Liam: The Auckland Kings Crime Family Trilogy Book One: Social Rejects Syndicate

by A. J. Macey

  “Uhm, thanks, I guess…” I muttered awkwardly, getting out of the car quickly. Yanking open the door to the backseat, I snatched my bag out before giving a tiny wave and practically sprinting into the building. He hadn't made a move to get out of the car or even say anything, but I could feel his gaze burning against my back.

  There was something about those blue irises that seemed to see right through me, but I forced myself to keep going. I didn't know who he was, I hadn’t even asked him his name, and I was better off forgetting him. He was dangerous and I was home.

  Whatever happened earlier in the day, I’ll get through, I’ll deal with. But right now, I told myself, climbing the stairs, I’m going to make a cup of tea, take a hot shower, and get some rest. The thought made me smile, but as soon as I reached my floor and looked down the hall my eyes widened.

  My door was slightly ajar.

  Maybe Kara just came over. My mind was trying to come up with some semblance of a reason my door was open, but my internal alarm bells were going off. I kept close to the wall, creeping slowly to the gap, not wanting to startle whoever could have possibly been on the other side. I peeked into my apartment, trying to see anything. I wasn't dumb enough to go inside, but I also wanted to check to make sure it wasn't me overreacting from everything that had happened. I didn't see anyone, but for the second time that day, I screamed as a hand grabbed hold of my arm.

  Liam

  I watched Harper scurry away into the apartment complex. I hadn't even had a chance to say anything before the door closed. It was my second chance to do the right thing, and I would have been smart to drive away, leaving her to handle the problem on her own or continue her life the way that it was. She seemed like a sweet girl; not someone who should be near my kind of life, but I didn’t want to be smart right then. Lying to myself about how I was only going to check on her—not that I was following her because I wanted more—I turned off the car and climbed out.

  Why I didn’t listen to the logic my brain was screaming at me to turn around and leave, I had no fucking clue. I didn't have time to think about it though, because when I reached her floor I saw her nearing an open door. Adrenaline flooded my body as I reacted, sprinting down the hallway. She can't possibly think that going into a broken into apartment is a good idea.

  “I really hope she's not stupid enough to go in,” I muttered under my breath, grabbing her arm right as she started to push the door open slightly. She screamed, the piercing sound almost making my ears ring. I covered her mouth quickly.

  “Be quiet,” I hissed. My lips curled into a harsh frown, knowing that her scream was heard by any of the other residents on the floor or whoever had been in the room. Instead of calming like I expected, she glared over at me and I felt a sharp nip on my finger. Yanking my hand away, I gaped at her.

  “Did you just fucking bite me?” Surprise spiked through me, and I glanced at my finger, finding small indents in my skin.

  “I would be quiet if you'd stop sneaking up on me.” Her glare intensified. “And stop covering up my mouth.”

  Standing there stunned, I realized I hadn’t given her enough credit. She wasn’t afraid of me, though she probably should have been, and she didn’t back down from a challenge.

  Hmm, Harper just keeps getting better and better, I mused, tucking it away when I heard the creaking sound of the door opening down the hall. Both of us looked over, seeing a suspicious old woman eyeing me with a pinched expression.

  “Oh, everything's all right, Miss Trussoni,” Harper reassured, giving a wave. Her smile was too bright, but it seemed like the old woman was buying her story. At least somewhat, since she didn't immediately call the cops. “This is just—”

  “He looks a bit sus,” the woman said, cutting her off. “You causing trouble over there?”

  Harper shook her head sharply.

  “No, ma'am, this is Austin. My tutor,” she lied.

  It took everything within me to keep my eyes on her face and not reveal my surprise at the quick lie. Tutor? Does that mean she's a student? She did seem kind of young, I noted, not worrying about the other tenant.

  After a long bout of silence, I glanced over at the nosy woman, giving her a tiny grin despite knowing that I probably didn't look any more convincing. She eyed my leather jacket and boots with disdain before harrumphing and retreating into her apartment.

  “Tutor. Really?” Wrapping an arm around Harper’s waist, I shifted her out of the way. “Stay here.”

  I had just turned to go into her apartment when I saw her stick her tongue out at me from the corner of my gaze. It was childish but cute, and I had to keep myself from chuckling.

  The door squeaked, hitting something when it was about three quarters of the way open. Her apartment wasn't big from what I could see, but my frown deepened when I saw sleek furniture tossed this way and that, potted plants and other items scattered throughout the room. When I didn't hear any noises, no steps or whispers from anywhere within, I stepped farther inside.

  It was a studio, so it was easy to see everything as I stood there surveying the wreckage. Every time I spotted something damaged, broken, or out of place, my rage grew. There was no reason to, and I had no clue as to why I had this unusual attachment to the woman, but I did, unable to shake it.

  Not that she needs to know that. I turned to look back over my shoulder to tell her it was okay for her to come in, but she was already standing inside the door. Her eyes grew watery as she stared at the destruction with a frown.

  “What the hell happened here?” she questioned softly. Even though her voice was low, it was filled with anger, her fingers tightening into white knuckled fists.

  “Well, seeing as how you were chased by several men earlier and then we come back to your place and it's been broken into and destroyed…” I trailed off and shrugged, waving a hand at the area. “Seems a little too coincidental, no?”

  Her frown deepened. “How would they even know who I was? I didn't say anything to them. It's not like they have facial recognition in their heads,” she snapped, motioning at her forehead. I waited her out, letting her express her annoyance and anger at what had happened today. She started to move around the room, shifting things here and there. “I guess it's a good thing that most of the shit I didn't really have an attachment to,” she muttered, chucking a ripped pillow onto the floor.

  “Now, you said they didn't know you,” I started again when it finally seemed like she had calmed. “You had that bag with you?”

  “Yes.” She nodded, looking at me curiously.

  “Did you lose anything when you ran?”

  Her brows drew together and I could tell she was thinking hard. It only took a moment for horror to dawn on her face, and my suspicion was confirmed when she reached up around her neck. This is going to be way more of a fight than I originally thought. I kept the grim notion to myself, dread icing my veins when I realized that she wasn't just some random witness that could walk away anonymously.

  They knew who she was, and whatever the Phantoms had planned for her, it was going to be bad.

  4

  Harper

  Panic wound through me, growing stronger with each passing second. I grasped at the missing lanyard that had been around my neck earlier, hoping it was still there. Only the soft material of my blouse brushed against my fingertips, and I knew my visitor I.D. badge from my interview had fallen off.

  “I…” I started, my voice cracking in my fear. “I must have lost it running or something.” I struggled to get the explanation out over the bile creeping back up my throat. “I had just gotten out of an interview and I had my visitor pass that I had to wear. They told me to keep it in case I needed to come back in for paperwork if I got the job.”

  He was silent, nothing escaping past the stoic, cold mask he wore. I had no idea what he was thinking. Hell, I didn't even know his name, so instead of waiting for him to leave me to deal with the fallout or come up with a plan to ride in on his valiant horse and s
ave me, I glanced around looking for my duffle bag.

  Snatching it up from where it was tossed into a pile, I zipped it open and set it on the table, the one piece of furniture that seemed undisturbed. Okay, what does one need when going on the run? The thought sounded crazy to my own head, but I tried to stay focused and not let the worry, anxiety, and panic overtake me.

  Clothes, important documents, medicines, I ran through the list, darting around the room to gather up the items. Unfortunately, the duffle bag wasn't very big, so I had to forego a lot of my clothing, focusing on just a couple of outfits and making sure anything I needed for school was tucked inside. Thankfully, the semester was on a break for another week or so, so I didn't have anything to worry about other than a couple of books and some notebooks that had been harmed in the breaking and entering.

  “What are you doing?” he finally questioned when I started zipping my bag. I huffed in annoyance, glancing over at him.

  “What does it look like? I'm trying to figure out what I need and everything like that so I can find a place to stay until I figure out what the hell's going on,” I explained, as if it should have been obvious. His arms crossed.

  “Do you have cash for a motel or a fake I.D.?” The strange question made me hesitate in closing my bag.

  “Well, no—”

  “Because you do realize if you go to anyone you know, the men that were chasing you will be looking there. No work place, no friends or family, anything.”

  It was something I hadn't thought about, and at the realization, I understood just how obvious it was. The plan I had formulated to go stay at a friend’s and a fellow classmate’s apartment quickly crumbled.

  “I know these men,” he revealed, “they have connections. You can hide, but unless you're prepared to basically go off the grid, then they're going to find you.”

  “What do you suggest then? It's not like you're going to help me,” I snapped waving a hand at him. “I’m halfway across the world from what little family I have, my place was trashed, my entire fucking life has just been turned upside down, and now I can't turn to anyone. But wait, there’s more,” I exclaimed animatedly, growing more frustrated by the minute. “I could be on the run for who knows how long so what about school? Am I going to have to drop out? I just applied for a job that I was almost for sure to get, guess I have to kiss that opportunity goodbye. Can I even leave the country? I want to stay here, but now I don’t even know if that’s an option. So tell me, what is the plan going to be?”

  Everything was snowballing and I didn’t have a chance to sit and process what happened, to mourn the loss of my normal boring life, so he was the lucky one to get the brunt of my high emotions. Irritation overwhelmed the fear, and I latched on to it, preferring to be angry over being scared. He was a stranger and I didn't know why I was entertaining this ridiculous conversation with him any longer, even though he had saved me.

  Yeah, well, I highly doubt he's going to fucking want to do it again. He looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, I thought to myself, eyeing him glaring at me.

  After a long pause, he ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, I can help, but you have to be willing to trust me. Can you do that?”

  No, I scoffed. But on the outside, I didn't say anything for a moment, hesitating on the idea of if I could truly go along with a stranger. I ran through the choices and unfortunately, there wasn't much of an option or a different direction. I had some cash, but I didn't have a fake I.D., nor did I have enough to stay at a motel for long and figure out a way back to the states. Not that I really want to run back to the States, I noted with a frown, I enjoyed it here and I wanted to stay. Looking at the man before me, I made my choice and nodded.

  “Good. Grab your bag and let's go,” he commanded, turning and immediately leaving the apartment.

  Only I would get stuck with the bossiest man known on the fucking planet, I fumed, snatching up the duffel and chasing after him. But at least I was alive, and that had to count for something.

  Now, let's just hope it stays that way.

  Liam

  Harper stayed quiet as she followed me, a cute frown still plastered on her face. She sat in the passenger seat staring off outside the window, choosing to watch the passing cityscape over conversing as we made our way to the garage. She was handling everything much better than I expected even with her small outburst. If I was honest with myself, I was pretty impressed that she had started to pack a bag instead of breaking down when I had to explain what was going on.

  My issue now, though, was how I was going to explain the woman and her association with our number one rivals to my brothers and our boss. Hopefully the men at the garage will keep their fucking mouths shut, I thought as I pulled into the parking lot, eyeing the several bay garage and noting who was working.

  “Of course, it has to be Andy,” I muttered under my breath, glaring at the one man who had the biggest mouth of any of the Auckland Kings. “Stay in the car,” I ordered Harper, throwing the car into park. Her gaze fell on me and I could tell she wanted to argue, but stayed silent, crossing her arms defiantly and sinking into her seat further. I hopped out and grabbed the parts out of the boot before heading toward the closest open garage door.

  “Hey!” Andy called out. He’d finally noticed I was walking up to him and John where they had been shooting shit over a car.

  Way to be alert, fuckheads.

  The three or four other men who had been working in other various places in the large base did nothing but wave before going back to work.

  “How's it going? Everything coming along all right?” I asked, passing over the box to Andy before shaking John’s hand.

  “What took you so goddamn long?” John questioned, returning the shake.

  “I see what took so long,” Andy announced, eyes lighting up. He tilted his head toward my car. John whistled low and I had to grind my teeth not to punch both of them in the face for eyeing Harper. I looked over my shoulder, finding her watching us curiously. Two pink patches bloomed on her cheeks and she yanked her gaze away when she saw the three of us focused on her.

  “Don't tell Hunter or Theo,” I murmured, smacking John on the arm, trying to play off that she was just some woman I was taking back to my place and not someone waist high in shit with the Phantoms. “You know how they get.”

  John nodded conspiratorially, agreeing before taking the box from Andy.

  “Damn, why do you always get the hot ones?” Andy half-whined, continuing to stare.

  “Because he's Liam King,” John joked.

  I just shrugged, continuing to play on their concept of what was going on. It wasn't that I didn't want Harper, my cock having seemingly been hard since she stumbled into my life was proof of that, but I couldn't, knowing there was way too much on the line. Prying my attention away from the pretty blonde in my car, I watched John and Andy take a few moments to look through the box, inspecting the parts they had ordered.

  “So, are we going to be seeing you around any time soon, or are you going to just, you know, be hiding out in that mansion of yours?” Andy asked, waggling his eyebrows with another leering gaze at Harper.

  “Guess you'll just have to find out, won't you?” I stated, barely keeping my anger at bay. They finally gave the approval on the parts that I had brought in, and I nodded at them. I wanted to leave the garage as quickly as possible. “Don't forget about what I said.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, you got it.” John waved me away.

  I had made it three steps before I heard Andy whisper under his breath to John, something about sinking into Harper’s pussy, and that was the final straw. I was done with their skeevy comments about her. Stopping abruptly, I immediately spun around.

  “She's mine,” I claimed sharply, catching the attention of everyone in the shop. “So if anyone wants to try and make a play for her, they'll have to go through me first.” Andy’s and John’s jaws snapped shut, their eyes growing wide as they nodded.

  “Sorry, bo
ss, meant no disrespect,” Andy backtracked, fear etched in his expression.

  “Good,” I bit out, leaving them behind. But as I climbed into the car, I knew the façade that I had created to explain Harper was only going to last for so long.

  “Ready?” I asked her.

  “To get out of here so I no longer feel like I'm on a fucking buffet? Yeah,” she muttered, glaring at the dashboard.

  I didn't say anything back, unable to come up with anything that didn't sound harsh or cruel. As I backed out I saw Andy answering the phone. Worry built in the pit of my stomach. Of course, of all days to deal with petty nonsense.

  Now I had to figure out what to say to Theo, Hunter, and Boss. Otherwise, this would get messy.

  5

  Harper

  We pulled up into a driveway and I felt my jaw drop. Before me sat a huge two-story white home, with grand cement stairs connecting the round drive to the front door. I didn't know what I was expecting from a man who was wearing a leather jacket, driving a sleek car, and who had kidnapped me, but a practical mansion on the water was not one of them. Who the hell is this man? How does he make enough to have this size of a house?

  None of these questions came out of my mouth, of course, knowing that he probably wouldn't have answered me anyway. He was my savior and currently my only connection to potentially keeping my life, so I smashed my lips together and followed him when he instructed me to get out and head inside.

  The exterior extravagance with a second story balcony above the porch and detailed siding around the widows continued inside. A two-story foyer and staircase greeted me, and I darted up the steps behind him to the second floor so I wouldn’t lose him in the large interior. A small open walk away above the front door led to the upstairs balcony.