Page 79 of Cruel Hearts

My throat dried. Either Elizabeth was reacting badly to something she’d taken, or this was some form of psychotic tantrum. In the chaos of the moment, I had trapped myself with Elizabeth blocking my sole exit. Right now, my only chances of getting away were the balcony or the bathroom.

“Fuck this.” I bolted into the bathroom, slammed the door, and slid the bolt, my mind whirring at how I could use this to my advantage.

So far, I hadn’t touched her, which meant her family couldn’t retaliate with assault charges. But if I called the police and the local press, Lady Liddell wouldn’t be able to cover up Elizabeth’s latest bout of craziness.

Fists pounded on the door. “Open up, you thief!”

“Yeah, right.” Leaning against the tiled wall, I pulled out my smartphone and searched for the Glasgow Gazette.

“Elizabeth,” said a distant but familiar voice.

“K-Kendrick?” she said.

“What are you doing in Mr. Burgh’s house?”

“It’s that whore.” Elizabeth’s voice distorted with the force of her sobs. “She’s ruining everything.”

“What have you done with her?” he asked, his voice soft.

“Nothing. Yet.”

“Good.”

I gulped. No matter how much Kendrick protested, it was obvious that he still had feelings for Elizabeth. Had he come here because Maxwell had told him about the night we had spent fucking on the sleeper train? Kendrick had warned me more than once to stay away from his brother. Teaming up with Elizabeth might help him achieve two goals: freeing Maxwell from my clutches and reconciling with Elizabeth to become the next Lord Liddell.

“I’m glad you’re here,” said Elizabeth. “Kick open the door and drag her out. We can fix things so it looks like she fell out of the balcony.”

“Then you’d get me arrested for murder,” he said.

“No!” she replied.

“You framed Max.”

“That was different.” Her voice lost its manic edge and now sounded seductive. “He wasn’t supposed to have sex with that slut. It reflects badly on us. I know we’ve had our differences, but you’re the one I love. If you help me get rid of Lilah Hand-Job, I’ll give you anything.”

“Anything?” he asked.

“You’d be securing our future,” she replied.

I squeezed my eyes shut. If Elizabeth convinced him, I was dead.

“Let’s go downstairs,” he said.

“No,” she screeched. “I have to—”

The next thing I heard was a scuffle, then the hard crash of a body hitting the bathroom door, followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor. Realization trickled through my skull, and I stuffed the smartphone back in my pocket. He hadn’t introduced himself as Kendrick, Elizabeth had just assumed his identity. This had to be Maxwell.

After sliding the bolt, I opened the door and peeked out. Maxwell stood with his back to me, staring down at the floor where Elizabeth lay.

“Max.” I rushed across the room, jumped over Elizabeth’s unconscious body, and flung my arms around his broad back.

He stiffened. “What are you doing?”

“Thanking you.” I placed my hand on his ass and squeezed. When he flinched, I stepped back. “Kendrick.”

He turned around, confusion marring his handsome features. “You thought I was my brother.”

“What happened?” I glanced down at Elizabeth, who lay face-down on the ground, resembling a starfish.