Page 36 of Fallen Angel
“Get in the car!” She slid into the driver’s seat. “Buckle up,” she told her brother. Then she banged a u-ey and sped after Ethan, following him down Hanover Street.
She wove through traffic, keeping her foot heavy on the pedal and got behind him. The intersection at Cross Street was up ahead. Ethan made it through the light just as it turned red.
“Shit!” she cried, her word drawn out as she sped up and ran the light. Horns blasted. Tires shrieked. Drivers slammed on their brakes and swerved to miss her, but she cleared the fray unscathed. Up ahead, Ethan pulled off the road. She stopped the car behind him and got out. He barreled toward her.
“What are you doing?” he shouted. “You could’ve gotten killed.”
“I need to talk to you, Ethan. You have to listen to me,” she pleaded.
He stepped back. “No. I don’t,” he said, his voice suddenly flat, his face expressionless. “I don’t need this. I didn’t ask for this.”
He turned away from her, but she grabbed his arm. “Yes, you did. You asked for me, and this is who I am.”
His eyes turned stone cold. “What? A liar?”
“You got her all wrong, man,” Liam burst in, stepping in front of Angel.
Angel peered around Liam’s shoulder at Ethan who looked like he was ready to beat the crap out her little brother. “Liam, let me handle this,” she said, but he ignored her and continued talking.
“Angel told me about your Dad just now before she almost killed me.” Liam shot her a fierce scowl before turning back to Ethan. “I’m sorry my dad screwed you over, but he screwed over a lot of people, including Angel.”
Ethan grabbed Liam by his jacket collar and pulled him dangerously close.
“Let him go, Ethan,” Angel shouted.
Both men ignored her.
“I’ll kill him if he hurt her,” Ethan said, through gritted teeth.
The tension fled Liam’s body. His arms hung limp at his sides as he ceased struggling against Ethan. “You can’t,” Liam said quietly. “He’s already dead.”
Angel gasped.
Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise the instant before he released his hold on Liam.
Liam turned and looked down at her. Angel’s chest tightened when she glimpsed the suffering in her brother’s eyes.
“It’s why I came here,” Liam began, “to tell you Dad’s dead.”
Angel’s mind was spinning. “But how?”
Liam stood still and stared hard at the ground. His hands clenched into tight fists. “He killed himself.”
Her stomach lurched. She thought for a moment that she might faint dead away, but then Ethan’s arm encircled her waist. “Breathe, Angel. Look at me.”
She did. They locked eyes. His shone down at her with all the warmth and concern she had come to expect from her strong man. “You need to breathe,” he said softly.
Then he turned to Liam. “Follow us back to my place. We all need to sit down and talk.”
∞∞∞
Back at Beacon Street, Ethan sat next to Angel on the couch. He wrapped his arm around her. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but he at least had the solace knowing Angel was a victim, same as him.
Across from them, Liam leaned back in the lounge chair near the cold fireplace and blew out a long breath. “This was my second year at university. I’m in an accelerated program, which includes a part-time internship. I chose to work for my dad.” Then he looked pointedly at Ethan, and said, “He was my real father and Angel’s stepfather.”
After Ethan nodded, Liam took a deep breath and continued, “Anyway, for the first time I saw my father’s business strategies firsthand. He hired a small company to do the electrical work in a new casino he was building out west. I was on the jobsite every day and saw this guy work. He was a total professional. So was his crew—fast, hardworking. They did a great job, and on top of everything, they finished early. I gave my dad the report myself. But, instead of praising the guy or giving him a bonus, my dad told him his work was subpar.”
A mirthless laugh escaped Liam’s lips as he shook his head, clearly still unable to believe what had happened. Liam looked at Angel. “It was just like what happened when we were kids.” Then he turned to Ethan. “When Angel was sixteen, her best friend’s dad did some contract work for Lockwood Luxury. Same deal. My dad refused to pay the guy what he’d promised and put the guy out of business. They lost their home. Angel tried to reason with my dad, but—”
