LIBERTY

Chapter XV

Adam was fuming.

"I'm not fucking doing it!" Paul shouted.

"Fine, if you're too pussy to do it, I'll ask Kieran then." Adam fetched his phone, ready to dial the number.

"Don't you fucking dare," Paul growled. "Think about it for a minute. Murder isn't always the answer, you of all people should know. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Adam smashed his phone against the wall. "She threatened my family!"

Paul sighed with a roll of his eye. "Just relax will ya? Nothing even happened."

"Relax? You want me to relax?!" Adam's heated glare intensified. "Explain to me how that bitch got this close to my sister, huh?"

"Adam, nothing happened," Paul stressed.

Adam snorted in fake humor. "Oh yeah, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Libby just nearly got run over by a car, but like you said nothing happened."

"Man, you're exaggerating again. She just fell off her bicycle."

"Yeah, and that fucking cunt just happened to be there!"

"What is it with you and the need to control everything?" Paul couldn't help but ask. "Whenever something doesn't go your way, you get like this."

"Like what?" Adam asked uninterestedly.

"Like a maniac. You get ruthless and reckless, and you dig yourself a deeper hole."

Paul ran a hand down his tired face, his tongue sweeping his dry lips. "Look I brought her back home, safe, just like you asked me to. Can I go now?"

Adam's teeth gritted. "You need to understand you're playing with fire, stop brushing this off as if it's nothing."

"You need to understand that it's not my ass in the line of fire. I'm not risking anything. This is all your doing and I'll be damned to take the bullet for you." Paul adjusted his jacket and marched towards the door without another word.

Libby, not having expected the move, pushed herself against the wall. She held her breathe as if that would miraculously make her invisible.

Paul closed the door of Adam's study and faced a frozen Libby. He stared at her for what felt like an eternity and Libby was afraid he'd rat her out. But luck seemed to be on her side that day when Paul turned around, ignoring her presence.

She followed him going down the stairs, trying to catch up with him. "What was that all about?"

Paul didn't answer her.

"It was about Ava right?"

Still no response.

"Am I in trouble?"

Silence.

"Are you in trouble?"

Libby huffed at the lack of attention. She lifted her hand to touch his arm but startled when Paul pushed her against the wall in the hallway. He was close, too close, his warm breath fanning against her face.

"Stop asking stupid questions," he gritted out each word, displaying his frustration and anger. Was it projected towards her or Adam? Libby couldn't tell.

His eyes studied her face closely before he took a step back, releasing her.

Libby gulped. "What did he ask you to do?"

Paul opened the front door and took a step outside. Libby jumped up and followed closely.

"Paul!"