A Tangled Web - R.G. Alexander Page 0,29

night and got a vibe about my money and my personal relationships?”

Stax pursed his lips, his serene mask slipping to reveal true irritation. “You and your little group have serious trust issues, are you aware of that? Ask Nicholas about me if you need a reference before taking my advice. My personality might rub the wrong way, but I never cause undeserved harm and rarely stick my nose in where I’m not needed.”

He hadn’t meant to insult him. “I’m not the best host at the moment. Forgive me.”

“Accepted.” The apology instantly returned the smile to his face. “Your mood is understandable. You keep running into the same wall, and each time it gets taller, thicker and harder to get over. I’ve been considering your situation, thinking of a way you could change the landscape enough to wake up your oblivious sleeping beauty before it’s too late for both of you.”

“Any ideas?” Liam sighed. He really was feeling desperate. “I’m willing to try anything at this point.”

“Throwing away your plans is the first step. That’s what started this mess in the first place, isn’t it? You fell in love so you set a goal, put all the pieces exactly where they should be on the board, and then wait, wondering why you can’t win the game. You didn’t take into account the other player. Or her heart.”

The words jolted Liam. Maybe he was like Kaya. “There you go being a fortune cookie again.”

Stax smirked. “You make me laugh. It’s a gift of yours, putting other people at ease.”

“Not doing me a lot of good at the moment,” Liam murmured wryly.

“Yes, the situation is rather dire. Between the two of you and your long list of rules, phobias and trust issues, you may lose what you have and the possibility of what could be. Neither of you want that.”

Stax leaned forward, watching Liam through his curtain of hair. “Her desire for you isn’t a question, if you were still doubting it. It burns around her like a flame. But no matter how much she wants you, you have to know she’ll fight giving in to it. She doesn’t believe in that fairytale you have waiting at the end of your game yet. And why would she? She’s been lied to before. So much that part of her isn’t sure it really exists.”

Liam had lied to her too. “So your fresh perspective says I’m as screwed as I thought I was? Thanks. That was helpful.”

“Without her inhibitions lowered? Probably. And no, I’m not referring to last night’s drinking episode.” He bared his teeth again in a wicked semblance of a smile. “But I can help with that.”

Any goodwill he’d been feeling instantly disappeared. “She wouldn’t lower anything around you, and how the hell do you know what happened last night? Did you ever actually leave the property?”

Liam yanked his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Nick’s number. He thought it was only fair to warn his friend that he was having Stax arrested.

“Don’t call the cavalry yet, friend.” Stax caressed the carved image of a coyote on the walking stick in his lap, drawing Liam’s gaze and making him hesitate, though he wasn’t sure why. “I have a gift, you could say. Beyond seeing as Kaya can, I also have a certain therapeutic effect on people.”

“Therapeutic?”

He couldn’t deny that there was an air about him, though he wasn’t sure he’d call it therapeutic. He’d noticed it the other night. A look in his eyes that urged Liam to listen to him. Trust him.

“And you want to use this therapy to lower Dani’s inhibitions?”

“Yours as well.” Stax winked. “You’ve been pent up long enough to need it. I can tell.”

“You are the weirdest man I’ve met in Sedona, and that is saying something. If this is some sort of trick—”

“It isn’t.” Stax stretched, getting to his feet in one, graceful motion. “Tricks aren’t my style at all, despite what people think. But none are necessary in this case. I make suggestions, but people will always do only what they truly want to do. What they truly desire. Think of me as a clear reflection in the lake. Or a truth serum. With me, she would finally see what’s really in front of her. And you would finally know the answer to the question you’ve been living with since you met her.”

“So, what? You’re some kind of a hypnotist?” Liam couldn’t believe he was considering this, but the temptation of knowing was too