Page 80 of Broken Trust
“Liam—” Worry flashed in her eyes. “Don’t! You’ll hurt yourself.”
He couldn’t help but grin. “Angel, I’m already hurt.”
He took a deep breath, then angled his thumb toward the cuff and yanked. The world went white in front of his eyes, and a loud curse broke from him.
He slipped the cuff over his dislocated joint. He cradled his thumb against his chest for a breath, then shook his hand onceto snap it back in until he could set it right once they were out of here.
A violent pulse pounded in his shoulder, and warm blood crawled down his biceps.
Next thing he knew, he woke up with his head in Elin’s lap. A hot tear dripped onto his jaw, making his eyelids flutter.
“Oh my god! Liam! I don’t know what to do. You’ve lost too much blood. You passed out!”
He raised the hand of his uninjured side, gently stroking his thumb over her cheek and catching her tear.
“We have to get out of here. But you can’t walk—you’re too weak.”
“Watch me.” He started to shift into a sitting position, but the room spun, and he collapsed again. Elin brought her arms loosely around him, supporting him while trying not to cause him pain.
He let out a groan and fixed his stare on Elin. “I have to tell you—”
She shook her head, cutting him off. “You idiot!” Her whisper was furious but tender. “You beautiful idiot.” She slumped over him, head bowed.
“Help me sit up.”
Her head snapped up, and she searched his face. He could see from her expression that his appearance was scaring her, but he needed this.
When he started to move again, she let out a soft cry and grabbed him by the good shoulder, helping him into a sitting position.
Deep green eyes burned into his. Her lips a breath away. “Are you okay? Are you going to pass out?”
He leaned closer, thinking to taste her sweet lips. But she drew back.
“I can’t get you out of here alone. I need your team. Where are they?” she cried.
“They’ll come.” His voice was edged with pain but a solid thread of conviction ran beneath it.
“We don’t have any weapons—Kent took them. He took your comms device too. You’re too heavy for me to carry. I could maybe drag you?”
He shook his head. “With your feet still bound? Elin, stop. We’re safe for the moment, and I need you to listen to me.” He pushed his spine to the wall where he wanted it. And finally…finally…let the words come.
“I left you.” No way to dress up that ugly truth. “Two years ago, I made a call and it gutted both of us.”
She lifted her head but didn’t look at him.
“I told myself that you were safer without me, and that was true. To a point. I told myself that disappearing was how I could protect what mattered most to me.”
Her throat worked in a hard swallow, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t cry either, though he saw her lips purse as if holding back a tidal wave.
“Blackout gave me a way to keep the world from using you to hurt me. But that was selfish of me, even while I was calling it sacrifice. It was me managing my fear…but putting a burden on you.”
A muffled sob broke from her.
He felt like he stood on a cliff…and he stepped anyway. “I’m sorry, angel. So goddamn sorry I hurt you. That I broke that trust between us.”
Her breath hitched.
“Things are different now. My first team was good—brothers through and through—but Blackout is where the best of everybranch come to sharpen each other. It’s not just elite, it’s…” He broke off, searching for the word.
