Liam: You got some explaining to do, ma’am.
Me: God dammit.
Liam: Yeah. Not cool, sis.
I love that Liam calls me sis. We aren’t related, but we had a sibling relationship as soon as we met. He calls me out on my shit as I do to him.
Me: In my defense, I slept the majority of the day.
Liam: Yes, I went to see you at Nate and Em’s, so I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE
Me: Like Emily didn’t tell you.
Liam: I want a name and an address.
Me: You’re not doing a background check on my boss, Liam.
Liam: The hell I’m not! I’m kicking myself for not doing a background check on Marcus. Not taking any more chances with your men.
Me: He lives in Liv’s old complex. That’s all I’m telling you. You better not try and track down this info. He’s a good man, but he’s not MY man..
Liam: Well, you can understand that I don’t really trust your opinion right now, Mon. Your boy Marcus is a prime example of that.
Me: I didn’t know he’d end up a psycho. I was only using him for sex. He was the one who wanted a relationship.
Liam: Ew. Gross.
Me: Oh, shut up. You’ve told me way worse about Liv.
Liam: True.
Liam: In any case, I did want to let you know that the initial finding on the apartment fire is arson.
Me: Holy shit! How did they figure that out so fast?
Liam: Whoever did it left a container of gasoline behind the building with a clear line of accelerant leading to the building.
Me: Do they have any leads?
Liam: Not yet. But they’ll get to the bottom of this, Mon. I promise.
Me: Thanks, Liam. I’m really tired, so I’m heading to bed.
Liam: Alone?
Me: LIAM
Liam: Just tell me his name. I promise I won’t go TOO far into his past.
Me: Goodnight, Liam.
Liam: Night, sis.
I look up to see Gabriel on one of the bar chairs with his head on the island. When I approach, I can hear him snoring softly. I don’t want to wake him up, so I take the throw blanket from the couch and lightly cover his shoulders before heading upstairs to the guest room. Guess I’m sleeping alone tonight. Probably better.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gabriel