Then the rusted warehouse door creaked open on its hinges, and Sean stepped inside, his eyes darting between me and Liam. He saw my hands tied with wire, and the barrel of Liam’s gun facing me.
What the hell was he doing here?
“Sean,” Liam growled, “this doesn’t concern you. Leave—now.”
Sean didn’t budge. Instead he slowly raised his hands, palms out, and stepped closer to me. “Liam, listen to me,” he began, his voice measured. “This doesn’t have to play out like this. You’ll be sending the Romanos after us like flies to a carcass if you kill him, and without Max, you know they won’t spare your daughter.”
Liam’s eyes flicked to Sean and then back to me. “You think there’s a way out for him after everything he’s done? After everything he’s taken?”
“Think about Rose,” Sean continued, his voice almost pleading. He too knew I was about to die. “She wouldn’t want his. This isn’t what she needs, and you know that.”
The mention of Rosalie seemed to hit its mark. Liam’s hand tightened around the gun, his knuckles turning white once more. I watched him, trying to gauge his next move, knowing everything was hanging by a thread.
“Thisiswhat she needs. She begged me to find a way out of this marriage. This is how I’m going to do it.”
My eyes slammed shut.
How had it come to this? I’d tried so hard, hadn’t I? I replayed every conversation and every gesture, searching for the missteps; the moments I could have done better. But it all seemed so futile now.
Maybe it was my fault for thinking I could change her mind. Maybe I’d overestimated my ability to make her see the truth. Or maybe, deep down, I’d always known no matter what I did, it would never be enough. Rosalie had built walls around her heart, and I’d been naïve to think I could tear them down.
Her distrust had been a problem since the beginning, and I’d be a dead man in a matter of seconds.
Then Sean appeared at my side, his movements quick. He was determined to untangle the wire binding my wrists together.
Why was he helping me? Did he want to get himself killed?
Liam’s voice cut through the air. “What the hell are you doing, Sean?”
Sean didn’t answer right away, his focus solely on untangling the wire. It cut deep into my skin as he worked, but I could hardly feel the pain anymore. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my mind raced to catch up.
“Sean, stop,” Liam demanded. His face was contorted with rage, but there was something else in his eyes—doubt, and maybe even betrayal.
Sean didn’t hesitate, finally pulling the last of the wire free from my wrists. My hands throbbed with pain. I flexed my fingers, trying to shake off the numbness.
The gun in Liam’s hand moved down slightly, and I dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, Sean was getting through to him. My family would spare none of the Clarkes, and that included Rosalie.
Liam’s face twisted as I watched him closely, trying to gauge his reactions. To be honest, I wasn’t sure there was a way out of this. Liam wouldn’t be happy until I was dead—that much was certain. He needed my death like he needed air; like he needed to prove he was still in control, still the one calling the shots. But he wasn’t, and neither was I.
Sean moved slightly, positioning himself between Liam and me. “Liam,” he begged, “think this through.”
But then Liam moved, the gun in his hand steadying as he pointed the barrel at me again.
My heart sank as I realized he’d made his decision.
CHAPTER 51
ROSALIE
Every minute stretched into a small eternity filled with my relentless racing thoughts and endless what-ifs.
I hated not knowing.
The sliver of light from the door seemed to mock me. It was nothing but a painful reminder of the barrier that kept me from seeing what was happening.
For as long as I could remember, my father had painted the Romanos as a family driven by greed and deception. In his words, everything was black-and-white, and the Romano’s fell squarely in the category of “enemy.” His words had shaped my understanding of them, but now, it didn’t feel so simple. The lines between right and wrong, love and loyalty, were far more blurred than I’d ever imagined.
Max didn’t seem like the monster my father made him out to be. He was someone I’d grown to care for; someone who’d shown me a side of himself that didn’t fit the narrative I’d been taught to believe.
