Page 66 of Cruel When He Smiles

Then Luca grabs Sage’s hand, pulls him close, and Sage follows without resistance, laughter trailing behind them as they disappear inside.

Nate doesn’t look around, doesn’t pretend to play it cool. He just drops the can and takes off toward the side gate, slipping out of the backyard like he can’t escape fast enough.

“Now’s your chance to dig your knife in deeper,” Killian says, turning his head toward me, that cruel fondness sharpening every word. “You wanted him broken enough to trust a monster. That did it.”

He steps away from the railing and heads inside, brushing my shoulder as he passes. At the door, he glances back over his shoulder once and says, “You’re welcome.”

Then he’s gone.

I don’t waste time.

My feet are moving before my mind even catches up. Down the stairs, across the grass, past a few glances and confused faces. I don’t care. I don’t stop to explain. I don’t even bother pretending this isn’t exactly what it is—a pursuit. A hunt. A sprint toward the exact moment I’ve been waiting for.

I reach the side of the house and spot him disappearing down the front path, hands clenched into fists, jaw tight as hell, moving fast but not fast enough to escape me.

“Nate!”

He doesn’t stop.

I catch up and grab his arm, yanking him back hard enough to spin him toward me. He shoves at my chest, wild-eyed and furious.

“Get off me!”

He pushes harder, but I hold him in place. “You don’t get to do this,” he snaps. “You don’t get to fucking—god, don’t pretend you give a shit.”

“I’m not pretending.”

He tries to turn again, but I crowd him back against the hood of a parked car, both hands braced against the metal beside his hips. “Look at me.”

“Fuck you.”

“Nate.” My tone drops to the one he responds to. The kind of tone that burrows under his skin. “Look. At. Me.”

His obedience is instant in spite of himself. His eyes meet mine, and they’re wet at the edges. Furious and red-rimmed, but the betrayal in them guts me more than anything else. It’s not just Sage, it’s everything. It’s the lie Sage must have told. It’s the truth Nate can’t swallow.

“You trusted him,” I say, quieter now.

He jerks his head. “Don’t. Don’t stand here and pretend you understand.”

“I do understand.” I lean in, voice near his ear. “You trusted the wrong person. Again.”

He breathes hard, shakily, teeth bared. “And you’re the right one?”

“No,” I admit. “But I’m the one who sees it. The one who won’t lie to you about what that looked like back there.”

“Then what the fuck do you want from me?” he snaps, slamming both palms against my chest, shoving me back a step. “What do you want, Liam? You want me broken? Congrats. You got it.”

I let the space sit between us for a beat before I close it again. My hand reaches for his jaw, gently this time, fingers pressing behind his ear. His skin is burning, and his bottom lip is trembling. I tilt his head up until he’s forced to meet my eyes.

“No,” I murmur, and his throat bobs. He doesn’t move when I press my forehead to his, doesn’t stop me when I whisper, “Let them hurt you. Let them leave you. Let them lie. I won’t.”

“You will,” he whispers back, voice cracked open. “Eventually, you will. You already fucking did!”

I shake my head. “No, I did that because I thought it would be better that way. But I can’t stay away from you, even when I try.”

His lips part, and for a second, I think he might cry. But then he grabs my shirt, fists it tight, and leans forward until our foreheads knock hard.

“You’re so fucking evil,” he chokes. “You don’t even care what you’re doing to me.”