“Where is she, Haden?”
He arched his brow, giving Ashley the full measure of his sardonic grin. A warning that if she knew what was good for her, she’d let him go. “You ask that as if you actually expect me to answer. Let go of me, Ashley.” His warning growl would have sent many men running for the hills, yet this feisty female actually tightened her grip on him, blunt little nails digging into the underside of his wrist.
Clearly, this ballsy little chit had learned nothing since the last time she’d tangled with him. Were he not of a mind to get his hands on Olivia’s stalker, he’d be tempted to remind her of just who the fuck she was messin’ with.
As he tensed to jerk his arm from her grasp, she demanded, “Did you kill her?”
Haden froze. He was certain it was to the female’s chagrin that her voice cracked, her brave façade crumbling as tears pooled in her multi-colored eyes. A sigh blew past his gritted teeth, his gaze breaking away to track his quarry’s progress as the guy pushed through the crowded dance floor, already nearly to the exit—too late to catch him without making a scene. Goddammit!
Dropping his glare back to Ashley, he snapped, “Of course I didn’t kill her. Why would you think that?”
Her chin notched defiantly. “I just figured you were on a roll. Or are you going to try to tell me you didn’t kill Mitch?”
“Nope. That one was pure pleasure. Complete with malice aforethought and everything. Perhaps you should take heed, little bird, that you don’t end up getting stung, as well.” He rotated his wrist and pulled back, easily breaking Ashley’s grip. “You’ve sorely tested my patience, Ashley, and do not think, for one minute, that just because I saved your life once, doesn’t mean I won’t take it.”
His warning went ignored. Perhaps she didn’t believe he spoke the truth.
“If you don’t have her, then where is she?”
Why he offered her this scrap of detail was a question he was later left to ponder. Haden certainly didn’t owe this female any answers. Perhaps it was her tenacity he couldn’t help but respect. It most certainly wasn’t the tears she struggled so valiantly to contain. Sighing, he conceded, “Olivia is with Liam. At present, I know not where they are, but assuredly, I am most anxiously awaiting her safe return.”
Ashley eyed him skeptically, as if she couldn’t quite decide whether or not to believe him. He shrugged, not really giving a shit, either way.
“Do you know the man that was sitting beside you?”
“No. Why?” Wariness crept into her voice.
“Did you speak to him? Did he tell you his name?”
“Pat, I think he said. Why?”
“A last name?” he snapped impatiently. “Did he tell you his last name?”
“No, he didn’t. Why do you care?” she demanded.
“Because he’s looking for Olivia, and contrary to popular belief, I’m not her biggest threat.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Olivia wished she could say it was with greater joy that she returned home. Sometimes facing reality just plain sucked. She’d be lucky if she even had a job to return to and she had no place to live. Returning to her parents’ house of lies was not an option, and she just didn’t think she could handle Ashley right now. They were a few miles outside of Evercrest and she was oh so tempted to beg Liam to turn around and take her back to Landaketa.
It’d been harder than she thought to say goodbye to Rebecca and Henry—Niall, not so much. But in all fairness, he had saved her life, and although that angel was crass and war-hardened, it was obvious he and Liam held a deep bond of kinship.
Perhaps if she felt better, her outlook would have been more optimistic. Just as Liam had warned, the transition back had been a hard one—likening the experience to the worse hangover of her life and a severe case of jet lag. Her bones ached, and exhaustion made every breath an effort. Not even the ginger tea Rebecca had sent with her could calm Olivia’s turbulent stomach.
Liam took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, concern creasing his brow. Perhaps he, too, was feeling the mounting unease of returning. “How are you doing?”
She looked up at him and tried unsuccessfully to force a smile that, no doubt, resulted in a pained grimace. “Truth?”
“Of course.”
“I’m dreading this. I don’t think I’m ready.”
“It will be all right.”
How could he say that? How could he sound so sure? She scoffed an unladylike snort. “It’s easy for you to say. I’m upset with my parents for lying to me about you. I have no place to live, and I probably lost my job. Oh, and did I mention the police are looking for me? They’re questioning me over Mitch’s death. And I’m so nauseous right now that all I want to do is go somewhere and throw up.”
His thumb brushed over the top of her hand. “I didn’t say it was going to be easy, I said everything is going to be all right. Olivia, you need to sit down with your parents and tell them the truth, about you, about me, about everything. They love you and they were only trying to protect you the best they knew how. Even if what they did was wrong. Until you’re honest with them, they’re never going to accept me as a part of your life. As for a place to live, you have a home—with me. Now for the job, I’m certain Ronnie will understand that your absence was not your fault. And the police we will deal with together. But the nausea, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about that except pull over and give you some privacy.”
This time her smile was genuine. How did he always make it sound so simple? Her fear over the unknown and the uncertainties that lie ahead eased a touch. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. What would I ever do without you?”
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You won’t ever have to know. Delivering Haden will be my final act of service to the High Court. My covenant is with you—my life will be with you. I will serve my God from this world. There is much to be done here as we near the end of days. Your gift of sight was not by chance, and I trust His plan.”
Olivia wished she had that kind of blind faith, the confidence it took to cast her care to a higher power and believe it would all work out for good in the end. These days she struggled just to put one foot in front of the other. But then, perhaps following Liam’s logic, maybe God knew how much she needed him. Maybe He knew the danger she was in from a gift that felt more like a curse at times. And were Liam not at her side in the days to come, would she fail to have the strength to fulfill her purpose, her calling, whatever that may be?
As Liam turned down the road to her parents’ house, she forced down the rise of panic threatening to choke her. Taking a deep breath, she told herself everything was going to be all right. One thing at a time... And with Liam at her side, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do.
“You’re not coming in with me?”
Olivia’s panic was nigh palpable. Like a phantom pain, his pulse spiked to her anxiety, his senses growing preternaturally acute. As much as he would like to fix this for her, he just couldn’t. This was something she had to do herself—a conversation long overdue that needed to happen without his presence rankling her parents’ nerves.
They blamed him for stealing Olivia away moments before she was to marry Mitch. They blamed him for leaving her all those years ago and breaking their daughter’s heart. They blamed him for failing to keep her safe after abducting and hauling her across the countryside—not an unfounded blame he shouldered, and one he would continue to bear all the days of his life.
“This will go better if you speak to them alone. I have some things I need to take care of, as well. You’re exhausted and admittedly feeling poorly. Rest here tonight and I’ll be back in the morning.”
It sounded reasonable, but the look on Olivia’s face said the contrary. Now that she was home safe, he needed to see Tate, speak with her new guardian, and if time allowed, do a little searching for Haden, who, no doubt, was in the city anxiously awaiting their return.
If everything went well with h
er parents, he’d speak with her about staying with them while he delivered Haden to court. The sooner the deed was done, the sooner he could return, and they could finally start their life together. Admittedly, he had more questions than answers about his future with Olivia. They were moving into uncharted territory and he, himself, was changing—he could feel it in the subtle nuances of his energy shifts. His temperament was more prone to emotional rather than analytical processes.
But his strength remained unwavering, the presence of his Creator a constant. As long as that stayed unchanged, Liam could and would adjust to these differences. He understood that taking another path would result in sacrifices, and he was quickly discovering that one’s perception of Heaven was truly relative, because for him, that place was with Olivia. He saw it in her verdant gaze, felt it in her slightest touch, tasted it on her honey-sweet lips, and was submerged in it every time she took him into herself.
“Are you sure you won’t stay?”
It was difficult to resist her pleading emerald eyes that had always melted his heart, or the nervous way she tucked her bottom lip between her teeth. His woman had a talent for bending him to her will. Even now he was tempted to comply. Steeling his resolve, he whispered, “I can’t. And its better this way, trust me. I need to speak with Tate—let him know you’re home safely.”
Something flashed through Olivia’s eyes at the mention of the angel’s name. Regret, perhaps? Either way, he’d be lying if he said the whole situation didn’t eat at him.
“Do you think he’ll be coming back?”
“I don’t know.” Nor was he certain how he felt about that.
“Will you…” she hesitated, clearly at a loss for words and seeming uncertain of how to proceed. “Will you tell Tate…I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to make things so difficult for him. I’m afraid I was rather stubborn and willful.”
A smile tugged his top lip at her sheepish confession. “No…” he gasped, feigning surprise. “You? Willful? I don’t believe it.”
It was a good sign he could tease a laugh out of her. Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot to laugh about lately, but taking humor wherever they could, even in the midst of it all, was good for the soul. Pulling into her parents’ driveway, he parked the Patriot and left it idling.
Leaning over the center console, he took her beautiful face in his hands, careful not to touch the purple shadow beneath her cheekbone, and kissed her. After a long moment, and unable to delay the inevitable, he pulled back and met her emerald gaze. “Don’t worry. It will go well. Just tell them the truth.”
She nodded in his hands, and he couldn’t resist pressing one last kiss to her forehead before letting go. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Olivia climbed out of the car and before shutting the door, turned, and leaned back inside the cab. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The passenger door closed and before she made it to the porch steps, the front door flew open and her parents came rushing out to greet her. Shouts of joy and tears of happiness filled the air. Relieved and assured he was leaving her in loving hands, Liam reversed the Patriot. After braking for a burnt orange Charger rumbling by, he backed out of the driveway.
Pat couldn’t believe his luck. Finally, after all this time, she’d finally returned—and not a moment too soon it would seem. He wasn’t sure who the guy picking a fight with him at the bar was, but if that steely glint in those ice cold eyes was any clue, that bastard was dangerous and for serious. His warning to leave off Olivia would have been well heeded were Pat left with any other choice.
As it was, the stranger’s wrath paled in comparison to his roommate’s. And after a month of waiting and planning, he was more than willing to get this over with and seize the opportunity to start a new life.
Looks like Gahn had been right after all. As Pat rolled past Olivia’s house, the dark-haired beauty stood on the sidewalk near the porch. Her parents’ shouts of joy could be heard over his bass banging out Ludacris’ Yous a Hoe.
They hugged and kissed her, fawning all over her as they ushered her toward the house. The Patriot backed out of the driveway, brake lights flashing as the SUV halted, waiting for him to pass. Taking the first right, Pat left the development and headed home to inform his roomie to pack his shit. Olivia was back and it was time to finish this.
Exhaustion riddled Olivia’s bones, fatigue seeping into every aching muscle, and yet she could not sleep. Not even the comfort of her childhood home, or the coziness of her bed, could bring her the rest she so desperately sought.
Rolling over, Olivia was greeted with the glowing 1:15 on her alarm clock. Abandoning all hope of getting any sleep, she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders to ward off a chill, she walked over to the window and stared out to the yard below. Spotting the bench swing, a smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the night she’d sat out there with Liam until she’d fallen asleep in his arms. She thought of the mornings she’d wakened to find him sitting out there keeping vigilant watch over her.
How she wished he was out there right now. Morning couldn’t come soon enough. She feared sleep would continue to elude her until she was back in her angel’s arms and assured all was well.
Being careful to avoid the creaky floorboards and risk waking her parents, she quietly snuck downstairs and out the front door. The dew-damp grass was cool against her bare feet, and she tightened the blanket around her shoulders to ward off a chill as she sat in the swing.
Pushing it into a slow rock, she tucked her feet beneath her and sat silently, mulling over the last several hours. The much overdue talk she’d had with her parents had gone better than she’d expected. After the initial shock had worn off at discovering Liam was an angel, she proceeded to tell them about her “gift” and the danger possessing an ability to see other dimensions had placed her in. She told them about the accident when she was a child that had killed her original guardian, and she explained how Liam had come to assume her guardianship.
She reminisced about those early years when her parents were convinced she was going crazy because she was obsessed with her invisible friend. They laughed some and they cried a lot—especially when she told them about Max, the fallen angel sent to kill her. Even now, she shivered to think about how many times he’d come so close.
She could see the hurt on their faces that she’d kept these secrets from them all these years, and looking back, her decision to do so had been wrong. She should have trusted them to believe her, known they would have understood, and leaned on them during those painful years of Liam’s absence. Perhaps then she would not have made the mistake of getting involved with Mitch and he would probably still be alive.
Her parents certainly wouldn’t have pushed her so strongly to move on with her life. But now, she was ready to do just that—more than anything, she wanted to start a new life with Liam. And knowing she could have that life, and no longer need to hide the truth from her parents, from the two people she loved most in this world, was a heavy burden lifted that gave her hope and joy in anticipating a future with Liam. Admittedly, they had a long road ahead, but she had no doubt they would make it as long as they were together.
Unfortunately, Olivia wasn’t taking into consideration the potholes and detours this road would have. Had she known she was quickly approaching one such sinkhole, she would have most assuredly braked and swerved. She didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until it was too late. A mere second passed before the prickle of alarm raced up her spine, alerting her she was no longer alone. Without warning, a moist cloth clamped over her face and a hand gripped the back of her head, holding her tightly as she flailed for freedom. The chains of the swing rattled and squeaked, crying out in the protest she could not. The sweet smell of solvent burned her lungs as terror gripped her heart. A muffled scream tore her throat, winding down as blackness swiftly consumed her.
It was still early. Dawn had barely birthed a new day, but Li
am was anxious to get back to Olivia. He considered racing into her room and bypassing the whole knock on the door and face her parents sort of thing. But out of respect for them, and in the spirit of new beginnings, he knew he’d have to face them sooner or later. Taking his own advice and hoping things had gone well for her last night, he stepped up to the porch and knocked on the door. The anticipatory ripple of unease needling up his spine surprised him. He didn’t fear man or beast, but the thought of facing her parents was decidedly uncomfortable as he stood there waiting for someone to answer the door.
It wasn’t so much for his benefit that he sought their acceptance as for Olivia’s. He knew how much her parents meant to her, and if they refused to accept him, accept their relationship, it would tear her apart having to choose between them. All he wanted was her safety and happiness, both of which he would do anything to secure—including humbling himself to seek out Tate and request him to return to her guardianship.
Admittedly, the idea of another warrior taking his place galled him. But without his connection to her, she was vulnerable, and he refused to place his pride above her safety. Tate had agreed to her guardianship under the stipulation he be bound to her. Without that connection, he was no more equipped to care for her than Liam. A point he could not refute, but sat no less ill with. Liam left things with his friend, agreeing to speak with Olivia and do what he could to convince her to accept Tate’s guardianship. Like it or not, it was for the best, and this was just one of the sacrifices he was going to have to learn to live with if he wanted a life with her as his mate.
When no one answered the door, he knocked again, this time a little louder. The muffled hustle of footsteps pattered down the stairs and a moment later, the front door flew open. Kim stood on the other side, clad in a light blue housecoat. The woman looked up to greet him with more uncertainty than welcome.
Courting Darkness Page 30