“Are you sure about that? Because Bella didn’t start getting into trouble until Sophia showed up.”
“Are you trying to say my niece is the problem?” He stood straight, jaw clenched.
That’s exactly what she was saying. “Yes.”
“Look, Sophia has had a rough go of it the last six months. Yes, she got into a little trouble before we moved, but that was all about her attitude. Nothing like this.” He waved his arm around the room. “Vaping, vandalizing, sneaking out of windows.”
“A rough go of it?” Sam’s blood boiled. “At least she has her real name and real life.” She made sure to keep her voice low, but this guy wasn’t going to tear her down.
Liam worked his jaw back and forth. “I could make the same assumption as you about the girls. Isabella could be the mastermind behind all of this.”
She opened her mouth to argue. “There is no way Bella is to blame.”
“Are you sure about that? Willing to stake your life here in Renegade on it?”
Bella knew the rules. She knew them inside and out. But knowing the rules and following them were different things. She knew not to sneak out, but she’d done it anyway. Twice. Maybe Liam was right. Maybe Bella was encouraging this behavior.
“And are you certain it’s all on Bella? Honestly?” She needed to know his thoughts. Was she wrong and losing control of Bella?
“Honestly, I think what we have is two girls who have been through a lot and are vulnerable. Someone noticed and manipulated them. Taking the cans of spray paint and running off is proof they’re notbadgirls. They knew what they were doing was wrong and stopped before it got worse.”
Sam rolled her lips over her teeth. He had a point. “Okay. So what do we do now?”
Liam pulled his phone from his pocket and made a few swipes. “Based on my tracking app, Sophia’s still at home.”
“We both know that doesn’t mean a thing.” They were smart enough to have left their phones at home before. Just not smart enough not to get into trouble.
She’d been so focused on Bella being the innocent one, she’d never considered any other angle. Was everything Sam had worked for over the last six years slowly slipping away?
Liam hadn’t resorted to putting all the blame on Bella. Not like she had done to Sophia. He was steady, competent, capable. He’d looked at the situation objectively and turned what could have been a disastrous argument into something where they could work together for the good of the girls.
A small warmth threaded through her chest, and she quickly shoved it down, unwilling to think about what it meant.
Liam stared at Sam. She was scared. She acted like she was holding it all together on the surface, but the furrowed brows, the tight line of her lips, and her rigid posture said otherwise.
That was why she’d lashed out. He couldn’t really blame her. He wanted to lash out, to blame anyone but Sophia, but the truth was, it didn’t matter who’d started it—the girls had each followed. They’d made their own choices.
He broke his gaze from Sam and looked at the blinking dot that represented Sophia’s phone. It was exactly where it should be, but she’d deceived him before.
He switched over to his contacts and hit her name. It rang and rang. He inwardly groaned. He thought he’d gotten throughto her last night. Apparently, it had gone in one ear and out the other.
“Hello?” Sophia answered.
The tension in Liam’s shoulders disappeared. “Hey, Sophia. I’m with Isabella’s aunt. Isabella left the fire station and didn’t tell anyone where she was going. Do you know where she might be?”
“Yeah, she’s here.”
“Sophia, I thought I grounded you.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Isabella sneaking out of the fire station and to his house didn’t really help prove his case that Sophia wasn’t the problem in this messed-up equation.
“I know. I’m sorry, but she needed me.” Concern laced her voice.
His pulse picked up. “Is everything okay?”
“For now. Can you come home?”
He looked at Sam. Something was not all right. “Are you safe?” He brushed past Sam and opened the door, making a beeline to his vehicle.
“What’s going on?” Sam followed him.
