Page 14 of Perfect Liar

My mind gave in to the shock, to the pain I had tried to control. My hands trembled, my knees weakened, and I stumbled forward.

Will caught me and pulled me to him.

I let my forehead rest against his chest for a moment, so I could catch my breath. His steady heart thundered close to my ear.

I lifted my face, and his intense gaze burned into mine.

“Listen to me, Ellie. The men who did this will come back. You must leave here with me. Say you’ll walk out with me. Say the words now.”

I could only stare at him, trapped in my fear and the shock.

“If you don’t go willingly, I’ll take you with me anyway,” he added.

“I’ll go,” I whispered.

He steadied me and cradled my face in his hands.

“Good. That’s good.”

“You weren’t part of this, were you?” I asked.

“I didn’t harm your family, and I’ll never hurt you.”

Fierce, wild emotion stirred in his eyes, followed by a beautiful contrast of concern and honesty. An intense, protective instinct drove him—he was a dangerous man, yes, but he wasn’t a danger to me.

An irrational gut-feeling urged me trust him. Maybe because he had ties to Isabel, and I’d always trusted her with my life.

I dropped my gaze to the floor, and in an unguarded, vulnerable moment, my faith in Isabel became the start of my trust for Will. I let out a small gasp.

“Lissie…she’s upstairs,” I blurted.

“Your niece…she’s here…she’s alive?”

I nodded.

“Please, help me. She’s upstairs. She can’t see her mother like this.”

He angled his head toward the staircase.

“Go to her quickly.”

I ran upstairs to Gran’s room, and Will followed closely, the tired stairs groaning under his weight as he talked into a hands-free communication device.

“I’ve got Ellie. Bring the car round front. Ben, get inside and cover the staircase. I’m going up for the little girl.”

When we reached the top, I grabbed our bags and hooked them on my shoulder.

In the secret room, Lissie curled into a ball with her hands covering her head again.

I squatted to pull her to me, but she resisted.

“It’s time to go, Lissie, come with me,” I whispered.

But she wouldn’t come to me.

“There’s no time. Move aside,” Will said.

I searched his eyes for reassurance and then I stepped aside.