Page 169 of Perfect Liar
He put his palms out against my shoulders, keeping me at arm’s length, but something else stopped me in my tracks—not his arms but his eyes.
Will’s eyes.
John and Lissie had the same, yes, but something I couldn’t define about Thomas’s stare shook me…something that made him even more like Will.
I crumbled over the conference table and cried.
Thomas let me cry there for a minute before gathering me in his arms.
I put my stupid fucking wet face on his shoulder.
“Is he hurt, Thomas?”
“Jesus, you have quite a fucking temper, Ellie.”
“I’m sorry. Please just tell me what’s going on.”
“My brother’s not hurt. We didn’t let anyone touch him. He went after the two we lost. He’ll track them and kill them, and he won’t come back until it’s done. So I need you to do what I ask, starting with no more coming at me with your fists.”
He let out a small chuckle.
“But why is he alone, Thomas?”
“Because he ordered everyone to stay here with you.”
My fault. Will went out there alone, risking his life for the sake of mine, and it was my fault. A sob broke free in my chest, and my breath shuddered.
Thomas held me, waiting for me to quit crying, and rested his cheek on my head.
“Christ, stop fucking crying,” he said softly.
“Will you find him and help him?”
We all knew once Will made the decision to do something, he couldn’t be stopped. But maybe Thomas could be with him, wherever he was, and help him.
He shook his head, his chin rubbing against my hair.
“You know I can’t leave you. He would never forgive me. One of us must be here with you. If not him, then me. You’ll never be alone again.”
Those words, the promise in them.
I lifted my head and backed away a little, finding my strength.
“I need to know what’s happening. Not just that he’s gone, but why and where.”
He grabbed a towel from a cabinet.
“I’ll share what I can with you, Ellie.”
“Okay, we’ll start with that,” I said.
“I can’t tell you where he is because I don’t know. Maybe he’ll let me know soon. Why he left is a bit more complicated. We received intel earlier, confirming Charles Green is the informant our uncle warned us about. We think he wants revenge now, after losing his brothers.
“We had a plan to deal with him, not knowing he would show up here today. He managed to find his way out. You have to know, Ellie, my brother believes he’s doing what’s best to keep you safe and to keep this family whole. He needs you to trust that, and I need you to trust me.”
“Wait. Back up a minute, Thomas. Are you saying Will planned to leave?”
“Yeah. He’s been quite torn up. I know the two of you talked about it, but he still blames himself. I would feel no differently in his shoes. He isn’t going to stop until he eliminates every man involved.”