“We knew enough.”
Anger lashed through me. “What kind of man hears about an abusive bastard and does nothing?”
Liam spun around. A storm cloud brewed over his face. “Don’t be accusing me of sins I haven’t committed.” The mask clatteredon the bar cart, and he wrenched the bottle, debated pouring some, then abandoned the glass. He put the bottle to his lips and took a long pull. “We didn’t know your father was that vile until Connor caught you pointing a gun at him. Deceptive? Traitorous? Yes, but not that he was capable of laying a hand on his family.”
That lilting accent was thick. It curled over his tongue in a delicious, melodic way that would have made me eager to feel it against my skin.
I shook off the tempting warmth and latched onto the anger. “Oh, you showed him alright. I asked you to help us. You did nothing.”
Liam glared at me. “Nothing?”
He didn’t see it.
Dio sopra, he didn’t understand. He’d only made the matter worse. He thought he was being helpful by involving Don Morelli.
I should have been more specific. I should have—
I sighed. A thousand regrets flitted through my mind. It was no use.
“What’s that going to cost?” I demanded, shifting against the frame.
Liam swung the bottle between his fingers, considering the way the honey-colored liquid swirled. “I want the truth.”
The truth.
“If you wanted that, you should have killed my father,” I muttered.
“Bloodthirsty.” The devil smirked. “I love that about you, cailín.”
Papa’s death. I thought that was what I’d agreed to! But no, I remembered every word. I hadn’t been specific enough. It was all in the fine print.
I wasn’t even mad at this point. Liam did exactly what he said. I was safe. And he’d used the opportunity to make a power move by revealing that the Italian capo had been tracking him. It could have been so much worse for Don Morelli. But Liam stayed his hand.
A merciful beast.
No, if anything, I was numb, despairing that things were out of my control.
Liam prowled over. I forced myself to hold still as he stopped in front of me. Meeting his eye, I didn’t shrink from the gnarled visage that was his right side.
“A truth.” He held up one finger. “You’ll give me that much.”
Such a small thing.
I tipped up my chin. “What do you want to know?”
“Who’s your lover?” Something in my face must have given me away, because he reached for me but fisted his hand a moment later, dropping it to his side in a hiss. “I know there is someone. Who the fuck is he?”
“Was,” I corrected. “Augustino Renaldiwasmy lover. But that’s not the right word for it.”
Liam cocked his head. “What’s the right word?”
I didn’t want to point out that I’d already given him hisonetruth. It was better we bury this issue once and for all.
“Fuck boy?” I searched for another label to cover the pain, the betrayal, theragethat demon left behind. “Player? Entitled prick with sickly sweet words?”
“Augustino.” Liam tasted the name and dropped his hold. “Not Luca?”
My heart stilted.He didn’t earn that.
