Page 66 of Brick

Izzy shot her a glance before spooning the meat into the hollowed green peppers. “For how long? Are you going to live like this forever? Until she dies?”

“I don’t know, but what happened last night wasn’t even about him. It was all me.” Suddenly, the stress-filled night caught up with her. Exhaustion hit her like a freight train, and she struggled to hold her head up against the protesting muscles of her neck. “I’m going to go lie down for a bit, m’kay?”

“Okay,” Iz said gently. “Rest. I have a feeling you’re going to need all the strength you can muster to face our big brother.”

It only felt as though she’d closed her eyes for a moment, but the clock said it was twelve-fifteen when Izzy shook her awake. She’d slept forty-five minutes.

“Look sharp. He’s on his way.”

She stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. Her eyes were still a little bleary from sleep, but other than a few wrinkles in the clothes she’d borrowed from her sister this morning, she didn’t think Will would notice anything out of the ordinary. Right as she finished running a comb through her hair, his voice drifted in from the living room.

No time like the present.

Will’s gaze zeroed in on her the moment she walked into the living room. He gave her the same assessing look he’d given her in high school when she’d hit the neighbor’s mailbox with her car. Like he had a sixth sense for bad news.

He folded his arms. “What’s going on?”

She climbed on the sofa and hugged her knees. “I did something stupid. You’re going to be mad. I need your help, though. Can you please listen?”

He nodded, but the suspicion didn’t leave his eyes.

She braced for impact. “How can I protect myself if a really scary guy knows where I work?”

A vein pulsed in Will’s temple. “Are you talking about Barlow? Why does it keep coming back to that thug?” His hand curled into a fist. “Is he threatening you?”

“Jonathan would never hurt me,” she murmured, then forced her voice to steady. “I paid a house call to check on one of my students. His brother is a total psycho. I’m lucky I got out of there in one piece.”

Will shook his head, like he was trying to make his brain catch up to her words. “How do you know this guy’s crazy? Did he put his hands on you?”

She shivered. “No. Thank God, Jonathan was there. He helped me escape. He told me the guy—Tre—works for Sucre de la Cruz, and he’s really bad news, Will.”

“Jona—are you talking about Brick?”

She nodded. “Eduardo says no one broke into my car, so Tre probably doesn’t know where I live, but he knows I’m Devon’s teacher, which means he can find me at work. It doesn’t seem real it would happen, but…”

“Who the fuck is Eduardo?” Will raked his hand across his scalp. “Liv, I’m about to lose my shit here.”

She gripped her legs tighter. “He’s my self-defense instructor. Jonathan snuck me out of the neighborhood in his truck and brought me to Izzy’s gym. We sent Eduardo to get my car so Tre wouldn’t see me again. I’m hoping maybe I’ll be out of sight, out of mind, but Jonathan says he’s still a threat.”

The confusion lifted from his eyes, leaving steely resolve in its place. “He’s right. This Tre guy can still get to you. All he has to do is stake out the parking lot at the high school.” He paused. “They think someone snatched a teacher there a couple years ago, right? I read about it in the paper. What was her name?”

“Mrs. Muniz.” Her eyes widened in horror, the memory flooding back. She sat up straight. “Oh my God, Tre said something about her while I was there. I didn’t make the connection.”

Izzy gasped. “They found her a month after she disappeared. The news said she’d been kept alive. Raped. Tortured. She was missing one of her fingers.”

“I’m scared, Will,” she whimpered. “Part of me thought things weren’t so bad if he didn’t know where I lived. I mean, Jonathan told me Tre was a monster, but I remember when they found Mrs. Muniz. The police chief cried on the news.”

Will spoke through clenched teeth. “The name Tre doesn’t ring any bells, but if he was the guy responsible for what happened to that teacher, I know enough.” His jaw ticked. “Are you and Brick together, Liv?”

“Yes. I wasn’t lying to you before. We just—”

He waved away her nervous chatter. “It doesn’t matter. He cares about you? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Will nodded resolutely. “He is not the kind of guy I want for you, but if anyone can help keep you safe, it’s a big motherfucker like him. What did he say you should do about all this?”

“He said I needed to have the security guard walk me to my car every day, and he said I needed to tell you everything.”

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