EIGHTEEN

Eight weeks, three days, and not a word from Liam. Not that she cared, because she didn’t. Swamped with work and classes, she had barely thought about him. She accepted the fact that he had moved on, just as she had. She told herself that lie so many times she was almost beginning to believe it.

Exams were finally over. She turned in the last paper she was ever going to write for persnickety Dr. Bracey’s class, and she was officially finished. Now that she thought about it, senior year hadn’t been all that difficult, just time-consuming.

Her job, on the other hand, was making her crazy. She was getting sick and tired of being dragged out of her apartment by the FBI. There were always two agents—never one or three—banging at her door at the most inconvenient times. Every once in a while, if they were in a “let’s prank the employee” mood, one of them would dangle handcuffs in front of her face to get her to hurry. They thought it was funny, but their little stunt wasn’t humorous in Starbucks or the gym. Their ferocious expressions could scare the bejesus out of an ordinary person. The scare tactics were wasted on her. The agents were having fun, she supposed, and fun was hard to come by in their line of work, so she let them torment her.

Her days at the cyber unit were intense. Because Phillips assigned her only the most complex cases, he kept her isolated in her own office. The other employees passing by looked through the glass wall and saw her working. When she glanced their way, they returned her smile, and when she passed them in the hall, they nodded and said hello, but there was no other interaction or camaraderie. She didn’t take time to form relationships with coworkers. They most likely assumed she was antisocial. To them she looked as though she had it all together because she had had years of practice perfecting her laid-back attitude. On the outside she appeared to be calm, cool, and in control, but on the inside she was a mess of nerves, and she was mentally counting the days until she would once again be free to pursue her own dreams.

The FBI owned her now, and in the eight weeks she’d worked for them, they had managed to turn her life upside down. She was all theirs for six full months. On paper it didn’t look all that long, but on a day-to-day basis it was an eternity. Two months down, four to go.

She hated that others controlled her every action, and on the days when the stress and tension threatened to overwhelm her, she would put on her Bose headphones, close her eyes for a few minutes, and think about something pleasant, like walking along a white sand beach or, better yet, punching her immediate supervisor, Special Agent Jim Phillips. She bet that would remove his perpetually smug expression. Allison didn’t consider herself a violent person. She had never hit anyone, not even her irresponsible cousin, Will, yet the thought of smacking her boss did lighten her mood.

Agent Phillips seemed to know what buttons to push, and Allison came close to completely losing her composure one afternoon. He called her into his office for another one of his famous pep talks about the bureau. Then came the suggestions. The latest proposal was a doozy. He wanted her to wear a thin silver bracelet that had a built-in tracking device. She wouldn’t have to worry about losing it because, once it was snapped into place, it was impossible to remove. The man was actually enthusiastic about his outrageous plan, and it took every ounce of her willpower to sit quietly and listen. After gritting her teeth, she insisted for the hundredth time that he simply call her cell phone if and when he needed her after hours. He countered that there were times when she couldn’t be reached by phone, most likely suspecting she had turned it off. She had to admit there had been a few instances when she had silenced her phone just to have a couple hours of peace.

As much as she hated the job, she loved the work, and how strange was that? The real irony was that she was making a good salary, and it was all hers. Her aunt and uncle couldn’t take it from her as they had with her previous earnings.

She was a paid employee of the federal government—an employee who wasn’t allowed to quit—with official credentials and benefits up the wazoo. She had been told that the six-month job she’d agreed to would be only from eight to five Monday through Friday. There was a caveat attached, though: if there was ever an urgent situation, she would be required to come in after hours. Thus far, there had been an average of three urgent situations each workweek and one almost every weekend. Agents had pulled her out of bed in the middle of the night too many times to count, had ruined innumerable dinners, and had barged into half the movie theaters in the city looking for her. She became so skittish she even imagined they were trying to interrupt her graduation. She had been chosen to represent her department and had just stepped onto the stage to collect her diploma when she glanced at the crowd and spotted two men in suits hurrying down the aisle toward her. They looked determined. In the hope of avoiding a tug-of-war, she rushed across the stage, snatched the diploma out of the president’s hands, all but fist-bumped him in lieu of a handshake, and ran down the steps, just as the two men reached the front row, turned, and sat down next to their families.

After the ceremony, she was congratulated by Jordan and Noah, who promised to celebrate with her on Nathan’s Bay the following weekend. There was a big party scheduled. Allison had just said good-bye to them when Dan and his girlfriend made their way to her. Mark and his fiancée were also there. She had discouraged them from subjecting themselves to the never-ending proceedings, but they insisted on attending because they were her friends. She surmised they felt sorry for her because Charlotte and Oliver couldn’t come and she wouldn’t have family at her big event, but even if they came out of pity, she was happy to see all of them. It was while Dan was giving her a big bear hug that she looked up into the stands . . . and saw him . . . there, standing in the middle of a crowd of people who were slowly making their way to the exits. He was there only as long as a blink, and then he was gone.

Had she really seen Liam, or was her imagination playing tricks on her? She’d been thinking about him almost every day. She couldn’t seem to stop. She had told herself again and again he wasn’t worth it, and yet the constant reminder didn’t seem to matter.

Not a single phone call. He couldn’t take the time to pick up the phone and call her just to see how she was doing? With each passing day it had become abundantly clear she meant nothing to him. He had moved on without so much as a backward glance. Liam Scott, she decided, was insensitive and rude, and once again she reminded herself that she was happy to be rid of him.

Her friends took her to dinner to celebrate her graduation. Then Dan drove her home. As soon as she locked the door behind her, she started thinking about Liam again. He really had forgotten about her, hadn’t he? He couldn’t even be bothered to send her a text or an e-mail. No, she definitely hadn’t seen him at graduation. He was in some far-off country, and the man she saw was simply a figment of her imagination. She went to sleep that night calling upon every happy image she could think of, anything to block images of him.

The following week was grueling, and she was glad of it because she didn’t have time for thoughts of Liam. She didn’t get home before nine or ten every night. Friday finally came, and fortunately there weren’t any after-work emergencies. She arrived home at a decent time, packed her overnight bag, and drove to Jordan and Noah’s house. Her friends were taking her to Nathan’s Bay for the weekend to celebrate her graduation. She’d been there several times with Jordan. She loved her large family and the tiny island. It was magical. And isolated. A bridge arching over a narrow channel was the only way in and out, and the sprawling two-story house was the only one on the island. Judge Buchanan owned the island and constantly fought off eager developers who wanted a slice of paradise. Allison was happy he kept refusing.

She was looking forward to seeing the Buchanans again. They were so kind to her, and time with them was always relaxed and fun. As she drove to Jordan’s house, she toyed with the idea of telling her about Liam but decided against it because she planned to erase him from her memory. As if that were possible. Damn it all, she wanted to move on. She hadn’t wanted to get involved with any man, because he would interfere with her plans for the future. What had happened to her?

She was in quite a state by the time she parked the car and ran up the steps to the town house.

Jordan opened the door. Allison’s greeting wasn’t what her friend had expected.

“Men suck.”

Too late, Allison saw Noah step out from behind the door. She hoped he hadn’t heard what she’d said . . . but of course he’d heard. He was trying not to laugh.

“I’m a man,” he reminded her.

How could she forget? Like with Liam, testosterone oozed from every pore in Noah’s body.

“You’re the exception.”

“What about them?” he asked with a tilt of his head. “Are they the exception, too?”

Allison froze. “Them?”

Jordan had to pull her out of the way so that Noah could get the door closed. Before she could ask who else was there, Jordan said, “You’re in an odd mood tonight. Is Agent Phillips making you nuts?”

That was as good an excuse as any for her lame behavior, she supposed. “He’s certainly not making my life easier,” she replied.

She walked into the living room, stopped to rave about the new furniture, then turned to go into the dining room, and there, leaning against the new table, was the bane of her existence, Liam “What-a-Hunk” Scott. He wasn’t alone. Alec stood on the other side of the table with a green trash bag in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

It was almost impossible to stifle her reaction. Liam looked as though he’d been in a fight. There were a couple of bruises on his jaw and cheek and a cut above his right eyebrow. Were they from a rugby game? Or a fistfight? Maybe one of his assignments had turned violent. She told herself she didn’t care enough to find out.

Did he have to look so good? He wore old worn-out jeans that hung low on his hips and a T-shirt that was molded to his chest and upper arms, outlining his muscles. The T-shirt had seen better days. There was a faint logo of a sports team on it, she thought, but she couldn’t make out what it was. Although Liam’s stance was relaxed, his gaze was intense and it locked on her.

She broke the silence. “Hi,” she said, and before he could respond, she smiled at Alec and greeted him. She noticed his eyes kept bouncing back and forth between Liam and her. Great. Now he was suspicious and was going to ask questions.

“Why are you holding a trash bag?” she asked, trying her best to ignore Liam.

Jordan answered, “It’s your graduation present. I know how you love puzzles, so I got you a dozen. One has ten thousand pieces, and there’s even a 3-D one in there. Actually there are only eleven in the bag. I was telling the guys how amazing you are, and I don’t think they believed me.” She pointed to the table, which was covered in tiny jigsaw pieces. “All the pieces are faceup, so it shouldn’t take much time to put it together. It’s a thousand pieces, I think.”

“I’m not going to show off for you,” Allison whispered.

Jordan took pity. “Don’t worry. You can put it together when we get back Sunday. I just thought, knowing how puzzles are a great stress reliever for you, and given the circumstances . . .”

Allison could have sworn she gave an almost imperceptible nod toward Liam. “Given what circumstances?” she asked.

Jordan didn’t answer her. Noah had come up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. Allison envied how affectionate they were with each other. Their love was evident in every look, every action.

“She really is amazing,” Noah said to Alec and Liam.

Noah had firsthand knowledge. He had been at Nathan’s Bay when Jordan’s mother complained to her husband about a puzzle that was spread out on the dining table. According to Mrs. Buchanan, the judge had put it there over a month ago. Believing her husband would never finish it, she ordered that the puzzle be put back in the box. Then Allison happened to walk past. She stopped as soon as she saw the puzzle, stared at it a minute, and then began to put the pieces together at a dazzling speed. Noah stood in the doorway watching her and was soon joined by Jordan and her parents. He was certain Allison set some sort of record. Once she was finished, she sighed, turned around, and walked out into the sunroom, leaving her audience speechless.

Alec set the bag on a chair. “You wrapped her gift in a trash bag?” he asked Jordan. “That’s kind of lazy, isn’t it?”

Jordan laughed as she defended herself. “All the boxes are different sizes. How else do you wrap them?”

The two began a silly debate about gift wrap, but Allison wasn’t paying attention. She had suddenly guessed why Liam and Alec were there. She took a step back and shook her head. “Oh no, you don’t.”

Liam noticed how pale her face had become. “Oh no, what?”

“What’s going on?” Alec asked.

“You want me to do something else illegal for you, don’t you? Did Agent Phillips send you? Does he know about this?”

Jordan was outraged on her behalf. “You are not going to make her do anything more.”

Alec put his hands up. “Hey, we’re on her side.”

“Ha,” Allison scoffed.

“What does ‘ha’ mean?” Liam wanted to know.

She wouldn’t look at him when she said, “It means I’m not so sure you are on my side.”

Liam decided Allison had ignored him long enough. She was obviously in a strange mood, and he couldn’t figure out why. He was contemplating grabbing her and asking her what the hell was wrong with her when she finally turned her attention to him. She walked over to him, poked him in the chest, and said, “I’ve been following the contract, and I’ve been more than compliant, Liam. Way more.”

“Way more, huh?” Liam repeated, and dared to smile.

“I’ve been trying to get along with the man. He wore me down, and I finally agreed to this.” She lifted her arm to show off her new bracelet. “But that’s it. I’m not doing anything more to keep him happy. I’m already working eighty-hour weeks. And I just found out he programmed his phone number in my cell phone. All I have to do is push the number one and he’ll answer. Why he thinks I would want to call him is beyond me,” she added. “I’m trying to get along, and Agent Phillips has absolutely nothing to complain about.”

Jordan tried to calm her friend. “I think it’s sweet that Phillips gave you a graduation present. That’s a pretty bracelet.”

“It’s a tracking device.”

“A what?” Alec asked. “Did you say a tracking—”

“Yes, I did. Liam, this isn’t funny, so stop laughing.”

Alec had more discipline. He just smiled. “If you don’t like the bracelet, take it off,” he suggested. It sounded logical to him, and Noah’s nod indicated he agreed.

She slapped her forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I’m assuming that means ‘What a dumb question,’” Alec said.

She nodded. “I can’t take it off. It has to be cut off with a special tool I don’t believe has been invented yet.”

“Why did you agree to let him put it on you?” Jordan asked.

“Like I said, he wore me down,” Allison admitted. “Want to know one of his other numerous suggestions? He was real enthusiastic about this one. He thought it would be a good idea to put a tiny chip under my skin. That way he could always know where I was. Don’t they do that to dogs?”

The entire time Allison had been ranting, her eyes were taking quick glances at the table. She moved closer and stared at the puzzle. She simply couldn’t help herself. It was a quirk of hers, she supposed, although Charlotte called it a compulsion. She once asked Allison if the house were on fire but there was an unfinished puzzle, would she feel compelled to finish it before she left? Allison remembered she’d told her it was a ridiculous question. Of course she’d get out right away, but deep down she wasn’t so sure. She might have been tempted to take the puzzle with her.

Now that she’d seen it, she had to put the damn thing together. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to see the picture taking shape in her mind. And then she went to work, snapping the pieces together.

She was incredibly fast. Jordan watched the three men. They looked mesmerized.

“Faster than a speeding bullet, right?” she whispered to her husband.

Noah nodded. “Her brain’s a computer, isn’t it?”

“I swear she’s wired differently than the rest of us.”

“I can hear you,” Allison said. “So stop making fun.”

“How can you talk and do that at the same time?” Alec asked.

“I can also walk and talk at the same time.”

“No need to be sarcastic, sweetheart.” Liam made the comment.

“Liam, talk to Agent Phillips,” Jordan said. “Tell him to let up on Allison.”

Allison was exasperated. She didn’t look up when she said, “Do not talk to him. I can take care of myself.”

“How come he wants to track you?” Jordan asked.

“He thinks I could be dangerous. At least that’s what he keeps telling me. He makes it sound like I have an affliction.”

“He’s right,” Liam said. “You are dangerous.”

Allison continued snapping the pieces together. After the first few minutes the others pulled out chairs and sat down to watch in awe, as though they were spectators at some phenomenal sporting event. When the last piece had been inserted, she stepped back and surveyed her work, then turned around.

“Wow” was all Alec could say.

“When my contract is up, I’m not doing anything more for the FBI,” she blurted, finishing her argument. “I know that’s why you’re here, and I’m not—”

Liam didn’t let her finish. He took her by the hand and led her toward the French doors that opened to the patio.

“What are you doing?” she asked. Two months without a single phone call, and now he was being domineering? No way was she going to let him get away with it.

She was about to resist when he said, “We have to talk.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she wondered why Alec wasn’t following them. After they stepped onto the patio and Liam closed the doors behind them, she pulled her hand away. With a bite in her voice, she asked, “More hacker talk?”

“No,” he replied. He walked over to the short brick wall that surrounded the patio and leaned against it.

She took a seat next to him. “Then why are you and Alec here?”

“We’re going fishing with Noah.”

“So you’re going to Nathan’s Bay?”

“Yes.”

She couldn’t make up her mind if she was happy or irritated that he would be with her that weekend. Two months without a word and now he was acting as though he’d only just seen her yesterday. Irritated, she decided. She was irritated. She had already been thinking like a clingy rejected woman, and that was simply unacceptable. If she let that attitude continue, she would soon be singing those stupid melancholy songs. “Why do you have bruises on your face? Were you in a fight?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“London.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

“No.”

She didn’t know if he couldn’t tell her or wouldn’t tell her, and she once again pretended she didn’t care. “You’ve been in London all this while?”

“No,” he answered. “I had to go back last week.”

She wanted to ask where he had been for the last two months besides London, but she repressed the urge to pursue the subject. Where he had been or what he had been doing—or whom he had been doing it with—wasn’t any of her business. Right?

“Okay, then.” She started to get up, but he put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

He didn’t ease into the news. “There’s a warrant out for your cousin’s arrest.”

She braced herself. “What happened?”

“Will’s girlfriend, Mary Lou Something-or-other, went to the movie with another man. Will found out about the date and waited in the parking lot for them to come outside. According to the police report, Will was pretty drunk when he jumped the guy. There were dozens of phone cameras filming your cousin beating him to a bloody pulp. He put him in the hospital.”

She thought she might be sick. “How bad was the man hurt?”

“He’s stable now, but still in ICU.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I gotta say, Mary Lou sure set the bar low for boyfriends. The guy in the hospital is younger than Will, but he’s already a felon with a record that goes way back. I wouldn’t waste any tears on him, Allison, because as soon as he’s released from the hospital he’s going to be locked up. Turns out, the police have been looking for him. He was involved in an armed robbery a couple of months ago.”

He stood over her with his arms folded across his chest. “This is a clear-cut case against Will. The DA will add charges. Your cousin is going away for a long time.”

“If there’s a warrant, that means he’s not in jail?”

“He ran before the police got there. He hasn’t been found yet.”

“This is all my fault,” she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. “That man is in the hospital because of me. Will could have killed him. If I hadn’t pleaded for probation, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Yeah, it would have,” he said. “It just wouldn’t have happened this soon. Your cousin isn’t going to change. He’s got a lot of rage inside. He should be locked up.”

She put her head down and covered her face with her hands. “I’m responsible. Why didn’t I think he was capable of such violence? Why didn’t—”

Liam wouldn’t let her continue to berate herself. “You thought you were giving him one last chance to change his life.”

“I was a fool.”

“No, you were naive. There’s enough blame to go around. Phillips or I could have refused to get probation for him. But what’s done is done. He’s going to try to get you to help him.”

“He doesn’t know I helped him get probation, does he?”

“No.”

“Then why would he come to me for help?”

“Because you’ve always helped his family in the past. Hell, you supported all of them. Your cousin has been running with some bad people. One of them might show up at your door. If Will or one of his friends tries to contact you, I want you to call me.”

“What if you’re out of the country?”

“You call me.”

He wasn’t going to let up until she agreed. “Yes, I’ll call you.”

“Give me your cell phone.”

She pulled it from her back pocket and watched as he programmed his number in and added it to speed dial.

“All right, then,” he answered with finality.

Allison waited for him to say something else, but Liam stood in front of her, silent and unmoving. The only sound was the chirping of crickets in the darkness. The longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable she became. Just being alone with him was enough to make her heart beat faster, but the way he was looking at her now almost brought her heart to a stop.

She broke the silence. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

His answer was brusque. “No.”

“Then we should go in.”

Liam took her hands to pull her to her feet, but when she was standing bare inches away, the willpower he had been relying on all evening evaporated into thin air. From the moment she walked through the door, he’d wanted her. For the past two months, he had looked for every excuse to return to Boston. He had told himself the memory of their time together would fade, but that hadn’t happened. And then, when he saw her again tonight, he knew he was in real trouble.

“Allison . . . ,” he began.

She waited for him to continue, but he only held her hands more tightly. His eyes searched hers as though he was seeking something intangible.

“Are you going to let go of me anytime soon?” she whispered, hoping he couldn’t feel her trembling.

“No, not yet.”

She peeked around him to see if anyone was watching. The light from inside poured through the French doors. Thankfully, the dining room was empty. She wasn’t worried about Alec and Noah noticing. They wouldn’t say anything, but Jordan was another story. She’d have at least a hundred questions, and Allison knew she wouldn’t be able to answer a single one. How could she, when she didn’t know what was happening herself? The only thing she was sure of was that she had been miserable for months, and Liam was the cause. To avoid a future of misery, she had to keep her distance from him.

She freed her hands and said, “You should leave me alone.”

He nodded. “You’re right. I should leave you alone.” He stepped even closer so that she had to tilt her head up to look at him. She could feel the warmth of his chest against hers and wondered if he could hear the breath that caught in her throat.

He lowered his head, and as though she had no control over her reactions, her fingers slid into his soft hair. “This is all wrong. I can’t—”

“Yeah, it’s definitely all wrong,” he said as his mouth brushed over hers.

And then he kissed her exactly how she wanted him to, and oh, how he made her want more. She heard a low groan, then realized she was the one making the sound. He overwhelmed her, and when he finally ended the kiss her arms were clasped around his neck. She was slow to get her wits back. When she finally found her strength, she pushed against him. Unfortunately, he didn’t budge.

“You can’t just waltz back into my life and think you can kiss me.”

There was that heart-stopping smile again, messing with her concentration. “I don’t waltz,” he said. “And I already kissed you. Did you forget? How about I show you what I did?”

He kissed her again. She was ready to push harder this time. She absolutely was, until his mouth settled on top of hers. Then she was all in, her tongue rubbing against his, clinging to him while he robbed her of every thought but one. Lordy, did he know how to kiss! She was so swept away in the moment she didn’t hear the door opening.

Jordan called out to her, “We’ll take two cars. Alec will ride with Noah and me, and you can ride with—” She stopped abruptly when she saw them. “You two seem to be getting along.”

Allison could hear the laughter in her voice. Liam finally let go of her.

“You’re blushing,” he whispered, loud enough, she thought, for the neighbors to hear.

“You like embarrassing me, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I kinda do.”

She stepped away from him. “Jordan, I should drive myself in case I get called in.”

“If you get called in, I’ll drive you back,” Liam said.

Just then her phone rang, and for the first time since she’d started working for Agent Phillips, she hoped he was on the line. She knew she was acting like a wimp by trying to get out of spending the weekend with Liam, yet her reason made perfect sense to her. She was afraid of being alone with him. She was vulnerable with him, and she hated that feeling because she didn’t know how to protect herself.

The call was from Dan. “Are you going to be available Monday evening around seven?”

“Should I be?” she asked.

“You absolutely should be.”

She turned away from Liam and walked to the side of the patio overlooking the garden while she waited for Dan to explain. He’d sounded concerned and almost frazzled, which was totally out of character for him.

“What has you so upset?” she asked when he didn’t immediately tell her what was wrong.

“I’m not upset. I’m angry. Brett is doing a presentation of your program to potential buyers. There’s a group of important company execs coming in, and Brett reserved one of the banquet rooms at the Adams Harbor Hotel. After the way you reacted at Basher’s party, I’m guessing he’s keeping the time and place real hush-hush. He doesn’t want you to find out until it’s too late.”

“How did you find out?”

“He came by the house, walked in like he owned the place, and asked if Mark or I had found his iPad. We told him no, and then he said he wanted to catch up. We knew he was up to something,” he said, adding, “He’s such an ass. Anyway, he kept bringing the conversation back to you. Twice he asked where you were and what you were doing. Neither one of us answered the first time. Then Brett circled around to you again and said he wanted to talk to you and find out if you knew where his iPad was.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I lied and said you were in Seattle visiting your sister and wouldn’t be back for two more weeks. He was out of there lickety-split. Looked relieved, too.”

“How did you find out when this presentation is taking place?”

“Like I said, I knew he was up to something, so I called a friend, and he called a friend who put some feelers out, and I finally got the information I was after. It’s on Monday night at seven. Please tell me you’re going to crash the party.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Be careful. No telling what Brett’s capable of. If he thinks this deal is worth millions, I’ll bet he’ll have a couple of bouncers with your photo standing at the doors. I’d take some heat with you.”

“I don’t need an armed guard to crash the party,” she protested.

“I don’t know about that. Maybe take the armed FBI agent you’ve been seeing.”

“I’ll be fine on my own. Don’t worry about me.”

“Brett doesn’t have any money. Someone has to be bankrolling him. The party is open bar with lots of food, and that hotel is expensive. I’ll bet his money backer expects a big profit from the sale, too. Listen, I’m reevaluating. Maybe you shouldn’t go,” he added worriedly.

“Oh, I’m going.”

“Then how about I go with you?”

“Dan, if he sees you, I won’t be able to sneak in.”

“You’re not going to be able to sneak in anyway,” he argued. “You’re a knockout. Men are going to notice you.”

“I’ll get in,” she said, ignoring the comment about her appearance. “And stop worrying. I can take care of myself.”

A minute later she ended the call. When she turned around she found Liam watching her. He wasn’t the only one. Alec, Jordan, and Noah were also watching.

“What?”

Liam walked closer. “What’s Dan worrying about?”

“Dan’s the old roommate, right?” Noah asked.

Liam answered, “Yes. He watched out for Allison while she lived with him and another guy.”

Allison asked, “Were all of you listening in on my phone conversation?”

“I was on the phone with my wife, so I only caught a little of it,” Alec said.

“Yes, we listened,” Jordan said. “As soon as I heard you say hello, I decided to eavesdrop.”

“You shouldn’t—,” Allison began.

“Of course we shouldn’t. It’s rude,” Jordan said. “So, what did Dan say?”

“What’s he worried about?” Noah wanted to know.

“Nothing, really. Dan tends to overreact.”

Liam wouldn’t let her evade the question. “Allison, what’s he worried about?”

“You’re starting to irritate me, Liam.”

“Answer me.” There was a sharp edge to his voice this time.

She knew he wouldn’t stop. He was determined to get his way, and she wasn’t in the mood to fight, especially in front of the others. She repeated the conversation she’d had with Dan, and the second she finished, Liam said, “I’m going with you.”

“I’d like to come along, too,” Noah said. “Maybe I can move some things around.”

Alec nodded. “I wish I could be there. I’d like to watch the presentation.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Allison argued.

Alec grinned. “I really would, but I’ll be back in Chicago.”

“I have to be in Dallas Monday, so I can’t go,” Jordan said. “I wish I could be there. Since you’ve been working on this program for so long, I’m guessing you’ve built in a way to stop someone from stealing your work. You have, haven’t you?”

Allison nodded. “The software isn’t complete. Brett isn’t smart enough to know that. I’m sure he thinks he has it all figured out, but he doesn’t. It isn’t possible until I add more code. It’s intricate.” She could have answered in more detail, but the only one who would have understood was Jordan, so she spared the men a long explanation.

Allison appreciated their support, but she didn’t want to discuss her retaliation against Brett just yet, so before they could ask anything more, she said, “I have to move my car. I thought I was driving to Nathan’s Bay, so I parked in a one-hour-only spot.”

“Your apartment is close. Drive home and I’ll follow you,” Liam offered.

Deciding his was a sensible alternative, she acquiesced. After he transferred her overnight bag to his car, they were on their way. As usual, traffic was horrible, but Allison had figured out various side streets to take that cut her drive time in half. She parked in her slot in the underground garage, made sure the car doors were locked, and then got into Liam’s car. They didn’t talk much on their way out of town because Liam kept getting one call after another, all work related. His voice was tense. Something he didn’t like was going on, and she wondered if he ever truly broke free from his work and his responsibilities. There was no doubt he was a workaholic. She recognized this in him because she was one herself. Both of their jobs were important, but his sent him around the world on missions that had a powerful impact on people’s lives. She could sense the heavy burden it placed on his shoulders.

The bridge to Nathan’s Bay was in front of them, and just as Allison was beginning to think she would make the best of the awkward situation and try to enjoy the weekend, she got a call from Not-So-Special Agent Phillips. He told her it was an emergency but promised it wouldn’t take long. She translated that to mean she would be at the cyber unit until the middle of the night.

“I hate to ruin your evening,” she said to Liam. “I’ll make Phillips send someone to drive me home.”

“No, I’ll come in.” He slowed the car to turn around.

“What about fishing?”

“What about it?”

Her phone rang again. Assuming it was Phillips, she didn’t bother to look at the caller ID. “Yes,” she answered, trying her best to sound pleasant, not surly.

Aunt Jane was on the line. Allison cringed when she heard her caustic voice.

“You listen to me. We need money, and after all we’ve done for—”

Allison stopped her. “How did you get this number?”

“I know people who— Never mind. I expect you to cooperate.”

“Leave me the hell alone,” she shouted. She disconnected the call, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. It felt good to shout.

“Which one was it?” he asked. “Your aunt or your uncle?”

“My aunt.”

Her aunt called again and again. Allison put the phone on mute, but that didn’t stop the woman. Not only did she call; she also texted insults, all starting with the word ungrateful.

Where were her computer and her headphones when she needed them? She wanted to escape into her laptop and forget about all her worries. She included Liam on that list. She wanted him to either stay or leave, but not do both. Bouncing back and forth was making her nuts. She still hadn’t recovered from not seeing him for months, and then, boom, there he was. Did she want him to stay? She closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest while she thought about it. Three seconds later she had her answer. Of course she wanted him to stay. If anyone was going to leave, it should be her, not him. Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much. Liam had the power to crush her . . . and all because she was hopelessly in love with him.

What could she do about it? She didn’t have a clue. She worried for the rest of the drive to the cyber unit.

Phillips looked relieved to see them. He followed Allison to her office, gave her the task he wanted completed—another breach of a government facility—then left her alone. Allison glanced over her shoulder and saw Liam waiting for him outside the glass wall. The two immediately fell into a deep discussion, and whatever the topic was had both of them frowning. Every once in a while, one or the other would turn to look at her. Allison was curious but turned her concentration back to the screen and went to work. Finally, around one in the morning she found what Phillips was looking for. Because the hacker was unsophisticated and easy to pinpoint, her task was a rather simple one. Any of the other techs could have done the job, and she wondered why she had been called in. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Phillips was simply asserting his control over her.

After e-mailing her report to him, she went to Phillips’s office to check out. He and Liam were in a serious conversation that stopped when she knocked on the door. Phillips motioned for her to come in. He didn’t require a long explanation of her findings. In fact, he was rather abrupt when he told her he would read her report in the morning and ordered her to go home and get some rest. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought he actually was concerned about her well-being.

Liam drove her back to her apartment and parked underground next to her car, then carried her overnight bag and his gym bag up to her apartment, which she didn’t notice until he’d unlocked her door and followed her inside.

“Did you text Jordan and tell her . . . ?” she began.

“Yes, she knows. I can drive you out there tomorrow if you’d like.”

She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m going to stay home.”

She put her laptop on the desk and hooked it up to its charger. The cell phone had to be close to her at all times—according to Phillips—so she went into the bedroom and plugged it into the charger on the bedside table. Finished with the mundane tasks, she returned to the living room to get her overnight bag. Liam’s bag was sitting next to hers, and he was sitting on the sofa, checking messages on his phone.

“Liam, why did you bring your gym bag in?”

He didn’t look up from the screen when he answered, “I’m spending the night.”

She was so surprised by his casual and blunt announcement she didn’t know what to say. She felt a burst of joy, which she quickly squelched. “That’s pretty presumptuous, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you have asked me?”

He put his phone down and smiled at her with that crazy dimple that only appeared when he was up to something. Loosening his tie, he stood and walked into her bedroom, stopping to pick up his bag on the way.

She followed him. “Are you going to answer me?”

“Yeah, I probably should ask, but even if you say no, I’m still staying.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” He was being deliberately obtuse.

“Why are you spending the night?”

He took off his jacket and hung it in her closet. “I want to stick close to you for a little while.”

She put her hands on her hips. “This has something to do with Phillips, doesn’t it? I saw you talking to him, and you and he both looked so serious. Something happened, didn’t it?”

He wasn’t at all reluctant to explain. “Phillips has been talking to Bale. The guy has a grudge against you.”

“Why? What did I do to him?”

“You didn’t do anything to him,” he assured her. “When you found the leak in his Detroit office, you embarrassed him. Somehow he thought you manipulated information to implicate people who worked for him. He was in charge of the operation there, but he didn’t want to take responsibility for the lack of security. He had to blame someone. In his warped mind you’re the reason people lost their jobs.”

“But that’s ridiculous . . . isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” he answered quietly. “Bale wasn’t being rational, so Phillips told him to take leave for a couple of months. He came back this morning, and he’s still pretty hot under the collar. Phillips hasn’t decided what to do about him yet, but his career might be over. Until this gets sorted out, I thought I’d stick around.”

He unzipped his bag and took out his shaving kit and a pair of faded boxers. While she stood watching, he stripped out of his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. She tried not to stare at his bronzed muscular back. A minute later she heard the shower running.

Every thought running through her head only added to her confusion. She knew she had to keep her distance from him. It was the only way she could protect herself. But every time she got close to him, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. Sleeping together certainly wouldn’t help her move forward. Yet she still wanted to. She didn’t seem to know her own mind anymore.

She forced herself to stop worrying, undressed, and put on a short pink silk nightgown. It had thin spaghetti straps and was low cut into a deep V. Was she wearing it to entice him? Of course she was. And that was the very thing she had vowed not to do. Realizing the mistake she was making, she came to her senses and decided to change into an old T-shirt. Unfortunately, before she could do that, the door opened and there he stood, staring at her. He seemed frozen.

When he finally took a step forward, she walked around him and went into the bathroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, and tried to think of anything that would take her mind off him. Her thoughts rambled and she was suddenly wondering about Bale again. Had she gotten people fired? What had she done wrong? Liam and Phillips had seemed so intense back at the office, so they must have thought Bale posed a real danger. Why else would Liam be staying close?

She opened the door and came to a quick stop. Liam was in her bed. He’d stretched out on his back with his hands stacked on his chest and his eyes closed. His gun and badge were on the table next to her cell phone. The lights were out in the living room. She checked to make sure the door was locked with the dead bolt in place, and as she turned back, she looked at the sofa and shook her head. She should have placed a pillow and blanket on it so he would know that was where he was supposed to sleep.

She considered the sofa for herself but quickly rejected the idea. It was her bed and she was going to sleep in it. Decision made, she grabbed her body lotion from the dresser and walked to the other side of the bed. Sitting with her back propped against the headboard, she opened the bottle and squeezed a couple of drops into her hand.

“Liam?” She whispered his name the first time, shouted it the second time.

“Yes?”

“Are you asleep?”

The light coming from the bathroom was dim, but she could see his smile. “I was,” he said.

She rubbed the lotion on her arms while she studied him. He was one fine-looking man, she thought for about the hundredth time. That shouldn’t have mattered because it was a superficial reason for liking someone. Did she like him? Of course she did. She not only liked him; she loved him.

Allison put more lotion on her legs, and when she was finally finished, she smelled like a gardenia. “How many people worked in the Detroit office?”

“I’m not sure. Why?”

“Did I get them all fired?”

He didn’t open his eyes when he answered, “No.”

“You said Bale thinks I’m the reason people were fired. He isn’t wrong. I am the reason.”

He could hear the anxiety in her voice. He rolled onto his side and pulled her down next to him. “You shouldn’t be worrying about this.”

“Did I get them fired?”

“A few people were fired, but there have been problems with the Detroit office for a while, and it was going to close at some point anyway. Most of the employees are being transferred to other locations. What you did was find the source of a serious leak. The man they arrested put countless lives in danger. He insisted that Bale knew about it and encouraged him. We haven’t found any proof of that, but Bale’s pissed that it all happened under his watch and he feels backed into a corner.”

“But I was the one who—”

He wouldn’t let her continue. “Bale doesn’t want to accept any of the blame, and that’s why he’s blaming you.” He yawned. “You’ve had a long day. You should get some sleep.”

She didn’t know if she should address the fact that he was in her bed and shouldn’t be, or if she should just let it go.

Liam rolled onto his back, but this time brought her with him and held her cuddled up against his side. “Allison, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I know, but what if he—”

She raised her head and he gently pushed it back down on his shoulder and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes again. “If he tries to hurt you, I’ll kill him.”