She fangirls over Reckless Alibi. It’s strange being here while women, and some men, ogle the man I love. I’m going to have to get used to it. He’s becoming a musical icon. A star. Maybe someday he’ll even be a legend. But I don’t love him for any of those reasons.
“Oh, God,” Jenn says, looking like she swallowed a bug. “He’s back.”
Creepy Guy has taken his hat off. At least it doesn’t seem like he’s going to bother us. He only seems interested in the band. He did ask me about Liam. Maybe he’s a talent agent or something.
The song the band is playing sounds funny. Liam has stopped playing. The rest of the band is trying to get his attention, wondering why.
Then everyone sees what I see. Liam is gazing at Creepy Guy in horrific disbelief. And Creepy Guy is staring back at him.
Liam’s face turns red, and his neck is corded. He throws his guitar down and jumps off the stage, hands balled into fists, right onto Creepy Guy. He tackles him to the ground and punches him.
“Liam!” I yell. Is he doing this because Creepy Guy was talking to me earlier?
The crowd clears a space around them. Thor runs over and reaches for Liam. “Don’t!” Crew yells, jumping to his side. “Let him.”
Thor holds back anyone who tries to intervene. I’m appalled by what Liam is doing to the man. Over and over, he punches him in the face. Creepy Guy is pinned to the ground, but still gets in a punch. Liam’s blood spatters all the way to my legs. “Do something!” I yell.
Crew pulls me behind him, protecting me from the fight.
I try to break free. “Crew, help him.”
“He doesn’t need help,” Crew says. “Let him do this, Ella. He needs to.”
“What?” I stand here and watch, horrified. Why is Liam beating up this man? He only talked to me. He didn’t touch me. I think of the stories Bria told me about how Crew would punch men who came close to her. Other than the guy who grabbed my boobs in Florida, I’ve never seen Liam become violent. The only time he’s ever angry is when he’s talking about— “Oh, God.” I grab Crew’s arm. “Is that Don?”
I’m not sure if he’s surprised or relieved I know about Liam’s father. He doesn’t need to say anything. I know the answer is yes.
Club security finally makes it through the crowd and not even Thor can keep them from breaking things up. Liam stands, his fists bloody, not taking his eyes off his dad. He lunges for him again, but is held back. Thor says something to security and then leads Liam backstage.
Garrett, Brad, and Bria get off the stage and join us. Crew picks something up off the floor—a wallet maybe, and I wonder if Liam lost it in the scuffle.
“Dude, what the fuck just happened?” Garrett asks. He touches my arm. “Did that asshole attack you or something?”
I shake my head.
He looks at Creepy Guy, who’s being helped up to his feet. “Then why did he beat the shit out of him?”
“Only Liam can answer that question,” Crew says. “Come on, let’s make sure he’s okay.”
Jenn tags along as we go backstage, all of us trying to process what Liam did. Thor comes up the hallway alone. “He’s gone. Took off out the back door.”
I run to the end of the hall and throw open the door, looking up and down the street for him.
Crew comes up behind me. “Give him time, Ella.”
My voice cracks. “What if he’s hurt?”
“He’s strong. He’ll be okay.”
“But what if this is the thing that breaks him?”
Chapter Forty-nine
Liam
Twelve years ago
Molestation.
I type it into the browser’s search field. Helen once told me what it was, but I didn’t want to believe it. For the past year, I’ve denied it could be anything as bad as she said. I’ve pretended Luke’s death was a freak accident and Dad disappeared because he was sad over losing his oldest son. I’ve blocked out any conversations I overheard that would indicate it was anything different.
But I’m almost thirteen. I hear the way my classmates talk in the school locker room. They joke about boys touching other boys. They call them homos, faggots, and sickos.
What I read on the screen doesn’t give me much explanation: sexual assault or abuse of a child up to the age of eighteen.
I type in another search term. Child sexual abuse.