CHAPTER SIX
Liam waited for Piper to spill the secret tearing her apart inside, a secret that might cost her life if she didn’t tell him what he needed to know.
Her beautiful eyes shifted away from his gaze again, tension in every line of her body. “I’m afraid to tell you.”
Not what he’d expected from her lips. Was her reluctance to share the information related to him killing two men? “Why?”
“Once you know the truth, you’d be wise to walk away from me and never look back.” Pain and resignation filled her voice.
He stared. “You know what I do for a living. You saw a prime example on the highway last night and I’ve done many more things in the gray zone, edging toward black. Nothing you tell me will change my opinion of you.”
“You say that now.”
“I’ll always say that.” Liam squeezed her hand. “We have time to talk without an audience now. Once we leave the hospital, we’ll be hard pressed to find a time to talk this out alone.”
Piper frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“Until I’m sure there’s no more danger, you’ll have at least one member of Bravo by your side.” As long as Fortress didn’t deploy his unit again until this was resolved, Liam would be by Piper’s side or have someone in place that he trusted. If his boss, Brent Maddox, needed Bravo, Liam would arrange for members of Durango, the Delta team assigned to PSI, to watch over Piper.
“But you killed the kidnappers.”
“Someone may have sent them to grab you. If that’s true, the instigator will find someone else to complete the job. Hit men are easy to find if you pay the right price.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“It’s not meant to. Talk to me, Sunshine.”
Her gaze flew to his. “You’ve never called me that before.”
“Do you mind?”
“Are you kidding? I love it. Why Sunshine instead of sweetheart or honey?”
“I might call you those, too. To me, you’re as bright as a ray of sunshine.”
“Liam.” Tears glimmered in her eyes.
“You light up a room just by walking inside. You cheer me up every time I’m around you. Trust me to handle your secrets.”
“The story’s not pretty.”
He shrugged. “I’m not going anywhere. May I hold you while you tell me the story?”
Her lips curved. “I’d like that.” Piper scooted close to the opposite edge of the bed, making room for him to sit beside her.
Excellent. Liam eased down beside Piper and gathered her against his side. Her head rested on his shoulder. “Comfortable?” When she nodded, he pressed a light kiss to her temple. She might feel more comfortable baring her soul when he wasn’t looking at her.
He relaxed against the upraised mattress and pillow and waited for her to begin.
“I told you I met Gavin at a friend’s birthday party and that’s true. What I didn’t mention to Nick Santana is that Gavin works for my uncle.” She fell silent again.
Rather than rush her, Liam stroked her arm with a gentle touch, reminding her of his presence and support without pushing her to say more until she was ready.
“My uncle is my only living relative. I lost my parents in a plane crash when I was three years old. Uncle Gino took me in and raised me. We were close when I was growing up. At least, I thought we were.” She sighed. “Anyway, Uncle Gino wanted me to settle down and raise a family.”
“Let me guess. Gavin was his choice of mate for you.”
Piper nodded again. “It took me a long time to figure out my uncle had set up the first meeting between me and Gavin.” Wry laughter escaped her. “I should have known something was up when Brandy planned a birthday celebration for herself. She’d never done that before and hadn’t mentioned it in the weeks prior to the party. I found out after I broke up with Gavin that my uncle had arranged to pay off Brandy’s school loans if she had the party.”
Gino had paid a steep price to set up the meeting. Liam frowned. Was something else besides seeing Piper settled behind the planned meeting? “So, you and Gavin met at the party. I guess you hit it off.” His gut twisted at the thought of Piper dating another man. He pulled her tighter against his side, unable to fight the possessiveness riding him hard.
“We did. He seemed perfect. In retrospect, that was another thing that should have triggered an alarm.”
“Why?”
“Gavin was engaging, handsome, tall, dark, and I believed he was honorable, exactly the characteristics I’d mentioned to Uncle Gino for the type of man I’d be interested in. Those characteristics are what drew me to you.”
Pleased, he gave her a gentle squeeze. “Why is he in a hurry to see you settled?”
Piper wrinkled her nose. “It wasn’t because he longed for great-nephews or nieces to rock to sleep if that’s what you’re thinking. Gino’s ulterior motives weren’t that honorable. He owns Galactic Games, but he borrowed the money to start the business from his best friend, Matteo Barone.”
Oh, man. Liam already knew where her story would lead. “The crime boss?”
“You’ve heard of him.”
He snorted. “All you have to do is turn on the news. His name pops up in relation to drugs, prostitution, and murders. No law enforcement agency has managed to pin the crimes on Barone, just his lackeys.”
“They happily take the fall for Barone. For some reason, his employees are intensely loyal to him.”
“Money and fear buy their silence. What does Barone have to do with Gavin?”
“Gavin is Barone’s son. I didn’t know about that connection until two weeks before I broke up with Gavin. I never liked Barone. I avoided any contact with him or his family. There’s something slimy about him. Anyway, Barone divorced his first wife, Lauren, and two days later, married his mistress, Anne James, Gavin’s mother.”
“Barone asked your uncle to hire Gavin?”
“A favor between friends, especially since he’d loaned Gino the money to start his company. My uncle was happy to hire him because Gavin is in the top five percent of programmers. Having him work for Galactic was a real coup and hiring Gavin meant his good buddy Matteo owed him a favor.”
“Gino groomed Gavin to be the perfect match for you.”
She nodded. “I dated Gavin for more than a year and never knew about the connection to Matteo.” A wry laugh escaped Piper. “I also didn’t know about his multiple affairs until the day I broke up with him.”
Oh, yeah. He definitely needed to punch Gavin James in the face. “He’s an idiot.”
“I won’t argue.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you.” But he wasn’t sorry Gavin screwed up and gave Liam a chance with Piper.
“You know what the worst part is?”
“Tell me.”
“He had an affair with my best friend, Brandy, and blamed me.”
Liam scowled. “Why was it your fault?”
Her face flamed and she went silent.
“Hey, no fair holding out now. Why did he blame you?”
Piper sighed. “He turned to Brandy because I wouldn’t sleep with him. What she didn’t know was he was also seeing another woman, too.”
Liam pressed a kissed to the top of her head. “Still haven’t changed my mind about him. He’s a fool, Sunshine. I’m grateful, though.”
“For what?”
“If he hadn’t been stupid, I would never have met you. His loss is my gain.”
“How do you always know the perfect thing to say to me?”
“It’s a gift.” He smiled at her soft laughter. “Knowing what he did and his connection to Gino and Matteo, why would you rush to Gavin’s aid? You can’t have parted on good terms.”
“Not even close. I confronted him in a restaurant full of people. I know it doesn’t make sense, but he was a friend before he became more. He doesn’t scare easily. Something is wrong.”
“Does it have anything to do with your uncle or Matteo?” Liam could see all kinds of trouble coming if Gavin’s fear was connected to either of those two men.
“I don’t know. He talked fast, begging me to come to his Wilmington Resort cabin. He said he’d tell me more when I arrived. The kidnappers derailed my plans. I have to go see him. If he’s in trouble with my uncle, I may be able to help.” She sighed. “Probably not, though. Uncle Gino was furious when I refused to go along with his plan and moved away from our hometown to get away from him, Matteo, and Gavin.”
“Is it possible Gavin pretended to be afraid to have a chance to win you back?”
Piper was silent a moment, then shook her head. “The fear was genuine. Looking back, Gavin loved himself more than he did me. I can’t see him crawling back three years later to beg forgiveness. He has to have moved on with his life by now.”
Maybe not. Some women haunted you, grabbing a piece of your heart and never letting go. Liam had a feeling Piper was one of those women. “All right. We’ll go together.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Yeah, it is. I’m not convinced you’re safe. I won’t take chances with your life. We also don’t know if Gavin was involved in your kidnapping attempt.”
“He wasn’t.”
“Hear me out. If Gavin knows you at all, he understands convincing you to take him back will require more than a pretty apology. Maybe he wanted to be the hero and rescue you.”
She eased back to look Liam in the eyes. “That’s what the Cherry Hill detective said about you.”
He’d been afraid of that. “Do you believe him?”
“Why would I?”
Despite the dim lighting in the room, Liam saw the hint of color staining her cheeks. “It’s no secret that I’m crazy about you and have been for a while. Maybe Gavin had a friend who scouted around town, heard the scuttlebutt, and decided to capitalize on it by painting himself in a good light.”
“It’s possible although I’m not convinced. He wouldn’t go to that much trouble to get me back. He would simply find another woman. He never had problems lining them up. Liam, I know you didn’t set up the kidnapping to ride to my rescue. You already impress me by being who you are.”
He stared. “How can you say that? I killed two men last night.”
“To protect me. You keep forgetting that part. How can I not be impressed with a man who does the right thing even though taking those actions might cost him his own life? I’m sorry you were forced into that position, but I’m grateful you didn’t hesitate. You’re an amazing man, Liam McCoy. Thank you for what you did.”
He laid a finger gently across her lips. “Enough. I don’t need your thanks. I just want you safe.”
A light knock on the door brought Liam to his feet, weapon in his hand.
His team leader slipped into the room and smiled when he saw Piper was awake. “You look good. How do you feel?”
“Like I ran into Rocky’s fist. I want out of here.”
“Grace told me Dr. Anderson usually starts his rounds at seven o’clock. You have another hour to wait. Nick Santana is here. You up to talking to him again?”
Piper sighed. “Send him in.”
The Otter Creek detective strode inside the hospital room a moment later, fatigue evident. Looked like he’d been awake all night. He shook Liam’s hand. “Glad you’re back safely from your mission.”
“Thanks.”
“Got a copy of the initial report on the shooting from the Cherry Hill PD. Looks like justifiable homicide.”
Liam shrugged. “We’ll see if the DA agrees.”
“Ethan knows the DA. He’ll do what he can to turn the tide in your favor.” Nick turned toward Piper. “How are you?”
“Ready to break out of this joint.”
He smiled. “I’m not surprised.”
“Did you talk to Gavin?”
Nick’s smile faded. “By the time I arrived at the cabin, Gavin was gone.”