His expression was rife with despair.
I knew how highly he thought of his friend, the man who had taken him in.
No, there was no way that could be right.
“Maybe Junior’s lying.”
“It’s possible. He claims Spencer made an offer, and then Junior stabbed him in the back, took our names and kept his money, since Spencer was a part of the original mission that killed his father.”
“You can’t believe that.”
“I don’t know what to believe right now. It’s hard to believe he would have given us that clue about who had killed him if that were the case. At the same time, maybe he just wanted to get Blackmore back for double-crossing him.”
It was clear he was left questioning Spencer’s loyalty.
“What does everyone else think?”
He shrugged. “They’re surprised, but they didn’t know him, how he was…or why I would have trusted him with my life. But then I keep reminding myself, do we ever really know anyone?”
I could hear the defeat in his tone, a reflection on the life he’d lived, learning not to trust people.
If Spencer really had betrayed his confidence, put Liam at risk like that, then fuck him. If he hadn’t, then fuck Blackmore for lying—not just for gunning for Spencer’s reputation, but for leaving Liam questioning what seemed like the only man Liam had allowed himself to trust or get close to. I wanted to believe that Liam’s friend hadn’t betrayed him, but considering the sort of work he was involved in, it was easy to understand why Liam’s faith was rattled.
He shook his head, his expression stiffening. I could tell it wasn’t from the emotions within him quieting. No, it was a deliberate effort—over the years, he’d learned to shelve his emotions.
“Enough on that,” he said. “I still have you.”
The way he said it, it was like he was clinging to the only hope he had left in the world. That wasn’t right. He should have known there were other good people. He deserved to have them in his life, in his past. Everyone did.
“You have more than just me. You have Eric too,” I assured him. “And we’re not going anywhere, Liam.”
He took my face in his hand, stroking gently. “I’ll make this all up to you, Pretty Thing.”
“You don’t have to make up for anything. I’ve enjoyed every moment we’ve spent together.”
“Enjoyed every moment?” he queried. “Ty, that’s ridiculous. You can’t tell me you were willing to put up with all that—every shitty thing that has happened since we’ve gotten to know each other—just to understand me. Are you out of your mind?”
“Out of my mindfor you. And yes, this whole thing has been so fucked up…and I felt like I was getting a crash course in way more than I bargained for, but I don’t care as long as I get to be with you.”
I could tell by the way he looked at me that he was starting to grasp the intensity of my feelings, how deeply I meant them. Although, I was certain he could never fully understand.
He sighed. “Speaking of which, that brings us to: what the hell do we donow?”
“I’ve been thinking about that while you were interrogating Junior, and I figured it out.” He tilted his head, clearly interested in my thoughts. “You’re gonna cuddle me, Liam. You’re gonna cuddle me so fucking hard.”
He burst into a laugh. As his smile returned, I felt I’d earned it for being able to shake him out of the state he was in.
“It’s the least I’ve earned. Come on. You didn’t think I was going to use all this as a way to trick you into cuddling me hard?”
“You don’t have to trick me into doing that.”
“Good, because I noticed you doing it the other night, and I liked it.”
“I thought you wouldn’t notice.”
“No, you didn’t,” I called him out on his lie.
His grin broadened even more, and again, I felt like a winner.
