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Liam wanted to drag the man out to the parking lot and settle things with his fists. Cora broke his nose. Finn knocked him out. It was only fair he got a turn. “The game is over, Magnus, and you’ve lost. You’re in no position of power, so I’d advise you to watch your tongue,” he said.
“Keep your advice for someone stupid enough to value it,” Magnus said with exaggerated boredom. He leaned back in his chair and checked the clock on the wall. “In fact, I’m done wasting my breath. My legal counsel will be arriving soon. I’ve nothing further to say to you.” He flicked his fingers at both of them. “Run along.”
Someone rapped on the two-way mirror. Boyd. It had surprised Liam that the captain didn’t want to lead the interrogation, but he knew Boyd was up to his neck dealing with the press and the mayor’s office. Every day that passed he looked more exhausted and anxious.
Liam and Cora joined Boyd out in the hallway. He looked as gruff as he always did, but this time there was a weariness etched into the fine lines of his face that made it seem as though he hadn’t slept in days. “That was a waste of time.”
“I know he hasn’t admitted to it, Captain,” Cora began. “But we feel there’s a strong possibility Magnus killed Lindsey. We’ll get it out of him.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, McLeod? I’m not interested in what youfeel.I’m interested in the facts.”
“The man has it in him,” Liam said flatly. He kept envisioning the scene at the lake as if he was watching everything play out in slow motion all over again. Magnus hauling his arm back and hitting Cora. Both of them falling into the water. Magnus breaking the surface for air. Cora lost in the murky depths. Every image was like a snapshot in his mind he’d never be able to forget. Just thinking about it made his heart race and his limbs feel shaky. Though Cora said she didn’t believe attempted murder was Magnus’s goal that night, Liam had no problem believing it. Perhaps Magnus hadn’t planned it, but he’d been visibly furious. There was no telling what he could’ve done to Cora in the heat of the moment. Magnus could’ve very easily killed Lindsey Albright, especially if she’d attempted to blow his cover and shatter the carefully concocted illusion he’d built around himself.
The door to the interrogation room opened, and the guard began escorting Magnus back to his holding cell.
Magnus smirked at Cora. “You had a chance to run with the big dogs, and you chose this?” He gestured to the bare hallway and cramped room, then gave a mirthless chuckle.
Liam stepped into his personal space and said, “You may think this is all very amusing, but I doubt you’ll be laughing when they haul you off to prison.”
Magnus looked unruffled. His gaze darted between Liam and Cora, then settled on Boyd. “I won’t go down for this.” The guard led him around the corner until all they could hear was Magnus shouting, “I didn’t kill anyone, and you know it. You even try to pin this on me, you won’t like what happens.”
“Recap in my office after lunch,” Boyd told them before striding away.
Cora blew out a breath. “Well, that was an exercise in futility.”
“Magnus is a piece of work, but you did well in there,” Liam told her as they headed back to the pen. “I enjoyed watching him squirm.”
“I did, too,” she admitted. “But I’ll enjoy everything a lot more once he’s behind bars for good.”
It wasn’t hard for Liam to convince Cora to have lunch with him at The Rusty Spoon. They both needed a break, and the restaurant’s lively atmosphere was a much-appreciated reprieve after dealing with Magnus.
They were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine, and Liam was thoroughly savoring his barbecue burger, when Cora suddenly put her fork down and said, “Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
Burger halfway to his mouth, Liam stopped and stared uneasily at his sandwich. “Elephant?”
“The kiss,” Cora said.
Liam’s eyes flew wide, and he fumbled with his napkin. “Ah. That.” What was he going to say? That it didn’t matter, and it was an accident? That he felt nothing for her? All of that would be a lie. He knew he should never have done it, butshehad kissedhim. Only a saint could’ve resisted, and heaven knew he was no saint. “What about it?”
She looked down at her hands folded on the table. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
Uncomfortable? God, yes, but not in a bad way. If she only knew how many times he’d replayed that moment, wanting to feel her lips on his again. And again. “I didn’t mind,” he managed. “Emotions were high, and you’d almost drowned.”
Cora looked troubled. “Yes, I suppose it’s common to resort to physical affirmations after one suffers through a potentially life-threatening ordeal.” If she was trying to convince herself this was the reason she’d kissed him, she didn’t appear to be doing a very good job of it.
“Yes to all that,” Liam said, though he knew it wasn’t that simple.
“But Liam...” A deep blush crept over her cheeks. She wasn’t at ease with this topic, but she soldiered on, because that was the type of woman she was. Fearless. “I can’t explain it, but sometimes when we’re together, it just seems like... Like we belong together. It just feels so comfortable and easy.” She shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. “I must sound crazy to you.”
“No.” He swallowed hard. “No, I understand what you mean.”
“Do you?” The hopeful, shy smile she gave him tore at his heart. “Do you feel the same way?”
This was the part where he could reel her in. Play the game and secure her affections for himself. This was everything he’d ever wanted with her, and for the first time since he came to Providence Falls, she finally wanted him back. But the angels’ warning came back to haunt him. Cora’s lives always ended in tragedy, and the only way to fix that was if Cora and Finn ended up together. Even if Liam didn’t understand why, he still recognized their union was part of a divine plan much bigger than himself. How did he compete with something of that magnitude?
The answer was simple.He couldn’t.He was sent here to do the right thing. Liam’s heart felt as if it were ripping at the edges. His stomach sank, and he braced himself for what he needed to do. He was suddenly so very angry. His conscience had never troubled him before. When the hell had he decided to become a bloody good person?
“Are you mad?” Cora asked uncertainly. “I’m sorry if I—”
