Chapter 36
“I woke up with cum glued to my fucking cock, Re,” Liam said, lying in bed with the morning sunlight streaming inside. He had to resort to cuddling with her pillow, which he’d done ever since she left him.
“Aww, poor baby. It better have been me pleasing you in your dreams,” Raven replied, sounding as though she were smiling.
“None other than you.” He half-smiled, and then acknowledged, “You sound a bit down.”
“You don't know the half of it.” Raven sighed into the phone.
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask how her mother-daughter date went, but he heard an automated voice in the background stating last call for terminal. “Are you at the airport?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Jet-lagged?” he asked, since he didn’t know she’d even left town. Maybe she’d had a nice getaway with Charlene but came home early for him?
“Something like that. Char had to get back to the land of the superstars. But I'll be okay. Enough about me, we leave for Chicago next week for the breaking ground ceremony, right?”
Liam hesitated. Why was she so disinterested in talking about what she’s been up to? He rubbed a hand over his face, hoping that one day she’d be more open about how things were going with her mom. “Yes.”
“Good. Liam, I am so in love with you! The blueprint update adding the photography gallery still has me in shock. Are you ready for a celebration tonight?”
Her soft tone had his dick swelling again. He asked, “What do you have in mind?”
“You provide my favorite wine, I'll be well rested enough to dish out one of my famous back rubs.”
“And that, Re, is why I'm so fucking in love with you.”
The quick call left a smile on his face. As Liam stepped into his walk-in closet to prepare for work, his cell went off again. The call was a blocked number.
“I made a quick trip,” Vincent said, too busy for formalities. “A newspaper is in your downstairs office, now I’m on my way to Bogota for the boss.”
His closest confidant seemed to be apologizing for not staying long enough to fraternize. “All right, next time one of us is on the other’s turf, we will make it a habit of crossing paths, regardless of previous obligations.”
With that agreed upon, they hung up. Liam exited his bedroom. He quickly checked in on Royael, sleeping in her room. Then he went downstairs to see exactly who had tried him.
In the office, he flicked on the lights. True to his words, a newspaper was on his desk. Vincent had gotten into and out of his home undetected.
The headlines weren’t for him. The second page was earmarked.
“Promising University of Dallas track athlete murdered …”
The guy had only been twenty, a few years younger than he. Liam’s eyes glued to word murdered, yet Liam didn't feel guilt or any such emotion at the thought of what the mugger tried to do. Fear flashing before Raven’s eyes was enough to wipe away any grain of empathy. But the track star didn’t fit the MO of a would-be mugger. The article implied he had a 3.5 GPA and his track stats were amazing.
As he was about to set the newspaper down, a few photos slipped from one of the pages.
A dark-skinned woman dressed in a red dress stood in the condo he bought for Raven, his Raven. For all intents and purposes, they might have been just friends, but instincts argued otherwise. He turned the photo over.
Per Vincent, both women were behind the attempted mugging. Liam read the very brief report. Sharon Riley, one of the junior journalists at Scandalous magazine, helped Raven frame him.
His entire heart sunk. He slipped down into the leather chair. Vincent's last words were Sharon had been dealt with, and it was during Liam’s call regarding Raven. His alley knew his love, understood it well.
Before Vincent chose his life course, he'd had a heart, too. Liam was in Paris at fourteen. Vince had been a kindred spirit, since Liam was depressed about leaving Raven. Though the two men rarely interacted, Liam understood that he was a little out of the realm. Not fully engaged in his missions. Pierre fixed that. Up until then, Vincent never put emotions before a mission.
If this had been an inquiry from Pierre or another Delacroix, Vincent would have handled the situation to its ultimate ugly end. But, no, he sought orders on what to do with Raven. Liam appreciated Vincent’s loyalty. Just this simple gesture was against Pierre’s rules.
Hand balled into a fist, Liam decided to call Vincent back.