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The words didn’t erase all the fears, but they reassured her enough to lose much of the tension in her spine.
“Scott can handle himself and probably everyone else in that room,” Brooke added without a hint of doubt in her voice.
She was right. Of all the Handlers, he was the one with the training on conflict resolution, offensive maneuvers, and general ass-kickery. “Thank you, Brooke. I needed the reminder that I trust him and his skills.”
“Good.” She winked. “More wine?”
The two glasses she’d already sucked back had a light and floaty feeling coursing through her veins. One more might push her over the edge from tipsy to drunk. “Sure, what the hell.”
“Yay!” Brooke topped them both off, killing the second bottle. She wasn’t shy with the pouring. “You know, he trusts you too, Liv. You said you needed the reminder to trust him. I want you to know that he trusts you too.”
An unsettling feeling fell onto her shoulders. “What do you mean?”
“I know things were, let’s say, unpleasant with him when you first got here, but I’m pretty sure that had much more to do with him than you.”
She stared into the full wine glass, unable to take a sip. “Yeah.” That was an understatement. Now knowing all he’d endured and the misplaced guilt he suffered, his hostility toward her and volatility made sense. But she’d never betray his confidence by divulging his secrets.
“Look, I can’t give you details of club business, but we’ve all been concerned about Scott for months. The mood swings, the violent fights, the over-the-top reactions to any aggressive situations. It’s been clear for a while that something serious is going on with him, and it’s only natural to assume it’s a result of his career in special forces. Then you came along, and we find out his best friend was killed on their final mission, and it doesn’t take a detective to determine something traumatizing happened to him.”
“He’s been through a lot.” Understatement of the century. What Scott suffered, no human should ever hear about, let alone experience. If those events were able to break a man as strong and capable as Scott, they’d destroy most people.
“I’m sure it’s worse than anything I can imagine.” Brooke reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I’m so glad he’s been able to confide in you, Liv. In just a few short days, I’ve seen a lightness in him that was never there before. You’re so good for him. And to him.”
This conversation caused a physical ache deep inside her. While she’d been living a cushy life surrounded by luxury and wealth, Scott and her brother existed in hell. She’d forever regret the years she’d spent believing her father’s lies about her brother and how he’d been the one to sever ties to their family. As she’d grown, she learned the truth, but so many years had been wasted by then.
She wouldn’t make the same mistakes with Scott. She’d cherish every moment, every kiss, every touch. Part of that meant trusting him with her story as much as he trusted her with his. Even the buzz of wine couldn’t stem guilt from pummeling her.
She hadn’t outright lied, but she hadn’t been truthful either. Scott thought she was there, maybe nursing a wounded heart or making a petty statement. What he didn’t know could bring an enormous and deadly problem to his club’s door.
She shook her head and withdrew her hand from Brooke’s grasp with a heavy sigh. “You give me way too much credit, Brooke. Credit I don’t deserve. I haven’t been anywhere near as forthcoming with Scott as he’s been with me. He doesn’t even know the real reason I’m here.”
Brook cocked her head and studied Olivia. After a few seconds, it became difficult to keep from squirming under her assessing stare.
“If I had to guess, I’d say you and your fiancé didn’t break up. You ran from him for whatever reason. And you’re terrified of being discovered.”
Olivia gasped. She glanced around, suddenly feeling exposed and unprotected.
“It’s okay,” Brooke said, reaching out again. “I’ve pretty much thought this from the first time I met you. There’s a reason my house is like a fortress. And I’m not judging. I’ve been there.”
The house was safe. Right. Lance had no idea where she was. Despite the increasing text messages and emails, he didn’t know. Because if he did, she wouldn’t be receiving typed communication. She had no doubt he’d make an appearance in person.
“H-how did you know?”
Brooke’s smile saddened. “I’ve been there, Liv. And I recognize some of the signs. Every time your phone chimes, you get this terrified look on your face. And you never talk about your ex. Usually, after a breakup, some man-bashing is expected. But you’ve never once brought him up. You don’t contact anyone who was in your life before you showed up here. And you shut down any conversation about your life. At first, I wondered if you kept things locked up because of Scott, but then I remembered how I was when I first moved away from my psychotic ex-husband.”
