by Amy McKinley
“Knew you could do it, love. Now try it yourself.” Liam’s easy lilt relaxed her, and she lifted the gun again. “Look through the sight, aim, and squeeze.”
A rush of power and trepidation filled her. So long as she focused on the target, she didn’t have to think about pointing the weapon at an actual person. She could see the draw in going to shooting ranges. That was where she would prefer to keep her newly learned skill.
Liam reached over and adjusted her aim. On an exhale, Liv squeezed the trigger and hit the black space on the target. He took the gun from her hands and switched out the cartridge then continued to show her how to sight as she went through the next batch of bullets. When he assisted her alignment, she hit the target. On her own, she missed horribly.
When the chamber clicked empty, she handed the gun back to him. He pressed a button, and the target zoomed along a track in the ceiling to them. She grinned at his answering smile as she removed the headphones. Liam took the gun from her, reloaded it, and put it in a cabinet on the wall.
The space was enormous, and Liv’s curiosity spiked. While one side of the basement must have been used for the cellar that housed the wine, this portion split into three sections. Wrestling mats with a punching bag took up a corner, and another formed a separate room that divided and looked like storage. Glass surrounded the partitioned walls for the lone room, and monitors were set up. The final area contained the shooting range, with bulletproof glass enclosing the entire thing. In a million years, she would not have expected to find this room, accessed via a hidden door.
Liam was way more than he appeared. He’d told her he was special ops and that he and his group were forming a venture. Regardless, she remained shaken from Alex’s betrayal, afraid to put her trust in anyone. She shoved that thought aside for later and gave Liam her attention. Even though shooting at targets was fun, firing at live ones would not be. She did not intend to do that. “Why are you teaching me this?” her voice whispered between them. Even though she knew, she wanted to hear his explanation.
Liam leaned against the table and crossed his arms over his wide chest. “You know the answer to that, Liv. You have to be prepared. They’re coming.” His steady gaze never left her. “Hey, I’ve got this, and my buddies will be here to help us.”
Wringing her hands together, she agreed with what he said. They would be coming, and she did need to be ready.
While Liam watched her silent acceptance, she wondered exactly where his willingness to help her came from. She pursed her lips, ready to ask him what had bothered her for a while now. “Why you? Why did the man who flew me here tell me to go to you?”
A spark of amusement flashed in his eyes, and he grinned the crooked smile she adored. “You mean why did Trev tell you to find me? He’s a part of my team, plus we go way back. He probably thought you could use some help when he saw your bruises.” He stood to his full height and ushered her back upstairs.
Then why didn’t Trev help? That wasn’t an answer, not really.
The day was coming to a close, and that meant the arrival of the cartel was even closer. Liv’s anxiety about how Alex was doing peaked. Right now, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot she could do. With her brows furrowed, she drew her knees to her chest, just sitting quietly when Liam walked into the kitchen.
He moved to the small wine rack and retrieved a bottle and two glasses. “I promise not to ply you with alcohol. I wanted you to try this, to give me your opinion since you seem so fond of the cab we make.” He poured the dark red liquid and handed her a glass. Its spicy, woodsy smell teased her senses.
She took a sip, aware he was distracting her. Even so, she decided she was onboard with his change of subject. The full notes danced across her taste buds and soothed as they went down. It took two more drinks before she lowered her glass. The slight tingling that spread along her body relaxed her as the alcohol took effect on her nearly empty stomach. “What is this one?”
“It’s a new sangria cabernet blend we’re launching over the holidays.”
“Oh. I love it. I have a half a case left of your cabernet at home.”
He chuckled. “You do, huh? I’m glad you like it.”
“Yes.” Her smile turned wistful, and she only let the happy part of the experience come through, not the betrayal. “It’s my favorite wine. Alex called here and bought it for me as a surprise.”
His mouth pressed into a flat line. “How many cases did he buy?”
“Two. I realize that’s not a lot, but we planned on visiting, well, here.”
“I remember that conversation.”
“With Alex?”
He nodded. “Yes, he was very insistent at the store, something about leading up to an anniversary. Anyway, they transferred him to me.”
Air rushed from her parted lips. What he said, and didn’t, was like a punch to her gut. It wasn’t a shock. She was aware they had spoken, yet hearing it tilted her world all over again. Alex had planned to bring her here as a surprise for their anniversary. When she’d told him she was pregnant with their child, their plans had changed. She’d assumed it was because she couldn’t enjoy the wine, but something about Alex’s awful response led her to believe the reason wrapped into their altered lives.
She smiled, despite the aftershocks, and took another numbing sip while contemplating how fate worked in mysterious ways. “Did you finish the work you wanted to?”
Liam set his almost-full glass down. Hers, on the other hand, needed a refill, which he complied with. “Enough. There are a few things I want to look into, but my contact isn’t available until late tonight.”
No… Alex had informants, odd calls, and, she’d come to learn, an even stranger family. What did Liam hide?
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s a friend I have that’s a detective, one who’s met Alex before. There are a few things about his reappearance I wanted to hear about from Fred’s perspective. More of an inside advantage.”
The knot forming between Liv’s shoulder blades lessened marginally. “I don’t think you’ll learn anything. Alex has worked at the New York precinct for years. He’s well respected and connected.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
Chapter 23
Liv woke on the couch under a blanket Liam must have covered her with. Waking to an empty room caused agitation to itch along her skin, another reminder of her separation from her husband. After her shooting practice with Liam and all the worrying she’d done about Alex and the cartel, her exhaustion had caught up with her.
Her heart hurt. There would be no more crying. It was time to do something, even if it was only gathering information. She’d realized she would have to fight when she left the hospital and Alex. With a good start on easing her grief, she was ready to assume control of her life, her future—this time, with her eyes wide open.
She should have tried to find out about Alex, to see if there were any recent developments. Guilt sat heavy in her stomach. Liam had told her not to call home or anyone she and Alex were friends with. He’d said that would lead Alex’s family to her faster, and they needed a couple more days to prepare. It was time she woke up and dealt with her situation. She couldn’t hide there forever.
Liv picked up the remote from the end table, turned the TV on, and surfed through channels until she found the one that covered the world news. When nothing about Alex came on, she flipped to another, then another.
Until one did.
She froze as the news of Alex’s release flashed across the screen. From what the newscaster said, he’d returned home yesterday when an opportunity had opened for him to escape during the confusion of rival cartel warfare. He’d come home with no real harm, miraculously, other than cuts, bruises, and fear over his wife’s absence.
I’ll bet he’s worried.
Perhaps his family wanted to give aid to the image of him undercover in case news of his presence in Colombia had leaked. A proactive exposure of a hostage’s situation in which he was tie
d and beaten could be beneficial. In reality, she knew what the cartel would do to a real hostage. His family would have killed him, not released him.
The reporter droned on until he made an announcement that held her immobile. A statement surrounding the disappearance of Alex’s wife and the circumstances that led to her whereabouts would be aired later that night. She pursed her lips at that partial untruth. She wasn’t missing because the Ramirez cartel had killed or sold her.
Would Alex confess to everything?
She paced the length of the living room, her burner phone clutched tightly against her palm. Liam had left a note saying he would be in his office for a few hours and to come get him when she woke or if she needed anything. She needed to find out what Alex had planned.
Underneath her worry for him, anger simmered.
He owed her an explanation. In the background, she kept the news on, and every few seconds, her gaze strayed to catch the headlines, hoping for more information about the cartel, about Alex.
The sound of her fingernail tapping against the cell’s plastic egged on her ire. She despised secrets, and Alex knew that. The one he’d kept from her about his family had cost them too much. His betrayal soured in her stomach. Unable to stop herself, she pressed in the numbers she knew by heart.
Not even a full ring, and Alex barked out an answer.
“Alex?” Her heart stuttered a beat. Even with anger burning in her, the sound of his voice slew her.
“Where the hell are you?”
At his harsh demand, her hand shook. With a fortifying breath, she held firm. “That’s not important. You owe me answers.”
“Liv.” A desperate note threaded through the deep timbre of his plea. “It’s not safe. Tell me where you are so I can come to you.”
God, no. She couldn’t do that. Her life wasn’t the only one on the line there. She would not repay Liam by just telling Alex where she was. “And I was safe where you took me?” She shut her eyes and tried to calm her frayed nerves, resolving to work around her anger and focus on getting answers to her questions. “I called to find out what happened to you, to us. How are you involved with your family?”
“I—Liv, if you’re not going to tell me then just come home. Fuck, baby. Where the hell are you?”
She sucked in a breath at the fury in his voice, picturing him raking a hand through his hair. He still hadn’t answered her question, so she let silence be the answer for her.
“No, just…never mind. It doesn’t matter. Get on a plane or train from wherever you are. Things will go back to the way they were, but you need to come now.”
“I heard you’re back home after being kidnapped. What was that about? Money? I don’t understand. Who would’ve paid it with my parents dead, me gone, and you held captive? What was the point?”
“That was my brother’s stupid idea, and my dad went for it to try to flush you out from hiding.”
“What? Why? Is-is your family there with you?”
“No.”
None of this made sense. What was the point of Alex being at his father’s house, of his return home, of attempting to bring her back to his family. And now he wanted her home?
No words came. Her gaze was glued to the TV screen, and her mouth fell open. Rachel. Her beautiful face, so full of life, had a headline underneath it that made Liv want to throw up.
Murdered.
“Oh my God! Rachel.” The reporter said the killer was still at large. Rage and horror filled Liv, and through clenched teeth, she demanded, “What have you done?”
Chapter 24
Rachel’s laugh and a million shared conversations burst in Liv’s mind as devastation hit her like a ton of bricks. My God, my best friend is gone. How could he have done that? Tears flooded her eyes and fell unchecked down her cheeks.
“What had to be done.” An audible sigh carried through the line. “You shouldn’t have called her, Liv.”
She jolted. Alex’s voice sliced through her memories and yanked her back. A seed of hatred took root for what he’d done, for what he insinuated, for all of it.
“I didn’t, I…” Oh no. She’d sent Rachel a few texts about what she’d learned, the last saying she was safe and would fill her friend in on everything when she could.
Tears streamed down her face, and she swiped them away. “She was your friend too, Alex.”
“She’d become a liability. You shouldn’t have told her anything. I couldn’t let her ruin everything I’ve worked for, Liv. Besides, it was better me than Mateo.”
She slammed her finger over the disconnect button and threw the phone. The cheap device bounced along the sofa, undamaged, as she stood shaking. No matter how she used to feel about Alex, she no longer entertained the idea that there was a shred of decency for her to salvage. He was lost to her.
Unable to listen to any more, she paused the TV, which was frozen on Rachel’s picture.
“What happened?” Liam’s steady voice calmed her, marginally.
Her bottom lip quivered, and a dam broke inside her. Tears poured from her eyes, and sobs racked her body. She flew at Liam, slammed into him, and clung. Gone. Everyone she cared about was gone. Her parents. Rachel. Dead.
Liam’s strong arms wrapped around her, and she took the strength, support, and friendship he offered. He’d done nothing but be there for her, and she was eternally grateful for his friendship.
“Shhh, love. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’m here for you.”
His big hand rubbed up and down her back as she soaked his T-shirt. Out of all this hell, she was grateful to have someone to lean on and share her burden, all in friendship. If she could focus on one thing, it would be that gift.
Holding her close, Liam let her cry without pressuring her for answers. Sniffling, she let him hold her as they dropped onto the couch. After wiping her face with the Kleenex he handed her, she met his steady gaze, ready to talk. “Alex was—is—home.” Her hand fluttered toward the TV, where the paused picture of Rachel was still painted across the screen. “I wish he’d never gone back. Rachel, my closest friend…she’s dead. Murdered.”
A tic pulsed along Liam’s jaw. “Did you call him?”
Tears filled her eyes again, but she refused to let them fall. “Yes. I-I couldn’t stop myself.” And Rachel, I contacted her too. Liam grasped her shoulders as she continued. “I don’t understand. On the news, it said he was home and unofficially back to work. There was a picture of him exiting the precinct. How do the police not know?”
“They’re not completely in the dark at this point. I have a few friends on the NYPD who are damn good men. We’ve been in contact.”
Rachel must have kept her suspicions from her supervisors. Instead, she probably confronted Alex about them and sealed her fate.
Liv nodded as Liam’s words penetrated her racing mind. Still, she needed him to understand why she’d done what she had. “When I saw him on the screen, I had to find out. Why things changed, why he treated me the way he had, why he wasn’t searching for me.” She grabbed fistfuls of Liam’s shirt and growled, “He’s not the same. When he answered, he was angry. The voice on the other end wasn’t the man I married. It belonged to the stranger I met in Colombia, the one associated with his family’s world, not mine.”
Liam kissed the top of her head before he rested his chin on her hair. She burrowed closer, chilled to the bone from what she had learned.
“How do you and Rachel know each other?” he asked.
“From college.”
“Was she close to both you and Alex?”
“Yes. She was my best friend. She and Alex worked together on the police force.” Her voice broke. “God, Liam. He killed her. They said her throat was slashed. It’s how Alex’s family kills.” Bile surged up the back of her throat. “I’ve seen them use acid too. Thank God not this time. But it wasn’t them; it was Alex.”
“Are you sure it was him?”
“Yes,” she choked out. Bitterness coated her words
because of Alex’s actions and her own in bringing her best friend into the situation. “I asked him what he’d done, and he said ‘what was necessary.’ That she knew too much.” Nausea churned in her stomach. “I don’t get why it’s so important for me to go back home. What does he want from me? I need to figure out what to do, what’s best. I could go back to him to stop the killing, at least until I understand the next steps. Maybe that would stop anyone associated with me from suffering.” Oh no. If he killed Rachel, did that mean he had a hand in the car accident? My parents. If not Alex, then one of the others working for his father.
“Stay here, inside, and let me take care of you.”
With her fists, she pushed on his chest. “Why?”
“You’re safe here, Liv. Friends of mine will be arriving, and we’ll protect you. I’ll protect you.”
“What are you? I mean, I get you’re a SEAL. I get that, but why would you take on my problems? They aren’t yours.” She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I should go to the FBI or CIA or something.”
“Liv, your husband is involved with the Ramirez cartel. He killed your friend, and his family will come for you. Haven’t you wondered why he behaved differently once you were around them? And now that he’s home, there’s no mention of a connection on the news? His life is back to normal, aside from the worried husband role he’s playing.”
She gasped. “Playing?” The word was like a slap to the face. She knew it was true. Hearing someone else say it confirmed Alex’s deception from the onset of their life together. It revealed her detrimental judgment in character. She had brought this on herself.
Liam’s hands dropped from around her back and raked through his hair. “I’m not insinuating your entire marriage is fake, but the evidence points to his continued involvement. Why hasn’t he said you ran? Why is he insisting the cartel sold you?”