Page 54 of Between Regrets and Promises

“It’s a storage warehouse,” I tell Liam. “He’s a goddamn security guard.”

Liam glances at me. “If he’s lied about this, what else is he hiding?”

“That’s what concerns me the most,” I admit.What’s his motivation for lying?Frustration and annoyance take overwhen Weston steps outside. When I get out of the truck and slam the door, Liam calls out my name and follows me.

“Mason, you’re gonna blow our cover.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” I hiss.

“Alrighty, I guess we’re doing this.” Liam cracks his knuckles. “Gonna fuck him up then?”

I snort. “Well, no. But I have a few words for him.”

When Liam and I round the corner, Weston glances up from his phone and narrows his eyes when he sees us. Normal people would say something, but Weston isn’t normal. He instantly balls his hands into fists.

“What the fuck do you want?” he asks.

Liam takes the lead and pushes Weston with all his strength, knocking him off balance. Weston stumbles back, losing his footing, and I can smell the alcohol permeating from him. The motherfucker is drunk, so that means he either started early or woke up still trashed from the night before. As Weston picks himself up from the ground, Liam places his foot on his chest, knocking him back down. It’s not fair because Liam is double Weston’s size, and he could easily squish him like a bug.

“Now, we have a few things we need to discuss,” Liam tells him.

I move closer and recognition finally flashes across Weston’s face. “Wait. I know you two fucks. Sophie’s friends, right?”

Liam adds more pressure, keeping him pinned on the ground. “Exactly. Herfriends. Now, explain to us why everyone thinks you’re a correctional officer when you’re nothing more than a fuckin’ security guard?”

In a split second, Liam loses his balance as Weston struggles against him and is then standing on his feet. He marches closer, getting into our faces. “I’m gonna call the cops on you both for assault and get you arrested. You have no fucking business following me here.” He pulls a Taser from his belt and pointsit at Liam, who rushes him and fights for it, ripping it from his hand.

With adrenaline pumping, I take a few steps forward, then bring my fist back and connect with Weston’s jaw. He falls to the ground, and I go to him, fist dawn, but Liam holds me back before I can connect with his face again, which is probably for the best since I’m two seconds from destroying him. Anger and frustration, my old friends, encourage me as Weston glares with rage in his eyes. Just like at New Year’s, he flips a switch as if he’s emulating human behavior, and the motherfucker smiles.

“You’re such a goddamn pussy.” He spits out blood.

“This isn’t over,” I grit. “You touch her, hurt a single hair on her head, and you’ll be seeing us both again.” It’s not a threat, it’s a promise, and I’m not sure he realizes I’m not joking.

Weston lets out a laugh. “You have no idea who you’re fuckin’ messing with. And if you tell her anything about this, trust me when I say she’ll be the one to pay.”

I see red, but Liam grabs me and pulls me away before I can do anything else.

“If anything happens to her, you’ll be fucking sorry,” I shout.

Liam’s stronger than me, and although I’m heated, leaving is for the best. The last thing I need is an assault charge.

“So that went over well,” Liam tells me as we get in his truck. “Fantastic.”

All I can think about is what he said. “Do you think he’ll hurt her?” I shake my hand, knowing it’s going to sting even more in a couple of hours.

Cranking the truck, Liam releases a sharp breath. “He better not, but I’m not sure what he’s capable of. Did you see the look in his eyes?”

“What look?”

“Exactly. It was like nothing was there. No emotion. Like he doesn’t have a soul or something.”

I nod. “Yeah. He seems off. Sophie isn’t safe. I’m convinced. We need to warn her, Liam.”

We ride in silence, both lost in our thoughts.

“You hungry?” he eventually asks.

I look at the time on my phone and see it’s barely past five. “Sure.”

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