Page 41 of Relentless

“You aren’t jealous or insecure.”

“Not insecure, no. Jealous?” He cupped her nape. “Don’t kid yourself, Sunshine. If I thought another man was a rival for your affection, I’d have a hard time with it. Any man would.”

“You don’t have any reason for that. I haven’t looked at another man since I arrived in Otter Creek. The only man I want is you.”

Liam drew in a shuddering breath. “You don’t have any idea how badly I want to kiss you right now.”

“Why don’t you?” Her lips curved into a smile. “I won’t tell.”

He gave a rough laugh. “No way. I want to be where I won’t worry about your safety. The woods where we were shot at a few minutes ago is not the place and this isn’t the time. Soon, though. I promise.”

A siren sounded in the distance.

“We need to go back.” Liam reluctantly moved away from her. “The police will separate us. I want Simon to stay with you but that won’t happen. Use your new phone to call Trent. The numbers for each of my teammates, Zane Murphy, and Brent Maddox are programmed into the phone already. Lock yourself inside the suite and stay there until one of my teammates arrives.”

He moved toward Simon and the prisoner despite his driving need to drag Piper against his chest and kiss her until they both forgot about anything but each other. Liam had never wanted to shirk his duty as much as he did at that moment.

He couldn’t. Piper’s life was at stake. The best thing to do for both of them was discover what Gavin had dragged them into and find a way to get them out.

Bravo had a month in Otter Creek before they were up for deployment again. Liam would rather spend his time courting the beautiful woman by his side than hunting for a killer. Worse, if he didn’t unmask the killer before their leave time was up, he’d be forced to leave Piper’s safety to Durango or one of the PSI trainees. He didn’t think he could do it. He’d have to wrap this up before his leave ended. There was no other option that he could live with.

When they returned to the small clearing, Simon stood near their prisoner. The thug’s face was pasty white.

Liam stopped Piper before she moved too close. “What did you find out?” he asked Simon.

“Dude’s name is Mark Oberfeld. According to our tech friend, Mark has a record a mile long. He likes to play with guns and knives and doesn’t think twice about hurting people. Takes pride in his free-lance work and is well-paid for his efforts. His boss won’t be happy with him.”

“Who sent him?”

“He’s a gun for hire. He doesn’t know who put money in his account to shoot you.”

Liam stiffened. That’s not what he’d expected to hear. “Me? Not my woman?”

“Somebody doesn’t want you near the lady.”

Leaving her vulnerable to attack. Barone’s handiwork? Her uncle’s? “What about our friend in the cave?”

“He doesn’t know anything about that.”

“You believe him?”

Simon snorted. “He told me everything in less than two minutes.”

Liam’s gaze shifted to Oberfeld. “What about your friend? Did he know anything about the body in the cave?”

“Never saw him before today,” he muttered. “The person who hired me said to expect another person to take the woman. My job was you.”

“Loused that up, didn’t you?” That crack earned Liam a glare.

“Cops will be here in less than five,” Simon murmured. “Get what you need now.”

He grabbed his phone, checked the email Zane sent, and brought up the picture of Gavin. Liam turned his phone around so the thug could see the picture. “Know this guy?”

Oberfeld glanced at the picture and shook his head. “Never seen him before.”

Liam showed him the picture of Barone and Piper’s uncle. “What about these two?”

Another head shake. “Told you. I don’t know who hired me. It’s part of my protection.”

Terse voices and running feet heralded the arrival of the police. Liam pressed a kiss to the top of Piper’s head. Now the real fun would begin.

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