“I’m glad you did,” Kaya said easily. “But I get why Dani wanted to face him. And why she wanted to protect the people she loves. You should too.”
She heard a groan from the ground but refused to look. He didn’t matter anymore. He was nothing now.
“He’ll be feeling that beating for a while,” Jace said thoughtfully. “What did you hit him with anyway?”
She felt his breath against her neck as he responded. “A fondue pot from the buffet table.”
Jace laughed. “Someone at this party is going to write a song about that. Fondue Fight. I’m calling it now.”
Dani smiled over at him. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
Liam pulled back to look at Dani, needing to make sure she was really here. Really safe. “Your legs are bleeding.”
He’s honest and loving, and you’re a lying bastard. I may not deserve him, but I damn sure deserve better than you.
“I’m fine.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. Her trusting gaze tore a hole in his heart. “What is it, Liam?”
“I’m a lying bastard, too.”
He let her go and shoved his hands in his pockets, already missing the feel of her in his arms.
She glanced over at her friends, then back to him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Liam?” Jace’s voice held a note of warning, but he ignored it. If he didn’t say this now, he never would.
“I was trying to tell you earlier. I’ve been trying to tell you for a year, but I was too afraid of losing you. Of losing us.” Please don’t let me lose this. “Sal didn’t lie. I am rich and I did hire a private detective to watch him.”
“Liam, you’re a chef. I mean, it’s a nice restaurant, but…” She trailed off, studying his expression. “What are you saying?”
He clenched his jaw. “I’m saying I am a chef. But the restaurant that catered the charity where we met was one of mine. My family’s. You didn’t recognize my name and I’d never had that before, but it doesn’t matter why I did it. I still kept something from you, and it put you in danger tonight.”
Dani stumbled a little, and he reached out instinctively but dropped his hands when he saw Kaya wrap a protective arm around her. “I knew you were keeping a few things to yourself, but I didn’t see that coming,” Kaya said, watching him with disappointment.
“Yeah.” Bailey whistled. “Okay, dude, your timing is way off. It’s not exactly the right moment for the prince in disguise reveal.”
He knew it. But he couldn’t lie anymore. Not after seeing Sal hold a knife to her. After seeing it all happening in front of him and knowing it was because he found out about Liam’s money.
When he’d woken up without her this morning, Liam swore to himself he’d sit her down and tell her the truth as soon as she came home. After last night, he was impatient to get everything out into the open so they could start fresh.
But she hadn’t come home between shopping and the party. The only reason he was here tonight was to finally pin her down. And now it was too late.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Dani sounded strangely calm. He knew her well enough to know it wasn’t the best sign. “You know every horrible, ugly thing about me. Why would you lie about that? Not just for one year but all this time. Three years, Liam.”
Because I was afraid you’d run away from me. Afraid you’d stay for the wrong reasons. Nothing that was going through his mind would sound right, and he knew it. Nothing could.
Kaya sighed when he didn’t respond. “I’ve been in your corner until now, and I believe you meant well by telling the truth, but I really think this might be too much for Dani to take tonight. You can talk about it again tomorrow.”
Dani pulled away from Kaya. “I don’t need protecting anymore.” She smiled gently as if to soften the blow. “But I appreciate the effort.”
Jace laid a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “We should probably call the cops. Wouldn’t want this guy getting away.”
Kaya made a strange sound of surprise. “I, uh, don’t think we have to worry about that.”
Liam turned along with the others, bracing himself to see a corpse instead of a passed-out psychopath, and froze.
“What the hell is that?”
A coyote was stalking Sal’s body, followed closely by a large, gray timber wolf. They barely glanced at the five people standing next to the prone man, but the wolf ducked his head as though embarrassed at being seen. The coyote, however, paused momentarily to look up at Dani.
“Stax?”
Her confusing whisper wasn’t enough to drag Liam’s attention away from the strange sight. He looked on in disbelief as the animals moved in unison to either shoulder, closing their jaws around Sal’s flesh and slowly dragging him backward.