“Liam resented Josef Wylde but loved you deeply. He knew that causing trouble would only bring trouble to you, Liza, so he agreed to stay away. He swore he’d return one day when he could face his father and Castro and get to know his sister again.But then the massacre in Heather Falls happened. Liam was devastated. He thought Liza was dead.”
The revelation seemed too heavy for Liza to bear any longer. A sob guttered out of her. She covered her mouth, trying to quiet herself, but her shoulders shook with the force of her emotions. I wrapped my arm around her, gently pulling her close as I tried to offer comfort. “Isabel, please continue.”
“Okay,” Isabel said hesitantly, taking a deep breath. “Liam focused on becoming a better alpha, using his pain and anger as fuel for his growth. He began working for my father, but as I mentioned, when he died, Liam just… disappeared. We know he’s alive because of the money he sends to us every month.” Isabel paused for a moment. “Liza, when I saw you on the news, I was shocked to learn that you were still alive. I knew Liam would want to know, so I tried getting in touch with him several times. I couldn’t find him. You were all over the news, though, so I’m sure he knows by now.”
Liza tensed, her sobs subsiding as she listened to Isabel’s words.
“Thank you, Isabel,” I said sincerely when she finished speaking. “Your honesty is greatly appreciated. If you hear from Liam, will you please let us know?”
“Of course, Alpha Keller,” Isabel said as a goodbye.
I sighed, sinking back into my seat as Isaiah scribbled furiously in his notepad. He’d been taking notes throughout our call. So far, he hadn’t found a single trace of Liam Russell connected to the Russell enterprise.
Isaiah looked up from his notes, meeting my gaze. “With this new information, I might be able to find Liam. I still can’t make any promises, but I’m much more confident now. I’ll be in touch soon.” He grabbed his jacket and strode out of the office without another word.
I was learning Isaiah wasn’t the most talkative person, but I had to hand it to the bastard, he didn’t drag his ass. When he had an assignment, he dived in feet first.
Liza had been quiet up until that point, but suddenly she burst into hysterical laughter.
I stared at her with wide eyes before looking across the room at my father. We exchanged a bewildered glance before turning our attention back to her.
Liza’s laughter quickly dissolved into a rant. “Of course, my father was a cheater. I mean, why the fuck not? He was already a mob boss, doing who the fuck knows what. What’s the harm in adding a cheater to the damn mix?”
Her words hung heavily in the room. Her emotions were on a teetering point. I had to help her calm down. I knelt in front of her, my hands resting gently on her knees.
Tears streamed down her face. “I promise I’m not sad or mad. I’m just so damn frustrated. Did my parents ever stop to think about any of their actions and how they would affect their children?”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
I couldn’t answer her, literally having nothing to contribute. Unfortunately, I never got to meet Liza’s parents, but after hearing what Dad had told us, and now Isabel’s account of Liza’s father cheating, I found myself questioning their morals.
When Liza stood, I followed suit, studying her closely. Her tear-streaked face showed no signs of weakness, only determination. I didn’t want to annoy her, but my instincts picked up the same scent I noticed when she had an angry flare in front of the loiterers at her office and when she was pissed at Bryce. The therapist wanted me to watch for signs and try to assist Liza in calming down, so that was exactly what I intended to do.
Liza turned on her heels and held up a hand. “Calm down, Ty. I’m not going to completely lose my shit, even though I honestly feel like it’s warranted. If anything was going to make me blow up, this would have been it, right? You can take a step back. I promise, I’m okay.”
I could see the truth in her eyes. She wasn’t okay. She was as far fucking from it as you could get.
Clenching her hands into fists, Liza turned to face the door Isaiah had just walked out of. The fire in her eyes was unmistakable. “Isaiah needs to find my brother,” she said, her voice unwavering. “I don’t care what it takes.”
With that, Liza stormed off down the hall. I watched as she stomped into our bedroom and slammed the door. The anger radiating from her exit was obvious. Dad rubbed his arms as he stared after her with wide eyes, and I could only nod in agreement. We’d both felt it, that wave of an alpha’s essence growing stronger within her.
It was fucking scary.
With her safely in her room and away from others, I grabbed my keys from the desk.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Dad stared at me in confusion.
“I’m going to the building Liam is trying to buy.” It was on the other side of town, so the thought of bringing Liza along tugged at me. Maybe a change of scenery would help get her head into a more positive space. She obviously needed her space, though, and I didn’t want to bother her.
I turned to Bryce, who had been quietly observing everything from a corner. He narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you looking at?”
“Come on. You’re with me.”
As we drove toward the warehouse, Bryce shot me a curious glance. “What exactly are you hoping to find out here?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, the steering wheel squeaking under my grip. “I just want to understand why Liam is so interested in it. He could have purchased any building, anywhere, so why a factory that makes fidget toys? A factory that belongs to Keller Industries?”
The twenty-minute drive gave me some time to consider the connections between Liam, the Russell LLC, and my seemingly insignificant business. There had to be something more to it. Some hidden thing that connected Liam back to Liza.
