True Colors (The Masks #1)(62)

Liam nodded, the relief starting to spread. The gun was still aimed at me, but at least Liam’s hands had stopped shaking. I inched a little closer to him. “I know you’re a good person, Liam.” LIE! “You’ve just been doing what you were told. I know you don’t want to hurt Indie or anybody else. But it’s all you’ve ever known, isn’t it?”

I had no idea where that line of thinking came from, but I suddenly saw it. A flash of a little boy cowering in the corner. The sick fear on his pasty white face, his bright blue eyes round with terror.

“Shut up.” Liam closed his eyes.

“Who used to beat you, Liam? Was it your dad?”

He didn’t want to answer me, but couldn’t help a small head shake.

“Your mom,” I said it softly.

“Get out of my head,” he whispered through clenched teeth.

“You hated her, didn’t you? You were pleased when she died. You were free to live however you wanted.”

Liam’s lips pinched together. His eyes were open now, but he wouldn’t look at me. “You and Mason got to live the life you deserved, but then it all fell apart, didn’t it? Mason killed again...trying to protect you.”

“He didn’t kill her! She fell down the stairs! It was an accident. If she hadn’t been trying to chase us, she wouldn’t have tripped.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“No! Even the cops said that.” His chin rose a little. He felt justified, but then that guilt crested over him again.

“But the man, the innocent man. What do you think the cops would say about him?” I kept my voice as soft and calm as I could. In all honesty, I didn’t know how I was doing it.

Liam’s eyebrows dipped together, his lips trembling as he drew in a ragged breath.

“If you shoot me now, what will they say about it?”

His nostrils flared.

“You won’t get away with it this time...unless you plan on killing all of us. How will you hide the evidence this time? Where will you run? How will you live? Start up another cheating ring, get the rich kids to finance your life again?”

“You don’t know shit!” The words jerked out of his mouth. “You rich bitches with your charmed life. You have no idea what it’s like. We did what we had to. We’ve never had the luxury of choice!”

“I know that Mason’s been making all the decision for you guys. You don’t want to be this way...and you don’t have to, Liam. You have a choice.” I swallowed, praying this would work. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep going with this conversation. His gun hadn’t dipped or wavered once. Emotionally, he was at the point of breaking, but could I do it? I stepped towards him; the barrel of the gun was now only two inches from my face. “You can shoot me. You can watch my blood splatter across the room.”

He flinched.

“And then you’ll need to kill Micah.” I pointed to the floor. “And Libby.” I pointed across the room. “And Indie,” I said her name in a whisper, knowing it would tug at his heartstrings. He loved her. That much was clear. It was a warped love, but it was still real.

“Do you want see the life leak out of her beautiful eyes? Do you want to see blood matting her hair? You’ll have to carry her limp body out of here. You won’t just want to leave her, will you?”

Liam couldn’t take his eyes off Indie. His gaze traveled the length of her body, his eyes welling with tears.

“Don’t be responsible for any more deaths, Liam. It’s time to become the person you want to be. Mason can’t control you anymore.”

The air went still around us. I had nothing left to say, no more words to win him over. I’d seen Liam down to his core. He was a gaping wound to my eyes and I had nothing left to heal it.

The wait was excruciating. I couldn’t take my eyes off Liam as I monitored his emotions. He couldn’t take his eyes off Indie. She kept her gaze steady, her expression tender. She didn’t feel any warmth or love towards him, but she was smart enough to put on a show.

Finally, the gun dipped. I wanted to cry with relief as I stepped towards him and gently unhooked it from him. Shame, guilt, longing, agony were pulsing from Liam’s face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to his girlfriend.

She shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears.

I nodded at Libby to untie Indie. I wasn’t sure how long this miracle would last.

“Caity,” Micah said. “The gun.”

I was about to frown and ask why, but I read his expression and there was nothing sinister within it. He was still pissed at Liam and I knew he wanted to kill him, but I saw honor outweigh that emotion, so I slid the gun across the floor. Micah caught it in his hand and unloaded it, making sure to empty the bullet from the chamber as well. He gave Liam a molten glare as he pocketed the bullets and tucked the gun into his jeans.

Liam stumbled back on wobbly legs and fell into a chair. Dropping his head into his hands, he let out a hiccuping wail then began sobbing like a little kid.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do. My first instinct was to comfort him, but I knew that was stupid. I needed to get Micah and Indie to the hospital. Libby wrestled with the last of the ropes. Indie eased off the bed, wincing in pain. Reaching for her dress, she pulled it on, biting her lips against a wail.