Page 7 of Relentless

“Not for a while. The police will have many questions and you should be checked by medical personnel.”

“I’m fine. I want to get out of here.”

He frowned. Liam understood her need to separate herself from the crime scene, but she seemed almost desperate to leave.

The cops would be here any minute. Both of them would be tied up for hours. Liam sent Josh a text to tell him what happened, then sent another text to Matt, asking him and Simon to watch over Piper.

That done, he handed his cell phone to Piper and told her the code to unlock it.

“Why are you giving me your phone?”

“I want you to have access to help. My teammates and Durango are programmed into the contact list. Matt and Simon will be here in a few minutes. Don’t allow the cops or ambulance to take you to the hospital until Matt’s with you.”

“Where will you be?”

He cupped her jaw and stroked her velvety skin with his thumb. “In police custody.”

Piper’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“Two reasons. When the cops roll up, they won’t know if I’m one of the kidnappers. Until they determine my role, I’ll be handcuffed and taken to a local police station for questioning. They’ll get it sorted out eventually.”

“And the second reason you’ll be in custody?”

He wondered if this was the last time he would see Piper. “I killed both men. They didn’t leave me another option, Piper.”

When she started to turn, Liam caught her chin in a gentle hold. “Don’t. You’ll have nightmares without seeing the evidence yourself.”

Instead of backing away in disgust as Liam had expected, Piper once again wrapped her arms around him. “You could have been shot saving me.”

“Better me than you.”

“Not in my book. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

He squeezed her tight, marveling that she allowed him to touch her. “I don’t want repayment.” He just wanted her in his life.

Two police cruisers skidded to a stop and four officers bailed from the vehicles with weapons drawn.

Piper held on when he would have eased away from her.

“I’ll be all right. I promise,” he murmured against her ear. Piper shivered and tightened her grip.

“Get on your knees, hands locked behind your head,” one officer ordered.

“Liam.” Piper’s eyes glittered with unshed tears.

“Trust me.” He straightened, clasped his hands behind his head, and backed away from Piper, his gaze locked with hers. When he was far enough away, Liam knelt on the asphalt.

Tears trickled down Piper’s cheeks as law enforcement rushed Liam and forced him to the ground. Man, he hated this, hated her tears.

One of the cops yanked Liam’s arms down and cuffed his wrists as another headed for Piper.

“You’ll need my Sig from my thigh holster.” Hated to give up his Sig, too. He doubted the weapon would be released anytime soon.

“You carrying more weapons?” another officer asked.

“Backup piece on my right calf, boot knife, and Ka-Bar.”

The air grew thick with tension. One of the officers swore softly. “Why are you carrying that much hardware?”

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