Her eyes sparkle, and she smiles, and it’s the most breathtaking thing I’ve ever seen because I know she believes me.
Chapter Seventeen
Liam
Laying with Maggie in the cabin, with a breeze blowing through the barely there curtains and the forest noises all around, fills me with a sense of peace that is foreign to me. Or at least was foreign to me for a while.
You would think that with all the time I spent in prison, there would be some times when I was alone, quietly thinking, but even in medium security, that’s not the way it goes. While my bunkmate was not a violent man with me, he was a violent man in general and would find himself in situations that his temper had created. That led to many nights of growled threats from one cell to the other or tension that was palpable. It meant that I didn’t sleep a lot not only because of my cell mate but also because I just never knew who to trust, not completely, and that left me looking over my shoulder and sleeping very lightly.
I’m asleep now, mostly. Dozing, really. After we made love, because that is what we did, I curled Maggie’s back into my chest and wrapped my arms around her, holding her close so I could feel the rise and fall of each breath she took. Then we both fell asleep.
It was the best sleep I’ve ever had. I slept blissfully unaware of everything going on around me. No worries startled me awake. And when I woke, I knew exactly where I was and felt safe.
Maggie is in my arms, still asleep. The forest is alive, birds chirping, branches creaking, the smell of fresh air all around. I kiss her shoulder. Her soft skin is impossible to ignore, so I run my fingers up and down her arm and take a deep breath in so I can savor her scent, a mix of vanilla and soap, a fresh smell like the forest. I love it here, with her, at peace.
If there was only a way…
Being out here with her, it’s easy to forget about all the other things making my life Hell. Being with her is easy, period, and I don’t want it to end.
And it’s not just the chemistry, either. But, fuck, there’s a hell of a lot of chemistry between us. It’s the way she listens to me. The way she cares about how things are impacting me. I haven’t had someone giving a shit about me for a very long time.
Maybe it doesn’t have to end. Maybe there is a way. I can keep her safe. I can keep her out of the worse of things when it comes to my life and my family.
I don’t want to give her up. I don’t think she wants that, either. Maybe I do deserve some happiness.
She stirs, her lips curling into a smile as she moves her head in my direction. “I like having my arm tickled.”
I run my fingers all the way up her arm from wrist to shoulder, and my hand brushes the side of her breast on the way back down. Her nipples bud immediately.
“What about other places? Do you like it when I do this?” I lean down and roll my tongue against her budding nipple, sucking it into my mouth as I move my hand over to the other side, delicately running my finger around and around, circling her other nipple.
She arches up and opens her eyes. “Yes, I like that, too. What about you? Do you like this?” She reaches down and runs her fingers over my dick, along my head, down my shaft until she gets to my balls.
I moan and nod. “Yeah, baby, that feels damn good.”
We take our time, explore and enjoy each other, and once again make love. It feels so damn right and so damn good when she collapses back onto me, her head on my chest, her hair cascading over my skin, tickling me ever so slightly. I kiss her, and she smiles.
“I could get used to this,” I say.
She nods then goes still. “Liam, do you think—”
My phone rings—Cormac’s ringtone—and it’s like the crack of a whip. I jolt up and dig for my phone. “I have to take this.”
She’s already waving me off, like she understands why I have to leave her bed right after we’ve made love, like she understands and accepts it with no hard feelings. I want to thank her, I want to tell her why I think she’s so uniquely wonderful, but my phone rings again, and I have to answer.
“Cormac, what happened?” That sickening feeling is in my gut again.
“You need to come home, now.” Cormac is out of breath. I hear a car door slam, and then the engine of his truck revs.
“What happened?” There’s a noise in the background. “Is that Ro? Put him on.”
“Can’t.” Cormac curses, a horn blasts.
“What the fuck is going on Mac?”
“Ronan tried something. It backfired. Shawn found out, beat the shit out of him. I’m taking him to Dr. Betty.”
“Fuck! I told him not to do it. Fuck!” I pace. “How bad is it?”
“There’s a lot of blood, man.” Cormac curses again. “I think his jaw is broken. His eye looks like shit. Lost a couple of teeth for sure.”
Fuck! “You’re going to Dr. Betty’s? She still working out of the same place?” I’m moving back to the cabin. Maggie takes one look at my expression and starts handing me my clothes.
“Yeah, on Sentinel.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
I hang up, pull my clothes on, and grab Maggie so I can kiss her.
“Your brothers okay?”
I shake my head. “Ronan is hurt. I gotta go.”
“Hurt?” Maggie scrambles to put her clothes on, too. “Let me drive you. What hospital is he at?”
I raise my hand. “It’s okay. He’s not dying, but he is hurt, and I need to see him. You have to stay here.”
“Liam, I want to come.”
I shake my head but pull her in for another kiss. “Sweetie, I wish I could bring you. But I made a promise to myself not to ruin your weekend and, well, this would obliterate it.”
“I want to know what’s going on. Fuck the weekend. I want to be there with you.”
I brush her hair back from her face and look at her, like really look at her. “Maggie, please listen to me. It’s too dangerous. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t.”
If something happened to you…
Your dad would murder me.
I could never live with myself.
“But I’ll be back,” I say instead.
I will take care of things, and I will come back to her so that her weekend ends the way it began…with her happy.
“You sure?” She looks sad, torn, angry but not at me, I know, at the situation.
I nod and kiss her forehead. “I’ll take care of this, and then I’ll be back to tuck you in.” I wink.
She smiles. “Promise?”
I squeeze her ass and kiss her lips, sucking and stroking, until I’m sure she understands. “I swear it.”
“Okay.” She sighs. “You’re going to need a car.”
Right. Fuck.
“I’ll get my dad’s keys. You can take his Charger.”
A Charger? I’m about to argue when I stop short. A Charger is fast. “He’ll be pissed.”
“He won’t know.” She winks. “You’ll be back before he even realizes it’s gone.”
We both laugh at that.
…
I’m on my way in fifteen minutes, heading straight to Dr. Betty’s place in Roxbury. She’s a doctor who works after hours and for cash and has been treating my family since we first started getting dented up. We trust her, and she’s good. No questions asked. Ever.
If Cormac is heading straight there, it means things are bad, and part of me wants to gun it to Shawn first and let him know what I think of his bullshit attitude. I’ve put up with his shit for long enough. He betrayed me by setting me up to take his prison sentence and then again by leaving me there to rot, but this, hurting Ro, it’s the last straw.
I’m white-knucking Detective Chandler’s steering wheel the whole way there, cutting my driving time from two hours to one. Luckily, I don’t get a ticket, because I know t
he detective will skin me alive if his plate ends up in a police report.
Dr. Betty’s place is a three-story townhouse in a part of Roxbury that looks like it needs an undercover doctor around. I pull the Charger up to the curb and hop out.
The door opens before I can make it all the way up the stairs. Cormac is on the other side looking like shit, dark circles under his eyes, sallow skin, and an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
“Where is he?”
Cormac motions down the hall. “She’s still sewing him up.”
I lean into him and growl, “What the fuck happened?”
Cormac moves back, his hands up to ward me off. “He had a plan, wouldn’t tell me what it was, but he was off to the shipyard or something. I didn’t even realize he was gone until I got a call from Shawn telling me to come pick him up from the warehouse. Once I got there, I found Ro on the ground bleeding like a pig. The warehouse was cleared out.”
“What warehouse?”
“Shawn’s been using this warehouse at the docks to run his merch. He’s got some cops on payroll, and the paperwork is fixed. That’s what Ro was going to mess with until you told him not to, then he came up with another plan, fuck if I know what it was. Shawn musta found out, though, because he went ballistic on Ro’s face.” He sighs, rubs his hand over his jaw. “It’s bad, bro, real bad.”
“Call Shawn, find out where the fuck he is.”
“No, man, I’m not sending you to him. He’s all wound up for sure. Probably on something, too. He gets totally paranoid when a deal is about to go down, cranked up and out of control.”
I curl my fist and move in close, my jaw tight and teeth clenched. “You call that motherfucker and tell him I’m coming.”
Cormac flinches then nods. “Yeah, man, okay.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket then opens the door and steps outside.
I move down the hall to the kitchen.
“Dr. Betty,” I say as I step through the swinging door.
She’s hunched over Ronan, who’s sitting on a reclining chair. There’s a bright light hanging over him, shining a beam on his battered face. He’s got an IV in his arm and some ice packs on his hands. I wince at the destruction I see. Fuck.
She glances up at me, her eyes warped by the magnified glasses she’s wearing. “Good to see you, Liam. I heard you got out not too long ago.”
“Thanks.” I move closer, my arms folded, scanning Ro’s body for more damage. He’s covered in blood, but his chest is rising and falling in a normal rhythm. “You put him out?”
“Gave him a sedative. He’ll be spending the night here at the least.” She points to the side of his face. “He’s got a fractured jaw and eye socket. Not too sure about the damage to his eye. Time will tell with that. I’ve wired him up. He’s going to be in pain. I’ll write a script for some meds. Antibiotics and painkillers. He’ll need them crushed up, along with liquid diet for a while. Would be good to have some round-the-clock care. I can give you the name of a nurse I know. She’s trustworthy and discreet.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“I know how you boys are with staying out of trouble.” She returns to her stitching, closing up a deep cut along the side of Ronan’s cheek. “But if he takes another hit like this, it could cause brain damage. I mean, I don’t know what he was hit with, something more than a fist I would imagine, but it’s likely that he has a concussion.” She glances up at me again. “You need to keep him out of harm’s way for at least a couple of months, possibly longer.”
Rage licks at me from all sides. Shawn is going to pay for this. No one hurts my brothers, not even one of my brothers. “I’ll take care of it.”
She holds my stare for a moment then nods as well. “I need another hour here and he’ll be out for the night. Wait around and I’ll give you all the information you need to get him set up.”
I point toward the door. “Mac will take care of it. Tell him what he needs to do and he’ll do it. He pay you yet?”
She waves me off then returns to her stitching.
“Thanks, Dr. Betty. We appreciate it.”
I feel my phone vibrate as I’m walking down the hall. Mac is waiting on the doorstep smoking away. “I sent you his location. He’s expecting you. He’s got an ask. Wants access to one of your places for the deal. He’s not going to take no for an answer.” He grabs my arm. “Liam, man, he’s with some dudes, rough dudes. Watch your back.”
“Take care of things here. Make sure you pay Dr. Betty for her trouble.”
Mac nods. “Liam.” He takes a drag, blows it out to the side. “I’m serious, watch your back. Shawn isn’t like he used to be.”
I grip Cormac on the shoulder and nod. “Going in with eyes wide open. Take care of Ro. I’ll be in touch.”
Cormac holds my eyes for minute longer then nods as well and crushes his cigarette out on the step. “Call me when you’re out.” Then he disappears back into the house.
Once in the Charger, I pull out my phone and check the address. The warehouse is downtown Boston, hiding in plain sight. Very typical for my brother. If Shawn wants a fight, I’m going to bring him one.
Chapter Eighteen
Maggie
Lunch is long over, and everyone has scattered. Liam’s been gone for a while, and I’ve managed to shower, snack on some junk from the vending machine, and otherwise feel really sorry for myself. Liam didn’t want me to go with him because he’s protecting me, and that makes me wonder just how bad things are with his family. I mean, obviously they must be into something since one of them is hurt. I definitely didn’t get the impression that it was caused by some kind of accident. No, Liam made it seem like whatever his family is involved with, it’s no place for me. I think about asking my dad if he knows anything but shove that aside, knowing he’d go into super-detective mode just looking for a reason to hate my new boyfriend.
I pause.
Yeah, I just thought that. My new boyfriend, Liam, except he’s not, is he? He’s just some guy I’ve been having sex with that I’m only just starting to get to know. And now he’s off to help his brothers who are in trouble, and there’s nothing I can do about it. My stomach is in knots over that.
What if he doesn’t come back?
He has no reason to. Sure, he made a promise to himself to make this weekend great for me, and it was his idea to actually do this in the first place, but why come back if things are that bad? His own family is more important than mine. Will I ever hear from him again?
My gut says yes—why, I don’t know. Maybe because he’s been true to his word so far in the last day of getting to know him. He’s gone along with whatever crazy shit my family has thrown at him, and that last time we did it, it felt so different, like something tightened in my chest and melted me all over. Like my heart stood up and started to pay attention. In the cabin, that wasn’t just sex; that was something more.
The family is getting together for a movie night barbecue on the back lawn. This one is my dad’s doing. Like a drive-in, he said, but without the cars. He took us to one once. It was the last remaining drive-in in the state, and we drove forever to get to it, but he said he wanted us to experience it before they were all gone.
What I remember from that night isn’t the movie, though—it’s getting there before sunset and running around with all the other kids at the park. It’s going with Dad to get the big containers of popcorn drizzled with buttery, finger-greasing goodness, and the slushes, hot dogs, chips, and licorice, and laughter.
Back then me, Charlotte, and Amelia, we were tight, a unit of sister togetherness that I really miss a lot. Even Mom was laid back that night. Not too concerned with how dirty we got or where we ran off to. She and Dad snuck in a cocktail and cuddled in the front seat. It was such a good time.
So I know Dad’s trying to capture that night again, and I don’t blame him. It’s the only ide
a he had that Mom didn’t veto. I think I remember him trying to convince her to do a masquerade-like event for the final reunion gathering tomorrow. He’s always had a thing for masked balls, which is totally weird for a cop, I know. For someone who spends all his time trying to uncover the bad guys, wanting to be in a room full of masked people seems to be the opposite of cop logic. Doesn’t matter, though, because Mom said no way. Too formal and not so practical when the majority of your guests have only met you once or twice.
But the drive-in idea stuck, and there was no way Mom could sideline him on that.
I’ve been looking forward to this event all day, my excitement now diminished somewhat because Liam won’t be here to experience it.
But maybe there will be a next time. Maybe we can go on a date, go to a real drive-in…if they even exist anymore.
I grab my phone and check for the hundredth time to see if there’s a message from Liam, but of course there isn’t. It’s six, and the sun is low on the horizon. Another hour and it’ll be show time. Even though I’m in my room, I’ve got the window open, and I’m sure I can smell the barbecues warming up.
Rather than wallowing in my room, I decide to go outside and socialize with everyone, maybe help Dad with set up.
The second I step on the path that will take me to the back lawn, I know I’ve made the right decision. The tension I’m carrying across my shoulders eases instantly. There’s something about this place, the smell of the forest, the sounds of birds and breeze rustling leaves, the forest not far in the distance, that’s truly breathtaking and calming. There’s a small crowd out back already. Uncle Bernard waves at me. He’s sitting next to Grandma, and the two of them are sharing a blanket.
I smile, the warm fuzzies rolling over me, and wave back.
“Hey, Maggie, where’s Liam?”
Charlotte sidles up next to me and stretches her arms up, breathing the fresh air in deeply before letting it out again. She’s wearing a long-sleeved baggie shirt and yoga pants. I swear she’s put on weight. Not that that’s a bad thing. Charlotte could use some meat on her. She’s too hard on herself with her diet and exercise, in my opinion, even if I’m the only one who thinks that way.
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