Page 39 of Captivated By You
“I should get this. It’s Anne,” I said, dropping my hand from Claudia and reaching for my phone by wrapping it around her. As I answered the phone, she settled into me, hand dropping to my thigh.
“You have crappy timing, Anne.”
“And you currently have a shitty life,” she snapped. “Someone’s been digging and they’ve uncovered your first arrest.”
“What the hell?”
“You heard me. TMZ released a report twenty minutes ago about your arrest when you were younger.”
“I was a teenager,” I barked. “That shit was expunged and erased or whatever the hell is supposed to happen when I turned eighteen.”
“Not permanently. You’re going to have to answer for this, Liam. Immediately.”
I gritted my teeth. Claudia, sensing my anger, pushed away from me and I climbed off the bench, tugging on my hair and staring at the tiled floor. Fucking hell. “Do they saywhyI was arrested?”
Shit, shit, shit. Sophie would have a heart attack if her ordeal were brought forward. I’d paid millions to get her trial and the imprisonment of the men who hurt her buried. They were out of jail now, because asshole college students only got minimum sentences for beating and raping teenage girls because the system wasfucked.
But now, so was I.
“Just assault so far.” Anne’s voice softened uncharacteristically. “But you might want to call Sophie because if they’re digging, I don’t doubt it will come up.”
“Who?” I clipped. “Who’s searching?”
“We’re working on it. But you need to get here. I can schedule you off the island tonight.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Liam—”
“First thing tomorrow, Anne. I’ll be on it. But I want one more day here.”
Not that I saw the point. Claudia was across the room, arms crossed protectively over her stomach. She was worrying her bottom lip and watching me like she really was afraid I’d hurt her.
Fuck.
“Fine,” Anne sighed. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll text you details. And prepare Claudia. Between this and her own family drama, shit will hit the fan once you get back.”
“I’m not coming back to New York,” I said, not removing my eyes from Claudia. She’d gone pale as a ghost. “We’re going to Kansas.”
I hung up before Anne could argue. I understood why I needed to get back, but I’d be stopping at home first. Sophie and I needed to talk, and like we’d done so many times before, I already knew what she’d say. She’d beg and plead for me to keep it hidden and while the last thing I wanted to do was throw her back into that hell that took years to climb out of, I’d also always wanted her to tell her story. I wanted her to help others. I wanted her to move beyond it so it didn’t always cling to her. I wanted her to take back her power.
It also, sure as hell would have helped me out when charges were flung in my direction.
“So,” I said, sliding my hands to my hips. “How do you feel about visiting my family?”
