Liam made himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and walked back over to his desk.
The phone rang and he reached for it, hoping it was Tru.
"Hello?" he said.
There was no answer.
"Hello?" he repeated.
Through the phone, he heard tyres screeching and a horn honking.
"Hello?" he said again, a little firmer this time.
"Who is she?" a familiar voice demanded
"Leave her alone," Liam replied evenly, though his stomach was churning.
There was a laugh on the other end of the line.
"Where are you?" Liam asked, agitated.
"In a car," she answered calmly. "Going about ninety miles an hour. Guess who's in front of me? About five inches in front of me."
Liam heard another squeal of tyres, and he felt fear shoot through his heart, radiating into his whole body.
"What are you doing?" he almost whispered.
"I'm getting ready to run that bitch off the road, just outside the city," she replied, still unnervingly calm. "I'm going to kill her, Liam. And I just thought you might like to listen while I do it. I warned you a long time ago that I wasn't going to stand by and watch you fall in love with someone else."
"Leave her alone, Chloe!" Liam shouted. "Leave her alone!"
The only answer he received was the hysterical laugh that he'd come to fear and hate.
He heard a horn, and he heard a band, then he heard the screech of rubber against concrete.
Liam gripped the phone so tightly he felt the blood drain away from his hand.
"Leave her alone!" he bellowed, helpless and angry.
He could almost see Tru, driving for her life along a long stretch of road that could be dangerous even without someone deliberately trying to run you off.
"She's no threat to you," Liam said. "Why are you doing this?"
But even as he said it, he knew it was no use.
There was a horrific, metallic crashing sound.
"TRU!"