True Colors (The Masks #1)(61)

His eyes shot back to mine, flinching at my confidence.

“You’re going to pay for this, Caitlyn. You’re making a really big mistake.”

I swallowed, fear vibrating up my limbs. “I’m not afraid of you, Liam.” Total lie, but I hoped that it would sound convincing enough for him to shed another layer.

He spun away before I could read more, snatching something off the nightstand.

“Liam, no!” Indie sobbed as he turned, aiming a gun straight at me.

I swallowed, taking a step back before I could stop myself.

His eyes grew bright with a powerful smirk.

“You don’t want to do this, Liam.”

“Yes, I do.” His white teeth flashed as he pulled the trigger.





Chapter 28




The shot exploded across the room. Libby and Indie screamed, while Micah let out a wail and fell to the floor beside me, clutching his thigh.

Shit!

I dropped to my knees, quickly assessing Micah’s leg. Yanking his hands away, I pulled at the torn fabric and nearly fainted with relief when I saw the bullet had only grazed Micah’s leg. The cut looked painful, but it was clear that it was only that, a deep cut. I resisted the urge to search for the bullet that was probably embedded in the armchair behind us.

“You okay?”

Micah nodded, sweat beading his brow as he tried to control his breathing.

I whipped off my light sweater and pressed it against the wound. “Keep pressure on it, we’ll get you to the hospital soon.”

Indie’s sobs filled the room.

“Shut up!” Liam screamed at her. “Don’t you cry for him, you cheating whore!” With the back of his hand, he clipped her cheek, dulling her cries.

Libby looked ready to pass out, her white skin stained with tears. I wanted to join the girls, dissolve into a puddle of tears on the floor, but I couldn’t. I was the only one capable of handling this situation.

Man, I so didn’t want to. I wanted Eric to bust through the door and rescue me. I cursed myself for turning off my phone. What if it’d been him calling?

Closing my eyes, I willed myself not to fall apart. Liam was stronger than me, not to mention he had a gun trained at my head. The only power I could use against him was my ability to see through whatever veneer he had in place. Could I do it? Could I peel back enough layers to say the right thing and get us out of this? Did I have the guts to not press my lips together and back away like I always did?

Probably not.

But I had to try.

Standing on shaking legs, I raised my hands and took a step towards Liam.

I couldn’t talk at first, couldn’t make a sound squeeze past the iceberg in my throat. Finally I licked my lips. “Give me the gun, Liam.”

“Stay back!” He pointed the pistol at my face.

“Please, Liam” I reached out my hand. “You don’t want to do this.”

“You don’t know shit about me.” Most would discern that his voice was quaking with rage, but I saw fear...more than fear. I could taste it. Something deeper, greater, was driving Liam to do this. I was still unsure if it would push him to put a bullet through my brain, but I couldn’t back out now. I kept staring at him, willing another layer to fall away and it did. I saw the guilt and shame and then past that, as another layer fell away, the hurt, the abandonment, the desperation.

A pity for him began to stir within and I’m sure my expression folded to match it. “You don’t want to kill me, Liam. I know you don’t.”

His eyes flashed, the shame and guilt pressing forward, followed swiftly by self-loathing and suddenly I knew. It all came clear as I studied his transparent expression.

“You’ve seen someone die before, haven’t you? Watched the life leak out of their eyes.”

“Shut up!” The gun shook in his hands, his blue eyes wild.

“The smell of the blood as it poured from his head. The whisper of his last breath.”

“Shut the hell up! I will shoot you!”

“You want to go through that again? You want to be responsible for someone else’s death?”

He blanched, the gun trembling in his hand. “It wasn’t me!”

“Yes it was, Liam. You hit that man when you were trying to steal his car, didn’t you? Smashed him on the head with a tire iron and then you ran.”

Liam’s lips pinched tight as all his emotions swirled together like a tornado. His voice was quaking as he yelled, “He was threatening my brother. He had a gun to his head. He was going to kill him. I had no choice!”

I so needed to calm things down. Liam’s finger was still on the trigger and if it accidentally went off, I was dead.

“I get that. You were protecting your brother.”

“Mason was the one who finished him off.” Liam licked his lip, glancing at Indie as if seeking her approval somehow. He didn’t want her looking at him like he was a murderer. “I didn’t want to.” His lips wobbled. “It wasn’t my idea, but Mason said we had to or the guy would ID us and we’d get arrested. I can’t go to jail.”

“You don’t have to go to jail.” Liam spun back around to face me. “You were just doing what you were told. That makes sense. You love your brother. He’s all you’ve got, right?”