Page 101 of Relentless

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Liam leaned against the railing of the balcony, his hands gripping the wrought iron. Gavin was crazy for leaving the next clue in his father’s mansion. How did he expect Piper to retrieve it? He shuddered to think what might have happened if she’d faced this treasure hunt on her own. At least with the two of them working together, he could protect her.

He thought through various scenarios and tossed them out almost as soon as they appeared in his head. He couldn’t come up with anything safe enough to take Piper into Barone’s stronghold. The problem wasn’t going in. It was surviving long enough to leave the estate grounds.

If he couldn’t come up with anything, Liam and his teammates would plan a nighttime foray onto the estate. He wasn’t risking Piper’s life for another clue.

Simon came out on the balcony. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m not.” He turned toward his best friend. “I can’t let her do this, Simon. I could lose her. If that happened, I wouldn’t survive.” He wouldn’t want to. Piper was necessary for his survival. If he lost her, he’d break apart.

Some big, bad Marine and black ops soldier he was. For a man whose strength had been honed in the hottest firefights, Piper’s strength left him breathless. She knew she was outmatched in training and experience for this job, yet she forged ahead because she had no choice. Most women of his acquaintance would have cut and run long before now. Piper never would. She wanted justice for Gavin even though his betrayal cut deep.

“We’ll take precautions.”

Liam snorted. “Might look suspicious if I take her to Barone’s place dressed in full body armor and a combat helmet.”

A quick smile. “Probably.” Simon gave him a sidelong glance. “What about getting an invitation to the estate?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you received an invitation to visit Barone, you could spread the word around town that you were going to the estate grounds.”

He stared at his friend. “I don’t love this idea. It still leaves too much opportunity for danger to Piper. Besides, how do you expect us to wrangle an invitation to the crime boss’s home? Piper can’t call him and ask to come for a visit.”

Simon was silent a moment. “Word should be spreading about Gavin’s death. Piper doesn’t need an invitation to pay a condolence call to Gavin’s father since she’s in town. She’ll draw more attention if she doesn’t go. This is a small town. Her visit will be expected. Better still, she can take you with her as well as her uncle. No one will question your presence since you’re engaged and want to support the woman you love.”

Liam stared out at the landscape again, a ball of ice in the pit of his stomach. The last thing he wanted to do was take Piper to Barone, but he couldn’t see a way around it. He and the other Fortress operatives could slip onto the estate in the middle of the night. However, the likelihood of a confrontation while outnumbered by the enemy was near one hundred percent. Barone would claim his security force had protected him against armed intruders. A law enforcement community in the crime boss’s pocket wouldn’t question Barone’s version of events.

If by some miracle they made it inside the house without encountering at least one of the numerous guards, Piper was the only one who knew how Gavin’s mind worked. Liam and the others might find the next clue but wouldn’t be able to decipher it. He wouldn’t have known where to look for the other two clues if not for Piper.

Besides, he’d read the clue directing them to the Barone estate. Gavin hadn’t left enough obvious information for Liam and his teammates to know where to start looking. The longer they stayed in the mansion searching for the clue, the greater risk they took of being discovered in a confined space.

“I know you don’t want to take her to Barone’s estate. A condolence call is the most natural way to take her where she needs to be for the next clue.”

“How did Gavin expect her to get onto the estate grounds?”

A shrug from Simon. “Her uncle.”

Made sense. If Piper mended fences with her uncle, Gino Romano could wrangle that invitation with no trouble. One man visiting an old friend and bringing his niece along for the visit wouldn’t raise suspicion.

“Liam?”

He turned and held out his hand to Piper. Liam wrapped his arms around her. “Feeling better?” He hadn’t liked how pale she’d been earlier, grateful the two medics had taken care of her while Liam came to the balcony to call Maddox.

Simon used a hand signal to indicate he and Liam would talk more later.

Piper nodded. “You were right. I needed to eat.” She tilted her head back and smiled. “Don’t tell Jesse, but I’m pretty sure it was the pound cake that did it, not the rest of the food he piled on my plate.”

Amused, he dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. “I thought your secret vice was chocolate.”

“Preferred vice, although it’s not a secret. I think sugar in all forms is my downfall.” She cupped his jaw with a soft palm. “Talk to me, Liam.”

“Reading my mind again?”

“I know you’re upset. You weren’t able to find a way to get me inside Barone’s estate?”

“Simon and I thought of a way.”

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