But also… I did.
“Liam’s very good at focusing on the part of a problem that lets him sleep at night,” Toby continued. He bent his fingers inward and inspected his nails. “It’s a skill. Essential for what he does. But you know that, of course.”
He leaned back in his chair. “There are things he simply… steps around. People, usually.”
I stared at him.
“What surprised me about what you said at dinner,” he said, “wasn’t your comment.” He threw the last of his drink down his throat and placed it carefully back on the bar.
“It was how quickly you drew a line. Good men on one side. Monsters on the other.”
His smile sharpened. I had done that, partly to put this egotistical arsehole in his place, but also because I knew that Liam was the better man.
“I’m quite confident I have a good handle on that,” I said.
“Are you sure, Andrea? A woman like you isn’t so naive as to believe a man like Liam could get to where he is today without leaving some damage behind him?”
A sliver of doubt slipped into my mind and settled there. What sort of damage?Not the sort you’d see on a Wikipediapage.
“You’re interested, I can tell,” he said with a smirk.
I looked away in disgust. But the image of the blond woman in the glittery dress drifted back into my mind, the photos in the tabloids, what Bonnie had said about him goingback to his old ways. That didn’t sound like a man with a strong moral compass.
“Nothing against Liam, of course,” he added. “I’m sure it’s been difficult for him, processing what he did.”
What hedid?
I turned back sharply, and Toby was smiling, his grin smug, like he knew he’d tripped me up.
“Another drink, Andrea?” He slid one across to me. I hadn’t even noticed him order it.
“I know who Liam is,” I said, but I was starting to feel less sure. “He’s a good man.”
Toby scoffed. “Of course. The little lies we tell ourselves so we can keep doing what we want, have the nice things. I don’t blame you at all.”
He was leaning closer now, and his arm had somehow dropped behind the back of my neck, the fabric of his jacket rubbing against my shoulders. He was so close I could smell his cologne, mingling with the alcohol on his breath.
“That only works until you realize you’re sleeping with someone who never has to look at the people his decisions affect.”
People I knew andloved.
I turned my head away. I was ready for him to leave now.
“I didn’t ask for a briefing,” I said.
“No.” He smiled again, picking up a tendril of my hair from where it rested against my collarbone. “But you stayed.”
Chapter 37
Liam
The night waslooser and louder than half an hour ago. I threaded my way along the edge of the dance floor, scanning faces.Where the hell wasshe?
Hugo promised me traction. And I owed it in part to Andrea—it felt like we were a team. I wanted to tell her the news. The drug could be used where it had always been meant to be used. On civilians and kids. People who didn’t get a say in where the bombs landed.
Then I saw her. She was at the bar, under the trees.
I felt that familiar lift, every single time.
