Big fat lie.If that had been the only reason, I would’ve been able to keep my gaze on his, and Icouldn’t.
I studied the cowhide rug, discreetly running a knuckle along my cheeks, then took a fortifying breath and lifted my gaze. “How much are you going to payme?”
His piercing stare swept over my face. For a moment, he neither answered nor moved. Then he leaned back in the chair, crossed one foot over the other, and bounced his legs as though annoyed I’d brought up payment. “How much do youwant?”
“Fivegrand.”
“Perweek?”
I blinked, whipping my gaze to his. “No. Intotal.”
He stilled his legs. “I’ll give you five grand today and the sum ofmychoice when we win theduel.”
“Liam, I don’tneed—”
“Without wanting to sound cocky, I have more money than I could ever spend already. If I win, well those zeroes are going to addup.”
“Good for you and for the pack, but that’s not why I’m doingthis.”
The steadiness of his gaze was unnerving. “Why are you doingthis?”
“I already told youwhy.”
“Tell meagain.”
I raked my hand through my hair. “Because I don’t want you todie.”
“Why don’t you want me to die? Don’t I deserveit?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve tortured you plenty in my thoughts for calling me atraitor.”
He snorted, and crazy as it sounded, Ismiled.
How far we’d come, him andme.
How far we still had to go,though.
I took my plate of food and balanced it on my knees. “Can we be clear about one thing? This isn’t a game to me. I want to save your life, and the reason I want to save it is because you don’t seem to care what happens toit.”
That sobered himup.
I bit into a chunk of cheese. “I have some leftover Sillin from LA. I haven’t refrigerated it, but it’s still in the packaging. You think it’s stilleffective?”
He picked up his plate and cut into his steak. “If it’s from the same batch you slipped my father, then yes, it’s stilleffective.”
Guilt spread through me. Heath hadn’t deserved to live, yet I regretted having a hand in his death. “You think Morgan will release Julian’s body to hisfamily?”
“Not if she poisoned him.” He uncapped his water bottle and took a swig. “Unless she was certain the Sillin was no longer in hisblood.”
“How long would thattake?”
“Depends on thedose.”
“I guess it doesn’t actually matter,” I ended up saying. “Once we test the Sillin out ourselves, we’ll know whether she used it ornot.”
2
After discussingother ways Cassandra Morgan might’ve won the duel—Sillin-free ways—Liam dropped me off in front of the apartment I shared with Jeb on the top floor of a two-storyhouse.
