Page 101 of Guardian
It rings so loudly I’m tempted to cover my ears.“Are you sure nobody can hear that?”
Liam makes his way over to the wall, knocking gently.“This building may look like it’s falling apart, but that’s intentional.Unless you’re a teenager following someone you shouldn’t, nobody would think to look twice at this place.We’ve got state-of-the-art soundproofing inside these walls, on top of a whole lot of dense concrete.”
The guy in the chair looks awfully pale all of a sudden.Awfully worried.
“Okay.Good.”Looking from Liam to the guy and back again, I ask, “What did he do?”
“A better question is what didn’t he do?”Liam leans down again.There’s another snap and another scream.This time I do cover my ears.
“Too much, kid?”Liam steps back, looking concerned.
“Huh-uh.No.”I drop my hands from my ears and shake my head.“I can handle it.Tell me what he did.”
Whatever it is, I know this man is no good.For all the burden Liam places on himself, I know he takes what he does seriously.He wouldn’t bring someone here who didn’t deserve it.
Liam squeezes the guy’s nose shut until he’s forced to take a breath and then shoves the rag back in.“Sorry, man.My baby doesn’t like the screaming.”
Then he comes over to me, taking hold of my hand.“This guy, aside from being an entitled, gropey douchebag, participated in parties hosted by that guy who tried to buy you before the auction.Parties where people were chained to a wall and forced to participate in hell only knows what kind of disgusting acts.Found out when we were trying to track down whoever Dylan Beck was working with.No news there yet, but we’ll keep digging.”
He pauses, leaning in to press his lips against mine.I melt into him, almost forgetting where we are until he pulls away again.
“There’s also—was it two or three…?”He looks at the guy in the chair, who grunts and squirms again.“Right.It was four exes who filed assault charges and his daddy made it go away with his money.Then kiddo here harassed them continuously, even after NDAs were signed and promises were made.”
My fingers tighten into fists.“I don’t want you to call him kiddo,” I blurt.
Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but I don’t like it.I’m the only one he can call kid, or any variation of that.He definitely can’t say it about this sack of human trash.
Liam brushes his palm across my cheek.“Sorry, baby.”He clears his throat.“Moving on.There were also a few times in high school when fellow students lodged charges of sexual harassment or sexual assault.”
Oh, I don’t like that.I don’t like that at all.
The guy’s thrashing so much he’s making the chair jump.He’s obviously trying to say something, but he’s still got the rag in his mouth.
Liam hooks his thumb.“Our friend here’s probably trying to say those charges back in high school were sealed because he was a juvenile.You know Bev, though.She can hack into all sorts of things.”
I can’t hold back my grin.“She’s good at that, yeah.”
“Not sure you want to hear the rest,” Liam adds quietly.“There were also a few things in the juvenile records about animal abuse.”His face softens.“Baby animals.”
My breath catches in my throat.My fingers clench and release.I’ve never been violent.But I can’t stop the furious tornado swirling inside me.
The force of air through my nose is the only thing I’m aware of before I pick up a hammer from Liam’s shiny table full of tools and start swinging.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?Using people like that?Rape?Abusing baby animals?Do you have any idea what it must be like for a tiny helpless baby to be taken from its parents a-and hurt by some power-drunk asshole?”I’m shaking.Shaking, but I can’t stop.“How would you like to have no idea what’s going on and no parent to protect you?You sick fucking?—”
Liam’s hands come down on my shoulders.I don’t realize I’m crying until I step back, my breath sawing in and out so hard that it burns my chest.I haven’t cried like that since I lost my parents.
Since that bitch killed them.
Oh.
I really am angry, huh?
“Was this a bad idea, baby?”Liam’s arms come around me.
“No.No, it’s… I didn’t realize all of that was in there.”
The guy in the chair, honestly, his face looks a little messed up.
