AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, you better figure something out if you want to stop her from damaging your image.”
There was no denying how right Joey was. But that only left me wondering how I could possibly get Cora off my back.
Chapter 16 - Cora
My footsteps echoed as I walked into the coven’s meeting place with a box of fresh column candles in my arms, prepared to spend the next few hours restocking our tools and making sure the old building was up to snuff for our next meeting.
Sara glanced over at me, and I felt her eyes linger on me for an extra moment. “You look pissed off. What happened now?”
Sighing, I knew I couldn’t hide it. I never could.
Bringing the box over to our altar, I tore the tape off and reached for a couple of the pure white candles.
“Liam has been such a nightmare ever since he moved back here. I’m stuck with him whenever we volunteer for the toy drive, and he just can’t seem to understand how he hurt me. He doesn’t even care,” I ranted, growing more annoyed by the second.
“And you haven’t asked to be paired with someone else?” Sara asked, looking empathetic.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to bother Sienna. She has enough going on. She’s managing the whole thing herself, and she doesn’t need to worry about Liam and me not getting along.”
“That’s a tough position. I know how much being around him bothers you.”
“Being around him would be fine if he could just acknowledge how he used to treat me, and how him pushing me away after we hooked up made me feel used,” I explained, aware of that familiar ache in my chest. “He doesn’t think he did anything wrong. He’s mad at me now, saying I overreacted. He deflects everything.”
“It must be tough,” Sara said, seeming uncertain, even if she was trying her best to sound supportive. She reached for some candles and started putting them in every nook and cranny we could find. “But I’m just surprised you’re so hung up on him. Normally, you’d have your fun and move on. What’s different about him?”
I tried not to bristle at her words. The implication that I was hung up on the situation and couldn’t let it go stung, but at the same time, I knew she wasn’t wrong.
Keeping my head up, I replied, “Because Liam has always made me feel small no matter what. He would belittle me and assume he had all authority over me. I’m sick of letting it happen. He thinks he can threaten me into giving up my search into his past, but I won’t let him stop me.”
Sara looked at me with her brows raised. “Threaten you?”
I shrugged. “He kept telling me not to meddle in his business, or it will apparently end badly for both of us. But I know he just doesn’t want me finding something out—whatever his big secret is. He wants to scare me out of it.”
She still seemed weary. “What have you found then?”
“I talked to his friend Joey the other day, and he let it slip that Liam worked for one of the biggest construction companies in the city. It was enough of a lead to follow up on.”
“And what, him working construction means he’s sketchy?” She asked, not getting the whole picture.
I snickered. “No, of course not. But I think something happened behind the scenes. I called the place and asked if they knew him. They’ve been trying to get a hold of him, but he’s been avoiding them. I can only imagine that must mean he burned them in some way.”
“Not necessarily. This could be nothing but a disagreement between him and his old bosses. What then?”
“They said they’re willing to meet with me to answer any questions I might have. It sounds like they have something I could use against him,” I returned, hoping to dispel her doubts.
Sara stopped what she was doing and gave me a flash of her uncertain eyes. “Are you sure you should be getting in the middle of this? What if Liam’s right? You don’t know these people.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, waving her off. “I’m not new to this. I’m just going to get some questions answered, then I’ll know for sure if he does have a troubled past.”
Her gaze lingered as if wondering how much more of this she could support.
Before she could say anything else, my phone rang in my pocket, tearing me out of the conversation.
Studying the lock screen, I saw it was an unknown number, but it looked familiar. After the second ring, I realized it was the construction group from the city. Perking up at that, I accepted the call and scurried out of the building, leaving Sara to look confused.
“Hello?”
That familiar voice came from the other end. “This is Cora Barlowe, correct?”
