CHAPTER TEN
Piper noticed the change in Liam’s demeanor. “What’s wrong?” She didn’t see anything amiss, unlike the disaster at her place.
“My security system if off.” Liam pulled a gun from his holster. “Stay here while I check the house.”
“Same song, second verse,” she murmured. “At least they left your house intact.”
As he searched for signs of intruders, Piper studied Liam’s living room. Big, masculine furniture covered with a rich brown leather. Couch, loveseat, and recliner, heavy wood coffee table and matching end tables. Paintings and drawings, all outdoor scenes, decorated his walls. His choice of artwork wasn’t surprising given his job. Piper couldn’t see Liam behind a desk for hours at a time. His rugged physique wasn’t developed in a gym.
Liam returned with a duffel bag, his expression grim. “I need to take you out of here.”
“But…”
He placed his forefinger on her lips. “Wait,” he murmured.
Why didn’t he want her to talk? A moment later, she sat inside his SUV, his gear stored in the cargo area.
Liam climbed into the driver’s seat and grabbed his cell phone. He called his team leader. “Trent, you’re on speaker with Piper. I need a tech team at my place.”
“What happened?” Despite standing watch in the hospital hallway all night, Trent sounded alert.
“Someone disabled my alarm system in a way that didn’t alert Fortress to the breach in security. Piper’s house was also broken into, but her place was tossed. Stella is processing that scene.”
“Different intruders.”
“The ones in Piper’s place were amateurs. The intruder in my home was professionally trained.”
“Black ops?”
“That’s my guess.”
“Ask Z to run a deeper check for new threats against you.”
Threats? Piper gripped Liam’s hand. Having a crime boss and his best friend targeting her was bad enough. Someone else could be after Liam.
He entwined their fingers. “As soon as I end this call.”
“Take extra measures to protect Piper.”
“I have her covered. Alert the others in Bravo and Durango. If a terrorist located me, he might go after the rest of you and your families.”
“Want me to notify the cops about your B & E?”
“I’d rather our tech team handled it, but we need the break-in on record.”
“I’ll call Stella and convince her that the tech team needs to go in with the crime scene team. Otherwise, we could have a leak.”
Piper frowned. A leak? What did that mean?
“I’ll let you know what we find at your house. In the meantime, watch your six. Hopefully, we’ll catch the break-in artists before they up their game.”
When Liam ended the call, he turned to look at Piper, regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Sunshine.”
“For what?” She prayed he wouldn’t walk away from her. Liam had already burrowed his way into her heart.
“Looks like I should have waited to start a relationship with you.”
“Why?”
“My job is dangerous. There’s always the possibility my identity and location will leak to my enemies. Looks like that’s what happened here. The MOs are different, Piper.” He glanced toward his house. “The people who broke in here have training similar to mine.”
“How do you know?”
“This is the best Fortress security system. The people who burglarized your place would have tripped the alarm system in mine. The same people are not responsible for my home invasion.”
“Could you break into your own place?”
A slow smile spread across his mouth. “What do you think?”
That’s what she thought. “You have skills, Mr. McCoy.”
He chuckled. “Come on. We should go before the police delay us again. I want to leave town as soon as possible.”
“How will they get inside?”
“Trent has a key. We have keys to each other’s homes in case we need emergency access.”
“Why did Trent say you might have a leak if the tech team didn’t accompany the crime scene team?”
“The tech team will look for surveillance equipment planted in my house.”
She stared. “Surveillance equipment?”
“Bugs and cameras. The intruders had plenty of time inside the house and we don’t know how long ago they broke in.”
Oh, man. Being under that kind of scrutiny made Piper’s stomach twist. “You were gone almost a month.”
He frowned. “Someone could have been targeting me the entire time.” Liam glanced at her. “Did you notice anything odd while I was gone?”
Other than missing him until she could barely breathe most days? Piper shook her head.
“Did anything strike you as weird while you were at Wicks?”
She thought about the weeks when Liam and his teammates were gone. She and Delilah spoke frequently of the men in their lives in those long days. At least her boss talked to Matt every day or so. With her phone unsecured, Piper understood why she received a handful of texts from Liam but no conversations. He’d been concerned about her safety.
That’s when she remembered the stranger who visited the shop soon after Bravo left town.
Liam glanced Piper’s direction at her continued silence. “Tell me.”
“This may be nothing. We have visitors from out of town in Wicks all the time.”
“But someone stood out.”
“One man,” she confirmed.
“When did he visit Wicks?”
“Three days after Bravo left town. Otter Creek Community College had family day so the shop was crazy busy. The man I’m thinking of came in near the end of the day.”
“Why did he stand out?”
“He came alone. The rest of our customers came in with other family members and friends.”
“And?”
“He asked me to go to dinner with him.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “What did he say when you turned him down?”
Satisfaction bloomed inside Piper. Liam assumed she turned the man down without asking for confirmation. “He acted disappointed, but his eyes were filled with irritation.”
“Have you seen him since?”
“Not in the store. I thought I saw him a time or two from the corner of my eye. When I turned to look, no one was there.”
“Did he tell you his name?”
“Jerome. No last name.” Why was Liam tense?
“Did he leave when you refused to go out with him?”
She snorted. “I wish. He stuck around a few minutes, pressuring me to change my mind. I finally told him I was dating someone. About that time, Delilah finished helping the last of the other customers and informed Jerome that Wicks was closing for the night.”
“What did he do?”
“Bought seven lavender candles and left.”
“Did he use a credit or debit card?”
“He was the only person who paid with cash that day. Everyone else used plastic.”
“Describe him.”
“Taller than you by a couple inches at least, thin salt-and-pepper hair, black-rimmed glasses. He was in shape. Powerful build.”
“Was his hair long, short, in between?”
“Short. Reminds me of yours.”
“What about his eyes? Do you remember the color?”
Piper shook her head. “Sorry.”
“What about his clothing?”
“That’s another thing that made him stand out. The visitors in Wicks for family day wore jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and tennis shoes. Jerome wore camouflage pants, black t-shirt, and boots similar to yours.”
“Did he ask about the man you were dating?”
“He was more interested in persuading me to go on a date than finding out about his competition. Do you think you know him?”
“I don’t know. He seems to be an average guy with average coloring who takes care of himself.” Liam activated his Bluetooth system.
After one ring, Matt’s voice filled the SUV’s cabin. “How is Piper?”
The question brought a smile to her face. “I’m fine, Matt. Thanks for watching over me until Liam came to the hospital.”
“No problem. What do you need, Liam?”
“Two things. Can Delilah handle Wicks a few days without Piper?”
“She’ll work out something. If she needs help, I’ll see if a PSI trainee will assist her.”
“And serve as her bodyguard.”
“You’re sworn to secrecy, Piper. I don’t want her to know I might assign someone to protect her.”
She laughed. “Your wife is one smart lady. She’ll know. To keep you from worrying, she’ll allow it.”
The medic chuckled. “What’s the second thing you need, Liam?”
“Did Fortress install the alarm system in Wicks?”
“Two PSI trainees installed it under my supervision.”
“Cameras inside?”
“One facing the front door, another facing the cash register. I’m installing another camera at the back door tomorrow to deter a repeat of last night. Why?”
“I want your permission for Z to access the security footage from three weeks ago.” Liam explained about the break-ins at both houses and the man at Wicks.
“You think he’s the one who broke into your house?”
“Maybe. If we can identify him, I’ll be able to clear him if he’s not involved.”
“And if he is?”
A grim smile curved Liam’s mouth. “I’ll have a starting point, won’t I? If he wants me bad enough to try for Piper while I’m on a mission, he won’t go far.”
“Tell Zane to check the security feeds. I want to know what he learns.”
“Copy that. Thanks, Matt.”
“Yep. I have to go. My trainee class is waiting. Don’t be a hero, Liam. If you need us, we’re there.”
“I hear you.” He ended the call.
“You think Jerome broke into your house?”
“I’ll find out.” He made another call, this time to Zane at Fortress. “It’s Liam. Need another favor.”
“Before you tell me what you need, I have information for you. Is Piper with you?”
Piper straightened at his grim tone. “I’m here.”
“What’s wrong, Z?” Liam asked as he wrapped his hand around Piper’s.
“Gino Romano and Matteo Barone are more than childhood friends.”
Piper’s stomach lurched. “What are you saying?”
“I’m sorry, Piper, but law enforcement suspects your uncle is laundering money for Barone.”