by Paula Cox
“We’re going to pay a little visit to your girlfriend,” one taunted. “If you can get to us before her, then we won’t touch her. But if you can’t…”
They all burst into laughter again. Cliff felt sick at the thought of any of them touching his girl. His Liana. He pulled harder at his restraints. Yeah, they had guns, but he could still probably take them out if he wasn’t tied up.
“I propose a different game,” Cliff bit out. “How about you untie me, and we fight like men?”
The masked men renewed their laughter. The heat in Cliff’s chest built to a searing level. He was ready to explode. On them. On Colin. On the whole fucking world if he had to. Cliff would do whatever it took to keep Liana safe.
“Good luck, Cliff.” The door screeched closed.
Chapter 27
“I simply love having visitors,” Gus cooed. “You never have people call on you anymore. It’s always text this, Skype that.” He placed the glasses of bourbon down in front of Liana and Michael’s mother. “I miss the conversation. The class.”
Liana gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you for the drinks, Gus.”
He winked. “Anything for a dame in distress. I’ll be in my study having a cigar if you need me.”
Gus sauntered away, leaving Michael’s mother staring after him like she’d just seen a typewriter compose an organ ballad.
“He seems like an interesting young man,” Lorna commented.
Liana chuckled, taking a sip of the bourbon. It had such a sharp bite that she wondered if all his alcohol was from the 1920s as well.
“Gus is a trusted friend of Cliff’s, so he’s a trusted friend of mine. Though I won’t pretend I don’t find him a little bit perplexing.”
“Indeed.” Michael’s mother donned a small, sad smile. “Cliff was always so good to my son when he was alive. We knew Cliff was involved in some shady dealings, but he was careful not to bring any of it into Michael’s life.”
“He’s a good man,” Liana said. “And from what I’ve heard, Michael was too.”
Lorna nodded and sipped her drink. She didn’t so much as flinch at the taste. Liana admired her self-control.
“How have things gone with Colin?” Lorna asked. “Or have they gotten worse?”
Liana sighed. “Much worse. He’s threatened almost everyone we know, and it doesn’t look like he intends to stop anytime soon.”
“I feared as much,” Lorna replied. “Which is why I contacted you. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course, Mrs. Sinclair.” Liana rested a hand on Lorna’s arm. “I find it touching that you’re looking out for us, after everything you’ve been through. I think most other people would withdraw into themselves and let the outside world continue on at its peril.”
Lorna patted Liana’s hand. “You’re a dear. Can you tell me, is this sofa safe to lean against?” She shifted in her seat. “I’m worried I’ll be stabbed with a spring.”
Liana laughed and leaned back against her own cushion. “It’s pretty safe. I think he keeps everything in good working order.”
Lorna seemed unconvinced but relaxed against the couch backrest. “I’ve been trying to recall any information I can about Colin, hoping to help you and Cliff in any way I can.”
“You knew him?”
She shrugged. “As well as any parent can know the acquaintance of their child, I suppose. He came around for dinner once or twice when he and Michael were small, but it was Cliff he was really friends with.”
“Cliff mentioned that. He said they stopped being friends when Colin moved away.”
Lorna furrowed her brow. “From what Michael told me, I don’t believe it was so simple. There was quite a bit of lead up to Colin’s breakdown and subsequent move.”
“I’m listening,” Liana said, taking another sip of the acidic liquid.
“We lived next door to Cliff’s family when the boys were young. Colin’s family lived on the other side of Cliff’s house. Originally, Michael was more of an outsider than Colin. He often struggled to make friends in those early years because he was a bit shy.”
Liana was desperate to hear what Lorna had to say, but she was worried about her. She’d only just started recounting a story of Michael’s youth, and the woman was already glassy-eyed. Was it too soon? Should she stop her?
“Mrs. Sinclair, you don’t have to tell me this if it’s too painful,” Liana said.
“Oh, hush.” Lorna waved her off, sniffling. “I buried my son. That kind of pain won’t ever go away. Whether I dredge it to the surface or not makes no difference.”
Liana was quiet.
“Until recently, I could never remember what it was that drove Colin and Cliff apart. It had never been a concern of mine, of course. But I do recall something I heard a few years afterward.”
“And what was that?”
Lorna pursed her lips. “That Colin and Cliff’s friendship had ended badly. Back when Colin lived beside Cliff, he was implicated in the death of a local cat. Cliff, being an animal lover, hadn’t wanted anything to do with Colin afterward. Then Colin became furious, obsessed with re-establishing their friendship.”
“So this is all happening because Colin wants to be friends with Cliff?” Liana asked. “Hurting the people he loves doesn’t seem to be the best way to do that.”
Lorna smiled grimly. “Well, I don’t think Colin’s quite right in the head. He was given a therapy puppet to work through his anger issues. He named it Lando. I don’t think it worked.”
Liana cringed at the name.
Lando. A bottle of champagne from an old friend. Lando.
“How do you know all this?” she asked.
“I kept in touch with his parents a little after the move,” Lorna replied. “His mother and I were a part of the same book club at one point, and I felt bad for her. She didn’t know how to help her boy.”
“Was there anything else she told you about him?”
“She asked if Cliff and Michael were still friends. I told her they were.” Lorna looked down at the drink in her hands. “That was the last time I talked to her, actually. She said she was worried about her son’s obsession with Cliff. How he’d talked about Michael like the people in Cliff’s life were his competition. She didn’t think it was wise for us to stay in contact anymore.” Lorna sighed. “She thought that if her son found out, it would have an adverse effect on his therapy.”
“That’s horrible.” Liana gritted her teeth, watching as the woman beside her began to quietly sob. “Mrs. Sinclair, I am so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Lorna wept. “The only one to blame for my son’s death is the man who poisoned him. I just hope that by telling you what I know, you’ll be able to stop him hurting anyone else.”
Liana reached over to clasp Lorna’s hand. “We’ll catch him,” she said. “If there’s one thing I know about Cliff, it’s that he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. He’s out there right now, figuring out a way to take Colin down.”
At that moment, a loud bang emanated from the direction of the front door. Liana sprung to her feet, placing her body between Lorna and the entrance. If Colin had found her, he would have to go through her before he even thought about hurting Michael’s mother.
Heavy footsteps pounded down the hall, and a tall man rounded the corner with eyes like mercury. “Are you okay?” Cliff asked.
Liana raced forward, latching her arms around his neck. He held her stiffly, patting her back until she released him.
“You’re back so soon! Are you okay?” Liana asked.
Gus stumbled into the room, cigar still smoking in his hand. “What’s going on? Why such a dramatic entrance? Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine,” Cliff said. He put his hands on Liana’s shoulders and stared down at her as if studying every line and color of her features. “I had a run in with some friends of Colin’s,” he said. “They dropped me off outside of town and told me they would race me to you.”
&nbs
p; “Well clearly you got here first,” Liana observed. “Though you look pretty neat for somebody who just ran a couple of marathons.”
Cliff’s lip twitched up at the corner. “I managed to catch a ride. The idiots should have untied me. Nobody’s going to leave a man with his hands tied behind his back stranded on the side of the highway.”
Liana wrapped her arms around him again, though his response was even less affectionate than before. He slowly peeled her off of him and set her a few feet back, frowning. Then he turned to Lorna.
“Mrs. Sinclair. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”
The older woman rose from the sofa and came to stand beside Gus. “I wanted to share some information with Liana that I remembered about Colin.”
Cliff wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Thank you for coming over to do so,” he said. “Could you two excuse Liana and I for a moment?”
Liana was not fond of the way Cliff was acting. He was cold. Cliff was only ever this cold if he had to do something he didn’t want to do. If he were mad at her, he’d yell. She preferred it that way.
“What is it?” Liana asked once Gus and Lorna had stepped out.
Cliff took a step back from Liana. “I’ve been stupid to risk you as much as I have,” he said. “Today, I spent the entire road back into town wondering if you’d even be here when I got back. Maybe you would disappear, like Peter, and your body would be found a month later.”
“But I’m okay,” Liana said. “The men were clearly bluffing. They don’t know where to find me.”
“But are you going to stay here the rest of your life?” Cliff questioned.
“Of course not.” Liana crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brow. “We’re going to find Colin and neutralize the threat. Until then, laying low makes sense. But it won’t be forever.”
“Who says it won’t be forever?” Colin walked over to Liana’s abandoned drink and tipped it back in one mouthful. “Who says we’ll ever catch Colin? We certainly haven’t so far.”
“Don’t be so negative,” Liana replied. She walked over to him, reaching out to place her hand on his chest. Cliff jerked back a few steps.
“I can’t keep you in danger anymore,” Cliff said. “I just can’t. I am poison for you, Liana. Don’t you see that?”
Liana’s heart dropped into her stomach. The first wave of panic hit her full on, drowning her. “Cliff.” It was a plea. It was a curse. “We’re going to figure this out.”
He rubbed a hand over his face and turned from her, shaking his head. “If it’s not Colin, it’ll be something else. My life is dangerous.”
“But you don’t want this to be your life!” she challenged. “Don’t give up on us just because you don’t know what the future holds. Nobody does. That’s why it’s the future.”
But she may as well have been talking to a brick wall. “Stay here while I sort some things out,” Cliff said. “But don’t come looking for me. We’re over.”
Liana’s limbs froze with shock. When Cliff turned toward the door, she wanted to run after him. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to do anything other than stand there and watch him go. But her feet remained rooted to the ground.
Cliff’s dark head disappeared into the hallway. His footsteps faded away as the distance between them grew like a yawning black hole. The door slammed. The silence returned. And Liana collapsed to the floor like a discarded doll.
Chapter 28
Cliff turned his collar up against the cold. The rain blasted his face incessantly, and the unpleasant sensation was only made worse by his determined gait. It had been a week with no word from Colin. Cliff wasn’t sure whether the silence was because Colin knew Cliff was no longer in contact with any of the others—including Liana—or if it was just the calm before the storm. Either way, at least everyone else would be safe. If Colin was gearing up for a greater assault, at least there was nobody around to get caught in the crossfire.
That was why he’d found it so odd when Janelle called him up out of the blue this afternoon, telling him she needed to speak with him urgently. He’d asked what about, but she claimed she couldn’t talk about it over the phone. And that it had to do with Colin.
So despite the fact that he had been trying to keep a safe distance from everyone, including Janelle, Cliff trudged down the boulevard toward her apartment. He reached the stoop and instinctively looked for a champagne bottle out front. He found himself checking every doorway he passed these days. It was a habit he hoped to break before long, but one that had a purpose for now.
He buzzed for Janelle, and she let him in right away. Cliff fingered the cool metal of the gun in his pocket as he walked. He would have been a fool not to think that Colin was using Janelle to get a face-to-face with him.
But it was only Janelle’s bright and smiling face that greeted him at the door. “Welcome, welcome,” she said.
Cliff studied her for signs of distress as she ushered him inside. She certainly seemed to be nervous. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and her face was just a little bit too flushed. He gripped the gun tighter, refusing her offer to hang up his coat.
“I won’t be staying for long,” he said.
Janelle sighed and led him through to living room. Cliff dropped the gun from his grip like it had burnt him. And Liana, sitting on the couch with wide eyes, dropped open her mouth. His heart clenched. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Her sea-green eyes, lined with dark lashes, were full of light. Her little, pink cupid’s bow mouth called to him, begging for his kiss.
But he had ended things. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Janelle!” Liana hissed. “I told you that he didn’t want to see me.”
“No,” Janelle scolded. “He told you he didn’t want to see you. I know both of you clearly want to see each other, and it’s stupid that you aren’t.”
Cliff turned to leave. “This was a waste of my time,” he grumbled. “Don’t call me again unless it’s actually an emergency.”
Janelle rushed after him. “Don’t go!” she cried. “You’re already here. Just listen to what I have to say.”
“What you have to say?” he barked, wheeling on her. “When did your opinion start factoring into my affairs? This is none of your business.”
“It is when I’m her agent!” Janelle argued. Her eyes grew wide with desperation. “I put up a video of her singing on YouTube, and she’s become a viral sensation.”
“Good for you two,” Cliff snarled, turning again.
Janelle yanked on his arm. He didn’t budge, though it took considerable effort not to treat her like he would anyone else who disrespected him in such a way. He had to leave now. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t. He missed Liana. The day he’d left her in Gus’ apartment had been like tearing a piece of flesh from his body. He’d been bleeding ever since. The temptation to claim her again was strong. Too strong.
“You know, maybe she isn’t too fond of this situation either!”
Janelle and Cliff both turned to where Liana stood at the end of the hall.
“Did you ever think that she has a mind of her own and also doesn’t appreciate being tricked by her friend into seeing the asshole guy who left her high and dry as some sort of stupid, noble gesture?”
Though Liana’s words were directed toward Janelle, she was looking at Cliff as she spoke.
“It was for your own good,” Cliff fired back. “I didn’t leave you high and dry. I left you safe.”
“It was for your own good!” Liana retorted. “Your conscience couldn’t bear it if something happened to me, so you made the decision for me even though it was my right to choose!”
Janelle began to slowly back away toward the wall. Cliff shouldered past her, stopping a few feet from Liana.
“And what would you have had me do, huh?” Cliff challenged. “Knowingly put you in danger just because I couldn’t keep my hands off you?”
Liana tilted her chin up at him, staring him brazenly in the eye. He
admired her spirit. He always had.
“I thought that maybe for once in our relationship you might let me have a choice,” Liana spat. Her tone was low. It cut like ice. “But you’re obsessed with the power. It’s what you get off on.”
“And you get off on playing high and mighty,” Cliff retorted. “You think you know better than everyone. That’s your problem. It’s going to get you killed.”
“Killed?” Liana took a step toward him. “It’s the only thing that’s kept me alive so far! I came from nothing, Cliff. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. I’ve had to bust my ass to get where I am.”