Page 54 of Taken By the Mobster

“Olivia?” The voice a foot above her head was familiar. “Olivia, can you hear me?”

She squinted and waited for the owner of the voice to swim into focus.

“Conor?” Olivia croaked. Her voice was raspy and unused.

“Yeah, it’s me. Thank God you’re awake.”

Olivia lifted her head and tried to ignore the excessive pounding behind her eyes. She peered at the man hovering over her. He was alone.

“Where’s Declan?” she whispered. Fear made her gut clench in agony. What if Walsh killed Declan, or he sacrificed himself to save her?

Conor crossed the room and pushed the door closed, then he returned to Olivia’s side. He sat in the chair next to the bed, took her hand, and gently squeezed it. “He’s safe, Olivia. Safe and alive,” he said. “It’s just … he can’t be here.”

Olivia narrowed her eyes. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why can’t he be here?” A tear slid down her cheek, but it hurt too much to wipe it away.

“Aside from being the most wanted man on the East Coast? Well, Walsh is dead, Liv. Declan shot him,” Conor explained. “The police have been coming around, asking a million questions about you.”

“What did you tell them?” she asked. “Do they know what happened to Walsh? Do they know it was Declan?”

“They don’t know any of that. I told them I found you wandering down the side of the road, bloody and cut up, so I picked you up and brought you here.”

“They believed you?” Olivia asked.

“I don’t know,” Conor said. “I think I play the good Samaritan pretty well. As far as anybody knows, I’m just some guy who found a woman on the side of the road and helped her out. The nurses think I’m this great guy because I keep coming around to check on you. I’m pretty sure I could get a date without even trying.”

“Ruth would kill you,” she croaked. She gestured to the water on the bedside table.

Conor smiled as he got to his feet and poured water in a plastic cup. He put a straw in it, then he hit the button to raise her bed. Once she was upright, he held the cup for her while she took a drink.

“You’re right, Ruth would kill me.” He set the cup on the tray at the foot of the bed.

Olivia cleared her throat. “The police haven’t connected what happened to me with what happened to Walsh?”

Conor shook his head. “No. It took the cops two days to find Walsh. Drew’s friend, uh, George something, called it in. He said he went to check on his rental property and found a dead body in the house. Before he called them, we went through that place and got rid of anything that might implicate us. No fingerprints, no blood, nothing. As far as the cops know, George found a dead body, and nobody knows why or what happened.”

“Thank God. Wait, do they know who I am?” she asked.

“No, you’re registered as Jane Doe. I brought you in with no purse, no belongings, nothing.” Conor shifted in his chair. “Look, Liv, the cops want to talk to you. You probably shouldn’t tell them you’re Liv O’Reilly.”

“God, no,” she said. “As far as anyone knows, I’m Olivia Miller. If anybody finds out I’m Liv O’Reilly, word could get back to my father. I do not want my family dragged into this shit with Clyde. I don’t want them to get hurt.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “This is a nightmare. What the hell am I supposed to tell them?”

Conor shrugged. “I wish I knew. Whatever you tell them cannot connect to Declan or Walsh or any of us.”

Olivia’s chest tightened, and she couldn’t breathe. Trapped in a never-ending loop of insanity, she yearned for an escape. She was sick of running, sick of hiding, sick of all the lies she constantly had to tell. She couldn’t handle much more.

Connor offered her a tissue, which she readily took. “Will you tell Declan I miss him?” she asked.

“I will, Liv,” Conor said. He squeezed her hand. “We’ll take care of this, I promise.”

“I know,” Olivia replied. “I just, well, I won’t feel safe until Declan is by my side.”

“Trust me, he feels the same way. He is driving me nuts with all the questions and the instructions.” Conor looked at his watch. “I better go. Now that you’re awake, the police will come around.” He patted her hand. “We’ll get you out of here as soon as we can.” He smiled and disappeared out the door.

The doctor spent almost an hour with her, discussing her injuries and assessing her recovery. By the time he left, Olivia could barely keep her eyes open. Unfortunately, five minutes after he left, a female police officer tapped on the door and stepped into her room.

“Mind if I come in?” she asked.

“Sure.” Olivia sighed and adjusted her bed so she could sit up more. “What can I do for you, officer?”

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