A Tangled Web - R.G. Alexander Page 0,26

pressed a woman under the influence. The truth was, he should have stopped her before things had gone so far.

Liam hadn’t been able to help himself. He was a starving, desperate fool in love, and when she’d stripped and held her breasts in her hands, daring him to take what he’d wanted after all these years, he couldn’t find the will to resist her.

He was only human.

He’d always known it would be good between them, but he’d had no idea it would be that explosive. She’d ruined him, and he didn’t want to go back to what they had before. Not after waiting all this time for her to make a move.

Liam spent the night praying she wouldn’t blame it on the alcohol or pretend it never happened. When he’d finally fallen asleep, he’d been trapped in a nightmare. Sal had found her and he wasn’t able to get to her in time. The first thing he'd done after waking was to look for her, but she was gone. For a moment he’d thought…

She’s safe. Kaya wouldn’t lie.

He wanted to kill Dani’s ex. It wasn’t a feeling he was proud of, or one he thought he’d ever have for another human, but it was there all the same. The bastard had scarred her. Carved his fucking initial into her skin when his fists hadn’t given him enough satisfaction. She’d told him Sal had threatened to kill her, that he’d hit her, but he hadn’t found out about the son of a bitch’s love of sharp objects until he’d had taken her to his lawyer.

In her statement, she’d mentioned that Sal kept his knife in view at all times. In a voice lacking any inflection or emotion, she’d spoken of how he would caress her arm with the blade, while telling her he was the only one who would or could ever love her. That he was all she had, and he would never allow her to leave him. She’d admitted that her fear had made it easy to believe.

If she hadn’t called him that night, Liam never would have known. He’d thought she was unhappy. He’d known Sal wasn’t worth the air she breathed. He’d wanted her for himself, but he’d missed the signs of abuse that had been right in front of him.

At the time, all he’d been able to focus on was getting her as far away from danger as possible, but since he’d promised the police wouldn’t be involved before he knew everything, he’d tied his own hands. And then he found a loophole.

His brother-in-law had been a private investigator for his family for years before marrying his sister, so Liam hired him to keep an eye on Sal. At the time, he’d told himself it was just to make sure the bastard wasn’t looking for her.

Sal had been quiet for the last few months. But last night’s dream had been so real, he couldn’t dismiss it. Which was why he’d left another message today.

He’d always meant to tell her…so many things. But it never seemed to be the right time.

Coward.

He couldn’t deny it. At first, he told himself she needed a safe place to heal and a shoulder to cry on. But after that? Why had he waited so long after that? Because he wanted her to make the first move after everything she’d been through? His stubborn desire for her to choose him had stolen most of his chances away. He was coasting on borrowed time now, because she didn’t need him anymore and he didn’t know how to tell her that he’d been in love with her for years.

Their timing had always been off.

He’d been on a date the first night they’d met. A charity event held in a new wing of the hospital where she’d worked. Liam remembered being irritated with the woman on his arm because she couldn’t stop talking about the dress she was wearing and how much each couple she recognized was worth. He wanted to leave and make his sister promise never to set him up with another woman again. He wanted to be anywhere else.

And then he’d seen Dani.

She’d been laughing with a group of wheelchair-bound patients lining the walls, taking turns “dancing” with them and ignoring the wealthy donors completely. Her dress, simple and obviously right off the rack, had fit her in a way that made him sweat.

He couldn’t look away. Her body had been what initially caught his attention, because he was a man, but