Liam

 

The sound of a board cutting through snow was unmistakable and so was the thrill of being out in it. I was flying. Not even the cold temps could deter me. The bitter wind parted as I cut through.

Being back on a board, back on a halfpipe, taught me a few things:

1) There was no giving this up. Thinking I could was stupid.

2) My God, I fucking loved this.

And

3) Snowboarding came as naturally to me as breathing.

The second Joiner touched down in the chopper and his eyes took in this beautiful mountainside pipe, we were off and running. The chain inside me broke. I couldn’t keep this part of me on a leash any longer.

I had to do this.

I had no idea how it would turn out. I just knew I had to try.

I eased into training, though adrenaline pounded in me, creating urgency that left me frustrated. Joiner was a hawkeyed hard ass who insisted on doing everything with the pace of a granny.

Learning to walk before I ran was the equivalent of sitting in a traffic jam on the way to claim a million in cash when, before, I won marathons.

Weeks began to pass. The near-full-time commitment I put into recovering the ability and strength I’d lost was paying off. Two months in and I was resembling the boarder everyone dubbed Extreme.

Granted, I wasn’t twinning with the old me yet. But I would.

“I’m going again!” I shouted to Joiner, who was watching my latest run, who nodded with approval.

Before I could set up, the phone in my pocket started vibrating. Using my teeth, I pulled off the gloves I was wearing and answered without glancing at the screen.

I always had this phone with me. I might be committed to boarding and making another run with the Olympics, but it still took a backseat to Bellamy and my son.

My son, confirmed by her recent ultrasound.

Yes, I hogged all those pics, too.

“Yeah?” I said into the line, hunching down a little so the wind didn’t muffle the sound.

“Liam Mattison?” said a voice I didn’t recognize.

I straightened. “Who’s this?”

“You should turn on the TV,” the voice answered. “There’s something you should see.”

“Who is this?” I demanded again. “What do I need to see?”

No one answered because the call went dead. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I looked down at the screen, which went dark.

“What the fuck?” I muttered, calling up the number on my history. Unknown.

My first thought went to Bellamy and my unborn son. The board wedged beneath my arm fell into the snow, and I hit the screen a few more times.

After a couple rings, her voice filled my ear. “Liam, is everything okay?”

Everything inside me relaxed. She’s okay. Thank fuck. “Why wouldn’t everything be okay?”

“Because you’re calling me in the middle of the day, at work.”

I frowned. I called her at work. Oh shit. I barely ever called her at work. At least since I’d been hitting the training hard. I used to call her all the time.

“Can’t I just call my best girl to see how she’s doing?” I asked, putting on the charm.

She giggled lightly, and I smiled to myself. A wave of homesickness slammed into me, catching me off guard. I’d just seen her this morning.

It wasn’t enough.

“Of course you can,” she purred into the line. The loud sounds of a kitchen and Chef D’alessio’s voice filtered behind her.

“He better not be yelling at you.” I growled.

“Chef’s on the war path.” Bells sighed. “But not at me.”

I made a sound.

“How’s training going?” she asked.

“Gnarly.”

Bellamy paused. “Is that good or bad?”

I laughed. “I miss you.”

Her voice dropped a little, and it turned me on. “I miss you, too.”

“You’re sure everything is good with you? Baby okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Baby, too.” She hesitated, and some anxiety came through the line. “Why?”

I felt like an ass for making her worry. She’d finally started settling in, finally started feeling safe, and here I was calling out of the blue and making her second-guess herself.

“No reason.” I soothed. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

More commotion sounded in the background. Bells sighed again. “I have to go.”

“I’ll see you in a bit, sweetheart.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.” I confirmed.

When I pulled the phone away, Joiner approached. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, mulling over the call I’d received.

In my hand, my cell went off again. I glanced down, half expecting to see Bellamy’s name on the screen. It wasn’t her. It was Alex.

“Alex?” I answered.

“You seen the news?” he asked. The tone of his voice made my heart rate skyrocket.

“No. I’m on the mountain.”

“You better go turn on that rigged-up TV you got up there.”

“Hang on,” I said and jogged to the small cabin near the pipe. It had a small TV with limited channels. I left the door open when I strode inside, flipping the power instantly. “Turning it on,” I told Alex. “What am I looking for?”

“You’ll know,” he said cryptically.

The screen and sound came on. The red “Breaking News” banner at the bottom of the screen caught my eye and then the journalist’s voice filled the silence.

“Welcome back. If you’re just tuning in, we’ve interrupted your usual programming to bring you coverage of what some are calling the biggest criminal justice upset in decades.

“It has been announced that modern mobster and well-known criminal Perry Crone, who was sentenced to life in prison nearly two years ago, has been granted early release from the state prison where he has been serving his sentence.”

“What the fuck?” I roared.

“While many people are scrambling and confused as to how this could happen, our sources tell us that a high-level judge signed off on the release due to Crone’s good behavior and prison crowding. Crone is said to have agreed to several stipulations upon his release and—”

“This has to be a joke,” I spat. “There’s no fucking way the FBI would let him out of his cage.”

Alex whistled. “He buttered someone’s biscuit with those deep pockets of his. Can’t help but wonder how much his freedom set him back.”

His freedom could cost Bells her tentative grip on normalcy and safety.

Fuck.

Crone’s freedom could cost Bells her life.

“No!” I shouted and shoved at everything on the small counter nearby. Shit scattered everywhere, and the sound of shattering glass filled the space my heavy breathing didn’t.

“Where’s Bellamy?” Alex asked, his voice calm but not complacent.

“Work. I just talked to her. She’s safe.” I growled. “For now.”

“What do you wanna do?” Alex asked, knowing damn well we couldn’t just let this happen.

“Meet me out front of The Inn in twenty,” I said brusquely.

“Will do.”

I cut the call and turned to leave. My steps stuttered as Joiner came inside. “What the hell happened?” he asked, taking in the mess.

“I’m done for the day. Something came up.” I started past, and he put a hand on my shoulder, restraining me.

I glanced down where he touched and back up.

Joiner pulled his hand away but didn’t step aside. “What happened?” he repeated.

“We’ll talk later,” I answered and started forward.

“Call if you need anything!” he yelled out the door.

I kept going, hopped on my snowmobile, and fired it up.