Page 127 of Perfect Liar

“Ellie, step away from my brother,” he said.

Will snapped and stalked across the room toward Thomas.

“This doesn’t concern you…you get the fuck out of here.”

Thomas stepped in front of me.

“That’s right…you come at me, not her. What the fuck are you doing…do you want to hurt her?”

Will stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at Thomas, then at me, and his eyes softened.

“I love her, Thom. I’ll never hurt her.”

“But you see, you’re losing it, and she’s too fucking stubborn to walk away.”

Will stared at me again. Then he reached out his hand to me, his eyes pleading with me to trust him. I put my hand in his, and he pulled me to him and held me against his heaving chest.

“I’m going to London for a while, Elle,” he said.

He lifted my chin and forced our eyes to connect.

“You will stay with Thomas.”

While keeping my hands on his arms, I pulled back, shaking my head.

“No. No, I won’t stay here without you. You can’t?—”

“—please. You will do it,” he commanded.

Hot tears fell, stinging my cheeks.

“For how long?”

He softly kissed my lips.

“I’ll come home soon.”

I clutched his shirt tightly in my fists, so tightly, and buried my face in it.

“No, you can’t leave me. I won’t let you leave me.”

My breath stuttered on those sobbed words. And I choked on them as they replayed in my head—the same words I’d said to my sister.

Will’s fingers wiped at my cheeks, and his warm lips kissed mine again.

We both tasted my salty tears.

“Shh…I’ll come back as soon as I can. I need to take care of some things…need to fix this. I’ll make everything right again.”

“No,” I sobbed.

“Yes. Thomas will keep you safe.”

Will pried my fingers away and eased me backward into Thomas’s arms.

“You keep her in this house. You fucking keep her here.”

Thomas gripped my arms from behind and tilted his head at the corridor.