Page 21 of Phoenix's Redemption

His words were meant to assure me. Liam used to run the streets with the same man who hurt my family. I couldn’t shake the thought.

"I'm sorry, Liam." My voice broke through the thick tension that filled the space between us. "There's no way we can be together anymore."

He stepped toward me. "Sophie, don't do this. We can figure it out."

"No." My reply was a whisper, but it fell like a hammer. "We can't."

My gaze dropped to the floor, unable to match his stare any longer. The sounds of the gym faded into a distant hum. I felt tightness in my throat.

"Goodbye, Liam."

I turned away from him. Each step was a fight against our connection. I pushed through the doors of Warrior's Den, leaving behind the sound of Liam's voice calling after me—a voice I would have followed if things were different.

As the sun hit my face, I didn't look back. I walked briskly. Away from him, away from us, away from a fantasy that was never meant to face reality.

I WENT HOME AND SPENTthe rest of the day and night alone. Sleep was a joke. The predawn shadows clung to the corners of my living room, where I sat wrapped in an old blanket that had seen better nights. Restless thoughts prowled through my mind. Liam's past with Jack Thornton surfaced like the bruise on his head, quick and painful.

I rubbed at my temples, trying to massage away the headache brought on by too little sleep and too much worry. There was nowhere for Liam and I to go now. After what he told me, and after what he didn’t say until it was too late.

I sighed, fogging up the glass of the window I stared through without really seeing. My gaze drifted to the fireplace, to the smiling faces of my dad and sister captured in a framed photo. I walked towards it. My sister's eyes, wide with trust and innocence, seemed to bore into mine. Grace’s voice echoed in my head from a phone conversation we had days ago. "Sophie, please, let this go. Hunting Jack is consuming you."

Consuming. Maybe she was right. Anger, like a fire, flared to life in me whenever I thought of Jack Thornton walking free.Liam might be labeled a hothead and hard-headed. Those words could just as easily describe me.

Why did this have to be so hard? I wondered as I traced the frame of the picture. In the dim light, my reflection's eyes met mine, and I found tiredness and hurt staring back at me.

The shrill chime of my phone alarm pierced the silence. I turned it off before I paced across the hardwood floor. The Heartland Fight Fest was supposed to start in a couple hours. I couldn’t skip out. As much as I wanted to avoid Liam while I sorted through everything he told me, I couldn’t hide from him for much longer today. But I had no idea how I was going to face him, either.

A faint rustle came from outside. Lawn maintenance wasn’t supposed to be here until this afternoon. Did I miss a text or call from them saying they changed the time? I glanced at my phone’s missed call log. Last night, I put my phone on do not disturb. I wasn’t in any frame of mind to see anyone’s calls or texts, especially Liam’s.

He had called me twice.

I heard the rustling again. My bare feet padded against the floor as I inched toward the door.

I eased the screen open. The metal frame was a cold bite against my palm as I stepped out. Peering into the dim light, I saw nothing but shadows playing tricks on my eyes... until they didn't. My breath caught as dread and adrenaline spiked through my veins.

"Hey, Officer Brooks. How's the new trainer gig going?" Jack Thornton's voice slithered through the dark. His hand clamped onto the screen door, creating a physical barrier between me and retreat.

"Jack." His name was a stone in my throat. My fingers curled into clammy fists. He was the ghost that haunted my family’speace, the pain behind Liam's remorseful gaze. And now he was here at my condo, showing up like a bad omen.

"It’s too early for house calls, don't you think?" I managed to keep my tone even. I couldn’t let him see me sweat. I wiped one hand on my jeans. "Only stalkers are out at this time." My eyes didn't leave his, searching for any hint of the menace I knew crawling behind the exterior.

"Stalker? That's a heavy word." Jack shrugged off my accusation like we were discussing the weather. "I heard Liam's climbing the ranks, all thanks to his new trainer."

"So you thought you'd come and see if there was something in it for you?"

Jack's grin twisted, taking on a sharper edge. "You got it all wrong.” He tilted his head. Maybe he thought the gesture made him look innocent. To me, he looked like one of those creepy carnival dolls whose smiles didn’t reach their empty eyes. "Prison taught me a thing or two."

"You should still be there," I shot back, barely containing the well of emotions. The image of my father, frail in a hospital bed, surfaced. "You put my father in the hospital."

He snorted, dismissing my pain with a flick of his head. "For all I know, your old man's heart was already giving out on its own."

I bit back the curses that rose to my lips. Jack had come here for a reason, and I needed to keep myself together long enough to figure out what it was.

I forced my breath to even out. The anger and hurt he wanted to provoke inside me were there, but I was determined not to let him win. "Well, now that you’re out, I wonder why you're not at the gym putting those prison 'skills' to use. There's nothing here for you to lift except your own guilt." I glanced sidelong at the door, calculating the distance to it.

Jack's smirk didn't falter, but his eyes narrowed. "I always have been curious."

I provided a slow nod. “Curiosity tends to get people into trouble." The words were heavy with the weight of truth for my own self.

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