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“We expose other magazine’s secrets Chad.”
With a bit of effort, the dots connect and Chad looks between Liam and I.
“That’s…fucked.”
“That’s business,” I shrug with a not so nice smile.
“Yeah, I think I’m done,” Chad says, grabbing his things. “I don’t even like fucking golf anyways. Dumb sport.”
After he walks off, I look at Liam again who is glaring at me hard enough to burn holes in my Polo. Good. Maybe then I can throw it away.
“I bet you feel pretty damn good about yourself right now, don’t you?” He nods. Then he sucks the air between his teeth. “All because someone mentioned Izzy.”
“All because you insulted your own daughter.”
“So what? She’s my daughter. What concern is that to you?”
I have to physically stop myself from hitting him over the head with the putter. It’s a small club but it’ll get the job done.
“You’re not the man you used to be, Liam,” I told him.
“And Izzy is not your concern.”
“Except that she kind of is. You told me to make sure she was okay. Instead of checking on her yourself. Don’t talk about her like you care about her.”
Liam stands in front of me, his chest brushing mine. “Don’t talk about her like you care about her either, Savage.”
I know what he’s saying. And while my pulse is racing at the idea that he might know something, I keep calm. Cool. Because he can’t know. He can’t find out. Not yet. I need to reel it in.
Again, I’m making the move of the bigger man and taking a step back. Then, with little to no effort, I calculate a swing that knocks my ball into the hole.
“I’m just trying to be a good man,” I say finally. And I am. A good writer, a good boss, a good friend, and whatever I am to Izzy and Jax. For them, I want to be the best I can be. Which means I need to be careful.
Liam scoffs. “You’ve always thought you were better than me, Ethan. It’s half of my problem with you. This magazine used to be different. It used to be you and me against the world. Until you betrayed me.”
Me?
I look over at him. “And how did I betray you?”
“You were going to leave me for the League.”
“Because you lost sight of what mattered. You’re right. This magazine used to be you and me against the world. And then it became you against the world and I wasn’t even in the picture anymore. Are you surprised I wanted to take my passion somewhere else?”
He studies me for a moment before sniffing. “No. I guess not. Loyalty was never your strong suit.”
His words are a punch to the stomach. I was always a loyal friend. I am a loyal person. Other than the fact I’m fucking his daughter, I think his accusation is bullshit.
Liam centers his focus on his putter and knocks his ball into the hole with ease. Our score is tied. As usual. We are neck and neck like we always have been.
But we are not the same.
Liam finds a way to the top by any means possible, and he’ll knock anyone out of the way to get there and stay there.
I am not that man. I will never be that man. And I am going to see to it that he stops being that man too, before anyone else gets hurt.
“Game. Until next time,” I say, grabbing my things and walking away.
Chapter 21