by Paula Cox
“Oh, I hope you would have a problem.” Liana ground her butt up against him. He shuddered. “A big problem.”
Cliff laughed and kissed her shoulder, then straightened up. Liana stretched out and stood too, pulling off her disheveled clothes. Cliff stared at her with dark eyes.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Liana purred. “I don’t suppose you’d like to join me?”
Cliff raised one eyebrow and began to strip. “Maybe I will join you.”
Liana bit her lip and then took off toward the stairs in a shot. “You’ll have to make it there before I lock you out!” she called.
She took the stairs at breakneck speed, practically running on all fours. His footfalls fell heavy behind her. He was catching up.
Liana smiled. Good.
Chapter 24
Cliff had never woken up happier than he did with Liana in his arms. These past three weeks had been some of the best periods of sleep of his life. Today she was nestled against his chest, delicate fingers tangled in his chest hair. He looked down at her without moving his head, watching as her breaths flowed in and out like waves against the shore.
He always woke up before Liana did. Most of the time, Cliff would slip slowly out of bed and head downstairs to start conducting business. There wasn’t much he could do remotely, but he helped where he could. If he wasn’t working, he was trying to find Colin. With that endeavor, there was even less he could do.
It made him feel helpless. Which, in turn, made him feel sick.
But some mornings, Cliff would lie awake next to Liana until she woke up too. Most of the time he’d close his eyes and hold her while his thoughts tried to unscramble the problems in his head. Some of the time he’d watch her, smiling at how peaceful she looked. Today he draped his big arm over her tiny back and laid back on the pillow. Their breaths were synchronized, and the feeling of uselessness that so often plagued him these days took a backseat to the fierce burning he held for her deep in his chest.
Liana shifted in her sleep. Her hair spilled across his chest, tickling his nipple and sending a little jolt of pleasure down to his cock. He was tempted to wake her but decided against it in favor of holding her just a little tighter for just a little longer. He would have plenty of time to fuck her until she passed out later.
All they had now was time.
Cliff’s phone vibrated from the bedside table. Liana groaned and burrowed her head into Cliff’s chest, while he reached across with his free arm to check the caller ID. It was Julian. Cliff glanced toward the window, where the wintery blackness still consumed the world outside. What the hell was he doing calling so early?
“Don’t get it,” Liana murmured. “Too early. Stay in bed.”
Cliff chuckled, but he was already untangling himself from her. “It could be important,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
Cliff shivered as the morning air hit him and grabbed a shirt and some sweatpants off the floor before stepping out into the hall. Once he had pulled on the pants, he answered the call.
“It’s not like you to be up so early, old man,” Cliff said. He wriggled into the shirt, bare feet slapping against the hall floor.
“I wish I could be sleeping still,” Julian said, sighing. “I just got a call from Ellis. He woke up with a bottle of champagne on his front step.”
Cliff froze. Searing rage flashed through his veins. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m afraid not. And that’s not all,” Julian said. “Ellis only found the bottle because he was on his way out the door to Janelle, who had just called him because she found a bottle.”
Cliff’s stomach churned. He cast a glance back toward the bedroom door as if Colin might sneak in at any moment. The thought of it made him feel sick with rage.
“Hang on a sec,” Cliff said. He descended the stairs and stomped toward the front door, his nerves singing. Aching for a fight. Tearing open the front door, Cliff held his breath.
The cold air rushed in, blasting against Cliff’s face. The street lamp across the street glowed dully, barely holding back the shadows. All the grass on the front lawn glittered with frost. The air smelt of an oncoming storm.
But there was no bottle.
“He hasn’t found us,” Cliff said.
“No bottle for you?”
“None.”
“Didn’t think there would be,” Julian huffed. “That’s the safest safe house they ever made.”
Cliff closed the door, resisting the urge to slam it. He was safe. He shouldn’t have been so goddamn resentful of the fact. It was good to be safe. It meant Liana was safe too.
But Cliff didn’t want to be safe. If he was safe, that meant Colin was safe too. Because Cliff knew that the only way for this to end would be his gun against Colin’s head.
“He’s trying to smoke us out,” Cliff said through gritted teeth. He sank down onto his chair in the living room, trying to let the memory of yesterday’s hot sex temper his burning rage. It just made him angrier because all he could think about was how somebody wanted to hurt her. Liana. His woman.
“Undoubtedly,” Julian agreed.
“I’m coming back. I’ll go wake up Liana, and we’ll be in the city in a couple hours.”
“Absolutely not,” Julian scolded. “You need to stay where you are.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Cliff clenched his fist, bones cracking. “It’s not over. He’s sending me a message that it’s not over. And you know he wants me.”
“Which is why I think you should stay where you are. I can do some investigating on my end, but he’s getting bold. It’s too dangerous for you to come back.”
“Did you receive a bottle?” Cliff asked.
“No,” Julian replied. “For whatever reason, I haven’t gotten one yet. Maybe he’s just late with his delivery.” Julian laughed. “I’ll wait in the bushes until he comes up the walkway. Wouldn’t that be funny?”
“Julian.” Cliff’s tone was low and dangerous. It was a tone he’d used to break men before, to crack them like ice.
“Cliff.” In one word, Julian reminded Cliff why he’d been such a valued part of Cliff’s father’s enterprise. Cliff was a little surprised the old man still had it.
“What if he’s planning something worse for you?” Cliff asked. “What if they all get bottles, but you get a crate of T-4?”
“I’ve always wanted to go out with a bang.”
“I’m being serious!”
A creak off to his right caused Cliff’s head to jolt in that direction. Liana was standing on the stairs, halfway in her descent. Her eyes were wide with shock; she’d clearly been trying to sneak down.
Cliff waved her down, turning back to the living room. He sighed.
“I’m worried,” Cliff said gruffly. “People are in danger because I failed to put this lunatic down when I had the chance.” He gritted his teeth. “Someone is dead because I failed to put him down.”
“You can’t think like that,” Julian said. “This isn’t your fault.”
Liana came over and perched on the side of the chair. Cliff swung an arm around her waist and pulled her down over his lap. She landed softly on his legs, immediately curling into his side.
“Of course this is my fault,” Cliff murmured, slipping his hand into hers. “I didn’t kill him when I had the chance.”
Liana looked up at him, batting those big green eyes. “This isn’t your fault,” she whispered.
Cliff met her gaze and held it while Julian blabbed in his ear. “Colin has threatened a cop now, so there won’t be a rock he can hide under. They’ll have him flushed out in a matter of days.”
Cliff opened his mouth to retort, but Julian cut him off.
“Hang on a sec, Cliff,” he said. “Amos is on the other line. This is the third time he’s called, so I’ve got to take it.”
“Fine.” Cliff lowered his face to Liana’s forehead, pressing a tender kiss to her cool skin. “Call me right back.”
He
hung up the phone and tossed it over to the couch. The further away it was, the further away his problems were. If only it were that easy.
“What’s happening?” Liana asked. “Is it... did he resurface?”
Cliff nodded grimly. “Ellis and Janelle both woke up to champagne bottles on their doorsteps.”
Her eyes widened, and she began to scramble up out of his embrace. “We’ve got to go!” she said. “We can’t let him hurt them.”
Cliff hauled her back down and wrapped his arms around her. “Shhh.” He pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Trust me, I want to get out of here too.”
“But?”
“But maybe Julian is right,” Cliff admitted. “We can’t just run back, guns blazing.”
He even surprised himself by this admission. Only a moment ago, hadn’t he been the one itching to get back into town and rain hell down on that slimeball of a man? What had changed?
Cliff looked down at Liana’s curled up form. Her. The thought of her going back there, back into danger, had sent a wave of panic through him. But was there a way to keep her here while he went back to take on Colin?
His phone rang from the couch. Cliff sighed. He shouldn’t have tossed it so far away. Without saying a word, Liana rolled onto her side and rose, nabbed the phone, and slipped back into Cliff’s lap.
“Thanks,” he said, kissing her. The smallest of smiles curled his lip. It was gone as soon as he pressed talk.
“We’ve got a problem,” Julian said. “Ellis and Janelle weren’t the only ones to receive bottles.”
“Did you get one?” Cliff tightened his hold on Liana.
“No. But Amos did.”
“Sonofabitch.” Cliff screwed his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. “How many bottles did he send out? It’s an expensive way to send a fucking death threat.”
Julian laughed darkly. “I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet there are more on the way. I’ve got to go start dealing with this shit.”
Cliff wanted to insist on being included, but he glanced down at Liana’s wide eyes and felt that panic all over again. Even if he could leave her here, he wouldn’t feel she was safe unless he had her close at hand. Only he could protect her.
“Call me when you know more,” Cliff said reluctantly. “I’ll be here.”
He hung up the phone and tossed it back over to the couch. Only one thing would keep him from getting in the car and going to chase Colin down—a little distraction. He began to nuzzle into Liana’s delicious neck, but she shoved him away with two hands on his chest.
“We’re going,” she said.
Cliff raised a skeptical brow. “You’re giving me orders already?” he asked. “We’re not even married yet.”
“This isn’t time to joke around!” There was fire in her eyes. It just made him want her more.
“Who’s joking?” Cliff licked his lips. “I’m about to get real serious.”
Liana pushed against him again. “Cliff,” she said lowly. “No.”
Cliff stilled. Liana clearly meant business. “It’s dangerous,” he argued. “I’m not taking you into a dangerous situation.”
“That’s not your call.”
“Yes, it is!” His booming voice reverberated through the house. But Liana gazed at him as fiercely as she had the day he brought her home with him for the first time. Who was he kidding? She’d been giving him that look almost every day since.
“Liana,” he growled. “I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”
“Our friends are in danger.” She pursed her lips. It was meant to look intimidating. It looked sexy as fuck. His cock stiffened, and all he could think about was pulling down the little shorts she wore and slamming into her, right here on the couch.
“You’re in danger. That’s all that matters to me. I won’t lose you.”
“If you don’t take me back home, you will lose me.” She pushed herself off of him and stood. “Your choice.”
Chapter 25
Liana’s small smile of satisfaction lasted almost all the way back into the city. It didn’t matter to her that Cliff was stewing over in the driver’s seat. It didn’t matter that she’d have to account for her ultimatum later. She was on her way to end this all. She was on her way to save her friends.
Liana reached for the radio. They’d been driving in silence since he’d angrily shut it off a few miles back when he saw she was still smiling. Cliff shot her a dirty glare.
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
“What have you got against music?” she asked.
“I’d rather have silence so I can think about how fucking pissed at you I am.”
Liana didn’t push it. She wanted to. She always wanted to push her luck with Cliff. But now wasn’t the time, and she felt a little bad for forcing him into this anyway. Which was what sent her smile into a droop.
Cliff wasn’t somebody who liked taking orders; Liana understood that. But she didn’t understand why he had to be so goddamn grumpy about it. What use did that serve? It just made the car ride long and boring.
Luckily, once they were back in the city, entertainment was just around the corner. Too bad it was the wrong kind.
“Oh my God.” Liana gaped, bringing her face close to the window as if the image was merely distorted by the glass.
Cliff released a string of expletives that would have made a sailor blush. Liana, on the other hand, was used to it.
All the windows of Cliff’s townhouse were smashed. The door looked like someone had taken a battering ram to it. And it looked like it was only going to be worse when they got inside.
“Cliff,” Liana whispered. She looked over at him. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel. “Cliff?”
He thrust the car into park and got out, leaving it idling in the middle of the road. Liana looked from the empty driver’s seat to where he was stomping up the path to the front door. She put her hand on the door handle.
As if he sensed it, Cliff whirled. “Stay in the car!”
Liana let her hand drop. He had left no room for argument. She took advantage of the alone time and pulled out her phone, turning it on. Immediately, it began to buzz with missed voicemails. She cast a glance over to the house, but Cliff was nowhere to be seen. At least she’d be occupied until he returned.
“Hi, Liana. This is Lincoln, the entertainment manager at Rick’s. I’m calling to tell you that unfortunately, we will not be booking you in the future. You did a wonderful show, but our staff have been receiving anonymous death threats calling for your dismissal.”
Liana gasped.
“We have reported these concerns to the police. They’re looking into it, but at this time we will not be continuing our working relationship with you. Please accept my sincerest apologies. All the best.”
Liana let the phone slip from her fingers as soon as she ended the call. Tears pricked at her eyes. Where would it end? Would she ever have any peace? Why was Colin doing this? Liana scanned the house for signs of movement but saw nothing. What if Colin was still inside? What if he was going to take Cliff away from her next?
Liana wrenched the key out of the ignition and jumped out without thinking. She didn’t have any thinking left in her. All she had was rage and sadness. All she had was Cliff. She marched toward the door and pushed inside.
There was nothing left.
Everything—from the sculptures in the study to the banister on the stairs—had been smashed to smithereens. Pieces of splintered wood and broken glass crunched underfoot as she moved from room to room. Liana was afraid of what would happen if Colin were here, so she stayed quiet. Or tried to, at least.
She couldn’t hear anyone else in the house. Not at first. Just as she’d finished her sweep of the first floor, she heard a thump from upstairs. Tentatively, Liana approached the stairs, gazing up at the mangled chandelier. Had Colin done this alone? It must have taken him hours.
Footsteps approached the stairs, and Liana froze and bunched he
r muscles, preparing to bolt.
“I told you to wait in the car.” Cliff breezed past her. “Come on.”
Liana tagged along after him. Why wasn’t he yelling at her? What was going on? “Cliff,” she called weakly.
He stopped in the doorway, illuminated by the shaft of light that slipped through the broken door. His eyes looked so weary, no longer flashing steel but brooding clouds. His jaw was tight. She wondered how much he’d lost with this discovery. She wished she could have prevented it.
They should never have come. Liana might not have been able to prevent what happened here, but she could have prolonged the time until Cliff discovered it. Outside, traffic cruised by. Sirens crooned in the distance. People went on living their lives.