Page 46 of Relentless

She glanced at the screen and froze. Piper thought Gavin would have moved on by now. Three years and he was still with her. Was it possible Gavin had found true love at last?

Her brows knitted. If he had, why jeopardize the relationship by pursuing other women while he was still dating her?

“Piper?” Liam covered her fist with his hand. “Do you know her?”

“It’s Brandy Strickland.”

“The friend Gavin cheated on you with?”

She nodded.

Matt gave a low whistle. “Cold.”

Piper flashed him a quick smile. “Frigid.”

“You haven’t seen Gavin in years.” Liam squeezed her hand. “Have you talked to Brandy since you broke up with Gavin?”

“No. While I still lived in my hometown, I stayed away from anyone I knew except for the people from my job. I deliberately kept my personal and work life separate. With my uncle’s questionable friendships, I didn’t want to chance a co-worker coming into contact with Hartman’s criminal element. Soon after breaking up with Gavin, I moved away from Alabama and started fresh in Knoxville. Two years later, I moved to Otter Creek.”

He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, then retrieved the desserts.

“How did the interrogation go with the cops?” Trent asked.

A snort from Simon. “About like you expected. Local law enforcement pulled our service records and learned enough to convince them we’re hired assassins out to make a name for ourselves. They think we used our military training to make bank and prove our prowess with weapons.”

“Do we need to call in a favor to throw them off your backs?”

Piper’s eyebrows rose. What kind of favor would convince the police that Liam and Simon weren’t murderers for hire?

Liam waved that suggestion aside as he swallowed his first bite of cake. “Not yet. Barrett and Kerrigan figured out we have high-powered friends and influence in the military and Washington, D.C.”

Okay, she couldn’t keep silent any longer. Curiosity was eating her up inside. “High-powered friends?”

Liam glanced at Trent and received a nod of approval before turning back to Piper. “Our unit rescued a state department official’s son from a terrorist group at the request of the president.”

Piper’s mouth gaped.

Cade sat on Piper’s other side. “The terrorists threatened to kill him if four extremely dangerous men weren’t released from a US prison and flown to Mexico. The men were responsible for multiple attacks against American civilians and troops abroad. The president would have refused the demand. He sent us to free the hostage before the terrorists carried out their threat. President Martin and the boy’s father are long-time friends. Since he couldn’t officially sanction a military mission, he contacted our boss at Fortress and requested Bravo.”

“Because of that mission, several high-powered politicians and government leaders basically gave us a blank marker to use when we need it,” Liam added.

Not if. When. “Why did your service records cause a stir? Did the detectives see mission details?” Civilian access to military files seemed to be a disaster in the making, especially since she suspected Liam and Simon weren’t simple grunts on the front lines.

“Our missions are classified because we were Special Forces.” Simon stuffed a bite of cheesecake into his mouth and sighed as he chewed. “Barrett and Kerrigan saw enough to realize we have elite training.”

“The detectives know Simon and I are comfortable with weapons and excellent shots. We have the training and experience to commit the shootings and murder.”

Simon flashed Liam a look. “You’re not on the hook for shooting the thugs.”

“Maybe not, but they’re looking at me in connection to Gavin’s death.” When Trent scowled, Liam held up his hand. “We asked Zane to provide security and traffic cam footage to prove I wasn’t near Gavin when he died.”

“You could have hired a shooter,” Piper pointed out.

“Why involve someone else in a job I could easily do myself?”

“Alibi?”

“Lousy alibi. I didn’t stop anywhere along the route between Copper Ridge and Otter Creek. I can’t prove where I was with a neutral witness. Although you rode with me, you’re personally involved with me. They’ll want proof. With security and traffic cam footage, Zane will provide irrefutable proof of our journey.”

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