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More of that white-hot anger moved through my system. I couldn’t believe everything he was saying.
Yet, at the same time, something in me knew he was right.
Chapter 24 - Liam
Regardless of getting everything off my chest, Cora looked angrier than she ever had been with me.
While I wasn’t keen on fighting with her, she needed to hear it. I needed the chance to not only express how upset I was, but I also needed her to know just how dangerous her investigation could be if she got caught up with the wrong people.
But I already knew I wasn’t getting anywhere with her. I almost feared I was achieving the opposite and that she would end up running back to the Gleason’s.
Pulling in a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down. I wouldn’t get my point across if I spent the whole time yelling at her.
Regardless of how she felt about me, or if she’d leave the conversation hating me more than ever, I needed to safeguard her from them. From the real bad guys.
“Look, you wanted to know what I did during my time in the city. Here it is,” I began, finally letting go of the safety net I had clung to for weeks. She looked at me with suspicion but stayed quiet anyway.
“When I moved to the city, I had nothing except for a couple hundred dollars in my pocket. I was directionless and needed something to get me by. That was when I met Zain Gleason. He told me he’d pay me for some work, and I agreed, thinking he meant just the construction gig. I did well in it, thanks to being a shifter, and soon enough, he and his brothers saw something in me. They brought me on board for some work after hours, promising me higher pay. Since I needed the money, I agreed. They had me doing things I never would’ve otherwise agreed to, like repossessing, smuggling, harassing…it got so bad that I eventually turned it all off and kept going on autopilot. Before I knew it, I was completely wrapped up in their schemes.
“When they started pitching the idea of some much more heinous deals, I finally snapped out of it. Getting in that deep is one of my biggest regrets in life, and I did everything I could to get away from them. I invested my money, built my wealth, and got out of there as soon as I could. Coming back here was supposed to be my way of cutting them out of my life for good. I didn’t want anything to do with them or that past anymore, and even if it meant being a target of theirs for the rest of my life, I didn’t care. What they were planning wasn’t for me, and while I did things I’m not proud of, at least I can say I removed myself from it.”
As the words flowed, I watched as the realization settled in Cora’s features. Every emotion reached her eyes, and by the end, she was at a loss for words. Her gaze softened, and I knew everything was put into perspective for her then.
“I had to run because I knew they’d otherwise kill me over the information I had. They can’t have any loose ends, and I currently am one,” I said, bearing the last of it for the sake of her safety. “Now that you know it all, you don’t need to go to them for information. If you did, your fate would be almost as bad as mine—if not worse.”
“Liam—”
Pulling in a deep breath, I knew there was no point in holding back. Everything needed to be laid out in the open once and for all.
“At the end of it all, I don’t care what anyone thinks about me or my past decisions. Nobody can hate me more than I hate myself for what I participated in. I know I made the wrong choices, and I still regret them. I kept everything bottled up to maintain this false image of being completely innocent, but I can’t handle it anymore. I refuse to drive myself insane trying to safeguard this information. It’s their problem now, not mine,” I said, letting go of that sheer anger with the secrets I kept locked up tight for years. “If you want to write your smear campaign for your personal satisfaction, then fine. But I’m imploring you not to. Not for my sake, but for yours. Even if you hate me, I don’t want you to get any deeper involved than you already have.”
As Cora looked back at me, almost frozen with disbelief, I couldn’t entirely decipher what she was thinking. She just blinked back at me, surely trying to digest it all.
“I’m sorry for how I treated you, both when we were kids and after that night at the Roadbar. But I hoped for better from you,” I said, knowing there was no stopping until I got everything off my chest. “I didn’t know how to talk to you when we were younger because I loved you, and I suspect that’s why I rejected you after the fact, too. I had never felt anything like that before, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. That feeling never really went away, and I didn’t know what to do about it.”
Cora faltered at that, simultaneously looking like her heart had been broken and that she better understood where I was coming from.
“I was too embarrassed to ever admit it, but now I have,” I added, at least feeling better to have aired it out. “Not that it will help anything now.”
Grasping for any kind of response, she took a step closer, eyes softer than they had been. All trace of anger was gone from her features. It seemed as though she had realized the full extent of her mistakes.
“That’s not true, Liam.”
Even if she was finally ready to say something, I didn’t want to hear it.
Having said everything that I needed to, only that feeling of betrayal was left behind, and I just wanted to be alone.
Regardless of why I teased her every day or why I didn’t want to jump into a relationship with her, there was no excuse for what she did and the trouble she brought upon me. Even if her anger was justified, trying to uncover the worst side of me wasn’t. Luring the men who wanted me dead into my solace wasn’t any better.
When I shook my head and went to leave, desperation flooded Cora’s eyes.
“Liam, wait—”
She reached for my arm, but I shrugged her off, facing the door.
“It’s too late now,” I muttered, glancing over my shoulder at her. Her pain was clear enough. “I have bigger things to worry about now. Like hiding myself from The Triplets. Now that you’ve given them my location, I have to decide my next move.”
Unable to say anything, she looked completely stunned.
