Liam

by Simone Grey

  LIAM

  (A Trace Brothers Novel Book 1)

  SIMONE GREY

  LIAM (A Trace Brother’s Novel Book 1)

  Copyright © 2019 by Simone Grey. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All character in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  Blurb

  He's a control freak used to getting what he wants. She's a good girl who's not looking for love.

  Liam Trace thinks he has everything figured out. As the CEO of several successful businesses, work has always been his first love. His family and the occasional hook up are all he needs in life.

  Or so he thinks.

  Then Ava comes bursting into his life and everything changes for this former playboy.

  Ava Richards thinks she has everything figured out. As a librarian she's surrounded daily by her one true love, the written word. Disillusioned after a failed relationship, she's vowed to steer clear of them. Everything is going according to plan.

  Until she meets him.

  Her carefully constructed world is about to be turned upside down…

  Chapter 1

  AVA

  They’re here again.

  The same two college students that have come in here at least three times a week over the last two months. And at least once during each of those weeks I’ve caught them in a compromising position. One time they were making out in the computer room on top of the copy machine. Another time I found them making out in the fantasy section against a stack of Game of Thrones books. Last week, I caught them in the in the back of the children’s section of the library.

  You would think they wouldn’t show their faces here anymore after getting caught and being asked to leave so many times. But no, they keep coming back.

  Although I could never see myself attempting something like that, I do admire them in one aspect. They clearly have a lot of passion and love for each other. It’s almost palpable. It’s the kind of connection I envy yet I know I will never have.

  “They’re here again” Claire whispers to me. Her blond curls bounce as she takes a seat at the desk next to mine.

  “I know, I saw them too.” I shift around in my chair trying to get comfortable.

  “You would think they would use the library on campus instead of coming all the way over to this one. Unless they got banned from that one, which is entirely possible,” Claire says before taking a sip of water.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if they did get banned.”

  “Ah, the wonders of being young and in love. You know, my husband and I never tried anything in a library, but we were almost caught getting busy in a movie theatre once.” Her eyes are cast upward with a faraway look in them.

  “The movie theatre? Really?” I ask laughing

  Claire is in her late sixties and has worked at the Riverdale Library for over thirty years. With her long curly blond hair, clear blue eyes, athletic build, and the prominent laugh lines around the corners of her eyes she looks much younger. She was the first person I met when I started working here a little over a year ago and she is easily the coworker I talk to the most.

  “Oh yeah. There are so many stories I could tell you from back in the day.”

  “Shhh!” Looking to my right I see Walter glaring at us over the top of his cubicle with a finger pressed to his lips.

  Claire rolls her eyes and whispers, “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  I nod before going back to my current project. Working around books has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Reading helped me through some of the toughest times in my life. When you grow up in the foster care system, like I did, it’s easy to feel invisible and forgotten. The kids I lived with found different avenues to release whatever emotions they were feeling.

  I found books.

  Of the three foster homes I lived in, I always made it a priority to find a library. Anytime I needed an escape, which was often, I would go to the closest library to me.

  The smell of books, old and new. The texture of the pages. The feeling of holding a paperback or hardback in my hands, it became like home to me. More of a home than anyone I’d ever lived in up until I turned eighteen and was able to go away to college.

  That’s why it was a no brainer for me to major in library science and take a cataloging position at The Riverdale Library.

  The large two-story brick building can be easy to get lost in if you don’t know where you’re going. Before I started working here full-time, I volunteered for two years while they upgraded the entire building. Even though the construction has been done for over a year now the place still fills new. The circulation desk sits in the middle of the floor when you first walk in. Behind the circulation desk is a wood partition that separates the staff work area and the breakroom.

  To the right of the circulation desk are where several large and small study rooms are gathered. Some have glass windows and others have none to give people extra privacy. Next to the study rooms sits the nonfiction section, magazines, music, CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks. On the left side of the circulation desk is the children’s section, teen section and an area for all the different programs, including the children’s program I run here every Wednesday.

  I’ve just finished cataloguing another book when my phone vibrates with a notification. Hastily picking it up, I go to put it on silent when the message on the screen makes me pause. My blood runs cold and my heart skips a beat.

  Matthew King has sent you a private message.

  What the hell does he want? I thought I’d blocked his number after…everything happened, but I guess I didn’t block him on social media. Shock is swiftly followed by anger. How dare he contact me after everything that happened?

  I still remember that day like it was yesterday.

  The stares.

  The laughs.

  The pointing.

  The humiliation.

  It all slams into me simultaneously.

  No. My hand tightens around my phone as I quickly delete the message without reading it. I will not give him another thought.

  I left that part of my life behind in college and I refuse to go back there. Grabbing the stack of books on my desk, I get up leaving my desk and that message behind.

  Chapter 2

  LIAM

  The buzzing of my phone is what wakes me up that morning. With a groan, I reach toward my nightstand without opening my eyes until my fingers grasp the buzzing device. Rolling onto my back I squint at the screen and then groan again when I see who’s calling. Swiping to answer, I press the phone to my ear.

  “This better be good asshole.” My voice husky from just waking up.

  Gavin’s chuckle comes through the line “Well good morning to you too.”

  “What do you want? Don’t you have a kitchen you need to be running right now?”

  “Well, I just landed in Chicago so no and I don’t have to be at Tempest for another hour or so.”

  I sit up in bed. “Wait, you’re here? I thought you and Natalie were going to be in New Orleans for another few weeks.”

  “Nah, I finished training Tracy, and Nat’s got the pastry chef and his crew all straightened out, so we thought we’d come home early. You’re crabby this morning. What’s going on?”

  Besides being my older brother, Gavin is a world-renowned chef. He runs all three restaurants I own along with his wife Natalie, who is the pastry chef at Tempest. If it weren’t for him who knows where we’d be right now. Cooking is his passion and he’s damn good at it.

  “Nothing. You know I’m runnin
g Temptation while Simon’s on his honeymoon. I didn’t get in until three this morning.”

  “Ahh that explains it. Have you talked to your other brothers lately?” he asks abruptly changing the subject

  “Yeah, I just talked to Grayson yesterday. He was working on lesson plans for next semester. Levi’s back early from that photo shoot in Jamaica and Gabe’s knee deep in final exams.”

  There are seven of us total. Six boys and one girl. Sarah is the oldest. Gavin is the oldest boy, then there’s Grayson, Lincoln, me, Levi and Gabe. To say we’re a close tight knit family would be an understatement.

  “What about Lincoln?” he asks

  “I haven’t talked to him in a couple of weeks. We’ve been playing phone tag. Why? What’s wrong?”

  Gavin sighs. “Natalie and I stopped in LA to check on him because he hasn’t been answering my calls and he looks like shit. I don’t think he’s coping with everything that’s happened. “

  Lincoln is a firefighter and he sees more bad shit and tragedy on a regular basis than the rest of us do in our day jobs combined. About a month ago he responded to a fire where two kids and their parents were trapped in a burning building. He and his partner were the first to arrive on the scene and unfortunately the whole family ended up dying, despite their efforts to get them out safely.

  He hasn’t been the same since.

  “I’ll try him again later today.”

  “Yeah, you do that. Hang on, I have another call coming through.”

  Gavin comes back on the line a few minutes later frustration clear in his voice.

  “I’ve gotta call you back, Natalie’s on the other line.”

  I frown. “Everything alright?”

  “Yeah, nothing major. Are you going to be at the restaurant today?”

  “I’ll stop by this afternoon before I go to the club.”

  “Alright I’ll see you then.”

  The line disconnects.

  I flop back down on my back and stare up at the ceiling. Knowing I’ll probably never get back to sleep now, I roll out of bed and decide to hit the gym.

  My condo takes up the entire top floor of my building. The hickory wood floors spread throughout each room. There are two extra bedrooms just in case one of my brothers or nephew need to crash here.

  There’s also a kitchen, a workout room and a living room. I only have the basic furniture needs, TV’s in my room, the living room and the workout room because I usually hate sitting in silence and a couch in the living room. That’s pretty much the extent of my furniture since lately I’m never in one city for longer than a few weeks at a time.

  I toss the phone on the bed beside me and take a deep breath.

  When I was younger my father opened a club just outside downtown Chicago. He ran it, as well as a restaurant and another club in Los Angeles. About six years ago, after I graduated from college, he decided to retire so that he could spend more time with my mom.

  Taking a fresh idea and watching it grow into a successful restaurant or club is one the most satisfying feelings in the world. It’s addicting. So, when he left all three businesses to me, I was elated. He taught me everything he knew along the way. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to grow and open two more restaurants and three more clubs in different parts of the world.

  Simon runs the club I own just outside of downtown Chicago. He also checks in on the restaurant from time to time when I’m in another city or Gavin is away. He’s my right-hand and the guy I trust to handle business when I can’t be there. Now that he’s on his honeymoon, it’s only right that I stay in town and hold down the fort until he comes back.

  Tossing back the covers I get out of bed, throw on some gym shorts and make my way to the gym. Stepping onto the treadmill, I set it to my desired pace before popping in my ear buds; blocking out everything else.

  ***

  “The new bouncers seem to be working out great so far. We haven’t had any of the issues we had with the old security team,” Cara the manager of my Los Angeles nightclub is saying as I maneuver my car through the streets of downtown.

  “Great. Keep me updated.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  The call disconnects. As the owner of several establishments I make it my business to check in on all my clubs and restaurants at least once a week. Especially when I can’t be there. Even though I only hire managers, I believe I can trust it’s important to me to be as hands on as possible.

  I can’t let my father down. I promised myself a long time ago that if he handed me the reins to his establishments that I’d do everything I could to make sure they succeeded. And so far, that’s been the case.

  Just as I’m turning into the parking lot of Tempest my phone rings again. Glancing at the number on my dashboard, irritation slams into me.

  Victoria’s calling me. Again.

  She’s been calling daily for the past two weeks. And I’ve hit ignore, every single time. When it comes to people that I don’t want to talk to she’s at the very top of my list. Hitting ignore, on my steering wheel, I send the call straight to voicemail. I’ve got shit to do today and dealing with Victoria is not on my to-do list.

  Chapter 3

  AVA

  The smell of popcorn permeates the air, filling my apartment with the smell of all the buttery goodness. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and a box of chocolate from my candy drawer before taking the popcorn out of the microwave.

  This is a typical Friday night for me. In my apartment on the couch with food and all my pre-recorded shows for that week.

  My apartment is a one bedroom, one-bathroom place right on the edge of downtown Chicago. It’s not ideal but it’s all I can afford right now. The truth is I hate living so close to downtown. This neighborhood isn’t exactly the best. It seems like every few weeks, there’s a news van around here covering a story of somebody getting robbed or harassed or worse. I’d rather be in the suburbs where it’s quieter and not as busy. After going to college in a big city and living there during those four years, I’ve learned that the city life just isn’t for me.

  I take all my treats over to the couch and get comfortable. Just as the latest episode of Temptation Island is about to begin there’s a pounding on my door. I sigh. There’s only one of two people that would be banging on my door at eight o’clock on a Friday night. Getting up from the couch I rush over to the door as the banging continues.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” I yell. I check the peep hole before throwing the door open.

  “Not yet, but you will be before the end of the night if I have anything to say about it,” Lisa says as she barges into my apartment with Jayden close on her heels.

  “Hey Av,” Jayden says giving me a kiss on the cheek as he passes by me into my apartment. His cologne is strong but not overpowering.

  Lisa shoves a garment bag into my hands. “Get dressed, we’re going out tonight.”

  “Out where?” I hold the bag in my hands. It’s then that I notice that they’re both dressed up.

  Lisa is wearing a strapless black dress that hits her just above the knees and shows all her curves, with a pair of three-inch red heels. Her fire engine red hair is pin straight and hanging halfway down her back. Jayden is dressed in black slacks and a black button-down shirt that clings to his muscular upper body. His black curly hair is sticking up all over the place, per usual. But it’s a look that always seems to work for him, especially with the ladies.

  To say they get a lot of attention from men and women would be an understatement. They each have the kind of beauty that stands out. Lisa with her red hair, tan skin, blue eyes and curvy frame and Jayden with his bronze skin, close cropped curly black hair and hazel eyes were extremely popular during our college years.

  We met freshmen year in psychology class. We were paired together on a group project. In the beginning they did most of the talking. It was my first year out from under the foster system. I hadn’t made any friends and honestly, I didn’t real
ly know how to. In the years leading up to finally getting out of the foster system, books had become my best friends.

  I was already a quiet person by nature and being paired with two of the most popular people in the school on a project was nerve wracking for someone like me. On the first day we began working on the assigned project, Lisa invited us back to her dorm room and we worked for a while before she asked if we wanted to stay and watch Monday Night Football with her.

  Jayden and I agreed and the rest was history. We bonded over our love of sports and Lisa got me hooked on reality TV. To this day we always get together to watch Monday Night games together.

  Over the past six years they’ve become more than just friends, they’re like the family I never had.

  “We’re going to Temptation,” Jayden says as he grabs a bottle of water out of my refrigerator.

  I cast a longing glance at my TV. “But I was just about to watch Temptation Island.”

  Lisa shakes her head. “You can watch that show anytime. Tonight, we’re going out and you’re going to have fun. Right Jay?”

  “Mhm.” He parks himself on my couch with the popcorn bowl in one hand and the remote in the other.

  “Oh, come on guys, it’s been a long work week. I just want to eat, relax and watch some television.”

  “You do that almost every weekend and most of the time we’re here with you. You’ve turned into a hermit. At least in college you would go out to parties with us sometimes- “

  “Only because you insisted.” I cut her off. I can’t count how many parties I went to with Lisa and Jayden in college.

  “How are you ever going to meet any guys sitting on the couch watching TV?” she asks putting her hands on her hips.

  “Who says I want to meet any guys to date,” I mutter under my breath.

  The message from him is still fresh in my mind. If anything, it reinforces the no relationship mantra I’ve been feeding myself over the past few years.