Page 16 of Relentless

CHAPTER SIX

Liam waited for Piper to spill the secret tearing her apart inside, a secret that might cost her life if she didn’t tell him what he needed to know.

Her beautiful eyes shifted away from his gaze again, tension in every line of her body. “I’m afraid to tell you.”

Not what he’d expected from her lips. Was her reluctance to share the information related to him killing two men? “Why?”

“Once you know the truth, you’d be wise to walk away from me and never look back.” Pain and resignation filled her voice.

He stared. “You know what I do for a living. You saw a prime example on the highway last night and I’ve done many more things in the gray zone, edging toward black. Nothing you tell me will change my opinion of you.”

“You say that now.”

“I’ll always say that.” Liam squeezed her hand. “We have time to talk without an audience now. Once we leave the hospital, we’ll be hard pressed to find a time to talk this out alone.”

Piper frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Until I’m sure there’s no more danger, you’ll have at least one member of Bravo by your side.” As long as Fortress didn’t deploy his unit again until this was resolved, Liam would be by Piper’s side or have someone in place that he trusted. If his boss, Brent Maddox, needed Bravo, Liam would arrange for members of Durango, the Delta team assigned to PSI, to watch over Piper.

“But you killed the kidnappers.”

“Someone may have sent them to grab you. If that’s true, the instigator will find someone else to complete the job. Hit men are easy to find if you pay the right price.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“It’s not meant to. Talk to me, Sunshine.”

Her gaze flew to his. “You’ve never called me that before.”

“Do you mind?”

“Are you kidding? I love it. Why Sunshine instead of sweetheart or honey?”

“I might call you those, too. To me, you’re as bright as a ray of sunshine.”

“Liam.” Tears glimmered in her eyes.

“You light up a room just by walking inside. You cheer me up every time I’m around you. Trust me to handle your secrets.”

“The story’s not pretty.”

He shrugged. “I’m not going anywhere. May I hold you while you tell me the story?”

Her lips curved. “I’d like that.” Piper scooted close to the opposite edge of the bed, making room for him to sit beside her.

Excellent. Liam eased down beside Piper and gathered her against his side. Her head rested on his shoulder. “Comfortable?” When she nodded, he pressed a light kiss to her temple. She might feel more comfortable baring her soul when he wasn’t looking at her.

He relaxed against the upraised mattress and pillow and waited for her to begin.

“I told you I met Gavin at a friend’s birthday party and that’s true. What I didn’t mention to Nick Santana is that Gavin works for my uncle.” She fell silent again.

Rather than rush her, Liam stroked her arm with a gentle touch, reminding her of his presence and support without pushing her to say more until she was ready.

“My uncle is my only living relative. I lost my parents in a plane crash when I was three years old. Uncle Gino took me in and raised me. We were close when I was growing up. At least, I thought we were.” She sighed. “Anyway, Uncle Gino wanted me to settle down and raise a family.”

“Let me guess. Gavin was his choice of mate for you.”

Piper nodded again. “It took me a long time to figure out my uncle had set up the first meeting between me and Gavin.” Wry laughter escaped her. “I should have known something was up when Brandy planned a birthday celebration for herself. She’d never done that before and hadn’t mentioned it in the weeks prior to the party. I found out after I broke up with Gavin that my uncle had arranged to pay off Brandy’s school loans if she had the party.”

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