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“I’m ready to go. I can’t do this. I’m not going to be blamed for something I didn’t do.” Her voice is torn and lost. “Bryan, let’s go.”
Liam grips her arm and pulls her forward, his teeth grinding against each other as he spits, “You owe me an answer!”
She laughs. “I don’t owe you shit. You fucked with my head for two days. You made me believe you cared… and all you wanted was your stupid fucking jewels!” Her voice is loud. She’s losing control.
He grips her tighter, his teeth clenched. “You know I want you more than all of that… but you’re lying to me, Beth. I don’t like to be lied to.”
She laughs. “No one does, Liam, but here we are.”
Jack steps in, squaring up with Liam. “I’ll figure this out and get the gems back to you. You have my word.” He reaches his hand out toward Liam, whose expression has gone void.
“I had a man’s word once before and, well, his head is no longer attached to his body.”
Jack unlatches his watch and hands it to Liam. “It’s only worth fifty grand. It’s an antique. It’s not much, but maybe it will buy us a few days.”
Liam holds the vintage Rolex in his hand, studying the make and build. His dark eyes draw to Beth. “Last chance to be honest. If I take the deal your brother’s giving me, there’s no going back to where we were.”
She narrows her gaze and tucks behind Jack, her hand in mine. “There’s nothing to lose, Liam.”
I know that’s not true, she knows that’s not true, and I’m pretty sure by the look on Liam’s face, he didn’t believe that to be true either.
Deafening silence fills the room where bullets were flying a few minutes earlier. Finally, Liam lifts his hand to meet Jack’s before he turns away. No words are spoken except seven that I know tear Beth apart.
“Get her the hell out of here.”
Chapter Nine
Beth
I sit in Jack’s truck and listen to the engine rumble beneath my feet. He’s disappointed in me. I can see it in the lines of his face, and I know a lecture is coming.
“What the fuck were you thinking? Why the hell did you lie to the man, Beth? You could’ve settled this in Florida and saved yourself andmethe fucking trouble. And what’s with the way he was looking at you?”
He continues talking, but I lose myself in the moon as it filters through the trees and drowns in the lake. It’s a scene from a movie. A shitty movie where the girl is a complete idiot and most definitely does not getanyof the guys. I can’t even see going back to Bryan after this. I don’t deserve him.
Jack continues his lecture from the front seat of the truck as I stare toward the cabin. The windows are open. Dex is in the kitchen, pulling a beer from the fridge. His large frame leans against the back counter and he crosses his arms one over the other, as though he’s in thought, probably wondering what the hell my problem is.
I don’t blame him.I’m wondering what my problem is.
A few rooms away, Liam sits behind a dark live edge desk staring at the wall in front of him. In his hand, he holds a small glass of brown liquid. His shirt is unbuttoned, his firm chest on display as he swirls the crystal in small circles.
I think of what he told me in the hall earlier tonight,‘I want something more precious than those jewels.’Hemeantwhat he said. He’d rather have me than the twenty-six-million-dollar family heirloom he’d lost.
He opened up to me. The big, murderous man who, according to Dex, opens up to no one, opened up tome.I rewarded him by withholding everything I know.Great job, idiot.
Tears streamdown my face, and my stomach convulses with regret. The truck rolls back as Jack continues to talk.
God, I’m so fucking stupid!
I contemplate the thought of Liam forgiving me with a spanking, but I doubt that’s reality. The only reality here is the one where I’m a mess and everyone knows it.
“Beth!” Jack bites, pulling me out of the drama in my head. “You gotta tell me what you did. I can’t help if you don’t listen.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and stare at my older brother. We text every day, but it’s been months since I’ve seen him. He’s changed. His beard is longer, and his muscles are thicker, like he’s been doing more work outside.
“Are you still working on the cabin?”
“Beth!” he shouts. “You’re starting to piss me off. Tell me what you want to do!”
