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My face flushes as I think about what had been going on in Priest’s room earlier.
“I see those feelings might be mutual,” Blair chirps. “It’s about time Priest found someone.”
“About time?”
Blair nods. “Priest has always been different from the others. He doesn’t chase women. Hell, I wondered if he even liked them.”
I gape back at her, unable to hide my surprise. “You did?”
“Yep. But I suspect he was waiting for someone like you.”
The heavy wooden door to the meeting room swings open then, and men wearing suits file out, followed by members of the Black Hoods. Several of the guys join their women in the sitting area. The love shared between these couples is apparent to everyone, even me. There’s love here. Safety. Children.
A pang of guilt punches me in the gut. I would have missed out on all of this had stayed holed up in Priest’s room. I guess I can thank my brother for forcing me out of the safety of the room.
Liam emerges, a scowl plastered on his face. Priest is hot on his heels, but passes him as he stalks toward me.
“We need to talk,” Liam says, his eyes on me. “Now.”
Priest turns, putting himself between us yet again. “You need to ask her if she even wants to talk to you, asshole. If she doesn’t, you respect her fucking decision.”
“It’s okay,” I tell them both, rising from the couch.
“You’re sure?” Priest asks, reaching for my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Want me to join you?”
I do. God, I do. But I need to handle this on my own. “No, it’s better if I talk to him alone.”
Priest analyzes my statement, clearly unhappy with my decision, but he doesn’t argue. He just nods in agreement. “You can use the meeting room. It’s clear now.”
Without a word, Liam whips around and heads back to the meeting room, slipping through the open door.
You can do this, Boo… Bria…
Dread washes over me as I stare at the door. I have to do this. Not only for me, but for him. He lost a sister, and I lost everything. He deserves the truth of what happened as much as I deserve the truth of what happened to our family.
“The offer still stands,” Priest reminds me, his body a warm presence at my side.
I sigh, dragging in a lungful of oxygen and courage. “No, I need to do this on my own.”
Taking my hand, he leads me to the open door, stopping just short of stepping inside himself. “I'll be right out here.”
He ushers me into the room and steps out, closing the door as he goes. It clicks as the latch catches, and I jump a little at the sudden noise. Liam sits in one of the empty chairs, his hands splayed across the large meeting table in the middle of the room. He doesn’t look up when I enter.
“You wanted to talk,” I say softly. “So here I am, Mr. Collins.”
“Liam. You can call me by my given name.” He doesn’t move a single inch. His gaze never shifts from the hard, wooden table in front of him. “I need to know,” his deep voice growls, the words cut off with a quivering gulp. “How long?” His tone is even sharper now. Sharp enough to cut the glass on the windows behind him. “How long did it go on?”
I move toward him then, still wary, but hating the pain I hear in his voice. “The day I turned eighteen. Or, at least, when they told me I turned eighteen. To be honest, I don’t even know when my birthday is.”
Liam groans, his fist slamming against the table. He recoils the second after the strike hits, cradling his hand against his chest.
I cry out, more from surprise than from fear. “Liam, your hand.” I move closer to him, but he pulls away from me, shaking his head, and still not meeting my eyes. Is what happened to me so disgusting that even my own brother won’t let me comfort him?
“I’m going to kill them for what they did to you, every last fucking one of them. That club is going to burn in hell for all of this.” Red hot anger has the veins in his neck popping out farther with each passing second, the tattoos there doing nothing to hide them. “For taking you away from our family.”
“So, you’re going after them,” I surmise. “You and the club?”
“Fucking right we are.”
