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We all chat and make small talk, but my mind is elsewhere. I can't wait to get this Liam situation sorted out and find out what he knows. I know Lennon is likely feeling the same. Neither of us is good at this small talk stuff, so we mostly let the women chat as they plan to take a dip in the pool.
After a while, the women excuse themselves to change into their swimsuits, but Vasilisa makes an excuse to head back up to her room for a bit. Lennon and I head down to the security quarters. We find Liam sitting in a chair, looking nervous. His eyes flicker to me and then to Lennon, and I can see the sweat beads on his forehead.
“Good morning, Liam,” I say, taking a seat across from him. “How are you feeling today?” I want to see him squirm. If he was innocent, there would be no reason to.
“I’m fine, sir,” he replies, his voice shaking slightly. “Nice to see you, Lennon. How long are you visiting for?”
I ask the few lingering security men who haven't taken their posts yet to give us the room.
“I want to ask you a few questions about Shane,” I say, getting right down to business once they're gone. “How well did you know him?”
“I worked with him for a short bit about ten years ago,” Liam replies, his eyes darting between me and Lennon. “I had no idea he would be stupid enough to make a move on Vasilisa,” he reassures.
“And you didn't recognize him as an impostor?” Lennon asks, his voice cold.
“I...I hadn't seen him in a while,” Liam stammers.
“That's funny,” I say, leaning forward. “Because we have reason to believe that you were working with him recently. And that you knew he told Vasilisa that I am dangerous and could hurt her.”
Liam's eyes widen in fear, and I can see the sweat on his forehead increasing.
“I don't know what you're talking about, sir. I would never betray the family like that,” he says, trying to maintain his composure.
“You're lying, Liam,” I say, my voice just as cold as my brother’s. “And I don't take kindly to liars. In fact, there isn’t anything that I hate worse than a liar.”
With a nod to Lennon, we both make our way closer over to him. He tries to back away, but we grab him by the arms, pulling him to his feet.
“Now, let's try this again,” I say, my hand gripping his chin tightly. “What do you know about Shane, and why did you betray the family?”
Liam's eyes are widen with fear as he speaks, telling us everything.
“The guy you killed is Jack,” he says, turning to me. “He's Shane's younger brother. Shane was reported missing by his girlfriend, but he's not. He's on the run from some cartel he owes money to.”
“And so why did you fucking present Jack to me as Shane?”
“I've known Jack just as long as I've known Shane. He's taken a few bouncer gigs for clubs and has always been reliable. You needed one more security guy, and he needed a job. He'd reached out looking for work, and coincidentally, I was here in California. It was his idea to use his brother's identity to look better on paper to secure the job. At the time, I didn't see much harm in it. I was just trying to look out for my mate's little brother while Shane was on the run.”
“First of all, there is never any such thing as coincidences. What did you tell him about why I'm here?”
“I told him that you're a dangerous man and not to mess with you,” Liam admits, looking down in shame. “I thought it would keep him in line and make sure he didn't do anything stupid that would jeopardize the job.”
I let out a sigh of frustration. This was not what I wanted to hear. I release his chin before giving him a firm shove back into the chair.
“You should have known better. You have no idea what kind of situation you've put us all in,” I say, shaking my head. “Do you realize the jeopardy you've put on our plans?”
“I'm sorry,” he says, his voice cracking with emotion. “I never intended for things to get this out of hand. I just wanted to help Jack.”
“Helping someone doesn't mean betraying the family,” Lennon says, his voice equally as cold as before. He looks at me, and I nod my head in agreement. It's clear that Liam isn't a threat, but he is still responsible for his actions.
“We can't let this go unpunished,” Lennon says firmly.
I nod my agreement, turning back to Liam.
“You know the consequences of your betrayal,” I say, my voice firm and unyielding. “You will be stripped of your position and excommunicated from the clan.”
Liam's face pales at my words, but he nods his head in understanding.
“I accept your punishment,” he says quietly. “I only ask that you spare my family. They had nothing to do with this.”
