She took a deep breath as if just the thought made her feel sick to her stomach.
“And you can live with that? I know what he meant to you, but he’s your past. I’m your future. If you have to choose, I think the answer is obvious. And if it’s not obvious to you, then I’m concerned.”
She lifted her gaze again. “It’s not about choosing, Damien. I don’t want him to kill you as much as I don’t want you to kill him. Death and violence are not the solution I want. I want Liam to let this go, to fade into the background, to find happiness in whichever way he chooses. And I obviously want the same for you. The idea of him hurting you…makes me so sick.”
I wanted Liam to disappear too… And I wished I could make him disappear with my fists. I wanted to kill him for what he did to her, for hurting her so many goddamn times. It wasn’t hard to be a good man to a good woman. I’d never even done it, and I still knew it would be a walk in the goddamn park.
“Let me talk to him. He’s had a few days to decompress.”
I didn’t want them to be in a room alone together, but this was the only solution she was willing to accept. “Alright.”
Her eyes shifted back and forth in surprise, taken aback by my agreement.
“Do it somewhere public.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s pretty clear what I mean. If you’re alone together in a soundproof house, you won’t be able to scream for help if you need it.”
She must have thought my suggestion meant something else entirely. “He wouldn’t hurt me, but fair enough.”
My fingers lightly tapped against the armrests as I stared at her, wanting to say more. But I was out of bullets. A part of me wanted to ask her to lunch, but with this cloud over our heads, asking her out seemed pointless. “Let me know how it goes.” I rose from the chair and headed to the door.
“Damien.”
I turned around, hoping for something substantial to escape her lips.
She stared at me for a while, as if she was searching for the right words to make this situation better. But when nothing came out, she gave up. “I’ll call him when I get home.”
When I left the bank at the end of the day, I walked out of the double doors and headed to the parking lot. My ride was parked in the back, in a reserved section so no one could park anywhere near our expensive vehicles.
I stopped halfway when I noticed the man leaning up against the hood of my car.
My expensive-as-fuck car.
Liam had his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants like he intended to fight me right then and there. He might have a weapon on him, hidden in the back of his pants. His body was so large that it would be impossible to tell. His eyes were focused on me with deadly intensity.
I slid my hands into the pockets of my slacks.
He raised his hand then beckoned me toward him with his fingers.
The right thing to do would be to turn around and walk away. He wouldn’t die, and neither would I. But I wasn’t going to turn into a pussy and walk away from a fight for a woman. I wouldn’t change the man I was for any woman—not even Annabella.
I started to walk forward again.
He grinned in victory.
My pulse stayed extremely slow even while the adrenaline dumped into my blood. A part of me wanted this to happen, for me to beat him so badly that he died as a result of his injuries and maybe Annabella wouldn’t directly blame me.
I stopped when I was just feet away. “In the parking lot in broad daylight. Seems like you’re scared.” I kept my hands in the pockets of my slacks and remained aloof. Other men quivered in fear at the sight of him. Not me.
He continued to grin. “No. I just want to watch you run.” He rose off the car, the vehicle lifting once his heavy weight wasn’t making it sink. “Like the little bitch you are.” He massaged his knuckles as he stared at me, ready to swing.
“I can’t kill you, Liam.”
“At least you’re honest about it.”
“No.” I pulled my hands out of my pockets. “Annabella doesn’t want me to. So, I won’t.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And the only reason I’ll honor her request is because I love her.”
His face immediately turned red once I confessed my feelings for the first time, when I declared my love for the woman he also loved. He slammed his fist into his palm and grunted like an animal.
“I know you won’t honor the same request—because you don’t love her the way I do.”