Page 127 of Relentless

“Barone’s thugs did a number on you. I understand from Matt we’re lucky you’re still with us.”

Liam blinked. He hadn’t realized it was that close.

Maddox turned to Piper. “You must be Piper. I’m Brent Maddox, Liam’s boss.”

“It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“I’m glad to see you, sir, but why are you here?” Liam asked.

“Two reasons. One, I’m in talks with the ATF over the raid at Barone’s warehouse last night. The feds aren’t happy that we interfered with their operation.”

Huh. The warehouse must have been storing illegal weapons if the ATF was involved. “When are they ever happy?”

A chuckle from Maddox. “True. The second reason I’m here is to escort you and Piper to Bayside, Texas so you can recuperate without worrying about your safety or Piper’s.”

“When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow. Jesse will fly with us. The rest of his teammates will meet us at the clinic to provide security.”

“What about Bravo?”

“I’ll send them home to help set a trap for your old buddy Spencer.”

“Details?”

“Later. We won’t proceed until you’re ready. Maybe next week. Depends on how fast you recover.”

“You’re going to draw him out.”

“Can’t leave him out there, Liam. Otherwise you won’t be able to focus on your job when Bravo is deployed. We take care of this problem now.”

Piper’s breath caught. “You’re using him as bait.”

“Well-protected bait.”

“I don’t like this. Hasn’t he suffered enough?”

“This is the fastest way to end the danger to both of you plus Bravo and Durango’s wives and girlfriends.” He folded his arms. “A woman who was prepared to fight hired thugs with nothing more than a small knife can handle a former Marine with a grudge against her man and a full team to back her up.”

She smiled. “I suppose I can.”

“That’s settled, then. I’m making arrangement to spring you from this hospital, Liam. In the meantime, we’ll follow standard procedure with one operative in the room with you at all times and one in the hallway. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning while it’s still dark. Anything I need to do in the meantime?”

“Check on Piper’s uncle. Tell him what’s going on. I’d like a team to evaluate his security at the estate. Piper and I also need our gear. Her bags are at Romano’s house. Mine is in the back of my SUV. Romano needs a bodyguard he can trust until we’re sure he’s not in danger from Barone or his cronies.”

“I’ll take care of it. I’ll have Texas do the security evaluation. Bravo has informed me they’re providing your security while you’re here.”

“Are you surprised?” Matt said.

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t.” He turned back to Liam and Piper. “Rest as much as possible.” After squeezing Liam’s hand and nodding goodbye to Piper, he left.

“He’s an interesting man,” Piper said.

Matt snorted. “He’s as tough as nails and would tear a strip off our hides if we did something stupid.”

“Sounds like he cares about his people.”

“He does.” Liam kissed Piper’s temple. “In our line of work, the consequences of carelessness can be deadly.”

The day passed in a series of long naps for Liam and walks to the cafeteria for Piper with one of his teammates serving as her bodyguard. Although Barone had been arrested along with most of his criminal organization, a few of his employees might be out for revenge against the woman who brought down an empire with her stubborn refusal to run and hide.

Overnight, Liam slept lightly, aware this was the perfect time for someone to breach the room. When Simon arrived at midnight to take over the watch in the hall, he brought Liam a Sig. A little more tension eased from his muscles. At least he could protect Piper if the worst did happen. Thankfully, the night passed in relative quiet.

A few minutes after four, Jesse and Matt rolled in a wheelchair. Liam eyed the transportation with distaste.

“Don’t argue.” Matt patted the chair. “It’s the only way you’re getting out of this place. Let us do the work. If you pull stitches loose, you’ll be stuck in here another few days.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s do this. I want Piper out of this town.”

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