“I’m well aware of that,” I smirked.
“As far as your question, I’m not really sure what to tell you. That was before my time.”
“Wait, I thought he died when you were young?”
“He did, but I didn’t know him from a hole in the wall. Other than him yelling at us to get off his property, it wasn’t like we were over at his house all the time.”
“And is that normal? Yelling at kids to get off his property?”
A small chuckle slipped from his lips as he stared off into the distance. “You could say that. Especially with the shit we got up to.”
“And his brother? John?”
Shaking his head, he sighed. “When we were young, it was perfectly normal for us to be hopping from one property to the next. We hung out with his kids all the time.”
“Austin and Clay.”
He nodded. “Until the accident, we were all thick as thieves. Well, Austinbecame a little strange, but I never thought he would turn into the psychopath he is today,” he bit out, his demeanor immediately turning dark.
Considering Liam was only here because Parker and I pulled him out of that fire, I couldn’t say I blamed Liam for the anger he held toward Austin. Well, that and the fact that Austin was threatening Bailey, and he’d lost her because of the asshole.
“Do you think that psychosis runs in the family?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me, but again, I never really knew Jim.”
“And John?”
His jaw hardened again. “Mean as fuck, but I wouldn’t say he’s anything like Austin.”
I nodded, looking back at the falls. It wasn’t hard to imagine what Liam was going through, to be so close to having everything you wanted, only to have it all ripped out from underneath you.
I’d been through that, and now, Parker and I were happy and living the life we had imagined. Well, aside from the monkey wrench I recently tossed into the whole thing.
“Well, I’ve got more work to do. I’ll see you later.”
“Blake!” Liam called as I walked away.
Turning, I raised my chin slightly, waiting as he considered his words carefully.
“Just remember that you have a baby on the way.”
“I know,” I answered, wondering what he was getting at.
“Be careful what you start digging into.”
That sounded an awful lot like a threat, but considering what Liam had just been through, I was certain his words had more to do with his concern for his brother than anything else.
“I will.”
Glancing in the rearview mirror, I watched as Liam sat on the bed of his truck, staring at the river. He seemed so lost, but then again, that wasn’t surprising since he lost the woman he loved. With so much tragedy and heartbreak surrounding this family, it was no wonder they all clung together.
I let his words sink in as I drove toward the front of the ranch.
Be careful what you start digging into.
My mind immediately went to the last days I spent at the bureau, how everything seemed so cloaked in mystery and deceit. The lies I had been fed led me to Parker, and where I was today, but the sacrifice to get here had been almost more than I could bear.
I shivered as I felt the rush of cold water being poured over my face, the feel of my lungs burning as I desperately held my breath, praying I didn’t die.
