“Why the fuck is my sister covered in blood?” Ryker glared at Liam, and snarled. “If she’s fucking hurt…”
“I’m fine. It’s not my blood, it’s Kane’s.” Her eyes went to the body on the floor, a crowd around him now, and Cassidy was thankful she couldn’t see what was left of his face.
She pulled her eyes away, and threw her arms around Ryker. Her brother caught her and lifted her off her feet.
“Are you okay?” Cassidy stood back, scrutinizing all the bruises, the black eye, and the dried blood on his face. His jaw was swollen, and he looked like he’d been pummeled to within an inch of his life.
“I’m fine, Cassidy. But when this is all over, you’d better have a fucking good reason for coming back here.”
She blushed and then remembered Falcon, and her body began to shake again. “Where’s Falcon? Oh, God, is he hurt?”
“I’m here, Cass.“ She swung around at the sound of his voice and watched him step over Kane and the paramedic who was pulling a sheet over the corpse. He reached Cassidy and took her in his arms. Falling down on the bed behind them, Falcon pulled her into his lap, and she clung to him.
“Stay here, all of you, while I arrange some transport for us.” Liam winked at her. “It’s nearly over, baby. Just hold on in there.”
As Liam walked away, Ryker slumped down next to her and Falcon. They looked a fright. All of them were covered in blood, and the boys looked like they’d fought their way out of a war zone. Cassidy shuddered as she looked at the door. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to go out there. This had been her home for eighteen years, and even though it had been hard at times, and she’d often been scared, it was the only home she ever had.
Ryker put his hand to the back of her head and pulled her forehead to his. “When this is all over, I also want to know why Liam had his tongue down your throat.”
“Leave her be, Ryker. She’s safe. It’s over.” Falcon’s eyes drifted to Liam’s back as he talked to the officers outside. “She could do a lot worse than our boy.”
Ryker muttered something, but Cassidy was glad she didn’t hear what he said. She didn’t have the strength to deal with any more drama. As the adrenaline left her body, her eyes grew heavy, and she rested her head back against Falcon’s shoulder and fought against sleep.
Cassidy looked around the featureless room. There were no windows, just a fluorescent light above her that cast a cold blue glow and emitted a low buzzing sound. The only furniture was a wide table and two pairs of chairs on either side of it. Two plainclothes police detectives sat on one side, and she sat on the other with her assigned lawyer. Across the room, Liam leaned against the wall, his eyes never leaving her as she gave her statement.
One of the detectives placed Kane’s book in front of her. “Can you tell us where you found this?”
She wondered how something so innocuous could be so important. “It was in Kane’s jacket pocket.”
“When was that?”
“Halloween.”
The questions were fairly straightforward. They clarified dates and times, and fired quantifying questions at her.
Cassidy wasn’t sure how long they sat in the room, nor how many times she told her story, but eventually a piece of paper appeared in front of her, and she was asked to read and sign her statement. She found it surprisingly easy to sign it, and she put down the pen and handed it back to the detective.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Cassidy. We have everything we need from you. There will be arrangements made for you to film your testimony for the trial. Your identity will be kept secret.”
The detective rose from his seat. “We are arranging transport for you now.”
“What? I’ll be going today?”
“We want you far away from this place. There are still gang members we need to round up.”
“Where will I be going?”
The detective shook his head. “They don’t tell me that information, miss. It’s above my pay grade.”
Her eyes went to Liam, but his face showed no emotion, and she had no idea what he was thinking.
Cassidy had lost track of the hours, but it must have been almost two days ago when she was brought in from the raid on Bowker Street. Liam had stayed with her during every interview, hovering in the background, never saying a word. She desperately wanted to talk to him, feel his arms around her again. She wanted to say she was sorry she ever doubted him, and to thank him for getting her out of there alive. But most of all, she wanted to kiss him, so she could put her mind at rest… to find out if any of what they had was real, or was it all just part of his job. Cassidy wondered if she would ever know. Since she’d gotten there, they had never been left alone, and Liam’s poker face never gave any of his emotions away.
The cops walked to the door, and her lawyer stood up and shook her hand. “Everything will be fine. I’ll talk to you before you leave.” He followed the detectives, and the three left, leaving Liam inside the room.
Liam locked the door behind them and went over to sit on the desk. “How are you holding up?”
Things felt awkward. She hardly recognized the man from last week. Gone was the clerical collar and the black jeans, and in their place were fitted gray slacks, and a holster strapped across his shoulders. She wondered why she had ever believed he was a priest, because as he sat there in front of her, so comfortable in this sterile interview room, he looked every bit the cop.
“I thought you said you weren’t with the police.”
He smiled at her, and she thought she detected something of the man that had shared her bed at the safehouse.
“I’m not. I’m part of a special forces group. I told you, we work alongside them, but not for them.”
She smiled up at him. “That sounds awfully pedantic.”
Liam put his hand to her face, and his thumb gently stroked the top of her cheek. His voice softened, and he began to sound like that man from her bed, too. “You never answered my question. Are you okay, Cassidy?”
She looked down at her fingers, and her heart grew heavy. Physically, she was fine, and she wasn’t even fazed by the questioning or the thought of the trial. But in a few hours, her life was going to irrevocably change, and Cassidy hadn’t had a clue what her future held for her. She only knew what it didn’t—Liam.
“I’m okay. I-I’ll miss you.”
Liam tugged her to her feet and pulled her between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “All that stuff—me being a priest… it may have all been fake, but what happened between us… that whole week… that was never fake. I love you, Cassidy, with every fiber of my being.”
She swallowed hard, as his words threatened to send tears tumbling down her cheeks, but she willed herself not to cry. His words made all the difference to her. Knowing he’d felt the same way she did gave her some solace… but whether it was enough to carry her through the next days, months, or however long it took her to establish her new life, she didn’t know. The only thing she did know was they’d never have more than this moment, and she only had one opportunity to tell him how she felt.
“I love you, too.”
A knock came on the door and the detective appeared. “I’m ready to take you to your brother now.”
“And Falcon?” Cassidy hadn’t heard anything about him since they’d got here, and she wondered if she would have chance to say goodbye.
The detective frowned, and Liam addressed the officer. “Cassidy means Jake.”
It was the first time she’d heard Falcon’s real name, and it was probably going to be the last.
“Ah, yes, miss. Jake is waiting with your brother. You’ll have some time to relax before your flights.”
“Will you wait with us?”
Liam nodded back at her. “Give me one minute.” He went and spoke to the detective, then held out his hand for
her. She took it, and he squeezed it. “I’ll take you to Ryker and Falcon.”
As they walked along the internal corridors of the stark building, Cassidy wondered how big this facility was, and whether they were currently underground. None of the rooms seemed to have windows, or outside doors, and she felt trapped in this alien world.
“How soon before I leave?”
“A couple of hours.”
Two hours? A sob caught in her throat, but she muffled it with a cough. “I hoped it would be longer.”
Liam stopped walking and hung his head. “Yeah, I know, but it’s safer for all of you, if we get you out of Chicago and set up in your new life.”
“All? Does that mean Falcon is coming with me and Ryker?”
He nodded, and Cassidy sighed with relief. “I felt sure they wouldn’t let us stay together.”
Liam didn’t seem in a hurry to get them to where they were headed, and they continued to stand in the corridor. “Not gonna lie, it took a lot of persuasion.”
“You made this happen?” Cassidy threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do.”
She stepped back. “Um, could you do one more thing?”
“I dunno, Cassidy, I’m pretty much out of favors to call in.”
“This is just a little one.” She put her mouth to his ear and whispered, “Is there somewhere we could be alone together, just for a little while before I go?”
Liam looked warily at her. “Don’t you want to see Ryker and Falcon?”
“It sounds like I’m going to see them for the rest of my life. I think, I’d prefer to spend my last couple of hours of being Cassidy with you.”
Liam looked up and down the corridor. Did I ask too much? Am I making this harder on him?
Then he grabbed her hand, and he tugged her after him. “Okay.”
They jogged down the corridor and stopped outside another gray door. Liam pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket. After unlocking the door, he reached over her head and activated a sign that said, “Interview in Progress,” and then dragged her inside.
Chapter 27
The reality of never seeing Cassidy again was eating at Liam so badly. He’d thought about nothing else since he’d escorted her back from Bowker Street. How he’d kept his mind on the job, he didn’t know, and in truth he had only been half present during his debriefing. He’d fought hard to be allowed in her interviews and had to promise to keep his mouth shut the whole time, but at least he’d been near her.
His biggest fear was that he’d never get to say goodbye, that she’d be whisked from his life and he’d never see her again, never have the chance to explain how he felt. That had happened once before, and he’d be damned if he’d let it happen again. Now, as their last couple of hours together ticked away, he didn’t know if he even had the words to express everything he wanted to say.
Inside the dark interview room, his heart pounded against his chest. Cassidy was the love of his miserable fucking life, and he had known that she was the one since the moment he kissed her when she was fourteen. For four years, he’d survived on the hope that one day they would be reunited, that he would get her out of Bowker Street, and he would make her safe.
But now he’d done that, there was nothing for him to hold on to. For the rest of his life, he was destined to cling to brief memories and dwell on what could have been.
They stood face to face, neither of them able to find any words, but they were so close to each other that their breath mingled and he could feel the fluctuation of the air when she blinked. Liam wasn’t sure how many minutes passed, but Cassidy was the one to break the spell when she stepped back, and tugged her shirt over her head. As it fell to the floor, she reached up, caught his face in her hands, and kissed him.
He groaned, and lifted her as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands tugging at the buttons on his button down. Liam was too wrapped up in the kiss to help her, and they fought against each other as he frantically explored her mouth, and she struggled to remove the clothing barrier between them.
Eventually, he got with the program and put her back on her feet. Together, they took a moment to shed their clothes, dropping item after item to the floor, their eyes on each other as they undressed.
When they were both naked, Liam picked her back up and pressed her against the wall. There was little option in the room, only a metal chair and a cold steel desk, so the wall was it. He’d have preferred their last time together to be more romantic, but the desperation to fuck each other was too needy for romance.
Liam thrust into her hard, and Cassidy cried out.
“Shit, sorry, I…”
“Don’t apologize, just fuck me, Liam.”
So, he did. Hard and fast, against the interview room wall, and then a second time over that clinical looking table in the middle of the room. Neither of them held back, and Liam wondered if their cries of ecstasy could be heard all over the station. But he didn’t care if they were, as all he could think of was making her come, and fucking her so hard that she’d never forget him.
Perhaps it was unfair, but he wanted her to close her eyes at night and see this moment, to dream of this abandonment, and still feel him between her legs. Liam was sure he’d always feel her body sheathing his cock and taste her sweet lips on his.
Spent, and with their bodies aching deliciously, he lowered them to the floor and pulled her into his lap. “I don’t care how far apart we are, I’m never going to forget you. I’ll love you forever, Cassidy.”
A tear slid down her cheek and dripped onto his chest. The drops came slowly at first, and then faster. Her sadness made his heart ache so much that a few of his own tears joined hers. “Forever, baby. I’ll love you forever.”
She looked up at him. “Come with us.”
Liam shook his head. If only that was possible. “I can’t, baby, they will never let me.”
She sat up straight. “Then I’ll stay. I’ll refuse to take witness protection, I won’t go with Ryker, I’ll take my chances here with you.”
Liam shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. We haven’t picked up everyone yet. Please, baby, I can’t watch you die.”
He kissed away her tears and tried to hold back his own frustrations. He didn’t want to get her hopes up, because there really was very little chance of his requests being treated seriously.
“I need you to go with Ryker and Falcon, and I’ll try to find a way to keep in touch. Everyone I’ve spoken to so far says it will be impossible, but I won’t stop trying to find a way back to you.”
They dressed in silence, and neither of them said anything as he walked Cassidy to the room where they were meeting with her brother and Falcon. Ryker grabbed his sister as soon as she walked through the door, and Liam felt guilty for delaying their reunion.
He stood in the background while Ryker, Cassidy, and Falcon embraced. His chest was tight, not just with the thought of losing Cassidy, but also with saying goodbye to his friends.
When the officer came to escort them all to the airport, Liam hugged Ryker and Falcon. Liam may have been an only child, but these men and Cassidy were the nearest thing to family he ever had, and it tore out his heart that they were disappearing from his life.
As he walked back through the endless corridors alone, Liam pushed his sadness aside and focused on what he needed to do.
Two hours later, Liam knocked on Rand’s door and the guy seemed surprised to see him. “I thought we were meeting next week?” but Rand stood aside and let Liam pass. “You want a drink?”
“Yeah.” Liam sat on Rand’s stylish couch and took the glass of whiskey from his boss.
“You okay?”
“Yup.” Liam downed the liquor in one swallow and held it out for a top up.
Rand poured another, and swigged back his own drink.
“Something I can help you with?”
“Yeah, there is.”
Rand scowled down a
t Liam. “You sure about this? You’re one of my best men.”
Liam shrugged. “I’ve never been surer. I wanna testify.”
“You can do that in your statement, you do not have to be called as a witness. Besides, with the stuff Cassidy, Ryker, and Jake gave us, we have enough to seriously damage the Devils. Your father is dead, Liam. Surely that’s enough?”
Liam picked up the bottle from the coffee table and poured himself another drink. “You won’t change my mind.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a manila envelope. It contained years of observations he’d made and evidence he’d collected. After his mother’s death, Liam had kept his own little black book, and he’d been methodical. Dates, numbers, names… he’d left no stone unturned. He’d used his gift as The Chameleon to be everywhere, talk to everyone.
At the time, he saw it as a way to avenge his mother, but now he wanted to use it to wipe out the Bowker Street Devils forever.
Rand’s fingers hovered over the envelope, but he didn’t touch it. “You have conditions?”
Liam looked up slowly from his drink and locked eyes with the guy he’d worked so closely with for the last four years. Rand had been the one that recruited him and helped him get out of the Devils. He’d been his friend and boss for the last four years, had given him the strength to channel his anger, and had trained him for this mission. But Liam was done. Even though he loved what he did, he loved Cassidy more. “Yeah, I do.”
Chapter 28
Two Years Later
Cassidy watched the bulldozers leveling the Bowker Street Motel. She hardly recognized the area around it as a developer had transformed the whole place. Cute modern apartments lined the streets, and the site of the old motel was going to be turned into a community center. It was reported that it was offering free counseling, job retraining programs, and a whole host of adult education facilities, as well as a free day care center and a food bank. The pretty new homes were provided to local families, after their histories were taken, and priorities were being given to ex-gang members who could prove they wanted to turn their lives around.
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