Vanessa looked directly at Liam, her expression unreadable for a second before she finally broke the silence.
"I knew I could take them," she said quietly. "There were four of them.… I knew I could handle it."
Liam watched her closely, his arms folded as he leaned slightly against a nearby beam. He didn't say anything. He just let her speak.
"Lyla told me not to go," Vanessa continued. "She begged me to just let it go. Told me it wasn't worth it. But I didn't listen. I was so sure of myself… so stupidly sure."
She took a breath, steadying her voice.
"What I didn't know… was that she followed me. I didn't hear her. Didn't sense her. I was too focused on the fight."
Liam's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I took on the first three easily," Vanessa went on. "The fourth one had the old woman's purse and a knife. I was dealing with the others when he slipped out of the fight and tried to run."
Liam already felt where the story was going, but he let her finish.
