AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, it is. Thank you for getting back to me.”
“I had time to discuss things with my associates, and we’re prepared to arrange a meeting time with you,” they began, piquing my interest. “Once we’re in person, we can give you the full scoop of what happened between us and Liam Saunders. You see, he wronged us, and we’re only looking for justice.”
Furrowing my brows, I immediately realized how serious it sounded. It wasn’t just some disagreement, as Sara suggested. He did something to offend them, and clearly, they had a reason for being angry with him. That had to be why he didn’t want me looking into things. There was something he did.”
While it felt like everything I needed was right in front of me, it also dawned on me how real it was becoming. It made me stop and think.
It wasn’t just some idea or baseless accusation anymore. Liam was hiding something, and if I figured it out, that would put the ball in my court.
Dropping a big story about him in the paper would likely tarnish his whole career, especially if it’s a real bombshell. It would ruin his image, and nobody in town would want to associate with him again.
It wouldn’t just be revenge anymore. It would burn him beyond recognition. It was serious and a big responsibility on my end.
The thought of destroying him made guilt trickle into my system. I was second-guessing it, for good reason.
Did I really want him to suffer that much?
While the guilt was pushing me in the direction of letting it go, I couldn’t help but think about that little girl. The version of me that had felt so helpless and small. Reduced to no self-esteem and feeling like I had no purpose other than to be someone’s punching bag.
Not only that but the current version of myself, too, was used and discarded by him more recently.
He didn’t care about me, and if he couldn’t consider my feelings, then why should I be considerate of his?
Pulling in a deep breath, I knew I didn’t have to ultimately decide then and there. At the very least, having a conversation with this man wouldn’t hurt. Depending on what facts and proof I was given, I could decide how to proceed after the fact.
“All right. When can we meet?” I asked, assuming we’d find a public place and sit down for a few hours.
“We have an opening two days from now, and we’ll be waiting by the cemetery on the East side of town. Meet us after dusk.”
It sounded odd. The cemetery was on the outskirts of town and somewhat out of the way. But assuming they didn’t want to alert Liam they were there, I guessed it made sense.
While it was weird, I knew it wouldn’t hurt. I could back out at any time.
“Sure. I’ll be there.”
***
The two of us mostly worked in silence after I came back from the phone call since I was left with a huge decision to make, but Sara didn’t ask any questions. I was thankful for that.
We stocked up on candles, did a general clean up, and started sifting through old tomes when a knock at the door pulled us both away from our thoughts.
Glancing over, my brows furrowed in confusion the moment I saw him.
Standing in a Task Force uniform, Liam was in the doorway, looking around sheepishly. His hair was nearly in his eyes as usual, but his undercut paired surprisingly well with his vest and gloves.
In a way, it almost looked like he was made to wear a uniform like that. Maybe if he hadn’t gone away and decided to become a tattooist, he would’ve gotten into full-time security. It suited him.
He looked good, and it only frustrated me more.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, unable to hold back the sharpness of my tone.
Liam released a breath as if reminding himself to be civilized. “Sienna just asked me if the two of us could fill a donation shift since the previous volunteers can’t today. Neither Sienna nor I have your number, so I had to come find you.”
Something about that made my stomach squirm, but I shoved the thought away. Instead, I felt weird about seeing him so soon after getting off the phone with his old boss. The one who apparently had enough baggage on him to make the trip to town.
“I guess that’s fine,” I mumbled, glancing at Sara. “Is it all right if I head out early?”
She looked between the two of us with a knowing look, but to my relief, she kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, she cleared her throat and nodded. “You two go ahead; we were almost done here anyway.”
