Page 38 of Stolen Rebel

The words taste like betrayal, of Brian, of Liam, of myself. I hate it, I hate all of it, but right now, in this moment, it’s what I’ve got.

“Brian… H-h-he’s been watching Liam for years. Waiting for a reason to move.” My chest heaves, and I’m not acting. I need her to buy this, for all our sakes. “I’m the reason.”

She still doesn’t speak, so I keep going.

“If Liam finds out before I can get it under control—” My voice breaks. “This turns into a war.”

I beseech her with every ounce of bone-deep honesty I can muster. If I can get to her empathy, it might buy me some time. I don’t know what happened to her when she first met the Mahoneys, but I can tell it wasn’t an easy journey.

She tucks the phone into her back pocket. “We’re going to talk. I’ll hear you out, then I’ll decide what to do. Okay?”

I nod, my tears streaming off my trembling jaw and onto my top.

A stair creaks behind me right as something touches my arm. A scream rips from me as I swing my arm to swat whatever it is. It collides with something warm and hard. It’s a person, and he grunts before descending a step or two to put some distance between us.

“Fuck.” Liam holds his hands up. “Ow. It’s me, Erin. Fuck.” His voice is calmer. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I round on him, my whole body shaking with terror, but now also with rage. “Why are you calling me that when you don’t believe it’s my name?”

His brows and nostrils twitch, but otherwise he doesn’t react externally.

I point at him, still unable to calm my frazzled nervous system or stop the tears from pouring down my face. “I heard you. I-I was going to go outside to get some sun on my face, and I heard you on the phone digging for dirt about me. Was this your plan? Be nice to my face and stab me in the back.”

He takes a step up toward me. “That’s rich coming from the woman responsible for the literal knife that got lodged in my back.”

My heart clenches, stomach threatening to bring up my breakfast. He still believes that I set him up. He’ll never believe I left to save him, to keep him safe.

My head’s shaking furiously from side to side. “I didn’t. I told you I didn’t write that letter, or make that phone call, and I didn’t set you up.” My voice is nearing hysteria; the rest of me isn’t too far behind. “Why don’t you believe me?”

His hand shoots out and cups my throat before I can suck in my next breath. He lifts me off the stairs and backs me into the wall in one swift motion, his face so close to mine that every exhale tickles my skin.

“You’re shaking.” His eyes rake over me like he’s cataloging my every fucking move.

“You s-s-see how scared I am. W-Why don’t you believe me?” I grind the words out around his fingers gripping my neck.

His hand is firm, controlled and filled with intent just like everything he fucking does. “Give me one good reason why I should.”

My pulse spikes, not from fear, but from the realization that he knows exactly how far to push without breaking me. Yet.

Chapter 20

LIAM

The frantic, staccato beat of her pulse against my palm sends me feral. Her eyes drown in tears, but there’s a flicker of fire in those blue eyes of hers that doesn’t belong to a timid little mouse called Erin.

It belongs to my Rebel.

The cinnamon spice of her scent hits me like a physical blow. My dick hardens immediately, the traitorous bastard. This situation calls for calm, for an icy response to the flames licking beneath my skin. I lean in—I can’t fucking help it—and roll my nose up her neck, filling my lungs with her.

It’s not enough.

“I-I…”

“What’s the matter, Erin. Cat got your tongue?”

“Let her go, Liam.”

I snap my head to Sorcha. “This has nothing to do with you. Fuck off.”