Page 72 of Blood Money

“Did he go after him? Did he….”

I let go of Liam’s arms and raised off of him so he wasn’t fully pinned down. I didn’t want to scare him more. “He’s watching the man, and we’ve got a tracker on his truck now.”

“Then where the hell is he?”

“Right now, he’s at an apartment we’re assuming belongs to him.”

“Why would somebody be following me?” I could feel him trembling beneath me.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”

“What do you mean? What have you been?—”

My phone rang.

I glanced back at Liam. “It’s Vito. I’ve got to take it.”

Liam nodded and slid from the bed, reaching for his clothes.

I kept my eye on him as I answered the call. I needed to make sure he wasn’t thinking of making a run for it. He was scared of whoever was watching him, but he was still angry that I’d put a security detail on him. “What’s up, Vito?”

“Crandall just called. He said he tried you earlier and didn’t get you.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced at the screen. I had a notification of a missed call. It must’ve come in while I was fucking the hell out of Liam. He was the only one who could ever make me lose my alertness like that, and it was dangerous as hell if someone was after him.

“Did he find something?”

“Yeah. A hell of a lot. This thing goes deep.”

Exactly what my gut had been telling me. “Spit it out?”

“It looks like your man has got a clear connection to the Irish mob.”

“Damn.” I’d really been hoping my instincts were wrong. I turned so Liam couldn’t see my face. I didn’t want him trying to read my expression until I was done with Vito.

“We’re still piecing the story together,” Vito said. “Liam’s father is related to the O’Keefes. When they were in power, he worked for them, but not as an accountant. He was one of their top assassins. He was known as Sharps.”

“You’ve to be kidding me. Sharps is supposed to be dead.”

“So is Pops.”

“True.” Did Liam know all this? Had he lied to me? No, he’d been a little kid when everything changed. No one would have told him, right? I thought of the things I had known as a kid. Could I really be sure?

But what motive would Liam have for working his way into my life? We stayed out of Irish business, and they stayed out of ours. I prayed Liam was innocent. I didn’t know if I’d survive the betrayal if I found out this was all a sham. “What happened after the O’Keefes fell from power?”

“Liam’s father took on his new identity,” Vito said.

“At least now we know why his name didn’t ring any bells.”

“Right. The McConnells took control, and his father hid in plain sight, pretending to have a boring office job.”

I could see where this was going. “They located him, and they had a vendetta to settle.”

“Exactly. Sharps had killed several powerful members of the family. So, they staged the accident that killed Sharps and his wife.”

“And there weren’t meant to be any survivors,” I said. “But why did they wait so long to come after Liam?” And why wouldn’t Sharps want his son to know his legacy?

Liam had headed toward the kitchen, but when he heard his name, he turned back, frowning.

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