CHAPTER 12
Liam had given Simon the blueprint for his approval then completed reviewing the proposal. He had another design to work on, but at the moment, he was tapped. Though he accomplished finishing the one at home, he could only keep everything else off his mind for just so long, before it all came crashing back in. When five o’clock rolled around, he had zero desire to go home. Instead, he called Chris to see if wanted to get something to eat and drink. Liam desperately needed another brain to bounce all the shit off of, and as much as Remi wanted to help, he didn’t want to keep bogging her down with it.
An hour later, the two friends met up at a sports bar in Center City. Sitting at a booth in the back, the two enjoyed a couple of draft beers while Liam brought Chris up to date on everything. “I wish I could redo so many things,” revealed Liam as he inhaled half a glass of beer in one gulp. Chris held up his glass and concurred, “Don’t we all.”
Liam propped himself up against the sidewall, stretched out his legs along the length of the seat, and easily finished off the beer. He felt mentally caught between a rock and a hard place. It didn’t take long for Chris to figure out what Liam was thinking. “You want to run, don’t you?”
Liam just laughed at how much Chris sounded like Remi, which was obvious they both knew him better than he thought they did. “A part of me does,” he replied.
“And the other?”
“Give my DNA and face the consequences.”
Chris just shook his head. “Man this sucks.”
“I knew going into that heist that there was always that chance that something could go wrong and I’d either get caught or get killed.”
“But you didn’t,” Chris reminded.
“No, so I should have been in the free and clear,” he said. “But what did I do?”
Chris shrugged.
“I saved a hostage, kept the diamonds then got involved in the hostage’s life, completely going against everything I had worked so hard for.”
Chris quickly chided, “Are you seriously going to sit there and refer to Remi as just some random hostage and talk as if you regret saving her life?”
“You know damn well; I don’t think that,” he argued then added, “nor regret saving her life.”
A waitress interrupted the conversation by bringing over two more drafts. Liam thanked her then as soon as she ventured to the next table, Liam stared at his glass and uttered, “I’m in a no-win situation.”
Chris intently listened as he could tell Liam needed to get things off his chest. “If I give my DNA, I’m going to prison, which I can accept, but Remi lied to the investigators, she made up the entire story about Tom having the diamonds and has been lying about me for weeks.”
Liam took a large sip of the new draft then continued. “She could be charged with aiding and abetting a known fugitive, but even worse, being an accessory after the fact.”
“And if you run?”
“If I run, it’s going to upset Remi, but at least she’d have her freedom.”
“But, if you aren’t here, won’t the cops pin it all on her anyway?” inquired Chris.
“Without a sample of my DNA they have nothing.”
Chris was letting it all sink in when Liam pointed out. “You see, this isn’t about me, I don’t care if I’m caught or if I have to leave forever, its Remi who I’m worried about.”
Without coming out and announcing it, Liam had practically just admitted that he cared about Remi, which garnered a smile from Chris. Curious, Liam asked, “What the hell could you possibly be smiling at?”
“I’ve never seen you go to such great lengths to look out for someone.”
Liam was about to speak, but Chris interrupted. “I get the whole you saved her at the bank thing, so you felt somewhat protective of her. But without the threat of Charles, I figured your concern for Remi would have ceased,” he said. “Especially since all you’ve done is deny having any feelings for her.”
And right on cue, Liam quickly denounced, “I don’t have feelings for her.”
Chris scoffed. “I said it the other day, and I’m going to say it now, thou doth protest too much.”
Liam sighed.
“Ever since you’ve come back, you have been spending an awful lot of time with someone you claim means nothing to you.”
Defensively, Liam claimed, “We’re friends.”
“Well, all I know is, we’re friends too, and yet you seem to hang out with her more than me.”
“Are you jealous?” Liam asked, laughing.
“No, I’d pick her over me too.”
Liam just smiled.
“Come on, fess up,” coaxed Chris. Polishing off his second beer, Liam slid the empty glass to the edge of the table and stated, “I’m not fessing up to anything.”
He then ran his hand over his head, giving it a scratch, which Chris immediately interpreted as Liam’s way of avoidance. “Look it’s none of my business what you do or don’t do with Remi, but would it kill you just to allow yourself to be happy for once?”
“Can’t be happy when everything is based on lies.”
Chris just sighed, because sometimes trying to get through Liam’s thick skull was next to impossible. He honestly felt Liam was wasting precious time by remaining in a constant state of denial.
“Right now, all I can think about is the investigation,” said Liam. “I need to decide what to do before that decision is made for me.”
“Are you still going to the wedding on Saturday?”
“Not sure.”
“What about Remi?”
“She knows what’s going on and understands if I opt out.”
Never permitting anyone to get too close, Chris always thought Liam was a fool for being that way, but at the same time, understood it. Growing up with him and witnessing firsthand the lack of affection from his parents, along with the constant criticism, it explained his inability to open up to people. However, there had been a slight thawing, thanks to Remi, and he wondered how long Liam would deny that. Just then, Nina strolled up to the table. “Hey,” she said, sliding in next to Chris who asked what she was doing there. “I’m meeting a friend here,” she replied while kissing him on the cheek. A second later she spotted Liam and recalled their first meeting outside of her townhome. “You know you were a real asshole that day,” she sneered. He didn’t give a shit what her opinion was but decided to remind her that she acted like a bitch. “If I remember correctly, I was looking for my best friend who was missing at the time, and you weren’t too concerned.”
Chris interceded, “Let’s play nice.”
Nina shot an evil glare Liam’s way, showing her disdain. He didn’t remotely care as the feeling was mutual and was about to leave when her friend Bridgette, arrived. A short, thin brunette with brown eyes and plumped up fake lips. She was at least fifteen years older than Liam and not attractive in any way, shape or form. Not that it mattered; he wasn’t interested. Nina introduced Bridgette to the men then told her to squeeze in beside Liam, much to his chagrin. As the waitress took the two women’s orders, Bridgette tried to gain Liam’s attention to no avail, and though he was coming off as a jerk, she couldn’t resist complimenting him. “I’m sure you hear this all the time, but you have really nice eyes,” she said, gazing into them. He coldly thanked her, while Nina, who was cuddling with Chris, suggested a round of tequila shots, but Liam wasn’t in the mood to get drunk with them. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said, shooing Bridgette out of the booth. Chris asked him where he was going. Liam announced he’d be back in a minute then when he walked away; Bridgette asked Chris, “Did I say or do something wrong?”
“Nah, it’s not you, he’s got a lot on his mind.”
She then questioned, “Does he have a girlfriend?”
Chris laughed. “Technically no, but if I were a betting man; I’d say he’s definitely taken.”
Liam stood in the restroom, splashing cold water on his face. Completely twisted up inside, his mind wa
s far from clear, and he hated that. Priding himself on staying focused, the second he’s distracted he did whatever he could to regain it. But this time between the investigation and Remi, seeking a resolution was proving to be a daunting task. And hanging there at a bar wasn’t the answer. So, he hightailed back to the booth, tossed forty bucks on the table and declared that he needed to get out of there. Chris suggested they leave with him, but Liam told him to stay and that he’d talk to him tomorrow.
DeGrazerio paced back and forth in front of the big board, flicking the numerous photos and post-its of the evidence thus far. The agent’s frustration was palpable, having received the news earlier in the day about the lack of a warrant. As he stared at a photo of the red bag, he lashed out, “There’s trace DNA not belonging to Schaffer or Olivia, so wouldn’t the next step be to find out who it does belong to?”
Weston agreed but suggested, “Maybe it belongs to a girlfriend of Schaffer’s or a friend.”
“You know, I could buy that except not a single person came forward to claim his body,” he said.
“But you are still trying to connect that DNA to Matthews, and it’s still possible it doesn’t fit,” surmised Weston. The agent removed Remi’s photo from the board, held it up and said, “Or maybe the DNA belongs to Catalano, and she was involved from the get-go.”
Weston immediately shot that theory down. “You saw her after the heist unless she’s the best actress ever, she’s always been believable.”
“In the beginning, yes, but the incident with Schaffer has opened up some serious doubts about her.”
Weston wanted to keep defending her, but he too had reservations and more so about Liam. The special agent removed another photo. “What do we know about Christopher KilKinney?
“Matthews’ best friend,” said Weston, who then read aloud the notes on him. “Broke his ankle about a week before the heist ruled out as a suspect.”
DeGrazerio added, “Not a suspect for that heist but can’t rule him out of the other robberies plus being good friends with Matthews; I’d bet he’s involved to some extent.”
The two kept going over the board, trying to figure out what set that heist apart from the other jobs that were done by that crew. Weston tapped a post-it that had C-4 written on it then read the ATF notations underneath. The agent asked what he was thinking. “None of the other jobs used explosives, so that’s one difference,” he said. DeGrazerio agreed and stated how sloppy they were in concocting and using them. “Except that the ATF is still tracing the materials used, so they were smart in that area,” he said. Weston sighed. “Any word from Interpol?”
DeGrazerio shook his head, as he was once again studied the photograph of Chris. The more they deduced potential suspects, the more Weston felt uneasy. For Remi’s sake, he hoped that Liam had nothing to do with the heist. However, the evidence might tell another story. DeGrazerio stated that first thing in the morning he was heading down to the D.A.’s office to try again to obtain that warrant. “While I’m doing that, see what you can dig up on KilKinney.”
It was ten in the evening, and Remi was still feeling residual effects from the hangover. A sympathetic Melanie offered up some advice. “From now on, don’t do shots.”
Curled up into a ball on the couch, Remi just chuckled. “Where is Prince Charming tonight?” asked Melanie, plopping down beside her. Remi shrugged. “Don’t know; I decided to keep my distance today.”
“You mean after you woke up in his apartment.”
Melanie’s attempt at being flip, fell flat as Remi felt too bummed to smile or laugh. “I think Liam blames me and possibly hates me.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Oh, Mel, he most definitely does. I can feel it.”
“Let me get this straight, you show up at his place, drunk and instead of kicking you out, he lets you sleep on his couch,” she said. “But he hates you.”
Remi nodded.
“You are nuts!”
“When I left Liam’s office yesterday, he couldn’t even look at me,” she said, sounding despondent.
“Well, in his defense, the shit is pretty much hitting the fan right now, and he could be in serious trouble.”
Remi agreed but added, “He’s pushing me away, and it hurts.”
Melanie understood but felt awful for Remi, because for the past month all she wanted was for Liam to come back and what started off great has rapidly declined. “Is he still going to the wedding?” she asked. Remi just groaned.
Melanie didn’t know what to say because Remi knew Liam a lot better than her, so she certainly didn’t want to offer up false hope. She prayed he wouldn’t diss her. With a perpetual frown on her face, Remi suddenly declared she was heading to bed. Melanie wished her sweet dreams, but all she got in return was the backside of Remi’s slumped shoulders and a woe-is-me stride.
The next morning, Liam stood in the kitchen just staring at the wedding invitation. He felt there was no way he could go and pretend that everything was okay. It wouldn’t be right. Of course, his dilemma would be telling Remi, which probably wasn’t going to go over too well. He purposely avoided her yesterday, for many reasons, the biggest being, he didn’t know how to respond on when asked what he planned to do. Unsure of when to break the news, he set the invitation aside and grabbed his coat. That’s when the intercom buzzed. “Liam, it’s me,” shouted Chris. He told him to come on up. “What are you doing here?” Liam asked as Chris entered and immediately began searching for something to eat inside the refrigerator. “Wow, I’ve never seen this so stocked.”
“That’s all Remi’s.”
Chris grinned while pulling out a vanilla yogurt cup. As he removed a spoon from one of the drawers, he asked if Liam had made a decision about the wedding. “I was kind of leaning towards not going.”
“Well, then I’ll step in as her date so that she won’t be alone.”
Liam questioned, “No ulterior motive?”
Chris scoffed. “You’ve told me a million times that she’s off-limits and I’ve respected that.”
Liam’s skeptical expression forced Chris to add, “I care about her too you know.”
“I know.”
“Then let me be her plus-one, that way you can concentrate on the investigation.”
Liam thought about it for a minute then grudingly agreed and to get it over with as soon as possible, he sent her a text:
Can you stop by before you leave? – Liam
Remi had just walked out the door when she got the text. A little hesitant at first, wondering what he wanted, especially since things were tense between them. She debated it for about ten seconds, and the inner bitch part of her wanted just not to go, but Liam had incredible pull, and the soft spot she harbored for him, won out. Instead of texting back, she just headed to his place. When she knocked, Chris joked, “Wow, ask, and you shall receive.”
Liam just ignored that comment as he opened the door. “What’s up?” she asked unfeelingly, casually breezing past him. Before Liam could tell her anything, she saw Chris, and her demeanor instantly changed. “Hey, you!” she said smiling while giving him a huge hug. “Hey, yourself!” he said, squeezing her tightly. As Liam observed their uncomplicated interaction, an unexpected twinge of jealousy arose inside of him. “Is everything—okay?” she cautiously asked, stepping back and purposely scowling at Liam. The two men exchanged glances, which automatically made her paranoid. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I’m not going to the wedding,” blurted Liam. Remi immediately smirked while retorting, “I knew that was coming.”
As soon as Chris heard her bitter tone, he chimed, “But I’m going in his place.”
Though she managed to smile, Liam sensed her displeasure with him, and when she coldly insisted that he give his invitation to Chris, Liam knew his ass was back in the doghouse. “So, you’re okay with me being your plus-one?” asked Chris. “Yeah, I’d like that,” she said, whipping up a bigger than usual smile, apparently
for Liam’s sake, who didn’t say a word, as he just walked over to the table, picked up the invitation and handed it to Chris. “What about Nina?” she asked.
“She won’t mind.”
“Great,” said Remi, uncertainty in her voice. “It’s black tie, do you have a tux?”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, winking at her. “Okay, well, I have to get going, so I’ll call you tomorrow to square everything up,” she said, hurriedly walking to the door. Chris nodded while Liam asked if she wanted a ride. “Uh, I’ll just do the train,” she said, frostily waving him off. “Ooooh, denied,” remarked Chris. “Shut up!” snapped Liam as he began putting on his coat. Chris laughed at the nerve he had just touched, along with noticing that Liam’s sense of humor disappeared, the moment Remi gave him the cold shoulder.
The entire train ride Remi sat there stunned by Liam backing out of the wedding. She knew the possibility of him doing that was always there; she had just hoped it wouldn’t happen. She continued to dwell on it when she arrived at work. Though she had no issue with Chris going, she just feared Liam was slipping further away. He might be back in Philly, she thought, but his physical and emotional distance was evident. Top if off with not being able to shake the feeling she was to blame for most of his dilemma, she believed her time with Liam was fleeting. It took a while, but she finally began looking at the day’s itinerary when Olivia summoned Remi into her office. “I called you in here because I wanted to commend you on what a great job you have been doing.”
Remi thanked her for the compliment. “I was most impressed with the work you did for the fundraiser but also with your write up for the website,” she said. “Which got me thinking.”
Remi wasn’t sure where the conversation was going but was pleasantly surprised when Olivia stated that she wanted her to come up with some new ideas on how to make the website along with the social media accounts more exciting. She explained that the current website was too boring and needed new life pumped into it. “Are you up for the task?” she asked. Feeling appreciated and proud that Olivia had that much belief in her ability, she replied with an emphatic, “Yes!”
UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask Page 18