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LIAM COULDN’T BELIEVE Ciara! How could she?
She had every right to be angry with Liam, with Henry, with Jenna, with their mother Mary, even with their father...but Gabe hadn’t lied to her. He was one of the few people Ciara couldn’t hold responsible for any of it.
Gabe had invited her to his birthday dinner, eager for her to join them like she had so many times before in the past, but she failed to show up. Ciara’s absence left Gabe visibly disappointed, despite his efforts to hide it.
Gabe skilfully dodged the subject whenever someone accidentally brought up Ciara in a conversation. Even Henry steered clear of mentioning Ciara. They were both hurt that Ciara hadn’t shown up, their anticipation having turned to disappointment.
If Ciara had come, Liam wouldn’t have forced her to talk to him. He would have let her be. A no was a no, and she didn’t want to talk to Liam. He could respect that even if it broke him.
She should have showed up for the younger Rosslers.
“I can’t believe she didn’t show up,” Liam grumbled when he walked Henry and Jenna to the door.
Jenna gave him a pointed look, ready to defend her long-time friend. “She’s not in an easy position.”
“I can talk to her,” Henry suggested, his arm wrapped around Jenna.
“Do that.”
With a beep coming from his pocket, Liam pulled out his phone. Mistaking it for a work-related message, he muttered a curse. The moment he saw Ciara’s name on the screen, his body tensed up.
“Actually, I can talk to her,” he said and looked back up.
“You?” Henry shook his head, frowning. “I don’t think that’s the smartest idea.”
“She texted me.” Liam glanced at the words on his phone’s screen. “She wants to talk, or so she says.”
Jenna smiled as if seeing right through him. “And you’re still angry?”
Liam tried to be. Ciara should have come to the dinner—for Gabe. Despite being hospitalised, even their father had been allowed to come for a few hours.
“Depends on what she has to say.”
It didn’t depend on anything. He was dying to talk to her. She had been avoiding him since that wretched night—the warehouse mission.
The memory of that warehouse—of what had happened in there—still made him shudder. And still filled him with regret.
“Will you be okay on your own?” Henry frowned. “After all, it’s Ciara. I doubt she’ll go easy on you.”
Jenna rolled her eyes and turned to her boyfriend, the sound of her exasperated sigh filling the air. “Oh, please. Your brother can handle himself.”
Liam smiled at the couple. “I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Henry warned.
“I won’t.”
They finished their goodbyes, and Henry and Jenna left. Polly and Poppy had already gone upstairs, but their mother and Gabe were in the living room. Their father was already back at the hospital, because it wasn’t safe for him to be away from surveillance for too long. He wouldn’t even have been allowed home if it wasn’t for Mary and the fact that she worked at the hospital.
Liam walked to the living room, lingering in the doorway. It was still Gabriel’s birthday. He didn’t want to leave, and yet he did. In the worst case, it was his last chance to prove himself to Ciara.
The words stuck to his throat as he hesitated. Eventually, though, he knew what he had to do. “I need to go somewhere. Is that okay?”
It was still Gabriel’s birthday, and Liam felt like he was abandoning his brother on his special day. Liam wanted to blame it on Ciara, but he couldn’t. Ciara wouldn’t intentionally spoil Gabriel’s day. Liam refused to believe that. Even if Ciara could be selfish, she always put people that mattered before herself. People like Gabe, who didn’t let her down.
Liam’s mother frowned. “I thought we would watch a movie or—”
“Where are you going?” Gabe asked.
Liam pondered on telling the truth, and in the end, he told just that. “Ciara asked me to talk with her.”
His brother’s brows rose. “When?”
“Now.” Liam held up his phone, the message still open on the screen.
“Oh.”
Liam sighed, his brows creasing with worry. “Why is everyone so surprised?”
“I talked to her yesterday,” Gabriel admitted.
Liam and their mother both turned their gaze towards Gabe. “What?” they said in unison.
“I went to see her yesterday.”
“And you two talked?” Liam blinked, trying to shake off the fog in his head. “About what?”
Gabe shrugged. “A lot of things. But I tried to tell her she should talk to you.”
“Looks like it worked,” Liam mumbled, glancing at the message on his phone’s screen. He glanced back at his brother, chest filling with hope. Dangerous hope. “T-thank you.”
Gabriel shifted in his seat, eyes cast down. “You should know something, though.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about what happened at the warehouse. About what she did to get you all out of there.” Gabe grimaced, his lips twisting into a pained expression.
“What are you talking about, Gabriel?” Worry painted their mother’s face as she glanced between her sons.
“She stabbed Theo, and I don’t think she told anyone about it. At least she didn’t tell everyone,” Gabriel said, glancing from Liam to their mother uneasily.
“She what?” Liam and his mother spoke in unison.
“She—”
“Did he die?” Liam asked.
Gabe’s arms wrapped around himself, even if he didn’t realise it. “I don’t know. I don’t think she knows either.”
“She killed Theo?” Blood rushed off Liam’s face, and worry filled his guts. He hadn’t known. That night—the night they had broken up—he had loaded all his problems on her.
He had never realised what she had done—and everything she had gone through.
He had been angry with her for comparing him to Theo. But she had been mourning someone she had once loved. Despite discovering that her friends and Liam had lied to her, she had still chosen to save them by killing Theo.
Liam had never been so sorry in his life—and he had to tell Ciara.
“Apparently.” Gabe nodded. “I shouldn’t have told you, but...”
“I’m glad you did.”
“You’re going now?” Mary asked.
“Yes.” Liam stopped and swallowed. “I must apologise. Properly. I never realised...what she did in there. Hell, she probably saved all our lives.” His fingers raked through his hair as blood slowly returned to his cheeks.
“At quite a price.” Mary’s lips thinned into a line. “Make sure she’s okay.”
“I’m planning to. But I have to go now.”
Ciara had texted him again. He hastily replied, telling her he would meet her wherever. Right after she texted him an address of a pub.
“I need to go.” Liam forgot to say goodbye to Gabe and his mother before he rushed out.
Perhaps he still had a chance with Ciara.
––––––––
LIAM SPOTTED HER DARK hair swaying in the wind. She stood in front of a pub on a quiet street, looking around, waiting for him.
“Ciara.” He didn’t mean to sound so desperate, but he didn’t care. She needed to know how he felt. How sorry he was.
With a quick spin, Ciara faced him and smiled. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but even the effort surprised Liam. She hadn’t looked at him like that since that horrendous night at the warehouse.
“Y-you wanted to talk.” Only she could make him stumble over his words like that.
“Yeah.” Her voice was softer than the last time they had talked. As if she no longer hated him as much as she had.
He knew he shouldn’t have got his hopes up. But standing there in front of her was the closest thing to a conversation they had had since that mission. He was dying to fix what he had broken. It was already a promising start.
Liam knew hope was dangerous, but he couldn’t help it. He would fight for Ciara.
“I know I suggested this place.” Ciara gestured at the pub’s door, a frown crossing her face. “B-but do you think we could talk at the nearby motel?”
Liam’s eyebrows rose. The word motel raised new thoughts in his mind. They had barely talked the past seven weeks. She couldn’t want to sleep with him. Could she?
“I...uh...”
She bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. Liam loved when she did that. “Based on that look, I can practically hear your thoughts. I just want to talk in private.”
“I know. Of course.” He wanted to punch himself for letting his thoughts show through. “I’m sorry, Ciara.” Sorry for everything.
She nodded, and her smile dropped. “Shall we?” She gestured ahead, towards the motel where they would finally talk.
“Yeah.”