CHAPTER NINE
Spending time with Liam had taught me one thing- watching golf on television is an excellent way to help me fall asleep. It was as if Liam wanted me to run away from the cabin with the amount of time we spent watching people putt balls into a hole. He didn’t share custody of the remote either. It always sat firmly in his lap, and I wasn’t about to go reaching for it there.
During a particularly dull golf game (redundant, I know) on Friday, I was lying on the floor in front of the couch Liam was sitting on. I stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks, and decided to ask Liam for a favor.
“Liam?”
“Yes, Agnes?” Liam had taken to calling me Agnes every time he addressed me. He said it was for consistency with our aliases. I suspected it was because he liked to annoy me.
“Can I ask you a favor?” I turned onto my side and rested my head on my hand, looking up at him.
“You can ask. No guarantee that I’ll grant it.” I frowned, and he sighed. “What is it, Agnes?”
I ignored his use of my cover name and pressed on. There were bigger fish to fry in this battle. "Can I call my sister?" I watched Liam's eyebrows knit together, and I knew his answer before he spoke.
“Kelsey,” he started. Uh-oh. "You know that doing so places you and your sister in danger. What if Jack is monitoring her calls and traces it back here? Or worse, what if he tortures her to get you to come out of hiding? I'm sorry, it's just not a good idea." To his credit, Liam honestly did look sorry.
“What do you think Jack is, an NCIS agent? He's a fugitive. I doubt he has phone call tracing technology with him, packed into his little duffel bag along with deodorant and toothpaste." I pouted, hitting Liam with the hardest lower lip and big eyes combo that I had in my arsenal. "Anna is my best friend and the mother of my two nephews. She's got to be worried about me after not hearing from me for a couple of weeks. I just want to let her know that I'm okay." Liam still looked uncertain, so I cajoled more. "Please. Please, please, please. Do it for my poor nephews, who are lost in this world without the guidance of their aunt." I hoped I hadn't overplayed my hand with that one.
Liam pursed his lips. “I’ll see what I can do. No guarantees though.”
I squealed and jumped up onto the couch. I wrapped my arms around Liam in a grateful hug. “All right, calm down,” he grumbled, giving my back an awkward pat before gently prying me off of him. “I said no guarantees. I most likely won’t be able to get permission to do this anyway. I have to try to get a secured connection, and that requires paperwork and permission from my superiors at the home office. There’s a huge chance this request will get denied.”
“Still, it’s nice of you to try,” I said, grinning up at him. “Want me to grab your laptop so you can send an email, or is this more of a phone call kind of thing?”
“Patience, woman," Liam said. "These things take time. I'll send the email in a couple of minutes." I could wait a couple of minutes. I kept my face impassive, not wanting my impatience to show. "I was going to see if you wanted to go into town and grab a coffee at Daisy's."
“You were?" I asked, startled. "Since when do you want to go into town? You're always griping about how unsafe it is."
“Well, I've noticed you've been bored lately. The agency has fully vetted Daisy, and I know you like talking with her. We'd be fine to pop into her shop for a few minutes."
“Thank you, Liam," I said. He was right- I was bored. I'd probably be a little more stimulated if he did anything besides watch golf, though. Both efforts to get Liam to play a board game with me had been met with polite refusal, and I hadn't tried to get him to play since. We had a couple of glasses of wine and light conversation here and there, but we spent the bulk of our time on the couch watching television. Even my efforts to go outside and play in the snow had been met with protests of it being too cold out. I think Liam just didn't want me outside in the open where I could be snatched, which I couldn't really argue with. So, currently, my main pastime was lying on the living room floor and counting ceiling tiles, which is why the chance to talk to Daisy and the possibility of talking to my sister were so thrilling. A break in the monotony! A sense of normalcy!
“I'll go brush my teeth and get dressed, then we can go," I said. "Should I wear flats or boots, you think? I should probably wear something other than yoga pants." "Don't get too fancy," Liam said. "We're only going for coffee, not a daylong excursion. Plus, you look nice in yoga pants." He winked at me.
“Every guy thinks girls look good in yoga pants. That doesn't make it acceptable public clothing. I need to be at least presentable to the general public." I hopped up and jetted to the bathroom. I checked my reflection and winced. I needed to brush my hair and throw on some mascara as well. I brushed my teeth lightning fast, ran a brush through the tangled mess of my hair, and hurried to my bedroom closet, but wound up keeping the yoga pants.
I walked back to the front door where my parka was hanging and pulled it on while I slid into my heavy winter boots. "Ready!" I chirped, smiling at Liam, excited as always to go outdoors.
He rolled his eyes at me, but pulled his coat on and ushered me out the front door. He stopped before shutting the door, checking to make sure his gun was holstered and loaded, then nodded at me to head to the truck.
"Do you want to walk?" I asked. "We've been cooped up for so long that I think even my yoga pants are getting tight on me."
“You’re not getting fat,” Liam said with an eye roll. “But, sure, we can walk. Just be careful.”
I stepped out into the road, where the light reflecting off the snow was blinding. I pulled my sunglasses out of my pocket and slid them on. I looked over at Liam, who was pulling on his aviators, and I led the way.
We were silent on the walk over, and Liam was tense, steadily checking our surroundings as if Jack were going to be lying in wait in a snowbank on the side of the road. I didn't criticize Liam for being silly mostly because I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. So I kept my mouth shut, and we walked in silence.
Ten minutes later, we were stomping the snow off our boots in the cozy foyer of Daisy's coffee shop. There was a warm fire going in that gorgeous fireplace nook, and there were a few people scattered throughout the store, chatting on fluffy armchairs and love seats. I spotted an empty love seat near the fireplace, and I bee-lined for it.
I'd just finished placing my coat on the back of the love seat when Daisy appeared in front of us. "Agnes, Amos! Oh my gosh, it's so nice to see you guys!" She pulled me into a hug, and I squeezed back. She moved on as if to hug Liam, but faltered at his scowl. She cleared her throat, recovering, and smiled brilliantly at us.
“Hey, Daisy, how's it going?" I smiled at her, patting the seat on the couch next to me. She continued to stand despite my invitation.
“It's going pretty well. We're pretty busy this morning though. Otherwise, I'd sit and visit with you for hours. What can I get for you guys?"
“I’ll have a pumpkin latte,” I said. “Biggest one you’ve got, with lots of whipped cream, please.”
“Coffee, black,” Liam said.
Daisy nodded and walked back to the espresso bar to make our drinks for us. Liam sat up straight on the farthest side of the couch from me, surveying our surroundings vigilantly.
“Relax, Amos,” I said in a low voice. “There’s only one entrance to this coffee shop, and we’re facing it. If Jack Nelson walks into this coffee shop in the middle of Langdon Falls, we’ll know.”
“Relaxing is what gets people killed, Agnes. You should be grateful that I’m doing my job,” Liam growled.
“Well, you’re sticking out like a sore thumb,” I whispered. “Thank you,” I said at normal volume, taking the proffered coffees from Daisy and setting them on the coffee table. Daisy propped herself on my armrest, looking around at her coffee shop with satisfaction.
“All, I have a few minutes to spare,” she said breathlessly. “What have you guys been up to? How’s your week been?”
“Uneventful," I said truthfully. "Endless amounts of golf on TV." Liam frowned at me, and I shrugged. "It's been downright boring if I'm honest."
“I know just the thing to break your boredom!" Daisy said. "The Winter Ball is tomorrow night, and you guys are still in town, which must mean that you’ve decided to stay for it. Am I right?”
I grinned, and Liam frowned. “Yes,” I said at the same time Liam was saying, “No.”
Daisy laughed as she took in both of our expressions. "Amos, it looks like you've been outvoted. Both Agnes and I vote yes, so you guys have to come." Liam let out a long sigh. "We'll see what happens." I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I grabbed Liam's hand and squeezed. He didn't let go, interlocking his fingers with mine instead. "That looks like a yes to me," Daisy beamed.
“That’s a we’ll see,” Liam said.
I pouted dramatically, leaning towards him. I nudged his shoulder with my own. "Oh come on," I said. "Pretty please?" I placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and he stiffened. "With a cherry on top?"
Liam turned his face to mine. He quirked one eyebrow, then grabbed me softly by the jaw, surprising me by pulling my face into his. He brushed a soft kiss on my lips. My eyes widened, then closed in pleasure, as the kiss deepened. I opened my mouth slightly, allowing him to cover my mouth fully with his own. His tongue fluttered against mine, and my body softened into his. I didn't care that we were in a room full of strangers. I didn't care that we were full on making out in front of Daisy, who was still sitting on our couch's armrest. All I cared about at this moment was Liam and me and this kiss.
Liam pulled back from our kiss, triumph in his eyes, and removed his hand from my cheek. He didn’t let go of my other hand though. “That’s a we’ll see.”
I frowned at Liam and tugged my hand from his. I turned back to Daisy, my cheeks burning with embarrassment, and blushed even harder at her envious look.
“Geez, get a room, guys,” she said. “I’ll, uh, leave you guys to it. The coffees are on me today. I’ll see you guys tomorrow night!” She stood up with a wink and wandered off, checking on customers around the shop.
I stared into my coffee, willing the blush to disappear from my cheeks. I avoided looking at Liam so that I didn't jump into his lap and make out with him more, further embarrassing myself. Liam nudged me, and I finally looked over at him. He grinned widely and waggled his eyebrows at me, angering me.
“What was that?” I hissed. “Aren’t we trying to fly under the radar?”
“I needed to distract you and get you to stop nagging me. Plus, we’re a young married couple on a romantic vacation. I’m just acting the part,” Liam said.
“Nagging you?” I smacked his arm. “Don’t be a sexist. Besides, married people don’t kiss like that, especially in public.”
“You've obviously never been married to me, then," Liam said, his green eyes darkening. Unwanted arousal shot through me, and I looked away. I cleared my throat, ignoring the butterflies that had started fluttering in my stomach at the sensual promise in those eyes.
“Anyway,” I said, clearing my throat again. “We should head back and check your email, see if our request for the phone call has been approved.”
"Kels-," Liam warned in a low whisper. He realized his slip and looked around to see if anyone had heard him. "Agnes," he said louder, "It doesn't happen that quickly. I would be shocked if we already had a response."
"Well, we can check anyway," I said, draining the last of my latte. I stood up and pulled on my coat, then looked down expectantly at Liam. He sighed and finished his coffee, then stood up, dwarfing me. I turned and led the way out of the shop, shivering imperceptibly when Liam placed his hand on my hip, steering me to the right towards the road back to our cabin.
We walked back silently, Liam's hand never leaving my waist. As soon as I walked through the front door, I pulled off my parka and walked to the kitchen counter. I picked up Liam's laptop, powering it on. A government logo adorned the lock screen. I needed Liam's username and password to get in. I turned the laptop around to Liam, who typed in his credentials with a frown.
“You're very persistent today. You know that?"
“Yeah, well, if it gets me what I want, then I’m okay with that,” I said. I watched as Liam opened the inbox on his email account. I became giddy at the sight of an unopened email from McIntyre.
Liam clicked the email and gave it a cursory once-over before turning the laptop to face me. "Looks like you've been approved for a ten-minute phone call on a secured line. We just need to let them know when you're ready, and they'll set it up with your burner phone to make the call."
“Yes!” I ran to my room to unplug the phone from its charger and ran back into the living room. “Okay, I’m ready now.”
Liam typed a response to the email, and after a minute of waiting, the laptop pinged loudly. "Okay, go now."
I punched in the digits that I knew by heart and listened to the line trilling. After four rings, my sister picked up.
“Hello?” Anna said. “Who’s this?”
“Anna, it’s me, Kelsey,” I said, sinking into a chair.
“Oh, good. I didn't recognize the number, so I thought it was a bill collector and almost didn't pick up. Kelsey, where the hell have you been? You went radio silent after a cryptic call the day before Thanksgiving, and now we're all worried sick about you. Why haven't you called Mom? She nags me about you every day. She's convinced that you've been taken by the Mafia. You need to call her." "Taken by the Mafia?" I snorted.
“You know how she is. She's a worrywart." "I know, I know," I sighed guiltily. "Anyway, how is everything? How are Julian and Jason?"
“Don't avoid the question, Kelsey," Anna said. "What the hell have you been doing the past couple of weeks?" Pause. "Your nephews are fine, by the way. They're at Disney on Ice with Marcus today." Marcus was my saintly brother-in-law.
“I’m in hiding right now.” I braced for the inevitable blowup. I glanced at Liam, who was frowning and shaking his head furiously.
“In hiding?” Anna screeched. “Are you with the Mafia right now?”
“No, I’m not with the Mafia. Geez.”
“Kelsey, are you in danger? Should I call the police?”
“I can't go into details, but I'm safe. I'm with a government official, completely protected from the threat." I looked at the ceiling, away from Liam.
“Jesus, Kelsey,” Anna said. “Is this related to that recent jailbreak?” Anna was too smart for her own good.
“Yeah," I said. "I'll be home soon though, and we can talk about this all we want then. Until that time, though, I have about four minutes left to talk about something good, like my gorgeous and intelligent nephews."
“Julian is in a biting phase right now. And Jason has taken to licking every window he comes across.” Ah, my gorgeous, intelligent nephews. “Little monsters, but I’m legally obligated to love them. So, this government official you’re hiding away with, what’s he or she like? Stuffed shirt type, or someone fun?”
“Neither. He's great though," I said in a low voice. No need for Liam to hear me saying that.
“Oh, he’s great? Like great at chess or great in bed?”
“I’m hanging up now. I just wanted to let you know that I’m safe, and for you to relay that message to everyone who asks.”
“Kelsey, don’t hang up,” Anna said quickly. “I’ll stop asking questions, I promise.”
Liam was moving his finger in a circle, signaling for me to move it along. "It's not that. I only had ten minutes for this call. I've got to go. I love you, I love the boys, Mom, Marcus. Bye!"
“I love you, sister,” Anna said.
“Love ya back, sister.” I hung up. I smiled at Liam, who’d been standing next to me during the phone call. “Thank you,” I said softly.
He shrugged. "I didn't do anything to be grateful for. I just sent an email."
“Still," I said, standing up. I wrapped my arms around Liam's neck, hugging him. His arms went around my back, awkwardly laying in the middle and barely making contact. He leaned his face into the crook of my neck and sighed. I went deeper into the embrace, and Liam rubbed my back. He released me from his arms and cleared his throat.
“I'm going to take a shower," he said. "Then I'll be back in the living room to watch mind-numbing amounts of golf afterward."
I wrinkled my nose as I watched him walk away, then smiled at the mental image of Liam in the shower. It was a delightful sight indeed. Six-pack glistening with moisture as the water sluiced over his body, his biceps flexing when his arms raised to rinse the shampoo from his hair. His hands soaping up his chest, slowly moving downwards on the flat plane of his stomach, then reaching lower... I thought about the way that he'd kissed me earlier, with the promise of something more, and I fanned my cheeks. I needed a cold shower.