UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask

by Heather Carnassale

“Almost three years, after I graduated, I interned for a couple of different places before settling at Braddock.”

  Beth was just in awe of Liam. From his sophisticated articulation and the poised way he carried himself, the man just oozed greatness. She couldn’t figure out why the hell her daughter wasn’t trying to snag this guy. Something wasn’t adding up. Because as far as she could tell, Remi and Liam had tons of undeniable chemistry, even noticing a slight gleam in his eyes when he watched Remi speak. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, hoping that she would find that perfect man, maybe Liam could be that man. Hell, he was willing to put his life on the line for her daughter and that alone spoke volumes. “Dinner is delicious; thanks again for inviting me,” said Liam. “You are welcome, anytime,” said Beth, unable to hide her immense liking for him. Liam grinned while finishing off a second helping of chicken parm. Beth noticed that Remi had hardly eaten. “Are you feeling okay; you didn’t eat much.”

  “I’m fine; it’s just I have to squeeze into that bridesmaid’s dress in five days.”

  Beth just laughed and remarked, “You young girls, worrying about your weight.”

  Remi just rolled her eyes as Tony and Liam wisely stayed out of that conversation.

  “Liam, I hope you have room for dessert,” Beth said winking.

  He smiled. “Always.”

  He then stood up to help clear the dishes, but Beth told him to remain put, while she and Remi cleaned off the table. In the kitchen, Remi began loading the dishwasher while Beth retrieved plates for the cake. “That Liam is something special.”

  Remi nodded nonchalantly, pretending he was no big deal.

  “Incredibly handsome, charming, and talented,” she spouted. Again, Remi played it cool and just placated a smile. “You aren’t seriously going to stand there and act as if this guy means nothing to you.”

  Remi shut the washer door and sighed.

  “You shot a man to protect him, and then he killed that man to protect you.”

  “Thanks for the recap, I had forgotten all about that,” she responded sarcastically.

  “I’m just trying to figure out the connection because yes I get the friend vibe, but there’s something more going on isn’t there?”

  Just then, Tony jokingly yelled in that he wanted cake and that it was taking too long. “That’s our cue,” Remi uttered, angrily grabbing the forks and plates, then quickly vacated the kitchen aka firing squad. Beth followed carrying a double-layered chocolate mousse cake. Tony commented to Liam that cakes were her specialty. “Looks great,” Liam remarked but then noticed Remi’s glum expression. “Everything okay?” he asked quietly. Remi just offered up a lame, “Yup.”

  Beth witnessed his apparent concern, and regardless of what their relationship was or wasn’t, it made her heart happy to see him so attentive to her daughter. She sliced into the cake and served Liam the first piece. He thanked her then after sampling it; he immediately complimented her, who more than appreciated that. When they were all done with dessert, Remi and Liam retreated to the den, where Liam looked at the various pictures that were hanging on the wall. While that was happening, Peanut rested his furry head on top of Liam’s shoe. Remi looked down and remarked, “Looks like you have another fan.”

  “Another?”

  She whispered, “Yeah, my mother thinks the sun rises and sets with you.”

  He deadpanned, “Well, it does.”

  He then devilishly grinned, “Did you want her to think I was an asshole?”

  She snickered. “No.”

  As he continued to check out the photographs, Remi ranted about her mom fishing for information.

  “I presume about you and me,” he concluded.

  “She’s just naturally inquiring, and thinks I’m not telling her stuff.”

  “She’s right, cause you haven’t told her the whole story, so can’t blame her for questioning you,” he said. She glared at him with a puzzled expression. “What?” he asked with trepidation.

  “How come you can easily defend my parents but not your own?” she boldly asked. Liam swiftly switched gears by commenting on an elementary school photo of Remi. “You were adorable.”

  “Don’t do the dodge,” she chided. At that moment, her parents joined them, and they chit chatted for a little while, mostly about how well the silent auction went. When it was time for them to leave, Beth apologized to Remi for upsetting her earlier. She accepted it then said she’d see them at Abby’s wedding on Saturday. Liam thanked them both then shook Tony’s hand while Beth sneaked a hug from him. He smiled, no pretense behind it. He felt they were both very friendly, genuine people. Real, he thought and honestly enjoyed the evening. He bent down to pet Peanut, who by the way appeared quite sad to see Liam go. Remi just chuckled at the mesmerizing effect Liam had with not just people, animals too. When they got inside the truck, Liam remarked, “I had a nice time tonight.”

  “That’s good,” she said somewhat unenthusiastically. “Trust me, your mom’s inquisition is nothing to what a night with my parents would be like,” he stated. She tried not to giggle, but it squeaked out anyway. “Instead of going home right away, mind if we to stop by my office?” he asked. “Sure,” she replied eagerly, excited to see where he worked. As they drove, Remi thought about what her mom said about Liam, and how she was absolutely correct in her assessment of him. But he was also a criminal with no desire to have any romantic entanglements, especially with her. She knew what Liam would say, that he held her captive, so there could never be anything more than friendship between them. She sighed loudly, imploring him to ask what she was thinking. Fortunately, Remi had gotten adept at covering. “I just think I ate too much.”

  “The food was great; your mom is a terrific cook.”

  Remi agreed, but Liam then sweetly commented, “I’m sure your dress will still fit come Saturday.”

  “Yeah well, it fits me like a glove, not a lot of room for error,” she tossed out. He just laughed, wholeheartedly believing she would look fine no matter what. She reached over and began searching through the various satellite radio stations and told him about how she plans on getting her own vehicle soon.

  “What do you want?”

  Sliding her fingers back and forth along the charcoal gray dashboard, she commented, “I kind of like this.”

  “You want a truck?”

  She nodded.

  “You can drive this some time to see if you like it or not.”

  A huge smile swept across her lips, as she was unable to hide just how stoked she was. A minute later they arrived at the shipyard where Remi spotted a two-story building with an oversized sign: Braddock and Associates. After they parked, a brawny security guard greeted them. “Good evening, Mr. Matthews,” the genial man said. “Good evening, Henry, this is Remi.”

  “Nice to meet you,” the man said cordially.

  “You too.”

  When they entered Liam’s office, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It looked exactly like his apartment, except for a mahogany desk, which was similar to his mother’s and large drafting table. The office was clinical and extremely tidy. Of course, it was Liam’s, which pretty much explained it. “Why are we here?” she asked, strolling around the room. “Two reasons,” he replied. “One, I want to leave a note for Simon, and second you had requested to see a design.”

  With a twinkle in her eye, she flashed a sweet smile as he explained, “Most designing is done on computers now, but I still do it old-school as well.”

  Underneath the table were two oversized tubes. Liam pulled one out and removed the blueprints inside. After he carefully laid it on the table, he called Remi over to see it. “Oh Liam,” she muttered, “This is amazing!”

  The first thing that popped into her head was the unbelievable fact that his father saw Liam as a disappointment when he was so incredibly talented. Here she had been whimpering about her mom when things were downright awful between Liam and his parents. He began describing the intricate details of th
e cargo ship, and though she greatly appreciated him doing that, she honestly didn’t understand a word of it. Instead, she just concentrated on him speaking and displaying his impeccable knowledge of architecture. As if, she wasn’t already impressed, when he spoke, he was so into it, which she found endearing. He truly loved his work, and though she always knew what he did, he had never clarified it so eloquently. When he was done talking, he brought up a 3-D composite on his computer, of what the finished product would look like once built. With her mouth gaped open, she was utterly stunned. “Wow!”

  “Do you like it?” he asked as if he needed her validation. “Absolutely,” she exclaimed.

  She stared at the screen for a minute then watched him meticulously slip the blueprint back into the protective tube. She thanked him for showing her as Liam sat down at his desk to write something on a piece of white paper. He then folded it before they trekked to Simon’s office where Liam pushed the note underneath the closed door. Once back outside, they said goodnight to Henry, but then Liam randomly suggested they go for a walk along the docks. Remi couldn’t refuse. As they strolled along, Liam commented about how much he loved being out there. “This is my sanctuary,” he divulged. “Just like when my grandfather took me down to Boathouse Row.”

  She didn’t say anything she just listened. There was one particular ship that he pointed out and explained the design and structure of it; he became so fixated on it that he zoned out. It was a whole other side of Liam she’d never seen before, but he also seemed melancholy. She cautiously touched his arm, gaining his attention. With her cold breath, leaving a vapor trail, she exhaled and asked, “Why wasn’t this enough for you?”

  Liam cleared his throat and replied, “I got bored.”

  “You got bored?”

  He half-grinned because he knew that response wasn’t going to cut it.

  “Seriously?”

  “I told you last night,” he said.

  “You told me that it’s a high that only stealing could give you, and yes you sounded so passionate about it, but from the way you speak about designing and the proudness of your work, seems to me that would give you a high as well,” she said, not wavering. He walked over to the steel railing and leaned over it just enough to see the river flowing down beneath him. “They’re two completely different things, and I guess I needed one to supplement the other.”

  Remi guffawed as his explanation had her completely at a loss. She realized no matter how much she learns about him, and the more he opened up, that he just might be too damn complicated ever to figure out. She joined him at his side and followed suit by leaning over as well. “Wow, it’s a pretty good drop down there.”

  She then side-eyed Liam and joked, “If I fell in, would you jump in to save me?”

  He laughed. “What do you think?”

  She had no doubts, asking was just for good measure, but being with him always aroused that sense of security. It was silly too because she was mentally and physically capable of handling herself just fine, but just like being in his apartment, or more especially with him in his apartment, Remi knew nothing bad was going to happen to her. Liam would make sure of that.

  He suggested they leave, but before they reached the truck, he tossed her the keys. “No way,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. “Unlock the doors, and get in,” he said, venturing towards the passenger side. “Oh my God,” she whispered as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Just as she was about to stick the key in the ignition, Liam asked, “Have you ever driven a truck before?”

  “Want the truth or do you want me to lie?” she countered, wearing a shitty grin on her face.

  “Lie to me,” he said in such an incredibly sexy tone, she instantly thought, damn he was persuasive. Remi giggled then moved the seat in closer while adjusting the mirrors. Then once she turned the key, she rubbed her hands together and firmly placed them on the steering wheel. She then looked over at him. “You ready?”

  Liam buckled the seatbelt and nodded. Though she hadn’t ever driven a truck, she did just fine. “This rides smooth,” she remarked, running her hands along the steering wheel. “Feels weird being a passenger in my own truck,” he said, watching her drive with a perpetual smile on her face.

  “I definitely want one.”

  “It suits you,” he commented, enjoying seeing her in such a giddy mood.

  Sadly, it took very little time to get back home, as his job wasn’t too far from the apartment building. A disappointed expression cropped up on Remi’s face, especially after she pulled into a parking spot. She sighed, loudly. “You can drive it again,” he said. Her infectious smile quickly reappeared.

  As soon as they stepped out, she handed the keys back to Liam. “Thank you.”

  He did the usual nod as if it was nothing, but in her mind, it was huge. Along with everything he had been doing, a fact that was further substantiated as he held the lobby door open for her then allowed her to enter the elevator first. It wasn’t as if he never did that before but since he’d been back, even when moody or angry, he never loses that gentleman quality. There were a few people already on the elevator, so they both kept to themselves. Which gave her more time to think and realized that they hadn’t talked about the investigation at all, even though she knew it weighed heavily on him. Always impressed at his ability to block shit out. Or more like not dwell on things. Once they got off, he escorted Remi to her place. “Thanks for showing me your designs,” she said. “No problem,” he uttered as he stepped towards his apartment but before he entered she called out, “Thanks again for letting me drive your truck, too.”

  That garnered a sweet grin from Liam, along with, “Goodnight, Remi.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Liam awoke the next morning, having slept decently, in spite of the mounting problems troubling him. Mostly in part thanks to Remi. He had to admit, with everything going on, she was fun to be around. And with all the negativity looming, she had a unique knack for making him smile. No charade, no hiding, with Remi, he didn’t have to pretend to be something he wasn’t. It was both refreshing and terrifying at the same time because there weren’t many people who knew him, but she certainly did. He quickly stretched then went into the bathroom, where from a small black leather bag he removed a can of shaving cream and closely inspected his 2-week scruff in the mirror. Not quite ready to give up the facial follicles staring back at him, he figured he’d hold off a few more days and wait until the wedding to be clean-shaven.

  Remi sipped a cup coffee while listening to the local morning news. Melanie had spent the night at Justin’s, which allowed Remi to get through breakfast without having to play the twenty Liam questions game. As she took the last bite of a cinnamon raisin bagel, that’s when she remembered she was supposed to ask Olivia about the velvet bag. “Ugh,” she murmured, as she was unsure of how to approach Olivia with it, all the while trying not to incriminate herself. She tossed the plate and cup into the sink then grabbed her coat and purse. The moment she opened the door, she was startled to see Liam standing there, about to knock. “Hey,” she said while he greeted her with a smile. “Want a ride to work?” he asked. “That’d be great,” she replied, locking the door and slipping on her coat.

  It wasn’t until they were inside the truck that Liam mentioned Olivia. “Are you okay asking her about the bag?”

  “Yeah, I’m just going to bring it up casually.”

  Oddly, that was all that they discussed and the rest of the ride was silent, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Remi had begun to convince herself that the bag wasn’t an issue, while Liam leaned more on the pessimistic side. When they pulled up out front of her workplace, Remi turned to him and said, “I’ll let you know what she says.”

  He produced a half-assed smile. A sure sign, that today he was no longer able to easily push the investigation aside.

  Two hours later, Remi sat at her desk, impatiently waiting for Olivia to arrive who was late due to a dental appointment. Continuously checking t
he time, Remi’s nerve slowly faded the longer it took for her boss to show up. At precisely 10:30, Olivia said hello to everyone then disappeared into her office. Remi immediately followed, spouting off some work-related foundation news and when done, Olivia asked if there was anything else. “No, that’s it,” said Remi, suddenly feeling her bravado on life support. “But I’ve been meaning to ask you about something.”

  “What’s up?” she asked, rifling through a stack of mail. Remi cleared her throat then asked, “Where did you get that red velvet bag that you kept your pink diamonds in?”

  Olivia thought for a moment, “Hmm, I don’t remember, are you looking to get one?”

  Remi lied. “Yeah.”

  “Did you try Google?”

  “No, not yet,” replied Remi, who thought she had completely screwed up, but then Olivia declared, “If I still had mine, I’d give it to you.”

  Remi’s voice suddenly cracked as she asked, “You don’t have it anymore?”

  “No, when the police gave back the diamonds, they kept the bag.”

  All of a sudden, it was as if the air had been sucked out of the room, and pressure began to fill up in Remi’s lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. It took every ounce of effort she had to utter, “That’s okay; I’m sure I can find one.”

  Luckily, Olivia’s cell phone rang, giving Remi the out she needed. “I’ll let you get that,” she said, quickly exiting and sprinting down the hall towards the ladies room. After frantically barreling herself through the door, she instantly infiltrated the closet stall, where she dropped to her knees and hugged the toilet. With vapid tears streaming down her cheeks, she tried to curb the vomit that had built up inside of her throat. However, it was futile because soon she began to puke violently. “Oh God,” she cried out, as her morning coffee and cinnamon bagel made a reappearance. Just then one of her co-workers entered the restroom and asked if she was all right. In an attempt to disguise the true nature of her meltdown, Remi suppressed the tears and yelled out, “Yeah, I think it’s just food poisoning.”