Emerald Eyes

Chapter 14 - The Surrender

My eyes widen in shock as Liam pushes me through the doorway and slams the bedroom door behind him.

The sound echoes all around us like a thunderclap.

He stands in front of me, his face contorted in anger, his eyes blazing in fury.

"What the fuck were ye thinking, Alexandra?" Liam roars, his voice tight with barely contained rage.

I take a step back, my heart pounding in my chest.

What the hell? I didn't expect him to react like this at all. I thought he of all people would understand my need to get involved. My need for revenge.

I gulp and compose myself, jutting my chin forth.

"I was thinking that I want to get back at Zerina for what she did to me," I say, my whole body shaking. "I need to make her pay for everything she put me through. She manipulated me into feeling sorry for her and then left me lying incapacitated on the floor, for fuck's sake! What kind of mother does that to her own daughter?"

He scoffs. "And you think Kieran of all people will make it happen? Ye believe that joining the syndicate is going to help ye get back at yer ma?"

A knot of anger tightens in my stomach. Kieran might be a snake but I sure as hell did not let manipulate me. My choice was going to benefit me, I was certain of it.

"It'll do something alright. It's a step in a new direction. I've been living like a prisoner under your roof for over a month, trapped, alone, trusting you, waiting on you, on your decisions, on your calls. No longer!"

"Prisoner? Trapped? What do ye mean by that?"

"Oh wake up, Liam. Even you had to notice. I've been living in your world for months. Not my own. This is your country, your town, your mansion. Your decisions, your calls, your friends. Everything's been dictated by you. Since the day I met you, I've felt like I have no control over my own life."

Liam paces the room, biting his lower lip so hard he draws blood. When he speaks up again, his voice is a lot more guarded, more tender.

"Alexandra, I didn't realize ye felt that way. I thought..."

"You thought I was what? Happy here? Come on! I'm counting days before I can leave Dublin. I'm stuck in this mansion all day, waiting for you to come back from Angels, being fed mere breadcrumbs of news. At least before..." I gulp. "Before I was able to work there."

"You were abducted and it simply isn't wise to go back and..."

I cut him mid-sentence.

"Yes, but that's completely beside the point. It's not just Angels. I can barely go anywhere or do anything without your permission. Nico's breathing down my neck 24/7 like a guard dog. We were supposed to be equal partners in the deal."

"We are, lass but..."

"But nothing. You want the truth? Here's your goddamned truth, Liam Cavanaugh. Lately I've been feeling like a marionette," I interrupt him. "Manipulated by Kieran. Manipulated by my mother. Manipulated by you. Abducted. Things happen to me, not because of me."

"I didn't realize. I never wanted ye to feel that way. What can I do to make things better?" Liam lifts my chin between his thumb and forefinger, his voice a soft whisper.

"Just..." I lean into his touch, closing my eyes. "Surrender. Surrender control. Let me make my own choices. I need more freedom. This job Kieran is willing to entrust me... is the one thing that could happen because of me. Where I am an agent. I am in control. Liam, please... I need you to trust me. I can do this. I promise."