth. If you’re right and I’m wrong, then I’m just wrong, Liam. But if I’m right, then you can get your girl back. All I’m saying is I don’t believe I’ll fall in love, and yet, I’m here. So what does that tell you?”
Liam looked at his brother and then around the empty room. This pain he was feeling wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That meant there was really no choice here.
He stood up on shaky legs and grabbed his coat.
Tatum frowned. “What are you going to do?
“Well first, I’m going to find Bryce…”
Tatum shook his head. “I don’t know if that is the best idea, Liam.”
“Oh, don’t back down now. Remember, I’m just the little brother. I’m sure you can handle whatever happens next.”
Liam pulled out his phone and called Cole’s PI firm. He didn’t have time to go through an inquisition by Cole and Mel right now. Better to bypass the bosses and speak to another PI at his firm.
Tatum was right. Sitting around the hotel room was only making things worse. He had no idea what he was going to do when he found Bryce, and he prayed Irene wasn’t actually there. But he didn’t run from things when it got bad, and he damn sure wasn’t going to start running today.
* * *
Liam pounded on Bryce’s door so hard that his hanging wreath hit the ground. It took Bryce only a few seconds to answer it. The man opened the door and Liam pushed him inside.
“Where is she?” Liam grabbed Bryce and pinned him to the wall.
Tatum rolled his eyes and closed Bryce’s door. “Liam, calm down.”
“I said where she is?” Liam growled.
Bryce pushed him back and straightened his jacket. The man was nearly as tall as him. Liam smiled; he could use a good fight.
“Get your hands off me.”
“Aren’t both of you two old for this?” Tatum asked as he stepped between them. “Anyway, if Irene was here, we would probably see her. This is a studio apartment, after all. There are not a lot of places to hide a woman.”
“Exactly, listen to your friend. He actually makes some sense.”
“Oh, no, Bryce I’m not just his friend. I’m his blood. My role here is to keep Liam from killing you or to help him bury your body if he does. Don’t look at me as if I’m here to help you out.”
Bryce sighed and shook his head. “I don’t have time for this. I dropped Irene off back at the hotel just as she requested. ”
Liam frowned and looked at Tatum. Did he hear him right? Irene said they were in love and he just left her at the hotel. “Dropped her off back at the hotel… what happened between you and Irene?”
“That’s Irene’s story to tell. You aren’t supposed to be here. If she finds out you’re here… You need to leave.”
“Who is she? Are you talking about Irene?” Tatum asked.
“Listen, talk to Irene. For once, I’m trying to do the right thing from the start. Irene did all this for you, Liam. You need to let this go.”
“Bryce, I promise you I’m not walking out that door until you tell me exactly what is going on here. You are not talking about Irene like you’re in love with her. But I am, and I will beat your ass until you tell me what’s happening. I don’t care about anything except Irene. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Bryce looked at their faces and sighed. “Fine, you want to know what happened tonight. Then have a seat.”
Tatum sat down on the hard sofa bed with a wince. But Liam remained standing.
“First, tell me, does Irene want to be with you? I need to know that now,” Liam demanded.
“Irene fell out of love with me the day I told her I was married. The only reason she even talked to me tonight was because Sybil commanded her to.”
“Sybil… you are talking about the lady on the council?”
“Yeah, let me tell you about Sybil and exactly what she’s done. Hell, you were bound to find out at some point.”
Liam sat down on the sofa bed next to Tatum and waited. He knew the main thing he needed to know; everything else he could deal with. No matter what Bryce said, if Sybil was a threat, then he would neutralize her and Irene would be safe.
* * *
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Mel closed her laptop and smiled. The thing about truly evil people is that they never believed they would get caught. That one element always contributed to their downfall in one way or another.
“You are wearing that creepy smile again,” Cole said from the doorway.
“You say creepy, while I consider it victorious.”
“Why is that?”
“I just did an in-depth search on Sybil and the stuff I found is glorious. Like she’s-going-away-for-a-long-time glorious. Do you still have that friend at Interpol? Sara something…?”
“I do.”
“Good, I need to speak with her today.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to give this information over to them; this seems too personal for you.”
“Irene is a good woman and I’m not just saying that because she is my best friend. She has always been there for me. I could call her right now from a jail in Brazil and she’d be on the first plane out to help me. She is kind and she puts herself last in everything. Sybil took advantage of that and twisted how Irene felt about herself—and not because she was angry about Bryce. She did all of that just for fun. I looked into Bryce, not because I didn’t trust Irene, but because I wanted to be sure I didn’t need to go after him, too. ”
“What did you find?” Cole sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. He was intrigued now. Everything they’d learned about Sybil so far seemed to be straight out of a thriller movie.
“Sybil took everything from him. When he met Irene, they had been officially separated for years, but she wouldn’t grant him a divorce unless he gave her nearly all of his inheritance. He tried to file for divorce on his own a few weeks after he met Irene, and that really pissed her off. She destroyed Irene’s life in all areas. She pulled strings to get her fired from her job, and then spread rumors about her at the university she worked at part-time. She made Irene’s life hell and it still upsets me that Irene didn’t tell me all this. But even I can understand she must have been traumatized. Eventually, Irene gave up and left Europe. But even after Irene came home, Sybil followed her. I found a document where Sybil tried to go after the church Shonda owns.”
“Fuck, she tried to go after Irene’s family, too? How in the hell did Irene get her to give up?”
“She didn’t. The only reason she stopped pursuing Irene was because Bryce finally gave in and gave her everything she wanted. She just had to sign an NDA and agree to never go after Irene or her family again.”
“So, he really did love her.”
“Yeah, the lying asshole must have loved her at least to some degree. Sybil got everything he owned in their divorce.”
“Well, how is Sybil doing any of this now?”
“Liam isn’t Irene’s family. Sybil knows exactly what she’s doing and now it’s time for me to step in.”
“What do you want to do?” Cole asked.
Mel smiled at her husband. That was the thing about Campbell men, once they were committed there was no turning back.
“I’m about to give Sybil a taste of her own medicine. Oh, and we need to make a house call.”
Cole nodded. “Just tell me what you need.”
* * *
By the time Bryce was finished, Liam’s rage had morphed into something else. The thought of Irene enduring this alone angered him more than anything else.
Bryce was thorough; he’d shown them everything from articles published during their breakup to actual evidence he’d found that Sybil had lied about their relationship.
“What I don’t understand is why you kept all this?” Tatum asked.
“I have my own plans for Sybil, and this time I will protect Irene.”
“Irene’s mine now even if she doesn’t understand what that means. I will make sure she’s protected. I’m not you; I don’t run away. Especially not when I know she’s in trouble. What I don’t understand is why she thought she couldn’t tell me. Did she really believe I would want this teaching position more than her? You really fucked her up, didn’t you?”
“I did, and for that I lost her. But in this case, it wasn’t just your teaching position she threatened. Sybil went after your brother and his family, too. According to Irene, she got your sister-in-law fired and even stopped a surgery for Ansley from happening.”
“She did what!?” Tatum yelled.
“I’m done with this shit!” Liam pulled out his phone and texted his agent. Sybil wasn’t the only person who knew how to play dirty.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to take her down. I tried to tell Irene I had a plan, but she… she doesn’t trust me anymore. I wrote a book called Surviving Sybil, and it’s already been published. I’m going on CNN next week with several other people she blackmailed.”
“You’re not worried about what Sybil can do to you anymore?” Tatum asked.
“She took everything from me. It’s taken years to put my life back together. My only goal has been to stop her from doing this again. I’ve only shown you a fraction of the things I’ve collected, and I have some really angry, powerful people corroborating with me. Sybil’s days are numbered, but she still has to be handled carefully. I have to go after her with everything I got.”
A loud knock on Bryce’s front door silenced the room. Bryce opened the door and frowned. “Who are you?”
“So, you’re the dick that broke my best friend’s heart?” Mel asked. Cole opened the door with his hand and Mel pushed her way in. “I have to say I thought you’d be taller.”
Mel and Cole smiled when they saw Liam and Tatum.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here. Irene told me what happened,” Mel said.
“I came here to beat Bryce’s ass and get Irene back,” Liam said.
“And how is that working out for you?” Mel asked.
“Not so good,” Liam said. “Irene’s not here and Bryce isn’t exactly what I thought he was.”
“That means you’re caught up to speed on the Wicked Witch of the West,” Mel laughed. “Now, I have some plans for Sybil that will be put into play tomorrow. But I came here to give Bryce a head’s up. I know about your book and it would look good on paper if you could announce it tonight. Sybil is the queen of playing the victim and I want a 100% guarantee that this bitch isn’t going to wiggle out of this.”
Bryce frowned, “I could make a formal announcement but I don’t have anything big planned until next week.”
Tatum tapped his chin. “Bryce, do you have anything holding you back from talking about what happened tonight?”
“I didn’t sign an NDA, so no. I just wanted the first mention of the book to be big. I need enough time to explain everything.”
“How much of Irene is in this book? I need to tell her what you’re doing so she can prepare for it,” Liam asked.
“Not much. I know how much I hurt her. I kept the mention of her brief and focused on how it affected me. I told the truth, Liam. No one is going to walk away from this book with something negative to say about Irene.”
“Okay, then if that’s settled then, I have an idea,” Tatum said. “I have a podcast with over a million subscribers. I usually cover news in science and current events. I could do a special surprise show tonight.”
Bryce didn’t even hesitate. “If this will help put Sybil away, I’ll do it.”
“Okay, well, it sounds like we have a plan. I’m going out to find Irene,” Liam said.
“No, Liam, stay here and be on the show, too. Go ahead and take that fear away from Irene. Besides, I’ve already spoken to her. She is heartbroken but determined to fight Sybil herself. Don’t worry, I’m going to be there, but I think this is a monster she needs to put down on her own. She loves you and you clearly love her. That won’t stop because of a few nights away from each other.”
“Mel, I… you have to make sure she’s safe.”
“Liam, Irene is basically my sister. I love her more than you know, and I know she needs to do this. I promise you, me and Cole will keep her safe and whe
n this is over, she will be waiting.”
Liam took a deep breath. Mel knew Irene better than he did and as much as he wanted to fight her on this, she was right. This fear was ingrained into Irene. She’d learned a harsh lesson with Bryce, and she needed to do this to finally be free.
He smiled. Irene was fighting for him. He hadn’t been wrong about her. Liam’s relief was palatable. His love for Irene was a terrifying thing and the idea that he’d made a mistake would have killed him.
Somehow, he would stay focused and play his part. After everything was done, he would go and find his woman and this time he would never let her go.
* * *
Irene closed her laptop and sat back against the office chair. She’d set up this meeting early so she could get it over with. If she wanted to take down Sybil, then she would have to act fast.
She’d already talked to Mel about everything that happened. She’d expected something other than the calm response she’d received from her best friend. But Mel had completely understood her need to handle this herself.
All Mel had wanted to know was the time and place of her meeting with Sybil. Irene had a feeling she would see her there when she arrived. Irene needed to do this, not only to protect Liam, but to banish the power Sybil had over her life.
Irene had already paid for a few more nights at the hotel. She was going to be here for a while. Thank God for Deshaun. She’d already decided to talk to her lawyer about giving him shares in her company.
When she’d checked in with another employee, she’d found a smoothly running store. Deshaun was right and she needed to show him how much she appreciated and respected his help.
After all of this was over, if Liam couldn’t get over her past, she would lose him. She wouldn’t lie to herself. The love she felt for that man far surpassed anything else she’d felt in her life. Losing him would nearly break her. She was strong, but even she had her limits.