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Sighing, she dropped her arms to her sides. “I’m your best friend. I’ll always be on your side. I know how hard it is for you to be so close to Liam. But if it helps, I think he genuinely cares for you. He was desperate when he heard you’d been taken. He tore the city apart to get you back.”
Scoffing, I continued my search. “I think you’re forgetting one important fact here: he’s engaged to someone else and didn’t tell me about it.”
“I’m his sister. I know him. And no matter how much he acted like a butthole, he cares for you.”
The thought did nothing to make me feel better. “
Going to my friend, I put my good arm around her, gently hugging her to me. “Thank you for always being there for me.”
After hugging me back, she took my hand. “I’ll walk you down.”
We tiptoed out of the room and past a snoring Liam, who was sitting on the couch, head tilted to the side at an uncomfortable-looking angle. My feet felt heavy, each step that took me farther away from him harder than the last. But I had to leave, no matter if he cared for me or not. He’d lied to me. Was engaged to someone else.
The car was waiting as promised, and I sighed in relief that at least something was going right for once. Freya greeted Carter with a big hug and a warm smile. Kissing my cheek, she helped me into the back seat. “Call me when you land.”
Blowing her a kiss, I managed to lift the corner of my lips into a tentative smile. “Of course. Love you. Thanks for everything.”
“Love you more.”
Closing the door, she waited until we pulled away before she turned to head back inside.
Settling into my seat, I rested my forehead against the glass, my eyes blurry with unshed tears.
22
Liam
Freya shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. Her hair was sticking to the side of her head, and she had pillow creases on her face. Offering me a half-hearted wave, she went straight for the cabinet that held the mugs. “Morning.”
“Good morning. How is Quinn? Does she want coffee? Toast? Croissant? Or I could run down to the café and get her a muffin? Bagel?”
She gaped at me, her eyes wide, her hands suspended halfway to the cupboard. “Oh my God. You love her.”
It sounded like an accusation.
Shrugging, I filled the coffee machine with beans. “I do. So what?”
Freya gasped, then put a hand over her mouth. “I mean, I knew you cared for her, but I thought you were just passing the time until you had to get married.”
“When have you ever seen me waste time on a woman? Quinn is different.”
She dropped her gaze, tracing the tiles with the toe of her socked foot. “I guess it wasn’t a good idea that I helped Quinn get to the airport last night, then?”
My grip on the bag slackened, and beans spilled out onto the counter and floor. “You. Did. What?” My voice rose with each word, my anger shooting up to explosive.
Freya backed up, face pale. “She was devastated when she found out you were engaged.” She visibly swallowed. “She’s my best friend. I had to help her.”
“You missed an important piece of information in there.” Putting down the almost empty bag, I calculated how much of a head start Quinn had. “Iusedto be engaged.”
“What? Impossible. You signed a contract. And Russians don’t let you out of contracts.”
“Good thing Gabriel took over as head of the family, then.”
She blanched. “He did what?”
“He’s the new boss.”
Rushing to my bedroom, leaving a blinking Freya behind, I pulled out jeans, a shirt, and boxers. I was only in my sweatpants and hadn’t had a shower yet, but that could wait. As long as I was dressed, I could go after Quinn.
