Beautiful Monster 2(43)
“Have a seat, Connor,” I said, indicating the chair.
He sat, wordlessly. I took a deep breath, wondering how to approach this. My hands twitched and I decided, to hell with it, and reached into my desk drawer, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and 2 shot glasses.
“Drink?”
“At 9 am?” he asked.
I shrugged. “What’s it going to do? Destroy our livers?”
Connor agreed with me on that point, and I poured us both a shot. I was stalling for time and I knew it, but the truth was that I was torn. From what I had learned about Sarah and her behavior, she wasn`t lying to me. Many of these age old vampires still lived in the old ways, their morals and views still kept. Connor came from a time when wives were to stay at home and have children and the men went out and did their own thing. Often, that meant not being faithful. And if a baby were to come along, they would likely react in the same way Connor did, and not think anything of it.#p#分页标题#e#
But on the other hand, Connor and Isabelle were united with me in killing Selene, and they were probably two of the most powerful fighters we had. There were so few people in the world who shared my view, that I didn`t want to get rid of any of them. I knew how badly the ache to kill Selene hurt, and the fact that I was taking it away from them made my heart burn.
“Connor, I think you know why you’re here,” I said at last.
He shrugged. “The girl, the Shield, is with child.”
My eyebrows raised. “You haven`t heard?”
“Heard what?” Connor shifted uncomfortably and his face contorted in concern. “Is she alright?”
“Sarah… lost the child,” I said, tactfully. If he hadn’t heard the rumors, he didn’t need to know that it was self-induced.
“She lost it?” The emotion that took over his face surprised me. He actually seemed concerned about it.
“She did. And her main concern, all the way through, was that you would hurt her if it got out that it was yours.”
Connor paused and sat back, overwhelmed. “I…we…”
“Listen to me.” I took a deep breath and leaned over my desk to be closer to him. “Nobody wants Selene dead more than me. And nobody knows how much I need your help more than me. I’m using my school and my otherwise unsuspecting actors for another more sinister reason. I cannot have them in any more danger than they already are. On top of that, Sarah is my secret weapon. If I thought she was in any danger, I would make sure she wasn’t. Is that clear?”
“What are you saying?” Connor asked.
“Sarah is also Amy’s best friend, and I would lay down my life for Amy in an instant. And she trumps everything; this battle against Selene, this school, everything. It’s always Amy. Amy always wins. And so I can’t have even a whisper of a threat against Sarah. You’ll have to go. You and Isabelle. You are no longer welcome in this alliance.”
Connor’s mouth fell open. “No, Liam,” he started.
I shook my head. “I can’t, Connor, I just can’t. Selene will be dead one way or another, but we can’t operate this way.”
“Liam!” Now his voice rose. “I never made a threat against Sarah. Never. I would have never done so. I-I love her.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You never told her anything of the sort?”
“Never,” he replied, his eyes wide and honest. “I would never do such a thing. I am a man of honor, and if there was a child, I would make sure that it would be taken care of.”
He didn’t behave much like a man of honor. But years of dramatic acting had taught me that there were some things people couldn’t fake.
“One minute,” I said, and picked up my phone, dialing Sarah’s hospital room number.
She picked up immediately. “Liam?” she asked, her voice full of concern. “What’s the matter?”
She sounded so different than the self-assured girl I admitted to my school, and my heart broke for what she had to go through. After I had stormed out, neither of the girls were really speaking to me, so she must have assumed that something was really wrong if I called her.
“Sarah, you told me Connor threatened you. Is that true?”
“Yes.” Her voice quivered. “He left me a note under the door.”
“A note?” I raised my eyebrow. “Sarah, do you still have it?”
“I threw it in my trashcan before I… got sick,” she replied. “And I haven’t taken it out yet.”