Chapter 33

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

Liv

“Liam,” I whisper, my voice trembling. My entire body quivers in fear. “How? Frank told me you were in the institution again.”

“Funny what a man will do and who he will betray when you threaten his wife, don’t you think?” he says, chuckling, and my blood freezes.

“How could you! He was loyally by our side for years!” I shout.

“Oh, come on, angel, he was never our friend. People like him only work for people like us.” He grins at me, but the expression is cold.

“There are no people like us,” I spit out. “There are only people like me and psychopaths like you.”

“You still have that witty humor, I see,” he says with a laugh. “Good to know my Olivia is still in there.”

“Not one part of me is yours,” I say.

Liam steps closer, and I feel Gunner’s grip on my wrist tighten.

“Gunner, you heard what he just said, we have to go,” I plead, pulling at his grip frantically. “He’s going to kill us.”

“No, Livy,” he says, his eyes widening. “He just wants to talk to you. He told me everything. You’ll see, when you hear the truth, you’re going to thank me for this. I’m just doing his because I love both of you. You need each other.”

I look into Gunner’s sad, honest gaze and realize Liam has gaslit him as much as he did to me in the past. My heart sinks. There’s no way we’re going to make it out of here alive. If Gunner is as deep in this as he seems to be, there’s no way I can rescue him from Liam, but I still need to try.

“Think about my scars, my nightmares. Think about everything you read in the media. Think about how it all adds up. How can three people die in an accident with one knife?” I’m shaking, but Gunner’s brows furrow, and I see a glint of insecurity in his eyes. “I swear on our friendship, on everything I have and am, it happened exactly as the media told it. Liam killed my family in cold blood. You know me, Gun, and when you really think about it, you know what he told you doesn’t add up.”

He looks to the ground, eyebrows furrowed in thought, but then his head shoots up and his eyes meet mine, wide with the realization that I might be speaking the truth. Liam steps forward, but Gunner stands in front of me, shielding me from him.

“Foxy,” Liam says, his tone soft. “She’s just confused. All the grief made her hallucinate, I already told you that. She believes it happened like this, but it didn’t. She’s the one needing help, and I want to give it to her. I love her, you know that. Nobody knows me like you do, Foxy. You’re my best friend.”

Fuck, Gunner didn’t even have a chance against Liam’s charming evil genius.

“Liam, Olivia is scared. Maybe we didn’t pick the right time or location for this conversation. Let me get her home, and we can find another time to talk this out,” Gunner says as he takes my hand behind his back and tries to shield me while walking us towards the door, keeping his front to Liam.

“Yeah, you’re right—let’s try this again another time,” Liam agrees.

Gunner turns to usher me out of the room, but as soon as his back is turned, I see Liam yanking Gunner’s gun out of his hip holster and striking the grip of it forcefully against the back of his head. He collapses onto the ground, and I scream out in terror.