stalling. I know that he's trying to buy more time. That's okay.
I like that I can make him uncomfortable.
“I don't know what you want me to tell you, Emma,” he finally says, taking a sip of his cold water.
The ice clings to the glass and makes a loud bell-like sound.
“I want you to tell me the truth,” I say.
“I want to, but how do I know if I can trust you?”
This takes me by surprise.
No, this must be just another line, I decide.
“Trust me with what? Why are you lying?”
The waiter comes back and we place our orders. Then he picks up his knife and looks at his reflection.
“You already wrote one article about me that you had no right to write,” he says quietly. “I wanted to tell you the truth for a long time. I really like you and I really enjoyed the time that we spent together.”
“But?” I finish his thought.
“But… The truth is a secret that would endanger my life if I shared it.”
I roll my eyes and say, “What a liar.”
“I'm not a liar,” Liam says quietly. “I knew that I should have never gone to Alex's party, but we ran into each other. I missed being my old self. It was nice to have someone in my life who knew me for who I used to be.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It grounded me,” Liam continues, ignoring my question. “I don't know how to explain this to you, but everything that I told you is true and also untrue.”
“Okay, you said you wanted to meet me here to answer my questions. Well, you're not doing any of that.”
“I am here and I will answer your questions as best as I can. But first…”
“What?” I say, getting annoyed.
“You have to promise me that everything that I tell you is off the record. That means that you can't use any of this information in your stories. You can't write anything else about me.”
“Why?”
“If you do, then it's going to put my life in danger.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, exasperated.
The waiter comes back with a plate of finely breaded onion rings that Liam ordered.
My mouth starts to water and I grab a piece of one, unable to stop myself.
“I don't know where to start,” Liam says, leaning back in his chair. “I don't think we should be having this conversation, but I wanted to see you again. I missed you. You shouldn’t have left like that, but I understand why you did.”
“Wasn't safe,” I say categorically. “Perhaps still not, but at least we’re in public.”
“I will never hurt you,” he says in a quiet tone of voice. The way that he looks at me with those big, sad eyes, I can't help but believe him. Questions continue to linger though.
“You don't know where to start so why don't I?” I suggest.
He nods.
“What's your real name?”
“Liam Linville,” he says quietly.
“Did you testify against your uncle in a Medicare fraud case?”
Liam's eyes flash up to mine.
There's a tinge of shock in his gaze, but after a few moments he lets out a deep sigh and gives me a brief nod.
“You can't publish any of this. I'm telling you this as a friend,” he insists. “Nothing more. If any of this is published, I'm going to deny it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I agree. I never had any intention of publishing this. I just want to get to the truth.”
This seems to appease him and he lets out a sigh of relief.
"Who is Liam Parish?” I ask.
“It's a name that I made up.”
“Why?”
“I usually use the name on my ID because Alex already knew my first name. You didn't know my last name so I figured I'd use a pseudonym.”
“Why?”
When he takes a deep breath, our eyes meet again.
He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his.
I'm about to pull away, but he grabs on tightly.
“I'm going to tell you something, but if you were to reveal this to anyone then my life would be in danger. It's as simple as that.”
“Okay,” I say slowly.
“You promise that you won't?”
“Yes,” I say after a moment. “I promise.”
“In addition to running a chain of nursing homes, my uncle is one of the biggest organized crime bosses in the Pacific Northwest. The nursing home business was a front for a lot of illegal dealings. When I testified against him, he put out a hit on me. The cops kept me in protective custody while I testified, but after that I was