“They were very kind to me.”
“You sound surprised by that fact.”
Doubt crept into my mind, polluting it with anxiety. “I’m a Sartori.”
“They’re not going to hold you accountable for his actions. You were a child when you were taken. You had no choice in the matter.” He gripped my right shoulder, much as Rand had done for Becca, and told me, “Not everyone is strong enough to look back on their lives and ask themselves the hard questions.”
“Like how big of an idiot do you have to be to stay in an abusive relationship before you’re considered TSTL?”
“The thing about those relationships is, they often start out normal. Even when they get twisted, they’re stillyournormal. Especially if you have nothing for comparison. Why would a kid think their parents, the people who are supposed to love them more than anyone, want to hurt them? It takes time and often a fresh perspective to understand the actions and motivations you’ve been trained to view asnormalaren’t. Not even close. That’s why Sartori kept you isolated from your peers. It’s easier to control someone if they have no one else in their corner.” He patted me once then dropped his arm. “That doesn’t make you too stupid to live. It makes you human. Just like everybody else.”
“Thanks,” I rasped, still figuring out what to do with this new side of Liam that was actually nice to me.
“The Walshes aren’t perfect. Not the clan, and certainly not the family. But we love each other, support each other, and encourage each other as best we can. We don’t get that right all the time either, but it’s about the effort, you know? As long as you’re putting in the work, things will get better.”
“That sounds like a nice philosophy.”
“Good.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “You’re family, Ana, so you’re stuck with our motto.”
Throat closing as I struggled with a response, I managed to get out, “I can live with that.”
“Why did you follow me?” He raked his hair off his forehead with a practiced swoop. “Do you have some weird obsession with me?”
Yeah. Uh-huh.Iwas the one with an obsession.
Not the guy who walked clear across town with a weak excuse like checking to see if I had my phone when he knew Rían wouldn’t have let me out of the house today of all days without it, just to put eyes on Sloane.
“Sloane asked me to get a message to Seamus. She’s waiting with Jess at the ballpark. She’s requesting a pickup, if possible. Jess overheated quicker than I anticipated, and she’s having a tough time cooling down.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “I’m heading to GSG to pour her an ice bath.”
“I’ll send Seamus over ASAP. He’s at the gas station, I think, but he’ll be back anytime now.”
The days of passing messages by word of mouth would soon be over. One call or text, and we would cut out the middleman. Aside from Sloane, who openly stalked me via a friend-tracking app, I wondered if Rían or Liam would ask for the same consideration. To be allowed to track my movements.
Given the way things were going, and the fact Carmichael had gone quiet, I might offer whether they asked or not. Asked? Yeah, right. They were too sneaky for...
Damn it.
I bet a bit of sleight of hand was the reason for Liam’s earlier endearment.
Coz my foot.
A quick check proved he had not only added his contact info but himself to the friend tracking app too.
Though he could have asked me first, I wasn’t mad about it.
When I first suggested using my lingering pack bond to track Carmichael down, it had seemed like a good idea, but the reality was much scarier. If Carmichael got his hands on me again, I wouldn’t have the advantage of him taking me to the pack lands, where I knew my way around. And I wouldn’t get the same darling-daughter treatment I had in the past. Not that my reception had been warm last time either.
Odds were good with his prize back in his sights, and Rían’s dedication to me as his proof I could shift, he would rather dissect me than risk losing out on his own personal wish factory again.
“Good deal.” I waved and set out for GSG, pausing when Becca fell in step with me. “Hello again.”
“Liam asked me to walk you to GSG and stick around until Sloane arrives.” She ducked her head. “If that’s all right with you.”
“I don’t mind the company.” I rubbed the base of my neck. “It’s smart to have someone with me. I should have thought to ask you or Rand myself, but I’ve gotten spoiled to the idea of Brentwood as a safe zone.”
Though, given the recent car bombing, I was reminded of how often safety was an illusion.
“It’s nice here.” She sucked in lungsful of air. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is like living in one of those Hallmark movies. Brentwood is adorable.” She beamed up at me. “I can’t wait to see what you guys do for Christmas. I bet there are parades and holiday markets and food stalls and?—”
