I watch them go until they disappear through the doors.
Then I pull away and circle until I find a short-term parking lot.
I just sit there for a while, gripping the wheel, breathing in and out, trying to calm down.
I have a son.
I still love Emma Reyes.
She might hate me now because of all this damn chaos. And if her sister dies because of what happened?
Holy hell.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to live with that.
30
LIAM
When my phone rings,I almost jump out of my skin. I expect it to be Emma with an update, but it’s Nikolai.
“Nik,” I say as I answer the call.
“Hopefully, you are far away from this shitshow by now.”
“At the hospital,” I say. “What do you know about Emma’s sister? I had to leave her on the lawn, and it...didn’t look good.”
“She was alive when they took her,” he answers. “I heard them on the radio ahead and say she was in critical condition. You are there now?”
“I dropped Emma and her – our son at the door. I just parked.”
“Liam, this was messy, I will not lie,” Nik says. “Messier than planned.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t know who else to call for help.”
“There’s no need to be sorry,” Nik says. “They broke many rules. What happened was… unavoidable. Marcus was in the house, by the way. He’s alive and in our custody. We have… otherquestions for him. But if you need an outlet for your frustrations, you’re welcome to stop by. I won’t stop you.”
A hot, dark pulse of rage spikes through me.
For a second, IseeMarcus tied to a chair, me putting my fist through his face over and over until he feels even a fraction of what Emma felt. Until he understands what it’s like to hear a child scream for their mother and not be able to reach her.
My hand tightens around the phone. My jaw clenches.
“Oh, I want to,” I admit. “You have no idea how much I want to. I could end him for what he did. For what he almost did.”
Nik doesn’t respond, but I canfeelhis approval through the silence.
“But…” I let out a harsh breath. “Emma and Laddie come first. They need me here. They need me whole. I can’t waste time breaking Marcus when my family’s still trying to recover.”
“The invitation stands,” Nik says.
“Yeah,” I reply, blowing out a breath. “I appreciate you.”
But right now?
I chose Emma.
I choose Laddie.
