Be happy, Liam. Let me go when the time is right, and be…happy. Your love isn’t to be wasted. When the time comes, give it to someone who deserves it. You’ll know who and when. Continue to love as fiercely and endlessly as you’ve loved me. You’re a treasure to be had.
My best memories are of you and Reagan. My life started with the two of you. My fondest memory though, is of you…dancing in the rain when our car stalled in the middle of nowhere and we didn’t have cell service. The romantic evening you planned fell apart – you were so frustrated at first. Nothing could have topped splashing in the mud puddles while dancing in the middle of the road during a storm with you. With every storm that passes, my love…remember to always dance in the rain.
I’m always with you, Liam. You’re never alone. I hope the letters I’ve written for you and Reagan help weather the storms. Dance, my love…teach our daughter to dance.
With all of my heart, I love you forever and always…
Until we meet again…
Cassidy
Liam leaned against the oversized pillows and headboard of his bed, dropping the letter in his lap, tears flowing freely. Though painful to read, he felt lighter, and that confused him. The pain was different than that which he had been carrying around for so many years.
Letting his wife go wasn’t something he could do entirely, not now, maybe not ever. She wanted him to dance in the rain. He laughed at that memory. It was one of his favorites too. It summed up who they were individually and as a couple. Could he really have that again?
Felicity was right. Cassidy would be disappointed in how he’d behaved and who he’d become. His grief was for himself, out of fear and guilt because he didn’t stop to relish the memories, only the pain. Sure, the memories were painful, but that was the point. That’s what made them worth having. It’s what made a person feel – they were joy.
He wasn’t living a whole life. He wasn’t teaching their daughter to dance in the rain or to love hard. He taught her to shut down, stole her joy, and there was absolutely no dancing.
It wasn’t fair that she was gone, but what he didn’t realize was that it was unfair for him, not her. He saw her final time with them as too short and not enough. Cassidy saw it as a privileged opportunity, an advantage that most didn’t have. A second chance, she’d said. He hadn’t thought of it that way. In hindsight, to be fair, they’d both had a second chance.
The more he considered her words and pondered the meanings behind them, the less the tears were of sadness but of joy. That word she mentioned…joy. Cass was gone, but the countless memories weren’t, and if he had been paying attention, she lived on in their daughter. How had his missed all of that? How could he have been so numb – selfish – wasted so much time?
If he had learned anything in the past few moments, reading the wisest words he’d been privileged to read, it was that time was precious. It wasn’t about how much you had, but how you spent it – how you lived it. At first, he wished he’d read the letter sooner, but then he realized that it wouldn’t have mattered. Like Cass said in her letter, when he was ready. That was a loaded statement. Ready for what? Everything. He was finally in a place where her words were healing, freeing even ready.
It wasn’t lost on him that he all but lost his shit on the rooftop, asking her for help, and Felicity showed up not a minute later. Her words bit, and they stung, but they were what he needed to hear. She sent him right to Cass…her letter. Or, maybe it was the other way around.
She wanted him to be happy, not alone. Was he ready for that? Would he really know the who and when of it? He thought he might already have the answer to that.
Liam had a handful of letters to catch up on – all of the firsts he and Reagan had already experienced since her passing. He’d save those though because the giggles coming from the living room had his attention. It wouldn’t be easy to become reacquainted with his daughter, and he didn’t have the slightest idea where to start other than to stop wasting time and just love her.
He could do that, already did, but she needed to know what it truly meant to be loved by him. Something he’d neglected in many ways, until now.
16
Liam stood at the back of the living room, leaning against the wall, watching Reagan and Felicity together. They were watching a home movie – a beach trip from so long ago. They giggled about how small Reagan was and her silly faces. Felicity tossed popcorn in her mouth, missing on purpose and hitting Reagan with it just to earn another laugh.
They were at such ease with each other. They loved each other. Felicity noticed him standing there when she helped Reagan get the popcorn out of her hair. At first, she paused with surprise, then a soft smile rested on her beautiful face. She had been a gift to them at a time when they needed something special. He wasn’t recognizing that for the first time, but he was finally accepting it.
Liam wandered to the couch, picked up the pillow next to Reagan, and took its place. She gasped with a startle, not expecting him, but eased into a similar soft smile like City had. Reagan stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time, and if Liam were honest, she probably was. His presence was lighter, his wounds less gaping, and his heart mending.
Liam patted Reagan’s knee when she leaned into him, a single tear streaking her cheek. With his arm resting over her shoulders, he pulled her in for a tight hug and held her. When she looked up at him, she wiped the tear, he didn’t even know he’d shed, before turning her attention back to the family movie and giggling.
With his eyes closed, Liam took in a cleansing breath and sat there motionless, taking the time to feel. Feel the joy that his daughter exuded. Feel the love she held so close and so strong. Feel the calm after the storm. This was what he was missing, he was certain of that. The void he carried around was nothing more than a façade that he hid behind because he had a whole heart, a whole life, people to love, and joy to be had. He’d just hidden from it. Afraid because he was a rich man with so much to lose, and he’d already lost more than he’d been prepared to lose. He was still a rich man; the difference was he was ready to live in his riches.
Reagan laid her head against his chest and her breathing became light, so did the weight of the whole world. He’d missed this – missed her – his sweet little Ragin’ Reagan.
Liam had carried Reagan to bed after she’d fallen asleep on his chest. Sure, he’d checked on her every night after she went to bed, but he hadn’t tucked her in, in ages. She was probably getting too old for that, but he’d figure those things out as they went.
He stood at the balcony window off the living room, looking over the twinkling cityscape. Felicity joined him there when she was done cleaning up their movie snacks. They stood there, side by side, for a measure of time – quiet, relaxed, renewed.
“Are we good?” she asked, referring to the heated rooftop talk.
He smiled for a moment, his gaze still on the city. “You’re not her mother.”
Felicity gasped subtly, stunned by his words until she noticed the lightness about him. “I know I’m not her mom. She already has one of those.”
Approving of her answer, he turned to face her, meeting her eyes with his. “I’m not trying to replace my wife.”
“I’m not trying to replace your wife, either.” She nodded, matter-of-factly.
Liam opened his mouth to speak but hesitated and looked down for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “I don’t know if I could ever love again – like the way I loved her.”
“None of us could,” she replied.
“I…meant it when I said I can’t lose you too, City.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said with a shrug. “Is that what you needed to hear me say?”
He nodded, “I can’t be all the things you may want me to be, but I can be…something.”
With a smile and tilt of her head, she stepped closer, narrowing the space between them. “Okay, then I guess we’re good.”
Liam snaked his hands around Fe
licity’s neck and cupped her head. With his hands threaded in her hair, he pulled her head back and stared into a sea of blue, searching for something, anything that said this was what she wanted too. Sensing his hesitation, she lifted on her toes and gently kissed him. It was soft, sweet, and far too short.
When he continued to stand there, his eyes still closed from the kiss, she said in a low sultry voice, “Liam?”
His eyes sprung open – dark, heavy, and full of desire. If that was from one kiss, the second kiss could be their undoing. Liam shook his head lightly as a mischievous grin fell into place, and he spun Felicity around with her back to the balcony door.
Dropping his mouth to hers, he kissed her hard while dragging his hands down her shirt, unbuttoning it as he went. He kissed a trail down her neck to her collarbone where he nipped and licked, earning a sweet moan before he continued his descent. At the crest of her ample cleavage, he took his time, appreciating her perfect breasts before her pebbled buds against the thin lace of her bra gave away the heat he was generating.
Liam bit at her hardened peaks, one at a time, while his hands filled with her perfect ass. He lifted her from the ground and wrapped her around his waist, resting her heat against the hardened ridge she was responsible for. Felicity gasped when she felt him. Excitement overcame her, remembering how perfectly he had filled her before – years before.
Without breaking their kiss, Liam began to move toward the bedroom. He didn’t want to be quiet or careful. He held Felicity against the door as he locked it behind them. He wanted more of her. All of her. His libido had been dormant for so long, it awoke in a frenzy fueled fire – hot, wicked, and explosive.
He backed his way to the bed, sitting at the edge with Felicity’s toned legs still hugging his waist. He brushed the unbuttoned shirt from her shoulders while she unbuttoned his. It fell off his shoulders but hung from his elbows, unable to go further because his hands were busy with releasing the clasp of her bra, the only barrier between his mouth and her sweet tits.
Her head fell back the minute her breasts were free and in his hands. He worked them gently, remembering how sweet she felt. Pinching and tweaking the aroused rosy points, he watched her fall into pure bliss, ecstasy, until he couldn’t take it anymore. He abruptly stood, turning to the bed where he crawled across and placed her in the center.
In quick motion, he slid her low slinging shorts and panties down her legs, leaving her completely bare. With her hands above her head and her golden hair fanned across his blankets, he hovered above her and took in all that he had been missing. Her perfect curves, soft sun kissed skin – she was a beauty to behold, inside and out, one he wouldn’t take for granted again.
Felicity squirmed under his heated gaze, tempting him, taunting him with every heavy rise and fall of her breasts, every swipe of her tongue against her pouty lips, the sultry expression in her heavy-lidded eyes. He shook his head in disbelief. Why had he waited so long for something so perfect? He held himself hostage and was afraid this wasn’t real – that someone like her, waited for him. She was fucking beautiful, every man’s wicked wet dream.
As if she sensed his thoughts, Felicity dragged one hand down her shoulder to her breast and arched her back before opening her legs wide to him. Inviting him to take her because she knew it was what they both desperately wanted – desperately needed.
“God, you’re fucking beautiful,” he said in a rough timbre. His eyes trailed her body and rested on her swollen mound. “And so ready for me.”
“Liam?” she whispered. When he raised his eyebrows, she said, “Shut up.”
Liam stepped off the bed and shed himself of what was left of his clothing, his hard shaft on display. The view he provided earned him another moan as she drank him in. The sound of her desire drove him further to the edge of seduction. He buried himself between her legs and took his fill.
It was his turn to taunt and tease her. He laved her swollen bundle of nerves with his tongue, swirling and flicking as he did. With every mewling sound that escaped her, he increased the pressure, and speed, responding to her need. When he slipped one and then two fingers inside her, she cried with every stroke and every lash of his tongue.
He brought her to the edge, anxious to give her the pleasure she was seeking but selfishly wanting to prolong it and take it for himself too. When he felt her begin to tighten, he withdrew his fingers, abandoned her hard, swollen nub and moved up her body, peppering her with kisses as he went.
Her breasts had his attention while his shaft rested against her slick heat. She began to move against him, trying to pull him in and finish what he started, but he resisted. He’d waited too long for this to end it so quickly.
It was a game of give and take, each taking their selfish fill, then offering pleasure to the other. With his mouth around one nipple, pulling and biting, his other hand mirrored his mouth so as not to leave the other untouched. She slid against him, up and down, grinding, trying to find the gratification that she needed to fall over into sensual bliss. It drove him crazy, to the point he couldn’t get enough. Sweet, kind, and sometimes quiet, Felicity was an arousing, lascivious, seductress. All he wanted to do was bury himself inside of her and stay there forever.
The moment he finally got lost inside her, it felt like home – something he hadn’t felt for so long. He drove harder and faster, giving her all she could take until she finally tightened around him, and they both fell into a sensual state of euphoric delirium.
As the night went on, Liam and Felicity consumed themselves with each other, over and over again. They explored each other – and every space from the shower to the private bedroom balcony. There was a sense of comfort he had been missing and couldn’t get enough of while he was with her. This is healing, he thought. This is joy.
It was a new beginning for Liam, and for Felicity. The life he was supposed to be living found him. She had waited for him. It wasn’t perfect, and he was far from mended, but it was a start. He was letting go of that which plagued him and held him hostage within himself. He was weathering the storm.
17
“Team two in position.” Dace’s muffled voice came over the shared com’s system. “Breach on your ready, team one.”
Luke and Wylie stood at the door of an old abandoned warehouse in the Foundry District as team one acting on one of the many leads they had generated. In full armor, they each turned away as a micro explosive, Luke’s specialty, detonated, disengaging the old rusted lock that prevented their entry. Team one quickly deployed upon access, clearing the space until they met Dace and their cousin Ryker, who had come in from different angles in similar fashion.
Declan and Ronan took point on opposing rooftops, watching for moving targets, full sniper mode. The tactical maneuvers of the O’Reillys reflected just how extensive their training was. It was also why they rarely missed a mark in any situation. They were paid well for what they did because they were recognized as the best.
This wasn’t a paid job. They were protecting their own this time. In cases such as these, the stakes were always higher. It was personal.
Unfortunately, it was the fifth empty threat that week. Wells wasn’t there – or Dunham – or Lainey. They were no closer to capturing the menace terrorizing their family. They were also no closer to determining if Dunham was indeed Wells. Sure, it made the most sense, but they were too smart to buy into the theory without concrete proof. For now, they were looking for two, maybe three threats.
They were chasing sightings picked up by the facial recognition software Liam continued to upgrade with each passing day. There were several sightings picked up by his program of Dunham and Lainey, all over the city, mostly abandoned buildings and warehouses.
This particular building was thought to be the one – increased use of utilities, based on city resources that Liam hacked. They were even picking up a strong radio frequency in the area, narrowed to that building. When Liam tried to tap into whatever was coming out of that building, he ran i
nto a few roadblocks; he found a pattern of frequency hopping. Someone was trying to hide what they were doing and their location.
Who would go to such lengths but someone with something to hide? Whoever was in there didn’t want to be detected. Frequency hopping is used to avoid interference of any kind. They were also using multiple antennae to cover a large geographic area, bouncing around the whole city of Portland. That’s where Wells, possibly Dunham and Lainey, were wreaking non-stop havoc. Too large of a coincidence to not be them.
Liam engaged aerial recon by way of satellite and drones, using infrared, and was able to detect movement within the building – movement from multiple people. It was likely that Wells, whoever he really was, had a full team of hackers housed in there, helping him do his dirty work.
There were moving bodies inside, all right. Once they breached the building, they came across a group of squatters. They had just moved in, or were let in rather, accessing the space through the city’s underground tunnel system. A man, who was no longer among them, had led them there, promising they’d be left alone because nobody had been in that building for years. It was part of the ruse. That man had to have been Wells.
“Another false lead,” Luke said. “This guy is fucking playing us.”
“At least we know how he’s getting around – the tunnels,” Dace said. “I’ll get a team down there and seal them off.”
“This isn’t a false lead,” Liam said over the com’s system from Watermark where he was watching it all go down, supporting from a tech position. “It’s a clue. He may be manipulating my software with his own feeds so we see what he wants us to see. That means I have a break somewhere.”
“And that’s a good thing?” Declan asked. “I see that as he’s just one-upped us.”
“Not really. He hasn’t one-upped us; he’s gained nothing from this. He has shown us his hand though,” Liam offered, the sound of his clicking keyboard easily heard in the background. “If he’s getting in somewhere, it’s a good thing. He isn’t getting far, or he’d hit us hard, and he hasn’t.”
Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included! Page 45