by RC Boldt
“Sure.”
As soon as the man disappears from our sight and we’re greeted only with the sound of bags rustling and to-go containers being opened, Liam turns to me, tucking the gun behind him in his waistband. I slide off the stool and peer up at him.
Expression unreadable, he tucks my hair behind my ear and drops a soft kiss to my lips.
“Is he…?” I trail off, not knowing how to finish. Is he safe? Can we trust him? Will he try to kill us?
“I’ve known him for years.” His lips twist, tone begrudging. “He might be annoying as hell, but we can trust him.”
We can trust him. That single word—we—is far more gratifying than I anticipated. Because he now thinks of us as a duo. We’re in this together.
Placing my hands on the hard wall of his chest, I rise to my tiptoes with the intent of a quick kiss. As soon as our mouths meet, Liam snakes a hand around my waist, tugging me flush against his firm body. His other hand slides to my nape, and he makes a rough sound in the back of his throat before deepening the kiss.
“You two lovebirds mind wrapping it up in there? I’m kinda hungry.”
Liam breaks the kiss with a groan against my lips before whispering, “I’m gonna kill him.”
I can’t suppress a little laugh, and when he pulls away, my breath catches in my throat. His eyes gleam with amusement, brightening his usual placid expression although his mouth remains unsmiling. But I’m finally witnessing Liam much less restrained.
He smooths his thumb along the curve of my lips, eyes tracking the movement with reverence. “I like hearing you laugh.” His gaze flicks up to mine, and his voice acts as an intimate caress. “And seeing you smile.”
“You do?” A hopeful smile tugs at my lips because this feels like a breakthrough with him.
He nods, his palm slipping to the base of my spine. “Yeah.” He punctuates this with a quick kiss before grabbing the two water bottles in his grip, his other hand snagging mine.
My eyes remain glued to him as he leads me to the dining room, where his mysterious friend awaits us. A huge part of me wishes we were alone because I’d love nothing more than to continue kissing him without interruptions.
Liam glances over, and his expression darkens with desire. Lifting our joined hands to his lips, he kisses the back of my hand and gives me a knowing wink. “Later.”
I can’t help but wonder exactly what later will bring.
Chapter 51
LIAM
After polishing off the albondigas and the fresh-baked bread Ghost brought with him, we’re shooting the shit.
This man sitting across the table had been right alongside me when we got caught in some dicey shit back in the day. Both former military since we turned eighteen, we found our niche when we were hired on as an elite security team and moved on to become hired mercenaries, traveling abroad more than Stateside.
Being a skilled medic had been a bonus, and I’d been placed pretty quickly, working my way up the ranks. Travis got his nickname, Ghost, for his unprecedented stealth and skill for getting in and out of pretty much anywhere without a trace.
It wasn’t long before I learned working for myself was more beneficial. I didn’t have to answer to anyone and made my own damn schedule. I could provide for my family—and I did. I made sure they were safe. Cared for. Financially comfortable.
Ghost rises from his chair in his trademark lazy I’ll get there when I get there way of his, and heads straight to the liquor cart to refill our glasses with scotch. I watch him carefully from where I sit. When he returns with our glasses, something draws my attention to Alex.
Our eyes lock, and for a split second I wonder if she can actually read me. If she’s already so in tune with me that she knows what I’m thinking.
Something crosses her expression before she slowly rises from her seat. Reaching for the plastic bags, she flashes us a smile. “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I’m exhausted, so I’m going to call it a night.”
Bags in hand, she steps over to me, but I’m already on my feet. Our lips meet, and her mouth curves in a soft smile—not like the one she just gave us, but one for only me. It has me feeling like a big-ass dog who’s just pissed a proud circle around my female. Yeah, I’m possessive as hell, but I don’t care.
“Good night, Liam.” She whispers those words against my lips, and it takes a colossal effort to back away and let her go.
“Night.” I watch her tight ass as she retreats through the doorway, my mind already replaying the last time I had my hands on her. Clenching that ass of hers while I’m buried deep inside her pussy would be a hell of a way to end this fucking day.
But I’ve got bigger fish to fry.
When I turn and lower myself in my chair, Ghost’s shit-eating grin doesn’t faze me. Not when my gut is booming at me the way it is.
I swirl the scotch in my glass, my tone casual. “So, what really brought you here?”
Instead of answering my question, he muses conversationally, “I figured this was the only place you could go.” That still-present smirk grates on my damn nerves. “You’re pretty predictable, you know. Always a loner. Never wanting to ask anyone for help.”
Ghost takes a slow sip of his drink, eyeing me over the rim. Lowering his glass, he lets out a long-suffering sigh. “You know what brought me here.”
“Yeah?” I narrow my gaze, my tone turning razor-sharp. “Then you also know what happened less than twelve hours ago.”
He lifts a shoulder in a half shrug. “Can’t be helped. I know you’ve been run through the wringer, but business is business. Money is money.” One edge of his mouth tips up in a smirk. “At least I fed you first. Plus, I heard you’re not as quick on the draw as you used to be.”
I pin him with a hard stare and watch that fucking smirk die right before my eyes.
Our supposed friendship perishes right along with it.
He’s mistaken, however. The only reason those Russian bastards got the jump on me is because that fucking gun jammed, and I had to resort to beating the shit out of them before commandeering their guns.
My trigger finger was legendary when Ghost and I worked together, and it’s damn sure not slower these days.
There must be at least a nagging trace of uncertainty mingling with guilt because he immediately goes on the defensive. “Look, there’s a fucking million-dollar bounty on each of your heads. What the hell am I supposed to do, man?”
I want to go off on him, but I don’t. I’m just so goddamn weary from no one having my back. From going solo over the years. It’s not that I want to be reliant on anyone else, but for fuck’s sake, I’d like to be able to trust my friends and not worry about them betraying me.
Funny you should talk about betrayal. There’s that damn inner voice of mine. Fucker rears his ugly head at the worst damn times.
But it’s not wrong. And it’s my own damn fault.
Instead of bellowing at Ghost, my voice grows softer but ten times as dark and lethal sounding. “Be a motherfucking friend. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
He gives me a look of disgust. “That’s rich coming from you.” He gestures with a tip of his chin toward the doorway Alex left through, and his eyes flash with anger as he sneers, “I suppose you told her everything, huh?”
“Fuck. You.” Venom drips from each word. “I took a goddamn bullet for you, you bastard.”
Remorse flashes in his eyes, but it disappears just as quickly. “Yeah, well…that was a long time ago. And this is a shit-ton of money.”
“Yeah.” Toneless, I stare at him, my body in that unique state, hovering between tense and an overly aware calmness, prepared to take action. “It was a long time ago.”
“No hard feelings, man.” He eyes me analytically, and I realize time really has changed us. Because I’m no longer the man I was back then.
I’m harder and more callous. But now, I have more on the table than he does. The woman in my bed has changed me in ways I never thought po
ssible.
He can screw off, thinking he can waltz in here and fuck it all up for me.
After I left everything behind—including Ghost and the others—my paranoia hit hard. It’s when I started prepping for the worst to come.
I’m betting he doesn’t know that, which means the odds could be in my favor.
Our gazes clash, and it’s as though all the molecules of oxygen in the air grow still from the tension between us. Forward reaching is faster, and a few centimeters is all I need. I’m betting he has a gun beneath his untucked shirt.
I act first, grabbing the two Glocks from their magnetic holsters anchored to the underside of the table and fire off two shots. I don’t fucking aim for anything except his head.
By the time he slumps in his chair, his hand lies awkwardly in mid-reach for his weapon. Two holes mark his forehead, and the goddamn wall behind him is ruined from the mess his brains have made.
Figures. Fucker still manages to piss me off even when he’s dead.
“Alex?” I call out.
“Yes?” Her tone is tentative, wary.
“I hate to say this, but we need to head out.” Inwardly, I sigh. “Again.”
“Okay. I’ll get my bag.”
That’s it. No questions from her. At least, not yet.
Staring into my former friend’s dead eyes, I murmur to myself—or maybe to both of us, who the fuck knows. “I can’t let anyone take her from me.”
But she will eventually leave. It’s bound to happen.
And every damn hour that passes brings that moment closer to reckoning.
Chapter 52
ALEXANDRA
I don’t know how Liam is still functioning after forgoing sleep for so long.
Darting glances at him from my side of the vehicle, I wish I could be useful in some way. Wish I were able to drive so he could rest.
He’d ushered me out of the house, blocking my view as we passed the entrance leading to the living room and what I’m certain was another gory scene.
When I asked, Liam told me he’d removed Ghost’s body and had contacted someone who would “clean up” the mess left behind after we left.
Now, we’re in a different vehicle he took from the garage—a black SUV with dark-tinted windows. Its dark leather seats are comfortable but appear more worn than the exterior of the vehicle.
We’ve been on the road for at least twenty minutes, and the scenery flies by rapidly. I don’t bother glancing at the dash to see how fast he’s driving because I desperately want to leave everything behind as quickly as possible.
Fear, stark and vivid, had consumed me at the sound of that gunfire. Not only had my stomach plummeted to the floor in fear that I’d lost him, but it served as another glaring reminder that I hadn’t been brave enough to tell him how I feel.
When he’d called out my name a moment later, I’d nearly collapsed in relief. On the heels of that came the urgent need to understand Liam’s past. Because what happened back at his house was not typical.
I steel my spine, preparing to pose the question that’s been on the tip of my tongue since we left Ghost’s body behind in that house. As soon as my lips part, however, Liam’s voice sounds in a low rumble.
“I know.” He exhales slowly. “I don’t talk about those days anymore. But I owe you an explanation.” His lips flatten, jaw clenching tight. “Especially since it put you at risk tonight.”
I wait him out, sensing his need to organize his thoughts.
Finally, he speaks in a muted rasp. “After I left the military as a medic, I did some contract work in the private security sector. That’s how I met Ghost.”
While his eyes remain trained on the road ahead, I get the impression his mind is now locked in the past.
“We did a lot of jobs together. Sometimes, it was easy, but soon it turned into some pretty dicey shit.” A pause hangs in the air. “Then I decided to go my own way.”
He rakes an agitated hand through his hair. “Before I…ended things tonight, he told me there’s a big-ass bounty on both our heads.”
“That’s why he came?” Panic wells in my throat. “To kill us and collect the bounty?”
“Yeah.” The simple, calmly delivered response belies the obvious tension emanating from him. His hand grips the steering wheel, drawing the skin tighter across his knuckles.
“I’m sorry.” The words spill out of me in a rush. I repeat the sentiment, slower this time, and hope he recognizes my sincerity. “I’m so sorry, Liam.”
Liam’s eyes flick to me before returning to the road. “What for?”
I stare at him in disbelief. “What for? For nearly getting you killed multiple times now, that’s what.” Agitation crests higher within me, and my voice rises in hysteria. “Because of me—because of my stupid past that I can’t even remember—your friend tried to kill you.”
He grunts. “He wasn’t my friend.”
The sarcasm rolls off my tongue without a thought. “Well, obviously not any longer.”
When he glances at me within the dark confines of the vehicle, I swear the edges of his mouth tip up in a rare display of faint amusement. “Obviously.”
As he shifts in his seat, one hand remains on the steering wheel while he drags the other down his face. The motion is cloaked with weariness and only serves to send more regret coursing through me. “And it wasn’t your fault. It would’ve happened sooner or later.”
Silence blankets us while I attempt to reconcile what’s transpired in such a short amount of time and what Liam’s admitted to me about his previous job. Mind reeling, I’m compelled by the sudden urge to pose a probing question.
I attempt to phrase it as politely as possible, considering the nature of it. “It’s ultimately none of my business, but—”
“Alex, we’ve been shot at and almost killed. More than once.” His usual gruff tone is present, but it holds a trace of humor. “I think we’re past the point of tiptoeing around each other’s business.”
“Okay.” I draw out the word slowly and pause for a beat. “You mentioned you had a vasectomy. I just...wondered what led you to make that choice.”
He exhales slowly and doesn’t answer immediately. I get the impression he’s choosing his words carefully.
“It was because I’d seen so much bad shit. Because I’d been exposed to it, and for the longest time, I thought of myself as too dangerous.”
He pauses for a beat, then his voice turns a shade softer, and I wonder if it’s regret that colors his tone. “I couldn’t risk the chance of bringing a kid into that kind of life while I was in that line of work.”
“Hypothetically speaking…” I hesitate, trying for some levity. “If you weren’t being shot at all the time and running for your life, would you ever consider adoption someday?”
When I brave a glance at his profile, his features grow pensive.
“I can’t honestly say.” Voice muted, lines bracket his mouth when he tosses me a glance. “I never considered it. Guess I’m more of a traditionalist than I thought.”
“How so?”
“Because, in my mind, I’d only consider it if I found a good woman who’d complete that family dynamic with me.”
My breath catches in my throat as I close my eyes and imagine what that might look like.
If I were that woman he speaks of.
I release a slow breath and stare out the windshield for a long moment. Finally, I clear my throat. “Where are we going this time?”
“A friend’s place.”
My head whips around, and I can’t help but gape at him. “Another friend?” Because the reunion with the last one didn’t work out so well.
“Yeah. It’s not far from here, but I know it’s safe.”
I sink my top teeth into my bottom lip. “And is he safe?”
“Guess we’ll find out.”
Exhaling slowly, I stare out the passenger side window. “That doesn’t really inspire much confidence.”
A grunt sort
of laugh erupts from him, the sound so foreign yet so uniquely warm and rich, it has my head whipping around to stare at him.
“Did you just laugh at me?”
Tiny creases at the edges of his eyes greet me before he turns his attention back to the road. “Yeah.”
I wonder if I’ll ever manage to reveal every single one of this man’s layers.
“I never imagined the moment I’d make you laugh would be when we’re basically running for our lives.” My eyes drift to his mouth, my words dropping to a hushed murmur. “If only I’d get you to smile, that’d make it complete.”
“That’s all it’d take?” Vulnerability colors his tone.
“Pretty much.”
He doesn’t immediately respond until finally uttering a simple, “Huh,” but it’s heavily laced with a sense of awe.
Even in the presence of his brand of affection, I can’t shake the ominous feeling that hangs over me like an impending storm. So, I clear my throat and steer the conversation in a different direction.
“So…where’s your friend’s place, and how long do you think it’ll take to get there?”
“Over the border into Venezuela. And if I have my way, I’ll get us there in about four hours.”
Leaning back on the headrest, I gaze at his profile, illuminated by the dash light’s glow. Even without sleep and running on less than fumes, he’s alert, radiating confidence and strength.
After what happened at his house, he could’ve easily sent me on my way. He’s under no obligation to stick with me through this.
It’s undeniable, however, that as much as I regret my past rearing its ugly head and drawing him into this colossal mess, I’m grateful to have him by my side.
My voice is muted, joined only by the faint sounds of the tires treading on the road. “I really am sorry about this situation.”
“I’m sorry, too.” He reaches over the console to take my hand, bringing it to his lips to press a kiss to the back. “Get some rest.”
A laugh nearly bubbles free. He’s the one who’s gone without sleep all this time, and he’s telling me to get some rest. I’m not sure I can with all that’s transpired.
