Page 67 of Relentless

An elbow shot to the ribs stole Liam’s breath and shoved him off the thug who rolled to his back. Liam dove on top of Baldy and slammed his fist into the thug’s face, breaking his nose. Howling in pain and rage, Baldy swung his weapon toward Liam.

He clamped a hand around the man’s wrist with a punishing grip and pinned his arm to the ground. Liam stripped the weapon from his hand and tossed it aside. He dodged a blow to the throat and pressed his forearm against Baldy’s carotid artery. His opponent’s face reddened as he fought to free himself. The struggles weakened, then ceased as he slid into unconsciousness.

Breathing hard, Liam waited another few seconds to be sure he was down, then flipped Baldy onto his stomach. He secured his wrists behind his back with zip ties. That done, he stood and faced Piper.

When she threw herself into his arms, Liam hugged her tight. “Are you okay?”

She nodded but he knew adrenaline had poured into her system and blocked pain. Once she crashed, she’d notice any injuries.

Liam tilted her head up. His gaze zeroed in on her bleeding mouth. Jaw clenched, he turned his head and stared at Baldy, who was still unconscious.

“No.” Cade moved between Liam and Baldy. “We need to know who sent him. Can’t learn the identity if you kill him. Take your woman to the suite and send Simon or Trent. We need to interrogate this clown, hand him over to the cops, and leave Copper Ridge.”

Liam shifted toward the fallen thug, fury riding him hard. Baldy had deliberately hurt Piper to scare her into cooperating. A soft hand on his forearm brought him to a halt.

“I need my purse. Hopefully, someone hasn’t walked off with it.” She scowled. “That’s my favorite purse.”

“I handed it to our waitress with instructions to take it to the suite.”

She started to smile and winced. “Ouch. That hurts.”

Liam took her arm. His need to take care of her trumped the desire to teach Baldy a lesson in manners. “We’ll ask Matt to look at your lip.”

“And you’ll leave the bald man for the police to handle?”

“No promises.” If her injuries were more serious than a split lip, he’d dole out a suitable punishment to the creep who enjoyed hurting women.

Liam slid his arm around Piper’s waist, tightening his hold when he felt her body trembling. When they broke through the tree line, he guided her to the lodge’s side entrance and into the stairwell. He lifted Piper into his arms and carried her upstairs despite her protests. “Indulge me, Sunshine. I need to hold you. You scared me.”

Piper kissed his jaw. “Scared me, too. I knew you would find me, though. Did you activate the trackers?”

He shook his head. “The restaurant hallway had one exit that led outside. Cade and I heard you scream and tracked you.”

“Having the jewelry gave me peace of mind.”

He squeezed her gently, grateful she was alive. “I’d go to the ends of the earth to find you. With GPS help or not, I wouldn’t stop until you were my arms.”

Liam exited the stairwell on their floor and walked to the suite. He set Piper on her feet and unlocked the door.

Trent turned from the French doors and scowled when he saw the injury to Piper’s face. “What happened?”

Matt entered the suite with his mike bag, Simon on his heels. “Cade texted me.”

“Piper was kidnapped from the women’s restroom at the restaurant. Cade requested you or Simon interrogate the kidnapper before we notify the police.”

“I’ll go,” Simon said. “Coordinates?” Once he had the location, the spotter left the suite.

“While Matt checks Piper, tell me details.”

Liam relayed the events of the last hour while he watched Bravo’s medic assess Piper’s injuries. As Liam finished his report, Matt grabbed a chemically-activated ice pack and pressed it to Piper’s mouth.

“You need stitches. Would you prefer a hospital or me?”

“You.”

“All right. While we wait for the lidocaine to numb your lip, I’ll treat your scrapes.”

Liam sat beside Piper and gathered her close when he heard her teeth chattering. “It’s adrenaline dump, Piper. The shakes will pass soon.”

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