“Bellamy!”
The sound of Liam practically roaring my name as I ran into the bedroom almost made me stop. But I couldn’t.
There was something here that meant so very much to me.
The only thing I’d brought from my old life into this new one. I didn’t leave it behind before, and I wasn’t going to leave it behind now.
The sound of pounding feet behind me was unmistakable, as well as some shouted orders from Frost, but I ignored that, too.
I went through the bedroom, my eyes automatically going to the shattered window. Shivers rolled up my spine, but they weren’t from the wintry wind blowing around the room. I couldn’t keep my shoulders from bunching up around my neck as I turned my back to the window and raced into the small walk-in closet.
I half expected another shot to ring out. I half expected the feeling of a bullet to slam into me. Oh, you knew your life was a shit circus when you were prepared for the feeling of a bullet plowing into your flesh.
I flipped on the light, blinking against it, and scanned the space overhead. There was a single box on the shelf.
It only had the one item in it.
Liam plowed into the doorway, his eyes glittering angrily. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I remembered something I wanted to bring.”
He let out a string of very rude curses.
“What’s a mangy-ass taxi?” I asked, wide-eyed.
He dropped his hands from the doorframe. “You just ran into a room where someone was shooting at you,” he growled. “Without me.”
I batted my eyes. “So next time, you would prefer if I held your hand while running in the direction of my killer?”
“Yes!” he roared.
I winced.
Liam came forward and grabbed me up. “Don’t ever do that again, Bellamy. I mean it. I go first. Always.”
He was really angry. Like for realsies.
“I’m sorry.” I relented, feeling bad. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just remembered—”
His lips crushed against mine, cutting off all words. My arms wrapped around his neck as his tongue licked into my mouth. Hunching around me, Liam lifted me, holding me so we were on the same level and he could kiss me more intensely.
My feet dangled over the floor, but I barely noticed because he invaded my senses.
A long moment later, he ripped his mouth free and sucked in a deep breath. His eyes were still flashing silver when they found mine again. “Don’t scare me like that again.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, still breathless from his kiss but nearly speechless from his intensity.
He hugged me close another minute, then finally set me back on my own two feet.
“What did you just risk your life for?” He grumped.
He was grouchy.
And seriously, what was a mangy-ass taxi?
I pointed to the lone box overhead. “Can you get that down for me?”
He lifted the box down and held it so I could open the top and reach inside. My hand closed around the soft item, and I pulled it free.
He dumped the box at his feet and stared incredulously. “You came running in here to get a stuffed animal?”
I glanced down at the small white teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck. He was a little worn from age, but otherwise, he was as perfect as the day I got him.
“It’s not just any stuffed animal,” I said, tucking it into my chest and glancing up at him.
I wondered if he would remember…
A flash of recognition moved through his eyes as his stare lingered on me and the bear. “Is that…?” he whispered.
I nodded. “You remember?”
All the anger drained from his face, leaving behind a tender, faraway look. “You kept it? After all this time?”
I nodded again. “It was the only thing I kept from my past.” I tilted my head. “Besides my memories.”
Eight years ago when I was at BearPaw, Liam took me to a winter carnival outside in the snow. Lights had been strung up, and there were actual igloos, snowball tosses, hot chocolate, fresh donuts, and games.
He spent twenty dollars trying to win me this bear from a rigged game of ring toss. He never gave up, though. And eventually, he won it. I would never forget the way my stomach almost fluttered right out of my body when he handed it to me.
A soft sound vibrated his throat, and he pulled me into him. The bear squished between us when he hugged me tight. “Just when I think I couldn’t love you more… I do.”
I pulled back, hopeful. “Does this mean you forgive me?”
“No.”
I frowned.
He chuckled and fingered the ear of my bear. “Knowing you held on to this all these years, that you kept something I’d given you, makes me kinda high.”
“Not high enough,” I muttered.
Liam threw back his head and laughed, but then he turned serious. “But even so, it’s not worth your life.”
“I’m keeping it,” I said, stubborn.
“I wouldn’t dream of ripping it out of those beautiful hands.”
Exhaustion wafted over me. This had been a really long day, and unfortunately, it wasn’t over. “I’m ready to go now.”
Liam swept his eyes over me, head to toe, then turned to exit the closet. I think it goes without saying that he body-blocked me the entire way across the bedroom and back into the living room.
“Ms. Lane.” Frost addressed me. “I’ll keep in touch.”
I nodded. On the way out, I grabbed my purse off the counter. It would be smart to have ID. “Oh, Agent Frost?” I said.
“Yes?”
“I want my old identity back.”
“That’s not possible.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because we made it disappear. Legally, you are Bella Lane.”
“Then legally change it back.” I insisted.
“You were given all new documents. Birth certificate, social security number, etc. Your previous details are not available.”
“Then my name. Change my name back.”
He began to shake his head, and I sighed. “Fine.”
“Seriously?” Liam put in. I could feel him standing just behind me. “You can’t even give her that?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Frost replied effortlessly.
I rolled my eyes and turned away. That was the equivalent of when a mother said, I’ll think about it. That meant no.
We left my old apartment, two officers leading the way. Liam tucked an arm around me, and I surrendered just a little bit of my weight as we walked.
Mr. Ray came rushing out into the hall behind us. “What about all these damages?” he yelled. “And the mess in the kitchen?”
“Hire a cleaning crew,” Liam called back.
“This is a violation of your lease! I’ll sue.”
Liam made a sound. The tendons in his body rippled.
“I feel sorry for his next tenant,” I muttered as we continued on.
“You little bitch,” he snarled partly under his breath, but not quiet enough.
Before anyone could say or do anything, Liam wrenched away from me, stalked back down the hallway, and decked my old landlord in the face. The man crumpled right to the floor in a heap of khaki and bad sweater.
“I warned you,” Liam spat, towering over where he lay.
I rushed over and stepped in front of Liam, pushing him back. “Come on.”
Mr. Ray put a hand over his eye. He looked like a poor excuse for a pirate. “Me eye!” he yelled.
He sounded like one, too.
“Did you see that?” he wailed at the officers at the end of the hall.
“What happened, sir?” one of the officers said.
“He just punched me. I know you saw!”
“We were facing the other direction,” he replied. He turned to Liam. “Is this true?”
“Don’t know what he’s talking about,” Liam responded smoothly. “I heard him fall and
was going to offer him a hand.”
He outstretched his hand to Mr. Ray.
“This is insane!” the man roared.
“We really need to leave.” I reminded Liam.
He put his arm around me and led me away from the scene he’d created.
In the elevator, the two officers snickered. “That man impeded this investigation the whole time. What a giant pain in the ass.”
“It was a pleasure,” Liam said, proud of himself.
I shook my head.
In the backseat of the unmarked car, I watched the streets of Chicago go by, knowing it was probably the last time I would ever be here.
I wasn’t sorry. At all.
“You didn’t need us to come to the station or give any kind of statement?” I asked as we turned onto the ramp for the airport.
“No,” the man driving answered. “There was enough law enforcement there. They can give statements. It’s probably best if you just get out of town.”
I glanced at Liam and frowned. “I’m sorry we came. It was a waste of time. Time we could have been home with your dad.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t a waste. I got to see where you’ve been living. I got some of those details you love so much.”
“Flying bullets are not details.”
A dark look passed over his face, but then he banked it and glanced down at the bear still clutched in my arm. “We got this,” he murmured, tugging its ear.
I laid my head against Liam’s arm and closed my eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder if there would be men waiting in Denver to kill me, too.
Liam
“I don’t like this,” I declared.
“I think you look sexy in a hospital gown.”
I glanced up at my girl who was wagging her eyebrows at me salaciously. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I might be in a sour mood, but Bells was all sunshine to me.
“This gown is lame, but I do make it look good.” I allowed. Then I grunted. “But you know damn well I’m not talking about this getup.” I gestured to the scratchy, starched, paper-thin fabric the hospital insisted I put on.
Stupid.
Bellamy sighed dramatically. When she came closer to the bed I was perched on, I spread my legs a bit and guided her between them. “You need something to keep you calm during the procedure, Liam. You can’t just go in there and get lasered up cold turkey.”
Resting my hands on her hips, I sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip, and she glanced back at the door. “I could find the doctor, maybe see if they could just put you to sleep? That might be less—”
“Hell no,” I asserted. “Being totally out of it would be worse than partial.”
She frowned. “It’s just for a short time. You can tell them no strong pain pills once the procedure is over.”
It dawned on me we weren’t talking about the same thing. She thought I was worried about taking some pills. Of getting that kind of “high” that would dull reality.
If I were being honest with myself, I’d thought of that, too. I’d kind of looked forward to it.
But not enough. Not nearly enough to make me crave it.
“Hey,” I said, catching her attention. The second our eyes collided, I tightened my palms at her hips. “I’m not worried about slipping back into the bottle. I don’t want you to worry about it either. I’m solid. That darkness in here”—I rubbed a hand to my chest—“isn’t taking over.”
Her tongue wet her lips, then disappeared. “Then what is it?”
“Being out of reach. Away from you. Someone tried to kill you yesterday, Bells. And now I’m supposed to swallow some pills to be half out of it while I’m taken into a room for a procedure where I can’t just get up and run out of if you need me.”
Bellamy leaned forward, touching our foreheads together. “Today isn’t about me.”
“Every day is about you,” I refuted.
She pulled back out of reach and shook her head at me. “No, Liam. Today is about you. About repairing your knee, about getting your career back. So stop it.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Stop it?”
“Stop being protective and perfect… and so entirely lovable.”
The door to the room opened, and I yelled, “Come back in five!”
The door clapped shut instantly.
“Liam!” Bellamy gasped.
“What?”
“You just yelled at that poor nurse!”
“To be fair, sweetheart, you just told me to be an asshole.”
“Oh my gosh! I did not!”
I laughed. I loved messing with her. I wasn’t kidding, though. I wanted another few with her before the day became all about my damned knee.
I crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”
A stubborn glint came into the blue of her eyes.
“Now, Bells.”
Her feet shuffled over, and I pulled her between my legs again and slipped my arms around her waist.
“You’re taking this asshole thing a little too far.” She sniffed.
“You like it.”
Indignance flashed over her features.
I smiled and brushed a thumb over her visibly erect nipple through her T-shirt. “Don’t even try to lie.”
Her chest arched ever so slightly into my caress, and the smile I was wearing widened.
Before she could comment, I leaned forward and rested my head against her middle. Instantly, the dynamic changed from heated and intense to tenderness.
“It’s going to be okay,” she told me, rubbing across the backs of my shoulders. “It’s a fast procedure. You’ll be done in no time.”
The center of my chest squeezed at her words, and I couldn’t deny that some of what I was feeling wasn’t just anxiety about leaving her unprotected while I was in surgery. It was for the procedure, what happened yesterday… my father.
Lifting my head, I stared into her eyes. “Promise me you’ll stay in the waiting room the whole time. Don’t go anywhere alone. Stay here.”
“I promise.”
“If you need anything—” The door to the room opened again, and annoyance flashed over me. “I said…”
“Are you guys getting it on in here? Because if you are, that is totally inappropriate.”
I jolted up and stared around Bellamy at Alex strolling right into the room as though he owned the place.
“Alex!” Bells exclaimed.
“I gotta tell you, bro. I came all this way only to be yelled at and kicked out of the room before I even enter.” He shook his head. “I’ve never felt more disrespected.”
“Thank goodness it wasn’t a nurse!” Bellamy rejoiced.
Alex gave her a look. “Sure. Sure. Abuse the best friend and not the staff. I see how it is.”
“What are you doing here, man?” I asked as Bellamy stepped out of my embrace so I could see him.
“You think I would let you have this done and not be here?” He put a hand to his chest. “I’m offended.”
“Bells is here…” I began.
Alex scoffed. “And you was just bitching and fretting like an old granny about leaving her in the waiting room alone.”
“You were listening at the door!” I yelled.
“Just for a few.” He sniffed. “I ain’t above it.”
Bellamy giggled.
I shook my head, smiling. “I can’t believe you came all the way to Denver.”
“It’s not that far. And I didn’t come alone.” Backtracking to the door, Alex opened it, and my parents appeared.
My eyes widened in surprise. “Mom? Dad?”
“I assume it’s safe to come in?” Mom asked, glancing at Alex.
“Everyone’s decent.” He confirmed.
I rolled my eyes. I was about to have surgery. What a douche. He thought I would be in here getting it on?
The thought had crossed my mind.
Clearly, he knew me well.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Dad stepped up to the bed. “We weren’t as present the last time you went through this, and I deeply regret that. We’re going to be here for this every step of the way.”
I wouldn’t say it out loud, but I was touched. A little bit of that leftover pain sort of eased, almost as if their presence now really did make up for their absence before.
“This is a simple procedure. It’s not like last time. Not that big of a deal. I feel bad you came all this way.”
“Nonsense!” Mom exclaimed.
Dad glanced at me, then away. “We just want to be here for as much as we can.”
Because someday he won’t be here at all.
I cleared my throat. “I really appreciate that.”
The next time the door opened, it really was the nurse, and I didn’t yell at her. Instead, I dutifully, if begrudgingly, swallowed the “happy pills” she handed me in a stupid paper cup.
“Those should kick in shortly,” she said when I was done. “Then I’ll have to ask everyone to wait out in the waiting room, and we’ll take Liam back.”
Bellamy sat on the bed beside me, resting her cheek on my shoulder. Her hair was so long I was able to absentmindedly play with the soft ends where it fell onto the mattress. The room settled into a comfortable silence, broken with a few jokes from Alex and a few questions from my parents.
My body began relaxing, my mind clouding over. Most people probably drifted into this peaceful sort of blankness when given this kind of meds.
It was the opposite for me. It seemed the more I began to relax, the easier it was for my mind to bring to the surface everything I was trying to keep controlled.
The subconscious was a tricky bastard. He just lay in wait until he could spring the worst of thoughts on you.
If I wasn’t sure which was the deepest of my fears before… hell, now I had quite a list to choose from. Once those meds kicked in and kicked out most of my control, I was certain.
1. The permanent loss of my career.
2. Getting a laser fired into incisions in my knee.
3. My father dying.
4. Someone trying to kill me.
5. Someone trying to kill Bells.
6. Falling prey to my addiction again.
See?
That was an accomplished list.
When I did anything, I didn’t do it half-assed. I was an overachiever.
Blizzard (BearPaw Resort #2) Page 12