by Paula Cox
“That’s creepy,” Peter said. “Do you want me to send some guys out to his address?”
Cliff thought it over for a minute. He could have his guys eliminate Colin and thus snuff out the threat. It would be so easy. But easy wasn’t necessarily right. Cliff had been in hiding for too long. He’d put his problems in too many other people’s hands.
He wanted to fix this one himself.
“No,” Cliff finally said. “I’ll deal with this myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Cliff rose from the chair. “Send me his address. I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“Right away, boss.”
Peter didn’t even work for Cliff at present. Not really. But he would definitely hire him when all the dust settled with this Lando bullshit. One could never have too many good men around.
Then again, perhaps Cliff wouldn’t need to hire anyone after this. There was another option for him. Hopefully, anyway. He could retire from the syndicate, maybe even move out somewhere quiet like this. Or stay in the city. Just as long as he was with Liana.
Cliff grabbed a couple of burgers from the counter and nearly swallowed them whole from hunger. Afterward, he climbed back up the stairs and crawled back into bed with his sleeping angel. Even when she wasn’t conscious, she still wrapped around him like a koala bear. And even though his blood was still boiling from what he’d learned about Lando, having her near him made Cliff smile.
Chapter 20
Liana had the best sleep she’d had in what felt like months. Years. Decades. Had she ever slept so well? She was away from the city noises and the endless flashing lights. She was away from the danger. And she was with Cliff.
She also woke up happy and excited, like she was about to go on a trip to Disneyland or something. And Liana was not a morning person. Working nights at the catering company meant her mornings mostly consisted of trying to escape the light that crept into her room before she was ready to get up, and spending half the day groaning into a cup of coffee.
But Liana woke with a smile on her face.
Cliff’s arm was looped around her, holding her to his chest like a teddy bear. It was hot under the covers, but not so warm that she was sweating. Anyway, she would take any form of torment if it meant getting to stay close to him. They could be sleeping outside in the cold for all she cared. She would probably still wake up with a stupid grin and a flutter of excitement for her day.
Cliff looked so different when he was asleep. He wasn’t so guarded. He wasn’t so stern. His face was pure peace. He reminded Liana of a Greek statue in that way. All the youth that hid during the day surfaced at night, and he transformed from a force of nature into just a man. A man she loved.
But he also was a light sleeper.
“Why are you watching me?” Cliff asked.
The light not blocked by the blinds fell across his face in strips. When he blinked awake, it shone through his eyelashes and turned them nearly blond.
“Is it creepy if I say I like watching you sleep?” Liana asked.
“Yes.”
“In that case, I thought I saw a spider on your face, but it turned out to just be one of your nose hairs.” She kissed his chest.
Cliff’s low laughter rumbled through his chest. He hugged Liana tighter and closed his eyes. “I don’t have any nose hairs. Liar.”
Liana giggled. “Everybody has nose hairs. They’re one of the body’s defense mechanisms.”
“You know what I mean.”
Liana kissed him again. It was nice to see they could still bicker after they’d come together. It would have been a shame to lose that spark.
Speaking of a spark…
Liana slowly licked around Cliff’s nipple, which immediately hardened. His eyes shot open, and he looked down at her. His expression was sultry but restrained. He didn’t move against her like she anticipated he would.
“Later,” he said, his voice low and hoarse. “We don’t have time this morning.”
Cliff rolled over, letting go of Liana and rising from the bed. She watched him in dismay.
“What do you mean we don’t have time?” Liana whined. “It’s not like we have anything better to do while we’re here.”
Cliff was dressing beside the bed. He smiled wryly at her as he tugged on a pair of jeans. She openly admired the definition of his chest and abs, mouth watering.
“We’re not hiding out anymore,” he replied, snatching yesterday’s discarded shirt from the floor. “Peter found out who Lando is. I’m going to pay him a visit.”
“You’re going to pay him a visit?”
“Yes.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I sense this is about to become difficult…”
Liana shot off the bed and stood in front of the door, just in case he tried to leave while she was still naked and clearly couldn’t follow him. Not that he’d have any difficulty moving her, but she figured it was worth a try.
“I’m coming,” she asserted.
Cliff shook his head. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“So you’ve already accepted the inevitable?” she asked hopefully.
Cliff laughed. “Not even close. It’s too dangerous for you to be there.”
“Cliff,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. It was hard to look imposing when she was fully naked, but she gave it her best shot. “How will you know it’s really him without me there to ID him?”
Cliff’s smile widened. “I have a picture.”
“What?”
“Peter got surveillance footage. He sent the photo to me last night.”
“I’m still coming!” Liana insisted. “This guy has been my personal bogeyman since that wedding.” She leveled her gaze at Cliff, showing him she meant business. “I need to be a part of this.”
Cliff sighed and sat down on the bed. Liana stayed put.
“Liana,” he said gently. “I can’t deal with the possibility of you getting hurt. I could be walking into a trap for all I know.”
“All the more reason for you to have backup.”
“No,” he replied. “If you’re there, I’ll only be worrying about you too much to focus properly.”
Liana bit her lip to suppress a frustrated scream. She was tired of hiding and waiting to see what would happen with Lando. She wanted to be involved. She wanted to look him in the eyes and make sure he knew she had beaten him and his torment.
“If you don’t let me come,” she said, “I’ll find a way to follow you.”
“So you’re saying I need to restrain you?” Cliff’s eyes lit up with mischief. “Liana, darling, all you had to do is ask.”
“I’m not messing around, Cliff!” Liana was two seconds away from stomping her foot, she was so frustrated. “If you do restrain me so I can’t follow you, I will never forgive you. I will hate you for the rest of my life.”
Cliff studied her. Assessed her threat. And he must have known she was serious because he finally sighed and agreed. “Fine. But you have to do whatever I say when we’re in there. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Liana failed to suppress her triumphant grin. To her, this was about so much more than just seeing Lando. Cliff had just proven to her that he valued her. That he considered her an equal. And that he cared how she felt about him.
“Go get dressed.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
It was a short car ride, but it could have been two seconds down the block, and it wouldn’t have been short enough. Liana was practically bouncing in her seat. All of this would end today. Whether it ended badly or not didn’t matter—it would end. She could go back to her normal life. Or she could start something new.
Liana glanced at Cliff, his brow stern as he steered. Starting something new was looking pretty damn appealing. He wanted out of the mob. Her only hang-up about Cliff (besides his occasionally insufferable attitude) was his job. But if he quit?
She was getting too ahead of herself. Who knew wh
at the future would bring? But at least today they would finally get the chance to start working toward it.
“Stop fidgeting,” Cliff instructed.
Liana stilled her knee. She was surprised it had taken him this long to tell her to stop jiggling it. “Sorry.”
He smiled and patted her hand. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m nervous too.”
Liana widened her eyes in response, gasping dramatically.
“The great Cliff Aurello is nervous?” she exclaimed. “We must really be heading into trouble.”
Cliff scowled and retracted his hand. “I take it back. You’re overreacting.”
Liana cackled. At least if they were going to their deaths, they would be doing so in good humor.
The address Peter gave them led to an ornate iron gate at the bottom of a winding drive. At the top of it stood a beautiful mansion. Liana gasped for real this time.
“Surely this can’t be the place?” she asked.
Cliff rechecked the number on his phone. “This is the place.”
The gate was open, so he turned the SUV into the driveway and began crawling up to the elegant home.
Along the way, they passed pines and poplars, interspersed along the perimeter of the immaculately manicured lawn. Flower beds dotted the side of the driveway and looped around the back of the mansion. Liana imagined what the place might look like in the summertime. Branches swaying in a light breeze, the smell of earth and floral perfume on the air…
How could Lando live around such beauty and still be a psychopath?
Cliff parked the car by the front doors. “Remember,” he said, killing the engine. “Stay alert. Don’t eat or drink anything. And if I say run?”
“I run,” Liana filled in. “No questions asked.”
He patted her on the hand and smiled. “Good.”
Liana cracked open the door and slid out, feet crunching against the gravel. She wasn’t sure where to go from here. Was anybody even home? If they were home, were she and Cliff just supposed to knock? Ring the doorbell? Scream the names Colin Leary and Lando out over and over again until their voices turned hoarse?
As it turned out, they didn’t have to do any of that.
A gray-haired man in an immaculate tuxedo opened the door as they approached. He had a kind smile and wrinkled cheerful eyes. If this were Lando, Liana would eat her hat. If she had one.
“You must be here to see Mr. Leary,” the man greeted. “Please, come in.”
Liana glanced over at Cliff, but he seemed unruffled. He nodded at the man and followed him into the house. Liana trailed after him.
The inside of the mansion was just as resplendent as the outside. The butler—she assumed he was a butler—led them wordlessly through the foyer, down a hall, and into an airy atrium with a domed, glass roof. It was decorated with tropical plants and cacti of varying shapes and sizes and was a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house. In the middle of the room was a brown leather sofa. Across from it, a purple velvet armchair.
“Interesting decor,” Liana muttered.
Cliff clearly heard her but didn’t acknowledge her comment.
“You can wait for Mr. Leary here,” the butler said, gesturing toward the sofa. “Please take a seat.”
He breezed out of the room in a few long strides, leaving Cliff and Liana to their own devices.
“This is totally weird,” Liana commented. She moved toward a fuzzy cactus at the far end of the room, debating whether or not to touch it.
Cliff merely walked toward the couch and sat down. He patted the spot next to him.
Liana remembered her promise to do exactly as he said and suddenly slumped down beside him. All of the plants looked so interesting, and there was nobody around to tell her not to snoop. She had half a mind to go exploring, to see what made this madman tick. But she stayed sitting, docile.
Colin kept them waiting for some time. Either he was busy—doubtful—or he just liked to play games. Considering how he’d spent the last few weeks threatening, killing, and setting fires to things, Liana guessed it was the latter.
When he finally did arrive, Liana stiffened; the breath knocked right out of her lungs.
She didn’t think seeing the man who’d given her the wine would be such a blow, but something about it sent shivers up her spine. This was the man responsible for Michael’s death. This was the man trying to kill her. And she was scared, more scared than she would have thought possible with Cliff at her side.
Cliff barely even reacted. He must have slipped on the mask he wore when he was doing his job. Stony and unbreakable, he watched Colin enter without so much as a flinch.
“Thank you for stopping by, you two,” Colin said jovially. He walked to the armchair and sank down onto it with a self-satisfied smile. “I was hoping our paths would cross again soon.”
How could he be so casual when only a couple days before he’d been so angry with her and Cliff that he’d broken a beer bottle with his bare hand? His right hand was still bound up, evidence of his fury.
“Can I get either of you a drink?” Colin looked between the two of them. “No?” he asked. “Not even a drop of champagne?”
Chapter 21
Cliff’s blood boiled. He hadn’t seen Colin since he was a snot-nosed kid who tripped over his own shoelaces half the time. Now he was a man. Apparently, a rich man. But he still chose to act like a child. Cliff wished he hadn't spent so much time as a kid picking up after Colin. Look what had come out of it.
“Colin,” Cliff greeted coldly.
“Cliff!” Colin exclaimed. “It’s been a while. How’s your family?”
Cliff gritted his teeth. “They’re dead. I have a new family now.”
“I wish I’d known so I could have sent my respects. But you never wrote.” Colin rested his chin on his hand. “So sad when childhood relationships grow distant like that.”
“Ours didn’t grow distant,” Cliff corrected. “It ended.”
“It didn’t for me.” The menace in Colin’s eyes was surprising. Cliff would have been intimidated if he wasn’t so angry and so done with Colin’s shit.
“What’s going on here, Colin?” Cliff demanded. “Did you poison Michael?”
Colin nodded gleefully. “Yes of course,” he replied. “He only ever got in the way.”
Liana was stiff at Cliff’s side. He wanted to pull her to him and shield her from this awful son of a bitch, but he worried it would set Colin off. The man was clearly unhinged. He’d never seen someone act so malicious so happily.
Not that killing Colin wouldn’t make Cliff smile too. He could picture it. He had a gun on him, but he suspected there were arrangements in place that would prevent him from drawing it. Colin wouldn’t have been so relaxed otherwise.
It was a good thing he didn’t know about Cliff’s backup plan.
“What do you want?” Cliff asked. “Did you want to talk to me? You could have saved yourself a lot of effort by just picking up the phone.”
Colin leaned back in his chair, slipping his hand into his pocket in a relaxed gesture. “Where would the fun be in that? Where would the challenge be?”
“So you want a challenge?” Cliff asked.
Colin shrugged. “I’m not sure what I want. But I do know what I don’t want.”
“Anyone taking up space in my life?” Cliff filled in.
Colin’s cheeks reddened with cheer. “Exactly!” he proclaimed. At the same time, he whipped his hand out from his pocket. He was holding a gun, aiming it levelly at Liana’s head.
Fuck.
He should have known this would happen! He had made some arrangements, but not enough. Now Liana was in danger, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to her.
“Put down the gun,” Cliff said lowly.
Colin shook his head. “Someone needs to die today,” he said. He pointed the gun at Cliff. “But who?” Back to Liana. “I’ve always been so bad at making decisions.”
Liana trembled
beside Cliff. He wrapped a protective arm around her, not caring what Colin thought about it. He would do everything he could to make sure she got out of here alive, even if it meant shielding her with his own body.
“Your girlfriend is very pretty,” Colin mused. “I wish I had a girlfriend as pretty as her.”
“If you’re having problems with your Tinder profile,” Liana bit out, “I can say with some confidence that it’s not them, it’s you.”