She glares at me like she hates me. Like she regrets everything, and it makes my stomach churn.
“I trusted you,” she says in a small voice.
“I promise I’ll take care of you.” She shivers and grips onto her arms, looking defeated but still closed off. I walk behind her as she concedes and slowly makes her way to the door.
“I don’t want you to,” she says with a coldness I’ve never heard from her. I swear my heart stops beating and sinks in my hollow chest.
“You don’t have a choice.”
Chapter 22
Lizzie
What have I gotten myself into?
I stare blankly up at the high ceilings, wondering how I’m going to get out of this mess. It doesn't seem real.
Liam’s forced me to stay in his bedroom, a prisoner against my will. The bedroom is comfortable and all, beautiful actually, with a gorgeous view of the skyline and crown molding running along the walls painted a soft shade of cream, but it’s still a prison nonetheless.
I shouldn’t be here, I think to myself. I don’t belong here, or in this mess. How did I let it come to this?
It’s crazy how close I came to being killed. I was shot at! Never have I been in such fear for my life. Just remembering the bullets whizzing by causes me to hyperventilate. Out of nowhere, I become dizzy and the room begins to spin in front of my eyes. Then my heart starts racing so fast I think I’m having a heart attack.
Jesus, Lizzie, calm down!
It takes a few minutes of calm steady breaths, before I feel like I’m in control although I’m still shaking. After a moment, I sit up and notice I’m covered with sweat, my palms clammy.
I'm not okay. That is the only truth I know. I am not fucking okay.
I knew I never should’ve gotten involved with Liam, considering the murky details surrounding my inheritance. I should have just sued him and contested the will. No, I had to go fall for him when I should’ve known better.
Anger burns my cheeks. I’m so mad. Mad at myself.
I gave myself to him! I rage. I let him eat me out on our first date. I swallow back the fury in my throat. I feel so humiliated, cheap and worthless. He so played me for a fool.
Can my life be any more fucked? My daddy died, leaving me to fall in love with a man he left everything to. I’m so mad at him. I feel guilty for feeling anything but love for my father. But I do. I’m so pissed he died and stuck me with this asshole.
I grind my teeth remembering how I thought Liam practically stole that money from my father. All that anger comes back full force. He’s a fucking liar!
I slowly turn my head as I hear the sound of the door opening.
“Elle?” Liam asks with concern.
I ignore him and try to calm my racing heart. I watch from the corner of my eye as he walks towards the bed. I feel the bed dip as Liam sits next to me. Strong arms enclose me, but I push him away. “Don’t fucking touch me!”
Liam looks struck by the venom in my voice. In my heart I feel a twinge of pain at the hurt look on his face. I’m mad I even feel that much. He doesn’t deserve anything from me but scorn and suspicion.
They were trying to kill me. Because of him! He lied to me. How much has he lied? It hurts. Knowing he lied hurts so much. My chest feels like it’s collapsing on itself. And what about daddy? I need to know right now. He better tell me everything. Like a slap to my face I realize he could just keep lying. And I’d have no way of knowing if he was telling the truth or not. I don’t care though. I need to ask. I need to know what the hell is going on.
“Who were they?” I demand through my cries. After what I’ve been through, I deserve to know that much. “Who were those people?”
“You don’t need to know their names,” Liam says firmly, though I can hear the pain in his voice. “It won’t change what happened.”
I stare at him incredulously. I don’t need to know their names? I almost got killed, and I don’t need to know their names? What. The. Fuck. “You can’t be serious!” I snap. “They tried to kill me because of you!”
Liam stares at me. “Yeah, and trust me, Elle, I’m going to make them fucking pay for it.” He searches my grief-stricken face. I can tell he feels uncomfortable, but I don’t give a fuck. He’s the one that put me in this situation. “But you need to understand, sometimes in my line of business, things get violent. And I’m deeply sorry that you had to witness that today.”
“Line of business?” I demand. “You’re a restaurant owner!” I yell. “What kind of restaurant owner gets in shootouts with thugs?”
“I’m a bookie,” Liam corrects. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. How many lies has he told me? My breathing comes in faster, and my blood heats with anger and betrayal.
“You’re a fucking criminal!” I shout.
Liam swallows and clenches his jaw. I can tell I’m pissing him off. Good. He deserves it for all the shit he’s put me through. “I’m not. What I do, it’s not really illegal. There are some situations where I push the boundaries of the law... but it’s still legal.”
“You know what? Fuck you! You get me involved with all this shit, then you refuse to tell me what the hell is going on.” I jump up from the bed and move out into the middle of the floor and start pacing. I don’t even want to be near Liam right now. “I trusted you. I gave myself to you, even when I was telling myself that I shouldn’t. Turns out, I was right. I shouldn’t have given you a chance at all. You no good, lying bastard--”
“Elle. You need to--”
I stop pacing and gesture sharply. “How did you know my dad? Don’t try to lie, or tell me I don’t need to know.” My voice dims, but I stare at Liam with all the rage I can manage. Just the mention of my father has the sadness creeping back in. But I can’t let it show. I need to focus on my anger.
Liam holds my furious gaze for a moment, then sighs. “Fine,” he says with firm conviction. “I’ll tell you.”
I hold in a sigh of relief. I’d expected Liam to tell me it was none of my business, just like he has been. “Go on,” I command as though I have authority.
“Your dad didn’t want me to tell you, but I think you deserve to know.” He waits a moment and then breathes in deep. “Your dad needed money, bad,” he begins. “He came to me to place a bet--”
“Bullshit!” I interrupt. I’m furiously shaking my head. Lies. More lies. “He wasn’t a gambler--”
“Do you want me to tell you how we met or not?” Liam snaps. “I have no reason to lie to you.”
We stare at each other. I don’t know if I believe him or not. Regardless of what he tells me, I don't know if I'll believe him. “Are you going to listen to me?” he asks. There’s a hint of condescension in his voice, and it pisses me off.
I glower and cross my arms over my chest, but reluctantly nod.
He waits to make sure I have my anger under control, and then he tells me everything. About my father needing the money fast and not being able to sell the house. I listen as he tells me how my father came in and practically forced him to take 22 Wyoming. He tells me how they got close.
I don’t know what to believe. I don’t want to believe any of it. My head’s spinning. He’s a liar. That’s all I can think. Daddy would never do that. He wouldn’t go to a bookie. He couldn’t have done something like that. Moreover, why would Liam have gone out of his way to help him?
I shake my head. “I have no reason to believe anything you say. It’s all a bunch of lies.”
“It’s not. He was desperate for money, so I gave it to him.”
“Why would you do that?” I ask him. I don’t see why he would. He’s just trying to make himself look better. He’s lying to me again.
“'Cause he reminded me of my own father.” I stare at him wordlessly, not believing what he’s saying. My armor cracks a bit as I realize I don’t know anything about Liam’s father. I didn’t even know he was dead. He only ever talks about his brother, Zac.
After a moment, Liam adds, “He died
when I was younger.” My heart sinks and feels heavy. A sadness passes his eyes, and I want to go and comfort him. But I don’t know what to believe. I heave in a deep breath. My fingers itch to grab his hand and squeeze. I clasp them together instead. Even though I hurt for him, I can’t forget that I have a fucking hitman after me because of him.
“I’m sorry,” I manage to say. “About your father. I’m sorry.” I wipe under my eyes and shake my head. I look him in the eyes and calm my breathing. “But I don’t trust you. And I wish I'd never met you.”
Liam goes still. He looks… emotionless. Like he’s hiding everything from me. I feel sick. It’s not true. What I said isn’t true and I want to take it all back. At the same time, he hurt me. And I just hurt him back. I feel like such a fucking bitch. I hold my breath, scared of what he might say next.
But he says nothing, Liam walks out of the room not saying a word. I hear the sound of the door clicking shut and I finally breathe out slowly.
I’m left in silence. Silence so heavy it feels like I’m being suffocated. I clench my fists, wanting to scream at Liam. At the same time, I wish he’d come back so I could hold him and he could hold me. This is so fucked.
I wanna know if it’s all true. If he really gave daddy that money to try to save his life. A sob leaves me unexpectedly, and I cover my face with both hands. Did he really do that for him? I take in a ragged breath. I don’t know what to believe.
It all feels wrong, and my head is spinning with disbelief.
I wish I could just leave and pretend like this is all fake.
As though I don’t love him. I never did.
But as I walk over and lie across the bed and begin bawling my eyes out, deep down in my heart, I know that’s a lie.
I love this man. But I don’t know if I believe him.
Chapter 23
Liam
It’s late and I don’t want to leave Elle, but at least one of these fuckers needs to die tonight. And the one I pick is Stephen. The fucker who tried to kill my girl and ruined everything I had with her. His life is over.
Zac’s got his home address. Tyler said his wife’s there. If she’s there, he’s gotta be there at some point.
I have to calm myself down, but I’m struggling. I’ve been on a knife's edge ever since she said those words to me.
I pick up my phone and swallow the lump in my throat. I’ll make this right and that starts with killing these fuckers. I’ve got my gloves; I’ve got the wire. It’s a silent easy kill. I know what to do. My uncle taught me. Tyler’s father. When we went to live with him, I learned how to deal with shit the way the mob deals with it.
I shove the gloves and the wire into a small black bag and call my brother. It only rings once.
“You almost here?” I ask him without waiting for a hello.
“Just pulling in now.” Perfect fucking timing. I walk to the foyer and look up the stairs. She’s in my bedroom up there, and she’s pissed. She deserves to be. But she’s going to have to get over it. The doorknob turns and Zac pushes the door open. My brother’s silent as he walks in.
“Just stay here and watch her while I go take care of this.”
He nods his head. “I know. I’ve got my phone on me.” I look up the stairs one last time and he follows my line of sight.
“She’s still pissed?” I don’t answer him. I told him what happened; he should know she's pissed. I'd be pissed. My lips are pressed into a straight line. My body heats with anger. This is how she’s introduced to the only family I have.
It’s fucked up. It’s all fucked up, and it’s all my fault.
“Tyler’s on his way too.” I give my brother a nod. I know he is. I almost had both of them stay here with her, but I can’t be stupid about this and I need someone with me.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
My brother’s hand falls hard on my shoulder as I open the door wider to leave. I look back at him. “Make it quick and easy,” he says.
I keep his gaze and nod. I’d like to draw it out. I’d like to make him suffer. But I need to get back here. I don’t like leaving her. Not until both of those assholes are dead.
Ian Dracho and his lackey are fucking dead. Then I can make it up to Elle. She’ll forgive me. My heart lurches in my chest as I walk out into the cold. She has to forgive me. She has to.
I nod at Tyler as I make my way down to the end of the street. He’s in his car and on the lookout in case anything happens or anyone sees what’s going on. He could’ve done this, but I wanted to do it. I want to be the one to put an end to his life.
I sneak through the night, walking a few houses down and hide in the bushes at the back of the house, walking along the brick building. According to Tyler, he comes in this way. He parks in the garage and slips in the back. Like a fucking rat. He’s afraid to come in the front door. He should be. He should be fucking terrified.
I peek in the small window above the kitchen sink and see a television on in the living room. I can’t hear it, but I can see the back of a woman’s head and the edge of the screen. She shouldn’t be bothered. He won’t see it coming; he won’t even have a chance to scream. I resume my position in the cold night and stand behind the bushes next to the door. I’m completely still, dressed entirely in black. My thick leather gloves are on and the wire is wrapped tight over both hands. There’s a good seven inches of slack. Enough to go around his throat.
My heartbeat picks up as I see him park his car. The lights shine on the door to the garage before it slowly opens. I can faintly hear the bass beats to whatever song he’s listening too.
Time passes slowly and my heart beats even slower as his car disappears into the garage. I have to wait. Tick. Tick. Tick. Time goes slow. So fucking slow. I have to rein in my anger. I have to wait until he’s here. So I can choke the fucking life out of the man who shot at Elle. He tried to kill her.
The longer I wait, the angrier I get, the tighter the wire is on my fingers. Finally, I hear a faint beep of the car’s alarm. The side door opens and he starts walking along the pavers to get to the back door of his home. The night air is cold and I use it to calm myself. His keys jingle as he reaches for the right one to unlock the door. His head’s down. He’s not looking. It’s fucking perfect.
I jump out and reach my arms up and over his head. His keys fall to the ground with a loud clink, and he tries to scream. But he barely gets any sound out as I pull the wire tight around his neck.
He could’ve killed her. It’s all I think as I pull the wire tighter. My lungs stop working and my muscles scream in agony as I fight against this fucker. He wanted to kill her.
I pull the wire harder with everything in me. The thin wire digs into the gloves and feels like it’s going to cut my skin, but I know it’s not. I lift up as high as I can as he tears at his own flesh, desperate to pry the wire away. He tries to elbow me, tries to kick his leg back. He flails in my grasp, desperate for any escape. Any weakness. But I’m merciless in my pursuit of his death.
I take every hit and respond by pulling the wire tighter. The only sounds are crickets chirping and him struggling to breathe. Finally, he stops moving. I hold still for a long moment, unable to let go.
When I finally do, his body falls to the ground with a dull thud. His lifeless eyes are bloodshot and there are deep cuts on the sides of his throat from the wire.
I stare at him a moment, waiting for any signs of life as my breathing steadies. My head whips to the side and my heartbeat picks up as I hear the clanking of dishes in the kitchen inside. His wife is only a few feet away. She’s going to end up finding this fucker out here. A part of me feels sorry for her. The rest of me doesn’t give a shit.
I look back down at him and there’s only one thing on my mind.
One down. One to go.
Chapter 24
Lizzie
I’m going to make Liam pay for this.
Last night, he left me alone. I heard him come in the house. I heard the two of them talk
ing, but Liam never came up. Zac’s the one who asked me to come down for dinner. I don’t even know him. I don’t know what to say to him. At one point, I would’ve been both excited and nervous to meet him. I would’ve wanted to make a good impression. But not now. I don’t trust him either. I didn’t eat and I didn’t leave the room. I passed out eventually and for the first time in weeks, I woke up alone. I fucking hated it. I hated how I missed him.
He came up once today, and I ignored him. I’m not ready to talk about this. Not that he tried to say anything to me either. It hurt. But I guess that’s what I get. And the moment I came downstairs, he left. He announced he was going to go handle things. My body chills at the thought of what he’s doing. I can’t take this shit. But I can’t leave.
Liam has instructed his younger brother Zac to watch over me as if I’m some two-year-old. He said it's for my safety, but it's only annoying me. He's keeping me prisoner. That's what he's doing. I think what bothers me the most is the fact I wouldn’t even be in danger if Liam had just been truthful from the beginning.
Like, if he cared so much about my safety, why did he get involved with me, knowing that he was mixed up in criminal activity?
Because he’s a selfish bastard that only cares about himself, I tell myself. It hurts to think that though. I rock my leg back and forth; my heel hits the sofa. Because he loves me is the answer I want to believe. But that only makes me hate myself.
Lounging in the recliner, Zac stares back at me and then shakes his head. “You shouldn’t be so pissed off. This is for your own good.”
I roll my eyes. You probably wouldn’t know good if it hit you in the balls, I think angrily. But I don’t bother saying it. “Don’t tell me how I should feel!” I hiss. “Do you know what happened to me? I almost got killed... all because of your dirtbag brother.”
“Liam’s not a dirtbag,” Zac protests.
Tempted: A Bad Boy Next Door Romance Page 13