My head snaps up and panic drenches me instantly when I hear the bottom step outside creak.
Chapter fifty
BECKETT
Islamthefrontdoor so hard it bounces right back open again. The framed photo of the three of us at our first playoff game rattles against the wall. Pierce trails behind me, gently closes the door, and fiddles with the picture frame until it’s straight.
“Liam! Where the fuck are you?”
Seconds later, Liam appears in the hallway, hair still dripping, gray sweatpants slung low on his hips and a faded T-shirt clutched in one hand. His eyes dart between me and Pierce.
“What’s happening?” he asks, slipping the shirt over his head, instantly shifting into problem-solving mode.
“How dare you.”
“What?” The color drains from Liam’s face.
“How fucking dare you let Pierce believe he killed Reed all these years?” I stalk into the kitchen to pace around the island counter.
Liam freezes, one hand still adjusting his collar. The mask of composure slips for just a fraction of a second.
“You let him believe it?” I push off the counter. I didn’t take the time to stretch out, and my muscles are cramping as they cool. “For years, you’ve watched him tear himself apart over this, and you just… what? Decided that was fine?”
“You think I haven’t tried?” He gestures at Pierce without looking at him. “I’ve spent years trying to convince him it wasn’t his fault. That something else happened. But no, Pierce is a dick and has refused to deal with it.”
Pierce slinks into the kitchen, one hand deep in his jeans pocket, the other gingerly touching his nose.
“What actually went down? Were you there?”
“Not when it happened.” Liam runs his fingers through his wet hair, then grabs a dishtowel to dry them. “He came home covered in blood, saying he’d killed Reed. Talking crazy.”
Pierce seems to shrink beside me, shoulders curving inward. I turn to him, sudden fury making my hands shake.
“And then you show up on my doorstep, telling me he died in a car accident?”
Liam blows out a long breath and hangs his head, gripping the edge of the counter.
“Yeah. That was a mistake. I was young and dumb and scared, and I made a bad choice.
I blow out a breath too, and pace in tight circles with my hands on my hips, trying to burn off the added adrenaline. “I had money for lawyers, private investigators. I would have fixed it all.” My voice breaks on the last word.
“You would have walked away. I would have ruined your career,” Pierce says, his voice flat.
I whip around to face him. “Look me in the fucking eye and tell me you think my career means more to me than you do.”
“I couldn’t,” Pierce whispers, not looking at me, of course. “I couldn’t drag you down with me.”
“You didn’t trust me. Great.” I scrub my face with my hands.
“It wasn’t about trust,” Liam interjects. “It was about protecting you.”
“I didn’t need protection then, I don’t need it now. I’m a goddamn alpha.”
“I thought I’d killed my best friend.” Pierce leans against the wall, looking like he might slide to the floor at any moment. Softer, much softer he adds, “I couldn’t lose you too.”
“Okay, fine, we’ll unpack this more later. What about the blackmail?” I say. “Who do you think is behind it?”
“Has to be Randal, Reed’s father,” Pierce says.
