Her voice trails off as she looks down at her hands like she’s embarrassed.
“He was in the wrong, not you,” I say, trying to make her feel better before I realize that’s not my job.
The corner of her mouth lifts in gratitude for my words. “He forced me into the hotel room. Ripped my clothes. Tried to rape me.”
“Tried?” My heart stops.
“The call was to Waylon. He was the only person I could think of who might be close. He was an asshole, but I didn’t get the same vibes from Waylon as I did from Frank.”
“He rescued you?”
“Sort of. I was able to knee him in the balls and break free.”
I smile, knowing I was the one who taught her that move.
“Waylon was in the lobby by the time I made it down. He called the police. We went and got some greasy burger and fries from a dive next door. He made me laugh. He tried to protect me.”
She gave Waylon a second chance. Why could she never give me one?
I sigh.
“How did you and Phoenix meet?” Liesel asks.
“I picked her up at a club. She was the only woman, not on the dance floor, trying to get my attention.”
She smiles again, happy that I’m talking.
“I fucked her in the dirty bathroom. It was the hottest sex of my life. Nine months later, she had our first child.”
Liesel’s smile snaps off her face, replaced by a scowl. “Liar.”
I hear the hope in her voice. She doesn’t truly believe I’m lying, she just hopes I am. Whether she will ever admit it or not, she wants me. It hurts her to hear that I’m with another woman, especially one related to her.
I don’t care if she believes me or not. What I care about is figuring out if she’s lying. I don’t think she is, but I also don’t think she’s telling the full truth.
“Do you trust Waylon?”
“Not going to ask if I love him?”
“I don’t care if you love him or not,” I lie. “I care if you trust him.”
“He’s my husband.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I’ve already answered my question for tonight,” she says, dodging the question.
Interesting.
“Last chance to tell me why, Liesel. I’m done asking. This is your last chance to save your life. Just give me one good reason for what you did and this can all be over. I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want. You’ll never hear from me or see me again. Just tell me why,” I say.
I’m so completely desperate. I need this answer more than I need anything else. I would trade all of her truths for this one single bit of information. I’ll give her up; I just need to know why. I need to kno
w why she did the cruelest thing that anyone in our group has ever done. We all work for a criminal organization; we’ve done some fucked up shit, but nothing like what Liesel did.
“Why?” I repeat.
She blinks; it’s the only clue I have that she even heard me. She looks right at me, finding the camera. “I have no clue what you are talking about. Maybe if you’d ask me an actual question, I would answer you.”