Page 69 of Relentless

CHAPTER TWENTY

Piper stared over her shoulder at Cade. “What did he plan to do? Shoot me and dump my body in the woods?”

“You don’t want details,” Cade said. “You’ll have enough problems sleeping tonight as it is.”

Smart man. Guess she’d be fighting kidnappers again in her sleep tonight. “Did he tell you his name?”

“John Baker. He offered to share the payout for his work if I let him go.”

Liam stiffened. “He expected us to help him kill Piper?”

“Nope. He recognized that you were emotionally involved with her. The offer was for me. When I protested killing an innocent woman, he suggested a compromise. I get the information from Piper since she trusted me, pass it to Baker, and together we’d fake her death. A win for everybody.”

Liam growled.

Piper smoothed a hand over his heart, comforting him as much as herself. Knowing who probably commissioned Baker, she wasn’t shocked at such cold bartering over her life.

Gavin should have approached the FBI or state police himself. Instead, he’d dragged her into this mess as well as Liam and his teammates, then planned to flee the country, leaving them to deal with the fallout. Liam would have taken care of the problem himself instead of thrusting Piper into danger.

She pressed her cheek against his chest again, holding the ice pack against her mouth. What had she ever seen in Gavin James? Compared to Liam, Gavin was a characterless worm.

“I should have killed Baker when I had the chance,” Liam said. “The information he gave you wasn’t enough.”

Cade lifted a shoulder. “Baker was paid for his work so he’s not one of Barone’s people. That means a paper trail. Zane will follow the money.”

“If we’re lucky,” Trent said. “The person behind this is careful. There might not be a trail.”

Piper groaned. “That is not what I wanted to hear. We have to know who’s behind the attacks to stop them.”

“We’ll find answers.” Liam kissed her temple. “Even if we have to assume alternate identities, we won’t quit.”

The thought of Liam leaving behind his mother and sister made Piper’s heart hurt. The only way to prevent it was to discover who wanted her dead, locate Gavin’s information, and destroy a criminal organization. Piece of cake.

A hard rap rattled the door. Piper jerked.

“Easy, Sunshine.” Liam rubbed her back.

Cade checked the peephole. “Cops.”

Piper loosened her hold on Liam and wrapped the blanket around herself to keep the warmth he’d shared. The shakes were gone and all she wanted to do at the moment was curl into Liam’s arms and sleep.

Liam threaded his fingers through Piper’s. “Tell me when you want to stop answering questions.” When she nodded, Liam glanced at his friend. “Let them in, Cade.”

Barrett and Kerrigan entered. Kerrigan’s gaze landed on Piper’s lip. She frowned, attention shifting to Liam with suspicion in her narrowed eyes.

Piper’s hand tightened around Liam’s. “The kidnapper hit me, not Liam.”

“You sure? Your boyfriend has bruised knuckles.”

“He punched the kidnapper.”

Barrett sat on the loveseat, studying Piper’s face. “Did one of you take a picture of Piper’s injuries before treatment?”

“I did,” Matt said.

The detective rattled off his email address. “Send me the picture for our files.” He turned to Piper and Liam. “Start at the beginning. We left your suite after seven. What happened, Piper?”

“Liam and I ate breakfast in the Copper Kettle. The waitress knocked a glass of tea onto my jeans.”

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