UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask

by Heather Carnassale

  To lighten the moment, Melanie quipped, “Well, being a criminal is what makes him interesting, cause it sure as hell ain’t his sparkling personality.”

  Remi laughed, but in all honesty, nobody’s opinion regarding Liam mattered but her own. And she accepted that as the way things were and most likely as the way things were always going to be.

  Once Liam had finished unpacking and got himself situated, he put pen to paper and outlined what he needed to take care of:

  Give DNA sample

  Accept the job with Charles/Denton and get details

  Tie up loose ends

  Make sure Grandmom is taking care of

  Finish project for Simon

  Meet with Weston – privately

  Liam looked it over then buzzed up Chris, who had just arrived. The moment he walked in, he read the list, and immediately caught the obvious omission. Liam handed him a cold bottle of Corona then asked, “What do you think?”

  Chris was quick to point out, “You left off Remi.”

  Liam just nodded.

  “Can I ask why?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  Chris didn’t need any further explanation, knowing how private Liam was, especially when it came to her, it was pointless for him to ask. Instead, he asked about the DNA sample. “I’m living on borrowed time,” he said. “I’m just prolonging the inevitable.”

  Chris couldn’t help but feel sad because though he had never been known to be the sharpest tool in the shed, he was smart enough to know that DNA was going to seal Liam’s fate. “Okay, you give the sample, then why do the job?”

  Liam took a deep breath then slowly exhaled. He repeated that action one more time then replied, “I’m going to set them up.”

  With an expression of utter shock, Chris asked, “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “I refuse to live my life with those two assholes threatening Remi and blackmailing me.”

  “Ratting them out could have serious consequences,” remarked Chris.

  “Technically, I’m just serving them up on a silver platter to the feds.”

  Chris smirked. “If that helps you sleep at night.”

  “Look, I know it’s crazy and dangerous, but this shit has to come to an end.”

  Chris thought for a moment then reluctantly asked, “And what happens to you?”

  “I’ve got it all covered.”

  His somber yet effective delivery, made Chris feel as if he was going to lose Liam. He just didn’t know how exactly. The ever-loyal confidant offered to help with whatever Liam needed. “I appreciate that, and if I need it, I’ll definitely come to you.”

  Chris figured it was the perfect time to change the subject and couldn’t resist asking about the infamous trip. As he propped his feet up on the coffee table and placed his hands behind his head, he teasingly asked, “What did you two kids do down in Miami?”

  Unable to hide his elation, Liam grinned—widely.

  Like a proud papa, Chris clapped. “About time you had fun!”

  He then rapidly added, “Well, legally I mean.”

  Liam laughed. “I’m not so sure I’d classify a jewel heist or bank robbery as fun,” he commented. “But until the Bank of Philadelphia, they sure gave a great thrill.”

  Chris remarked, “True, but I think you scored the ultimate prize.”

  With a clear case of deflection, Liam jokingly accused him of turning into a softy. The jovial turn of their conversation was good, because for the moment anyway, Liam stopped dwelling on all the negative things plaguing him. Chris suggested they get a drink somewhere to which Liam agreed and while on the elevator, he sent Remi a text:

  Going out w/ Chris for a little while, were you planning on staying at my place tonight? – Liam

  As soon as she heard the text alert, she immediately replied:

  Do you want me to? – Remi

  Liam read her reply as soon as he got inside of the truck. With all the bleakness surrounding them, Chris was happy to see Liam smile while messaging her back:

  Yes! – Liam

  Remi beamed at seeing the exclamation mark, clearly emphasizing his answer, which was amazing that something so subtle could mean so much. She immediately responded:

  I’ll see you later – Remi

  Liam drove into the city, to a small, quaint pub with only a handful of patrons. The two men took seats at the bar and ordered up a couple of draft beers. That’s when a persistent Chris stated, “You have to give me something about the trip.”

  Liam decided to disclose the bare minimum. “Being with her was…” his words trailed off.

  All Chris could utter was, “Wow!”

  “Wow, what?”

  Chris shook his head in disbelief. “Just thinking back to our conversation the night of the heist and how she was just the hostage that survived,” he remarked. “And now four months later she’s a lot more than that.”

  Liam nodded as he fiddled with a bowl of roasted peanuts. He then took a long sip of the beer then quietly confessed, “Remi is like no one else I’ve ever met.”

  Chris couldn’t argue that fact.

  “She knows everything about me,” he said then faced Chris to accentuate, “Everything!”

  Uncharacteristically, Liam kept talking. “She harbors no judgments.”

  Chris just listened while his best friend spouted his private thoughts, which was a rare occurrence. “Regardless of the fact that I held her hostage and threatened her, she knows about other heists, other criminal activities and that I’m not a good guy,” he said. “She knows all about my fucked up family, too.”

  Liam sighed, “And yet, she still supports and cares about me.”

  He finished off the beer then stared at the empty glass as he rambled on. “She challenges me and has this unbelievable knack of getting underneath my skin—but in a good way,” he said, grinning with a hint of wickedness. The eloquent way Liam spoke about her was all telling, giving Chris insight into how Liam was truly feeling. “When I first got back from being away, I admitted to you that I had missed her,” he said. “Which was true, but until I was physically around her again, I hadn’t realized just how much.”

  Chris quietly motioned to the bartender to bring them two more beers, while Liam self-deprecatingly admitted, “I don’t deserve her, and it’s wrong that I dragged her into my world of deceit.”

  Chris finally got a word in, “You are forgetting, she wants to be with you, in spite of everything, like you said, she still chooses you.”

  Liam grinned. “She makes me happy.”

  “That my friend is all that matters,” Chris said while holding up his beer filled mug, signaling cheers. Liam followed suit, but sadly stated, “You know this isn’t going to end well.”

  “Then stop wasting time here with me and go home.”

  Liam dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the bar then jumped off the stool. “Need a ride?”

  “Nah, I think I’ll hang here for a while.”

  The two shook hands, and Liam told him they’d talk soon.

  Remi tried in vain to stay awake, but exhaustion struck her around ten, so she climbed into Liam’s bed, and comfortably dozed off.

  When Liam had first entered the apartment, there was no sign of her. He instantly thought she might have changed her mind and not come over. Disappointed, he tossed his keys on the counter and was just about to hit the couch when he spotted the famous pink fuzzy slippers beneath his feet. Liam smiled, realizing she must be in the bedroom. Being a typical guy, he figured she was waiting to surprise him, but the closer he crept down the hall, there was an eerie quiet. Therefore, Liam cautiously peeked in the doorway and with the room enveloped in darkness, all he could see, was the silhouette of Remi’s sleeping body, courtesy of ambient light peeking through the blinds. Though he would have been pleased to find her waiting up to seduce him, at that moment, there was something else he wanted more—to just wrap his arms around her and hold her.

  She was lyi
ng on her side, her back to him, so after he stripped down to his boxer briefs, he carefully crawled under the sheets and slid over next to Remi. He then slipped his arm around her body, which startled her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered. “That’s okay,” she mumbled and began to turn to face him, but he stopped her. “Don’t move,” he gently ordered. “I just want to hold you like this,” he whispered while his lips softly brushed the tip of her bare shoulder. She smiled as he pulled her into a spooning position. Securely snug in his protective embrace, Remi suddenly felt desperation coming from him, along with an unfamiliar vulnerability. Liam’s cheek rested upon hers, and as the early stage of scruff tickled her skin, she murmured, “Mmm, this is nice.”

  He couldn’t agree more, and with a little sigh, voicing his gratification, he whispered, “Goodnight.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Remi awoke to find herself no longer tangled up with Liam, but he wasn’t too far away, he was lying on his stomach, next to her. It was the perfect opportunity for Remi to watch him sleep again, something she could never grow tired of doing, nor waking with him beside her. She reached her hand over and as lightly as she could, with her fingertips traced the muscle ridges of his back. That action caused him to move a little but not enough to wake him, which was a true testament to his trust in her because she knew he wasn’t a deep sleeper.

  She scooted closer so that her face was only an inch from his. She dreaded having to get up and go to work, when all she wanted to do was lay there all day long, with him. With a quick glance at the time, she only had a couple of minutes then she’d have no choice but to leave. Not wanting to waste time, she couldn’t resist kissing those lips that were ripe for the taking. She steadily pressed her lips to his. And without even opening his eyes, he grinned as she kissed him again. “Good morning to you too,” he managed to say between her sweet smooches. “I have to get ready for work,” she said, sounding bummed. In the blink of an eye, he pulled her on top of him. She giggled but reluctantly reiterated, “I really have to go, or I’m going to get fired.”

  He sighed as he held her face in his hands. “Thank you,” he said while stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

  “For what?”

  “For last night.”

  She grimaced, clearly confused. “I didn’t do anything.”

  He brought her lips down to meet his, and at that moment, Remi knew there was no way she would be exiting that bed anytime soon. As Liam then kissed the crook of her neck, she breathlessly whispered, “You’re going to get me into trouble.”

  He cutely pointed out, “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  She was about to respond, but Liam threw his arms around her and gently rolled them both over so she was now on her back and he was on top. She curled her fingers around his neck as his lips explored hers. He then hovered over her body, and while he gazed into her eyes, she had to restrain herself from uttering those three little words that were all of a sudden lingering on the tip of her tongue. She finally admitted, albeit silently that she was in love with him. But this was Liam, and telling him would more than likely send him bolting to the nearest exit. So, she wisely refrained and just smiled. “I really have to go,” she said, running her fingers up and down his bare torso, making the decision to leave the bed, extremely difficult for both of them. He kissed the tip of her nose then reluctantly gave up.

  About ten minutes later, Remi was in her apartment, rushing around like always. Melanie casually sipped her coffee as she watched Remi frantically dart in and out of the bathroom. “Olivia is going to fire my ass,” she cried out while attempting to brush her teeth at the same time as pulling on a pair of black dress pants.

  Melanie quipped, “Just explain that you had to spend more time in bed with Liam.”

  “Oh sure, she’ll totally understand.”

  “Olivia met Liam, correct?” she asked, attempting to be funny.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “He may have the personality of a wet mop, but the guy is hotness personified.”

  Remi laughed, but in predictable fashion, she defended him. “I happen to think he has a great personality too.”

  Melanie chuckled, “Keep drinking the Liam kool-aid!”

  Remi quickly countered, “I plan to.”

  She then hurried out the door and spotted Liam at the elevator, gallantly waiting to give her a ride to work. Upon seeing her, he produced the sweetest smile, and all she could think was how Melanie was 100% right. Remi bought into whatever Liam was selling, and the more she sampled, the more hooked she was. On the drive into the city, Liam informed her that after showing Simon the preliminary drawings, he was off to the police station to give a DNA sample then had a meeting with Charles. Even though both had been inevitable, just hearing Liam’s confirmation, scared her. She asked him if he knew what he was doing. He responded with a half-nod, which didn’t exactly exude confidence. Right before he dropped her off, he asked if she was all right. She unbuckled the seatbelt, and with her sad eyes staring back at him, she countered, “Want me to lie to you?”

  “Don’t worry,” he assured.

  She gave him a false placating smile before he stepped out to open the passenger side door for her. When she climbed down, she wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. “You better get inside,” he said, rubbing his hand up and down her back, his way of trying to soothe her nerves. “Try to have a good day,” he said. “You too,” she said somewhat mockingly because of the irony of what was in store for him. He watched her go in then took off.

  The first thing Remi did was meet with Olivia, to find out all that she missed and what was on the day’s agenda. While perched behind her desk, Olivia asked if she had a nice time. Remi just grinned. Olivia told her she had plenty for Remi to do, which Remi was fine with, being she wanted the distraction. After Olivia had plied her with a pile of documents that needed to be scanned and uploaded to the company’s website, Remi got situated at her desk then got busy.

  Liam exchanged quick pleasantries with Mary, before entering Simon’s office. “Hope your trip proved successful.”

  Liam nodded as he opened up the large leather carrying case to reveal the two blueprints he had completed while away. Simon was instantly impressed, not that he wasn’t always when it came to Liam’s talent. Simon looked them over then responded, “I’m going to be honest.”

  Liam wasn’t sure how to take that, and though usually confident in his skills, at that moment, he harbored a tiny bit of self-doubt. All of that of course, was for nothing as Simon was beyond pleased. “These are the best you’ve ever come up with,” he said, admiring the work. “You must have found some great inspiration in Miami.”

  Liam smiled while mumbling under his breath, “I was definitely inspired.”

  Simon had a meeting he needed to run to, so he told Liam, he’d take a closer look at the computer models and see if there would be any necessary changes. “I’ll get back to you later today or tomorrow.”

  Liam was fine with that, besides he had other pressing needs himself. In fact, the moment Simon headed out, Liam was close behind, on his way to the police station.

  DeGrazerio slammed his coffee cup onto the desk; his frustration had reached a tipping point. “I can’t believe this shit, still no warrant!”

  Weston just shook his head, because the entire investigation had stalled. Their surveillance of Liam and Remi yielded nothing except the obvious fact that the two were more than just good friends. Weston studied the photos of Liam and Remi, hugging on the beach. Remi appeared to be happy, and since the moment he saw the two of them together in the warehouse, he had sensed an unflinching bond. On the other hand, the special agent saw it as more of a reason for Remi to lie for her lover. “The judge is dragging his heels on this,” he snapped. “I’m afraid without that warrant, Matthews is going to leave Pennsylvania for good or even the country and then we are fucked.”

  Just then, an administrative assistant announced that ther
e was someone to see the detective. She looked at Weston then at DeGrazerio and uttered, “Liam Matthews.”

  A sudden dead silence filled the room as everyone just looked stunned. That was until DeGrazerio ran for the door where the woman halted him. “Wait!” she ordered sticking her hands out. “Move out of my way,” he demanded. “Mr. Matthews only wants to see Walt,” she said. “I don’t care what he wants,” he said, attempting to push past her.

  “Lou,” shouted Weston. “Let me find out why he’s here.”

  The special agent was miffed and didn’t take too kindly to Liam calling the shots. That said he grudgingly backed off, for the time being. Weston entered the lobby and greeted Liam with a handshake. “What brings you here?”

  Having decided not to beat around the bush, Liam boldly stated, “I’m here to give you that DNA sample.”

  Taken aback, Weston asked if he had an attorney with him. Liam shook his head, and stated, “I don’t need one for this.”

  “Okay, come with me,” he said, directing Liam to one of the interrogation rooms. He then told Liam to sit tight while he obtained a collection kit.

  After Liam had sat down, he glanced up at the two-way mirror, knowing full well his favorite special agent was observing him. But, as usual, Liam remained unaffected, a tactic used solely to piss off the agent who was, in fact watching him when Weston told him about the sample. DeGrazerio immediately scoffed. “What is he up to?”

  Weston shrugged. “Don’t know, but I guess we will find out.”

  Three minutes later, Weston walked into the room, along with another officer to witness the extraction. Liam studied the detective’s actions as he meticulously opened up the sealed package that contained: two pairs of latex gloves, two sterile buccal swabs, two transport tubes, and a mask.

  Seeing the items, caused Liam to panic silently because he knew within seconds, there was no turning back, and his fate was sealed. “You need to sign this consent form,” said Weston, pushing the document and a black ink pen across the table. Liam read it over then jotted his signature.