Page 27 of A Tangled Web

Chapter Six

“This can’t wait, and you know it. I need that update now.”

Liam hung up, pacing the perimeter of the large lap pool like a caged animal. He’d never felt so on edge. And Dani still hadn’t called.

He was losing her.

If Kaya hadn’t phoned on her way to work to tell him where Dani was, he would have torn this sleepy town apart by now. It wasn’t like her not to check in. It wasn’t like her to leave without saying goodbye.

He knew it was about last night, and he cursed himself for not planting himself in front of her door to keep her from running. If she hadn’t had so much to drink, he would have followed her up the stairs and continued their conversation. But no man worth the title pressed a woman under the influence. The truth was, he should have stopped her before things had gone so far.

Liam hadn’t been able to help himself. He was a starving, desperate fool in love, and when she’d stripped and held her breasts in her hands, daring him to take what he’d wanted after all these years, he couldn’t find the will to resist her.

He was only human.

He’d always known it would be good between them, but he’d had no idea it would be that explosive. She’d ruined him, and he didn’t want to go back to what they had before. Not after waiting all this time for her to make a move.

Liam spent the night praying she wouldn’t blame it on the alcohol or pretend it never happened. When he’d finally fallen asleep, he’d been trapped in a nightmare. Sal had found her and he wasn’t able to get to her in time. The first thing he'd done after waking was to look for her, but she was gone. For a moment he’d thought…

She’s safe. Kaya wouldn’t lie.

He wanted to kill Dani’s ex. It wasn’t a feeling he was proud of, or one he thought he’d ever have for another human, but it was there all the same. The bastard had scarred her. Carved his fucking initial into her skin when his fists hadn’t given him enough satisfaction. She’d told him Sal had threatened to kill her, that he’d hit her, but he hadn’t found out about the son of a bitch’s love of sharp objects until he’d had taken her to his lawyer.

In her statement, she’d mentioned that Sal kept his knife in view at all times. In a voice lacking any inflection or emotion, she’d spoken of how he would caress her arm with the blade, while telling her he was the only one who would or could ever love her. That he was all she had, and he would never allow her to leave him. She’d admitted that her fear had made it easy to believe.

If she hadn’t called him that night, Liam never would have known. He’d thought she was unhappy. He’d known Sal wasn’t worth the air she breathed. He’d wanted her for himself, but he’d missed the signs of abuse that had been right in front of him.

At the time, all he’d been able to focus on was getting her as far away from danger as possible, but since he’d promised the police wouldn’t be involved before he knew everything, he’d tied his own hands. And then he found a loophole.

His brother-in-law had been a private investigator for his family for years before marrying his sister, so Liam hired him to keep an eye on Sal. At the time, he’d told himself it was just to make sure the bastard wasn’t looking for her.

Sal had been quiet for the last few months. But last night’s dream had been so real, he couldn’t dismiss it. Which was why he’d left another message today.

He’d always meant to tell her…so many things. But it never seemed to be the right time.

Coward.

He couldn’t deny it. At first, he told himself she needed a safe place to heal and a shoulder to cry on. But after that? Why had he waited so long after that? Because he wanted her to make the first move after everything she’d been through? His stubborn desire for her to choose him had stolen most of his chances away. He was coasting on borrowed time now, because she didn’t need him anymore and he didn’t know how to tell her that he’d been in love with her for years.

Their timing had always been off.

He’d been on a date the first night they’d met. A charity event held in a new wing of the hospital where she’d worked. Liam remembered being irritated with the woman on his arm because she couldn’t stop talking about the dress she was wearing and how much each couple she recognized was worth. He wanted to leave and make his sister promise never to set him up with another woman again. He wanted to be anywhere else.

And then he’d seen Dani.

She’d been laughing with a group of wheelchair-bound patients lining the walls, taking turns “dancing” with them and ignoring the wealthy donors completely. Her dress, simple and obviously right off the rack, had fit her in a way that made him sweat.

He couldn’t look away. Her body had been what initially caught his attention, because he was a man, but what held it was her. There was no artifice, no pretense that he could see—just joy. He wanted to feel that. To get closer to it. And the boring, obligatory evening he’d been resigned to became the moment his life had changed.

He’d pretended to bump into her to start a conversation. She was hesitant at first, but a few of her patients teased her until she relaxed around him. She was easy to talk to, smart and so funny he’d spent most of the night with a genuine smile on his face. He never wanted it to end.

It wasn’t until a friend had pointed out the scene his date was about to make that he remembered her at all, which wasn’t his finest hour. So he’d taken another woman home, but all he could think about was finding Dani again and asking her out.

He’d made it his business to get her information, discovering that they already had a few friends in common, and managed to run into her again within the week. This time there wasn’t another woman on his arm, but it was too late, since Dani was the one who was no longer available. In an excited rush, she’d told him about the man she’d started dating. The man she’d met online the day after Liam had let her go.

He’d missed his window, but he wasn’t ready to give up, so they’d become friends. His father had taught him that if he wanted something, really wanted it, he had to be patient and stick to his plan. The success of his family’s business had proven that his old man knew what he was talking about.

Which brought him back to that other thing he hadn’t told her. His biggest lie. Liam ran a frustrated hand through his hair and glanced almost resentfully at the two-story house that had been their home for over a year now.

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