Page 46 of Under His Control

“Liam—oh!” Tessa’s voice came and went as she burst in. She popped in and closed the door quickly, catching us so close together.

“Goddammit,” Liam growled softly, stepping away.

I exhaled, feeling on edge and so riled up. She’d interrupted us, and I missed the moment we’d been sharing. Liam was so hot and cold—but so was I. Both of us lasting that long without being mean was a new record.

“What, Tess?” he demanded as he opened the door and found her wincing on the other side.

“Sorry. Really.” She leaned past him to cringe at me. “So,sosorry. But Romeo texted me and asked that I make sure you both stay in.”

“We got the message,” I told her.

“Yeah, but?—”

My phone rang, and after I pulled it from my back pocket and answered on speaker, I let them listen in to whatever Franco had to update us with.

“Eva? Make sure you all stay in. More guards are coming as backup just in case.”

“What happened?” I asked, used to this yet not. It’d been a while since Dante would’ve put the order in for this much security.

“The Giovannis are attacking multiple locations. Reports of the MC are in too.”

I shook my head, pissed that both of our enemies were ganging up on us. Catching Liam’s scowl, I knew he was just as frustrated—no doubt on a personal level since they’d hurt him last.

“Stay in and stay alert. Ask Liam?—”

“I’m here,” he replied to Franco.

“Liam, stay on guard. I know you haven’t officially started on payroll, but?—”

“Of course,” Liam answered. “I’m always on guard.”

The steely glint in his eyes was no joke. He was already in protective mode, just from the word of security concerns.

“I’ll call when we know more.”

I disconnected the call. Liam sighed and ran his hand over Olivia’s hair, watching her get sleepier as she rested against me. Her tiny fingers clutched and released on my shirt, and the little gesture melted my heart.

“So, yeah.That”—Tessa pointed her fingers at the phone in my hand, smiling sheepishly—“that was why I was rushing through the house to find you. Nina’s staying in my room with me, nervous.”

“Should I come and help?—”

“No!” Tessa backed up, holding her hands in the air as she retreated toward the door. “No, no, no. You two can carry on and… yeah. Sorry again.” She hurried to turn and leave, clumsy with her rush and almost tripping into the hallway.

Once the door closed, I glanced at Liam. The moment was gone. That spell of desire was broken and a sober seriousness took over the room.

He sighed and took my hand, leading me toward the couch in the living area of his suite. “What is all of this about the Giovannis?” We sat, and he ran his hand through his hair as he sank against the cushions. “I’ve met some of the MC men, but what’s with this other group?”

Nothing could stop me from confiding in him. He would soon be working for my uncle, and I bet he was already getting lots of information from Uncle Dante himself and Franco. I saw Liam and Franco speaking quite a bit, and I knew they’d be excited for him to officially start as a recruit. His military career was simply that impressive.

Liam fit in with us, though, regardless of his employment status. He already seemed to be one of us, and I had no qualms about speaking up.

“Stefan Giovanni, the head of the Giovanni Family, used to be one of Uncle Dante’s close friends. He, Stefan, and HenryBardot—Nina’s father—used to be good buddies back in the day. Back before they all drifted apart.”

He frowned. “Didn’t Nina’s father go into the military?”

“He did. Before he enlisted, those three were close friends. Uncle Dante took the Constella name to accumulate great power and wealth. Stefan tried to as well, but over the years, he made lousy decisions and lost a lot. He sided with the Domino Family, another rival, but the Devil’s Brothers wiped them out. They fought over business, and the bikers ended them.”

“Damn.”

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