Page 72 of Relentless

“I might have gone to the suite instead of the restaurant’s restroom.”

“Baldy still would have targeted you,” Trent said. “Attack Liam in a deserted hallway and he’s free to grab you before anyone interferes. Or, better yet, incapacitate Liam at the door to the suite, force you both inside, and interrogate you without interruption.”

Piper frowned. “I would have screamed until I attracted someone’s attention.”

“Not if drawing attention meant a bullet in Liam’s head.” Trent phone signaled an incoming call. His face lit. “It’s Grace. I’ll take this on the balcony.”

Matt took the ice pack from Piper. “We’ll apply another in two hours. In the meantime, rest. I’ll be back in a minute with a soft drink. Drink part of it before you sleep.”

When he left, Liam turned Piper’s face gently toward him. “How do you feel?”

“You were right about the adrenaline dump. I’m tired and my muscles ache.”

“You fought hard to escape.”

Matt returned and handed Piper the drink plus a straw. When she finished half, he placed the bottle in the refrigerator. “I didn’t have a chance to ask about your injuries, Liam. You have injuries I should check?”

“Bruised ribs, nothing that needs attention.”

“I want to check.” Matt had Liam strip off his shirt.

Piper’s breath caught at the sight of his discolored rib cage. Her fingertips brushed over the mark. “You should have mentioned you were hurt.”

“The bruise will disappear in a few days. If I’d sustained a serious injury, I would have told Matt.”

The medic examined Liam’s ribs, his fingers checking each rib for breaks, then listened to his breathing. He straightened. “Bruised but you’ll live. An ice pack every two hours will help but I won’t browbeat you into it this time. I’ll check on you two later.” He left.

Liam shrugged into his shirt, then cupped Piper’s face between his palms. “I’m sorry.” His gaze dipped to her injury. “I messed up, Sunshine. It’s my fault you were hurt. I promised to protect you and I failed. Again.”

“You saved me a second time, Liam.”

“I should have accompanied you to the restroom. If I had, Baker wouldn’t have taken you.”

“No matter what you did, Baker was determined to force me to give him the information. I wish Gavin had been man enough to handle this himself instead of dumping the problem on me. If he had, he would be sunning himself on a beach somewhere with Brandy.”

“You sure he’d go to the beach?”

“Gavin avoided the mountains unless he was in the mood to ski. He preferred sun, sand, and surf. This isn’t your fault, Liam. Don’t blame yourself.”

“I wasn’t responsible for the incident in Otter Creek. This one, however, was on me. I wasn’t careful enough with your safety. Why would you trust me after that colossal failure?”

“Easy. I was in the kidnapper’s hands for ten minutes before you found me. You’re the reason I’m alive.” Piper kissed him gingerly. “Half my mouth is numb.”

He chuckled, the shadows disappearing from his eyes.

Now or never, she thought. Liam needed to hear the words and Piper needed to say them. The operative had more courage than ten men. He could handle the truth. “When Baker took me into the forest, I thought I would die before you found me.”

He flinched and started to respond.

Piper laid her fingers against his mouth, her touch light. “Hear me out. I didn’t say that to hurt you. In those minutes when I was on the ground and Baker had his gun pointed at me, I realized if he killed me, my biggest regret would be not telling you how I feel about you.”

Liam pressed his forehead to hers. “I know your feelings run deep, Sunshine. So do mine.”

“I love you, Liam. You’re so deep in my heart I’ll never let you go. I dream of a future with you, a home, a family, a dog or two.” She kissed him again. “I dream of growing old with you, greeting each morning with my arms wrapped around you, and falling asleep with my head pillowed on your chest. My life was empty without you. I never want to go back to that emptiness.”

Piper fell silent, running out of steam and courage. What if he rejected her? He’d said he was half in love with her and that gave her hope.

“Thank God,” he whispered and brushed a long series of butterfly kisses over her lips, careful to avoid her stitches. “I love you, Piper. I dream of that same future with you. I’d love a house full of children and a pack of dogs.” Liam smiled against her lips. “No cats, though.”

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