Page 76 of Liam

“Oryoucould take me,” I suggest.

His nose scrunches, one eye squinting against the sun. “I don’t really…” he trails off.

“…like crowds?” I finish for him, looking around us. “You seemed fine out here.”

He responds with a shrug, and I watch him a moment as he throws a single, random shoe into the gear bag. I open my mouth, ready to push him on the issue, but Leo seems to reappear out of thin air. “Can I borrow Addie for a minute?” he asks Liam, as if I’m not even here.

“Just for a minute,” Liam tells him. “I’m quite fond of her presence.”

The last time I was this close to a uniformed cop for this long, he was twice my size, tackling me to the ground and shoving my face into the dirt while I screamed for my brother.

I still remember the way the handcuffs dug into my wrists as I sat in the back of the squad car, struggling for air, but that wasn’t even the worst part.

It was what happened after—sitting in a fucking interrogation room for hours, completely clueless to what was happening. They asked question after question, all of which I had no answers to. I didn’t know about Roman’s illegal activities, nor did Itake partin them.

I’ve never cried as much and as hard as I did once they left me alone in that room, head-butting and kicking the door, desperate for someone to notice. Occasionally, the same cop who detained me would storm in—just to yell, “Shut the fuck up, you little bitch!”

My throat burned from the force of my cries. My screams. Myagony. Though, I only remember one word leaving my mouth the entire time—Roman.

I can’t recall how long I spent in that room, but I remember theclickof the door handle when it opened for the last time. I pushed out of my chair and retreated to the corner as my monster approached, then towered over me. He grabbed my still-handcuffed arms and whispered, his mouth right to my ear, “Your brother messed with the wrong one.”

It was all he said before removing my cuffs and guiding me out of the room. I expected him to take me to Roman, but he wasnowhere to be seen. Instead, he led me into another room, where a female senior officer was waiting. “Adelaide.” She smiled at me, as if that smile alone could erase the events of the night. “Your brother’s been arrested, and I’ve been trying to find your parents. Do you know where they are?”

I shook my head, my heart as heavy as the tears that poured out of me. “No.” Roman was the only parent I had, and I didn’t even know wherehewas. I can still hear the sob that escaped me in that moment, and I hated it then as much as I hate it today. That single sound displayed my weakness, made it easy for everyone to see. Touse. I lifted my gaze, read the name tag of the woman opposite me.Misty Sanders. “Miss Sanders,” I pleaded. “I want to see my brother.”

It took almost five years for my pleas to be heard.

Now, I sit beside Leo Preston, who’s wearing the same uniform as the demon in my nightmare. He silently led me from the field to the highest spot on the bleachers and chose a seat in the corner, away from prying eyes and ears. I feel like I’ve been here for an eternity already, and yet neither of us has said a word.

I’m reminded of the time Griffin and I did something similar. The location, the silence… the feeling of weighted dread tied with the fear of the unknown.

The pursuit of perfection includes redemption… and redemption is realizing you’re imperfect.

I’m finding it really hard to be perfect right now.

I want nothing more than to run.

Flee.

Never look back.

Leo clears his throat, and my bones rattle against my flesh. “How’d your elbow hold up the next day?”

I turn to him, confused.

He continues, his gaze trained forward, “My jaw, you ask? It was pretty bad. Had to tell my wife I got into a bar fight with a burly biker. Hard to explain how I checked in on an abandoned trailer in the middle of the night and let a girl half my size overpower me.”

My spine straightens, my eyes wide when understanding dawns.No. No. No.This can’t be happening. “I—” I swallow the fear lodged in my chest. “I’msosorry.”

I expect him to lecture me, give me some form of reprimand. Instead, he laughs—this low hum of a sound, and relief washes through me as he shakes his head, turns to me, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Don’t even worry about it.”

“I…” I bring my hands to my face to cover my shame.

Maybe wearing a pretty dress impressed some of the Prestons. Or maybe not. But physically attacking one of them definitely won’t.

“Just so you know,” Leo says, “my dad has cameras there, and he saw movement and called me. I wasn’t there on official business, so there was nothing to report. You’re safe.”

I lower my hands, my eyes drifting shut. Humiliation flows through me in waves until I’m suffocating under the wake. “Does he know it was me?”

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