There was only one local hospital large enough to take long-term patients with brain injuries, and Ellie had been there enough over the last few weeks; she probably knew the way in her sleep. Hell. They’d probably been there together, just a few floors apart.
She found a parking bay and turned off the engine before twisting in her seat to face him. “How are we going to do this?”
“We’re going to go in and find Liam.” And explain to him the consequences of bad choices.
Ellie laid her hand on his arm. “Do you really want to see yourself?”
Josh leaned back against his headrest. God, he was tired. Truthfully, he didn’t think he could see himself. He had no logical explanation. Not even a quip about the Upside Down. Just the same dread he’d had when he was looking for evidence of who he was. And a bone-deep knowledge that he absolutely could not go into that room.
“I can’t go into my room but—” He caught a glimpse of a tall man with dark hair and swallowed the rest. “Never mind. He’s here!”
They jumped out and jogged over to where Liam was making his way between rows of parked cars. “Liam!” Josh called. “Stop!”
His brother didn’t even pause.
“Liam!” Josh roared. But his brother didn’t respond at all.
Fuck. Shit. Damn it all. Liam couldn’t hear him.
Josh glanced at Ellie, already knowing she would understand.
“Liam! Liam Taylor!” she shouted.
Liam stopped and turned to face them, grimacing in confusion. “Who the—” He flinched bodily, stepping back. And then he turned away as if to run.
Ellie darted forward and got in his path before he could escape, just as Josh growled, reaching out to grab his arm. His hand went straight through Liam’s bicep with a spike of cold, and he flinched back at the same time Liam gasped out, “What the hell?”
Liam rubbed his arm roughly, trying to step around Ellie. But at least something of their childhood lessons had stuck, because he did it almost politely and completely ineffectively, before finally giving up and stopping in front of her.
At first glance, Liam looked largely the same as when Josh had seen him last. He had the same slightly too-long, dark, wavy hair. The same lean muscles. They were about the same height, but Liam had always come across as less intimidating than Josh. Liam was more charming. More friendly. More attractive.
Maybe that was part of the problem? Liam had always been a little too good-looking; cute enough to get away with hell as a child, and then handsome enough to continue getting away with it long past the age when he should have started to grow up. Long past the age when he should have stopped constantly looking for the easy way out of everything.
Liam sighed, his shoulders slumping. And, for the first time, Josh looked properly at his face, and then he couldn’t miss the changes. Liam looked as if he’d aged ten years overnight. Helooked as if he was grieving. Guilt and shame warred in his expression.
“You were in my house,” Ellie said softly.
She didn’t say, “And you tried to kill me,” which was where Josh would have started. But Liam couldn’t hear him.
Liam dragged his hand slowly down his face, his shoulders curling even more. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re not even going to deny it!” Josh muttered. How was he going to kill his brother when he couldn’t even touch him?
Ellie must have heard him, but she ignored his grumbling and focused on Liam. “Warren blackmailed you, didn’t he?”
Liam blinked at her. He clearly hadn’t expected her to know about Warren. But he didn’t pretend not to know what she was talking about. “He didn’texactlyblackmail me.”
“Then what the fuck did you do it for?” Josh demanded as Ellie raised her eyebrow.
“Warren said no one would get hurt. He guaranteed you would be in London overnight. He gave me a key to the back door; I didn’t even have to break anything. We could get what we needed to—” Liam cleared his throat, eyes darting away from her before coming back guiltily. “We needed you to sell the game. His girlfriend would get her share, and we would all get our money back. And you would walk away with a load of cash too. It would have been best for you too.”
“But I did get hurt!Wewere hurt,” Ellie snapped. “You broke into my house! How could you possibly convince yourself I wanted that?”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Liam replied. “It was just… I needed that cash. I thought there was a way for everyone to come out better off.”
“Cash! Money! Whatyouneed!” Josh stalked around his brother, wishing he could punch him in the fucking face. Wishing he wasn’t so bloody helpless.
“You did it all for money?” Ellie asked, echoing him, horror in her voice.
