The look that stained his eyes scared me. Liam backed away and exited the room. A moment later, Lucas came backinside.
I sank onto my bed and hung my head in myhands.
I hadn’t thought this day could get any worse, but apparently itcould.
8
“He’s goingto force him to leave, isn’t he?” I askedLucas.
“Hopefully he’ll concentrate on Everest and Aidan and deal with yourbondlater.” His cheek dimpled. Unlike me, he didn’t have dimples, so I guessed he was worrying the inside of his mouth. “This makes me glad Taryn and I aren’t together. You girls screw with ourfocus.”
“You and Taryn broke up? When did thathappen?”
“A couple daysago.”
I didn’t like Taryn, but I didn’t like Lucas much either, so I’d found them well-suited. “Were you together a longtime?”
A fly buzzed around my desk before landing on the landscape painting behind Lucas’shead.
“Long enough for it tohurt.”
I sensed she’d done the breaking up, but I didn’t pry. I got up and rubbed my hands on my jeans. “I need to gowork.”
“You’re not planning on visiting Aidan, are younow?”
“No.” I snorted softy. “I’m vindictive but notsuicidal.”
“Then I don’t have to trail your ass through theinn?”
“You can try, but I know the place better than you, so good luck with that.” I shot him a smile. “If you’re bored, though, I can fetch you a featherduster.”
“Hard pass. I was going to hit thegym.”
“Don’t you have ajob?”
“You are myjob.”
I jerked my head up so fast the pen I’d stabbed through my makeshift bun poked my skull. “You can’t beserious.”
“As a heart attack. Until Everest is ki—caught.”
“Killed?” Icroaked.
“Caught.”
My heart held as still as the fly perched on the painted stream. “But you were going to saykilled. . . ”
“Does itmatter?”
“Itdoes.”
“Don’t you want him todie?”
“I want Aidan Michaels todie.”
“NotEverest?”
“I don’t know how I feel about my traitorous cousin right now. I don’t understand his motivations for any of this. I thought it was Becca, but he got with this other girl while Becca was in a coma, so I don’t know . . . ” I toed the corner of the plush beige rug. “Speaking of the other girl: is a college directory open to thepublic?”
