“Gill killed Nick Sebring’s girlfriend,” I stated and Tommy finally focused on me rather than vomiting words at me.

“Gill killed Nick Sebring’s Fed girlfriend,” he confirmed. “Man was an informant, Liv. A CI. You know how those brothers are about women. Human trafficking is not gonna happen in Denver if either of them can do shit about it. Nick went in. Got tight with this girl. Your dad was desperate. He had partners putting on pressure. The House of Shade needed something. He tried to pull that shit off, got wind Nick was a CI and the girl was undercover, he made the order. Sebring’s fucking you to get to your family. He even owns that club where Harry takes you to watch people go at each other. Silent partner, him and his brother. Harry needs money and I need information so I give him money and Harry finds out a lot of shit. He found that out when he caught Nick and a bunch of his boys on your ass, watching you. And Sebring’s been watchin’ you for years, Liv. Fuckin’ years. Since that shit went down with his girl. He bought that club, my guess, he was done watchin’, ready to roll, sole purpose of the buy to make an opening to get to the only weak link in the House of Shade. That weak link bein’ you.”

His face twisted with jealousy before he finished.

“And he got that right because he got you.”

Nick owned the club.

Nick had been watching me.

Nick had been watching me for years.

Nick had been listening for years.

Listening to everything.

Nick had been a confidential informant for the FBI.

Nick had a girlfriend that Gill had whacked.

Nick had a girlfriend that Gill had whacked on my father’s order.

Nick.

My Nick.

No.

Not my Nick.

He’d never been my Nick.

Not ever.

I looked away from Tommy, murmuring, “I need to get ice on my face.”

His voice changed, went low, sweet, and he got close again when he replied, “Yeah, you do. You want me to get it for you, baby?”

Baby.

Tears started to flood my eyes but I took a deep breath to hold them back.

I shook my head, “No, I just want to go home.”

“Take you, Liv.”

I looked back to him. “I need some time alone, Tommy.”

He studied me a moment. It was a long moment, too long. Long enough to make me fear I’d lose it, and I did not want to lose it, not there. Not close to Georgia and Dad. Not in front of Tommy.

Thankfully, he nodded.

“Give you tonight, Liv. Tomorrow, honey, we gotta talk.”

I was not talking to Tommy.

I didn’t know what I was doing, right then, the next second, the next day, the rest of my life.

All I knew was what I needed and that was that I had to get out of there.