Page 30 of His Price

“Of course,” Liam says.

I note the little twinkle in his eyes. “And of course, I don’t believe that at all. I’m not even sure why I asked.” I heave a long sigh and stop just outside of Jackson’s office, beginning to wonder if bringing Liam here was the biggest mistake of all. Though he’s right—we need to do this together. “Whatever happens, do not hit him. Promise me that, at least.”

Liam frowns.

“Liam,” I snap.

“Aria,” he says with tight grin.

“For me. Promise me.”

His jaw clenches. “I promise not to hit him square in his lying mouth.”

I smile because, really, what else can I do? “I heard a promise in there so that’s all that matters.” Ready to get this over with, I lift my chin and enter Jackson’s office but I stop short when I discover his chair empty.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Liam says from behind me.

I turn to him, and just when I’m about to voice my concern, my cellphone beeps, indicating a text message. I grab my cell from my handbag and glance at the screen, convinced I must be seeing things wrong. “Holy shit!”

“What is it?” Liam moves closer.

I blink, speechless, and turn the screen to face him.

Liam’s gaze roams over the message, and I swear every single word he absorbs deepens the rage in his stormy eyes. I totally get it. Even I’m still taking in the text from Mallory, trying to understand.

Jackson is my date. Yeah, you read that right. P.S. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this, girl!

When I’d gotten home on Sunday, I told Mallory everything about Liam and me, minus what Jackson had done to Liam. She’d listened and hugged me, telling me everything would be all right. Yesterday I stayed the night at Liam’s, sending her a text after she was done with work letting her know where I was, and another text early this morning wishing her well on her date. Both times, her replies were quick but full of love. “I don’t get this. Jackson kept his buying Mallory a secret? He changed the dates to be with her this week instead of on the weekend.” I glance at Liam. “Why?”

Positively rich masculine anger peppers the air. “You know why, Aria.”

Sadly, I did. I think I simply didn’t want to accept it. “To punish you,” I offer. “He wanted you to be back at work so you would have to see her empty desk and know she was with him.”

Liam nods. “And he couldn’t leave on Monday because of the Bakker deal.” He gestures to his phone. “Call her. Immediately.”

With shaky hands, thinking of my sweet best friend who doesn’t deserve to be drawn into their dark and cruel past, I press her phone number in the text. The call goes immediately to voicemail. “She’s not answering. What do we do?” I ask, breathless.

“What can we do?” Liam says, more of a statement than a question. He begins to pace the room back and forth before finally stopping and facing me. “We wait until she gets back, and we hope that this fucking game he’s playing hasn’t hurt her.”

My head is spinning. “Why would he do this to her?” I can’t get a grip on that.

Liam gives me a knowing look. “Because he knew that I would get through to you this weekend. He knew that you would believe me, not because it’s a game but because it’s the truth. And I’m sure he realized that you would perceive him differently. I can only imagine he’s with Mallory to spin some story that will get her on his side. Because that’s the game he plays.”

My heart can’t accept that. “I can’t imagine Jackson doing that, though.”

Liam tilts his head. “I couldn’t imagine him fucking the girl I planned to marry either.”

I raise my hand to my mouth, sick over this. “What if he hurts her?” I barely manage. Mallory would be used terribly because of me. Because of Liam. Because of us.

Liam frowns, eyes dark. “Then I’m afraid that promise I made to you earlier not to punch him will become null and void.”

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