The Marriage Debt (Underworld Kings)

I grab her hands and make her look at me. “I didn’t want to use your sister as bait, but he left me no choice when he threatened to come for you.”

She swallows. “So you’d been talking with him all along.”

“Yes,” I say. “He first made his intentions clear when I went to see him those few days you were alone. I just didn’t think he’d act on them so quickly.”

When I first talked to Liam, I thought he was playing tricks on me, pretending he didn’t recognize me to get away with the fact that he’d fled.

But after talking with him, I realized his memory was gone.

Not just the memory of what had happened to him, but every goddamn memory he’d ever had of his life.

Of our family.

Of me.

But there was one thing he remembered.

Anger.

And when I dropped Jill’s name … it was like a light switch went off in his head.

“I had a private detective trace him, and when he finally found him and took pictures, I knew for sure. That’s when he made contact and made it possible for us to meet.”

“The pictures from your drawer in your office,” she mutters.

“No wonder you suddenly decided to escape.” I tilt my head. “But I figured you’d find them sooner or later.”

“Yeah, I even had to knock out a guard,” she replies, making me snort. “I knew there was still something you were hiding from me. I just didn’t know what. But now I do.”

“It’s not like I knew for years. I’d been talking with Liam since I first went to see him in Germany those few days. He’d lost all his memories of us and didn’t even recognize me. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I ended up telling him about his life because I didn’t want him to suffer alone.”

She frowns, looking away, visibly conflicted. “He’d already suffered enough.”

“So have you,” I say, tilting my head so I can look her in the eyes. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you about him.”

“I thought …” Her cheeks turn bright red. “I thought you didn’t want me to know because you were afraid I’d run back into his arms and make you fight over me again.” She sighs. “Guess that turned out well.”

I snort. “No. I wasn’t threatened by him.” I place a hand on her knee. “I know you’re mine. But I wasn’t going to let him hurt you either.”

“Did he say he was going to—?”

“Yes,” I reply. “Absolutely.”

She rubs her lips together, pushing back the tears. I lean up the best I can, fighting the pain, and caress her cheek. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Because I knew it would break you.”

She shakes her head. “I’m fine. I just … at the time, I was so mad that you didn’t tell me he was still alive.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

It’s the first time in a long time when I say those words and actually mean it.

“But if you’d known, you wouldn’t have stopped searching until you found him. And he would have killed you,” I add.

The silence that follows is deafening and hard to take, even for my fucked heart.

“I’d rather have you hate me if it meant I could keep you safe,” I say through gritted teeth.

She looks at me, a single tear rolling down her cheek, which I swipe away with my thumb. Suddenly, she collapses into my body, wrapping her arms around me, and I struggle to stay standing with this wound still hurting my insides.

“Oh, shit, I forgot,” she mutters, leaning back. “Sorry. Are you okay?”

“It’s fine. I can handle a little pain,” I jest, but I still sit down in the chair before I hurt myself further.

“I really am sorry for stabbing you,” she says.

“You saw us fighting, and you thought I was the bad guy. It’s understandable,” I reply. “Besides, I threatened your sister too. I deserved it.”

“But still …” She looks away again, distant, then sighs.

“I’m surprised you even knew where I was going,” I say.

Somehow, someway, she tracked me down.

Even though there was a guard at the penthouse, she still managed to beat him in a fight. Feisty little bunny.

“After I escaped the penthouse, I called Jasmine and you, but neither of you picked up, so I figured I’d go to my parents' house to check on her,” she replies. “But then I saw someone shoving Jasmine into a car to kidnap her, and I thought it was Liam at first, but then I found out it was you.”

I laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like something I’d do.”

“Seriously, and using her as bait?” She raises her brows. “That’s a low one, even for you.”

I don’t regret that choice. “I did what I had to do to lure him away from you.”

“Lure him?” She frowns.