Liam: Branded Brothers

by Raen Smith

  Breathe, you’re fine.

  “Slow down,” he interrupted. “Someone was in the cottage? Start from the beginning.”

  She exhaled again and started in, “I packed my bag and was headed out when I saw the basement door was open. I went down there and saw the walls had been torn apart. Every single board was taken down. Panels were broken all over the place. All of the studs were exposed. I mean, the whole thing was trashed. So, I ran back upstairs, intent on leaving, when he grabbed me.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Liam interrupted.

  “No, I’m fine, except for some shot nerves. He wanted me to tell him where some bag was.”

  “Where what was?”

  “I don’t know, some bag,” she replied. “He just kept on insisting I knew what it was. I have no fucking clue what he was looking for, but he knew my name.”

  “Did you get a good look at him?”

  “He was wearing a ski mask.” She closed her eyes, trying to envision anything about him that resonated with her. All she could see were his piercing jade eyes and his massive size. “He was huge, 6’5’ or so. Big arms, bigger than yours. Green eyes. He had an accent. Like he was from the east coast or something. Boston, like one of my classmates. I’ve never seen him before, at least I don’t think anyway.”

  “Good, that’s a start,” he replied, his voice jostling around and the soft sound of an engine starting. “Where are you? Are you safe?”

  “I don’t know. I think so,” she replied, glancing again at the thick line of trees on either side of the road. He was somewhere out there, and the last thing she needed was for him to see her on her cell phone. Get yourself together. She took another deep breath and gripped the steering wheel with one hand. I can do this. She shifted the car in drive and spun out of the dirt back onto the pavement. “I’m getting back on the road. I’m going to the Equinox, Jill’s gym. This asshole is somewhere out here. I didn’t see a car or anything, but he has to be out here somewhere, and I don’t want to be anywhere near here when he shows up or else…”

  “Or else what?” he asked.

  “He threatened to kill me if I went to the police or if I told anyone,” she said. “He said the other guys weren’t as generous as he was, implying they would have killed me.”

  “God damn it! He threatened to kill you? Charla, oh God, I’m so sorry.”

  “He said he didn’t want to see my head floating in the lake.” The words stung in her mouth.

  “That’s not going to happen. I’m not going to let him near you, you hear? I’m not going to let you get hurt,” he said. “No matter what. I’ll find that bastard and take him down.”

  “Maybe we should go to the police…I mean, Jesus, their job is to protect and serve. They have to be able to put me in protective custody or a safe house or something. That shit exists, right?”

  “It does,” Liam said slowly, calculating his next words. “But if he threatened you like that, he’s going to find a way to keep his promise and if not him, then one of the other guys he works with. Give me one day, then we’ll go to the police.”

  “But -”

  “Charla, trust me.” The weight of his words hung between them.

  Despite the fact she’d only met him less than forty-eight hours ago, she trusted him more than anyone, besides Jill. But Jill wasn’t going to do a whole helluva lot against the jade-eyed intruder. “Yeah, okay,” she replied softly. “Liam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You know I’m not cut out for this shit. I’m just a regular girl from Hudson, Illinois.”

  “But you’re my girl,” he replied. “I’ll meet you at the gym in fifteen minutes.”

  Chapter 11

  The stifling heat swirled in the locked car as Charla watched people filter in and out of the front entrance of Equinox. Beads of sweat formed on the back of her neck, plastering her hair to her skin. She only had a few more minutes in her sealed car before she’d either have to crack a window or get her ass out of the seat, neither of which she could bring herself to do at the moment. She glanced at the rear view mirror, hoping like hell Liam would get here soon.

  TAP. TAP. TAP.

  “Shit.” She jumped out of her seat at the sound of tapping glass. She spun her head to see Liam’s calm eyes staring back at her. She exhaled and reached for the window.

  “You scared me,” she said as she rolled down the window. The warm summer air felt like a cool breeze against her skin. She gulped it in and fanned out her shirt.

  “Are you okay?” He bent down and pressed his hands against the opening of the window.

  “I’m better now,” she replied quietly, watching a man with a gym bag jog towards the gym behind Liam. She’d been eyeing every passing male with intense scrutiny, expecting to see the jade-eyed intruder pop up any second. “Not exactly okay, but better. I don’t know how to be okay after something like that.”

  “Charla,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry.”

  “What’s there to be sorry about? It’s not your fault some guy grabbed me and threatened to kill me.”

  “I thought he didn’t hurt you?” His eyes darkened.

  “Well, he grabbed and squeezed me, almost made me pass out, but he didn’t exactly hurt me.” She looked down at her red hands that were raw from rubbing them together while she waited for Liam.

  “Do you need to be checked out?” He pressed.

  “No,” she waved her hand. “It’s going to take a whole lot more to get me in a hospital. I’m a nurse for Christ’s sake, I can handle myself.”

  Liam cracked a smile. “That’s what I like to hear. You did fend him off without any weapons. That’s not an easy feat. You must have talked your way out of it…”

  “He told me he let me go because I was beautiful,” she replied.

  “Well, he’s right about something.” Liam stood up and scanned the parking lot. “Why don’t you get out of that car. It’s got to be hot as hell.”

  “It is,” Charla agreed, feeling the comfort and ease of their conversation chip away her anxiety. Liam stepped back to let her open the door and climb out of the car. “I told Jill that I’d stop here and get a key to her place for tonight.”

  “You’re not staying with Jill,” he replied, shutting the door for her. He faced her for a second, staring intently into her eyes as he touched her shoulders. “There’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight until we get this settled.”

  “Jill and Aaron will be home tonight,” she replied half-heartedly. “Plus, how are you going to get Mickey McGrath if you’re watching me?”

  “I’ll leave you with someone I trust.” He pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the smell and comfort of a man she never wanted to let go. A man who made her feel safe. He kissed the top of her head softly. “Ronan’s meeting me at my place at five. Jerry’s going to be there, too. We’re going to make a plan to take down Mickey. We might be staking out tonight, and if that’s the case, I’ll have Jerry stay with you.”

  “You trust him?” she asked, pulling her head away from him.

  “Yeah,” he replied. “And Jerry’s got more to offer than I originally thought. He knew Jack, and I’m going to get him to tell us everything he knows tonight. We’ve got to have all the cards laid out tonight if we have any chance of getting Mickey.”

  “You think the intruder at the cottage was one of his guys?”

  “Most likely,” he replied, scanning the parking lot again. “But he let you go, which makes me think they’re not after blood. They’re after something else.”

  “I hope they find it and get the hell out here,” she replied.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t them get to you again. If they even as much as lay a finger on you…” He tilted her chin toward him and bent down to press his lips against hers. He kissed her lightly, leaving a sweet taste on her lips. “I’ll kill them.”

  “As long as you kill them before they kill me,” she whisp
ered.

  “I promise.” He pulled away from her and looked in her eyes. “Now let’s go tell Jill that your sleepover is canceled. No one else is going to be sleeping with you but me.”

  Charla smiled before turning to lead them into the gym. They walked through the double doors into the expansive foyer lined with glass. The gym was more like a spa resort than a workout facility where people busted their asses to get in shape. The only reason Charla could even take classes at Equinox was because Jill gave her a screaming steal on classes.

  “Some gym,” Liam said, looking around.

  “Yeah, you should see Jill’s clientele,” she replied as she walked to the front desk. “It’s all the rich business owners in the Chicago suburbs, well actually, it’s mostly their wives. Their fat asses barely make it to the gym, according to Jill anyway.”

  Charla shook her head before she turned to the sleek woman who sat perfectly perched at the front desk. “Hi Hailey, I’m here to see Jill.”

  “Sure,” the woman said sweetly, cracking the pink shade painted on her lips as she did a one-over at Liam. She hesitated, finding pleasure in staring at the man next to Charla, before she pressed her French-tipped fingernail against a sheet of paper and looked down. “Her kettle-bells class is just ending in Paris. You’ll find her there.”

  She popped her head up, looking at Liam again and added, “Who’s your friend?”

  “Liam Murphy,” he replied, holding out his hand. “And it’s boyfriend.”

  The woman’s face fell into an “O” shape of disappointment as she held out her hand and met his. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Same to you,” he replied as he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around Charla’s waist. Hailey gave one last meager smile before they left her perched behind the desk by herself again.

  “Boyfriend?” Charla whispered. “I don’t know that I agreed to that. I’ve only known you for two days.”

  “I think we got to know each other pretty well last night, don’t you?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, I don’t want any rich bastards getting the wrong idea about you.”

  “Please,” she replied, feeling the warmth of his hand against her hip. She could definitely get used to that. She pointed to the hallway on her right. “Paris is through here.”

  “What’s with the name by the way? Are we getting on a plane?” he asked, following her.

  “Each room is named a different city. It’s meant to ‘bring you to the ends of the world’ while you bust your ass.” She laughed as they watched a handful of platinum blondes with high, perfectly shaped breasts filter out of a room. “It’s crazy, I know. This is it.”

  They walked through the doors to see Jill bending down to pick up the equipment in front of a black and white photo mural of the Eiffel Tower.

  “Hey, Jill,” Charla called as they walked toward her.

  Jill popped her head up and gave a small wave before she picked up another weight. Her head shot back to them, giving Liam a double take. “Oh, hey,” she said, putting down the weight and straightening herself up. She eyed Charla before turning to the man next to her. “You must be Liam.”

  “I guess I have a reputation around here already,” he said, shaking Jill’s outstretched hand. “I hope it’s a good one.”

  “Jury’s still out,” Jill replied carefully, turning to Charla. “You’re here for the key.”

  “Well, about that,” she replied. “I don’t need to stay with you after all.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jill said, eyeing her as she put her hands on her hips. “Where are you staying?”

  “With Liam,” she replied. Jill narrowed her eyes at Charla. Jill knew, just like she always did, that something wasn’t right. But Charla wasn’t about to send her friend into a crazed frenzy that would have her marching straight to the police. It’s the last thing Charla needed.

  “With Liam,” Jill repeated, studying him carefully. “Didn’t you two just meet?”

  “It’s only for the next few nights until I find a place,” Charla said. “Plus, then you don’t have to deal with Aaron throwing a fit about me staying on the couch.”

  “I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” Liam replied, putting his arm around Charla’s waist again.

  “Right,” Jill snorted, turning back to the weights. Liam jumped in and started to help her, carrying three at a time. She watched him for a second before adding, “Somehow I don’t believe that, but whatever you want to do Charla, you do it. By the way, I swore I saw Paul lifting weights before class started.”

  “You did?” Charla asked, rushing toward her. “You think he’s still here?”

  “Maybe. I think he came over his lunch break, but it’s a little after one now.” Jill stopped and held a weight in her hands. “You want to meet him or something? He’ll probably make her head spin at all the geek talk.”

  “Let’s go, Liam,” Charla said as he put back the last weight. He walked over and gave her a questioning look. “Trust me, you’re going to thank me if he turns out to be who I think he is.”

  “Who do you think he is?” Jill asked, putting her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on? How are you going to find him?”

  “What color shirt is he wearing?” Charla asked.

  “Blue.”

  “That’s all I need. We’re going to head to the gym to see if he’s still here.” Charla grabbed Liam’s hand and pulled him toward the door. “Don’t worry, Jill, I’ll fill you in later.”

  “You know I hate not knowing,” Jill called after her. “Paul’s probably the youngest guy in there.”

  “You have to trust me on this one,” Charla said over her shoulder.

  Jill muttered something Charla couldn’t make out. Then she yelled, “Well, I guess it was nice meeting you.”

  But Charla and Liam were already half way down the hall, headed toward the main gym.

  “What is it?” Liam asked, jogging to keep up with Charla as she turned the corner into a bigger hallway. She stood before a glass wall, scanning through the handful of men lifting weights.

  “There,” she said, pointing to a man in his early twenties wearing a blue shirt doing bicep curls in the mirror. It had to be Paul. The rest of the men were silver-haired with pot bellies. “I think that’s Brody.”

  “You said his name was Paul,” he said, gazing through the window with her.

  “I know, his name is Paul,” she replied, waiting for him to turn around. He had the same dark hair as Liam, but his build was much smaller. He was lean, almost verging on thin.

  “I don’t see how…”

  “His adoptive parents must have changed his name,” she explained. “Jill told me he has the tattoo. Well, she said he has a tattoo with interlocking circles.”

  “I’m sure other people have the same tattoo. It’s not that uncommon,” he said with speculation in his voice, looking back as Paul put down the weight. He pulled up his baggy sleeve and flexed his small muscle in the mirror. “That can’t be my brother.”

  “It’s over his heart, and it’s small.” She turned toward Liam and met his eyes. “Like he didn’t have it redone. It’s worth a shot. What do you have to lose?”

  “Nothing I guess,” he said, pulling the door open and letting her walk through first.

  Charla smiled politely at the watchful eyes of a few men as they made their way to Paul who was bending down to pick up his dumbbells again. She studied Liam standing next to Paul in the mirror. They were definitely mismatched, their sizes throwing her off. She studied their faces, trying to find a resemblance in them, but Liam’s was thick and filled out while Paul’s was thin and had more pointed features. Maybe she had been wrong…

  “Are you Paul?” Liam asked as he curled his right arm up. He let out a puff of breath as he lowered his right arm and curled up his left.

  “Yeah,” he said, still alternating pumps. Charla noticed the twenty pound marker on the weights. Paul definitely needed some more time in the gym if
he wanted to look anything like Liam. He puffed out another breath, still looking at himself in the mirror as he pumped. He was only on his sixth rep when he stopped and put the weights in front of his feet. He looked at Charla in the mirror before turning to Liam.

  “Someone told us that you have something we might be looking for,” Liam said.

  “Oh yeah,” he replied, looking at them thoughtfully as he put his hands on his hips. “People usually don’t want something from me unless it’s money or software, and usually they don’t look anything like either of you.”

  “It’s definitely not software or money,” Charla replied, stepping in. “My friend Jill is a personal trainer here. You might have seen her - pretty with honey-blonde hair and a tight body. Drill sergeant type during workouts.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen Jill around,” he said, nodding his head.

  “Well, she mentioned you have a tattoo on your heart,” she replied. “A Celtic symbol.”

  “You mean this?” He lifted up his shirt and pointed to a distorted tattoo not much bigger than the size of a quarter. The lines of the circles were so faded, it was difficult to determine where one ended and another began. “Jill saw this?”

  “Yeah,” Charla replied, leaning in closer to get a better look. As distorted as it was, she could still tell it was the same one as Liam’s.

  “Did she like it or something?” A flash of hope sparked in his eyes. It was obvious that Paul wasn’t exactly killing it with the ladies, although Charla wondered why. Sure, he was thin, but he had a similar look she found attractive in Liam. Paul was younger, almost with a boyish edge, but the look was still in his eyes. Pair that with a fat stack of cash, and she was sure women would be flocking to him.

  “I have the same one,” Liam said, lifting up his shirt to expose his chiseled chest of ink. He pointed to his heart. “And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we both have one.”

  Paul gave them a blank look. “What are you trying to say?”