Page 52 of Trouble

“But we suspect that’s not the case anymore, if they had youwatched.”

I looked from one to the other as they talked, looking for even the slightest hint of insincerity. I found nothing. My head was spinning, and I slid down on the backrest next to Liam when my legs threatened to givein.

“You told me… you owned nightclubs,” Iwhispered.

“We do,” Liam said resignedly. “Louis and I… we try to spend as little time as we can with the bad shit. We spend most of our time with thenightclubs.”

“But… but youdo… do the ‘bad shit,’ too?” I asked. I looked at them and tried to reconcile the happy, gentle man I’d thought I was falling in love with with two mafia sons. “You… hurtpeople?”

A look of regret was mirrored in both theireyes.

“Sometimes.” Louis’ voice was soft. “When we haveto.”

“Oh, my God.” How could I have gotten them so wrong? I’d thought… but of course, they’d fooled me with who they were as well, so why notwhattheywere?

They hurtpeople.

I got up from the backrest and walked toward the frontdoor.

“Audrey…”

“Don’t.”

I ignored their calls, intent on the doorknob. I couldn’t be a part of this—I couldn’t get any further involved, no matter how much my soft, stupid heart was refusing to believe they were truly evil. Even if their own words confirmed what they were: criminals. And not just hackers, or identity thieves, or perpetrators of some white collar crime like that. They weremafia, of allthings.

A large hand closed around my shoulder the second my fingers touched the doorhandle.

“We can’t let you leave,Audrey.”

I spun around and looked up into Louis’ gray eyes. They were darker than their normal silver, and the emotion in them pulled at something deep inside of my chest. I pushed itaside.

“What, am I your hostage now?” I sniped, wrapping all my hurt and anger with them for all the lies they’d told around me like an armor. “Are you going tohurtme if Ileave?”

“Never.”They spoke at the same time, the denial immediate and fierce. Louis’ stormy eyes turned darker, as if there mere suggestion was the deepest insult they’d everheard.

“But if we let you leave, whoever was watching you will snatch you up,” Liamsaid.

“And trust us, theywillhurt you, if for no other reason than to show us they’re serious. And we’ll never allow anything to happen to you,” Louis finished. He didn’t release my shoulder until I let my fingers fall away from the doorknob. And even then, he stayed by my side until I stepped away from thedoor.

As scared and angry and overwhelmed as I was, what they were saying was making too much sense toignore.

As much as they’d lied to me, they’d come for me the second they’d known I was in danger. As I looked at them, these two men I’d never known as well as I thought, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that they wanted me to besafe.

“Okay,” I said, folding my arms across my chest as I looked at them. “What do we donow?”

“We’renot doing anything,” Liam said, his eyebrows arching high on hisforehead.

“Liam and I will make some phone calls.You’lldo nothing,” Louis finished. “Are you hungry? I think we have some bread in a cupboard orsomething.”

“I ate, thanks,” I snapped. My irritation with once again being pushed out of the loop was possibly irrational—it wasn’t like I’d have any idea what to do about rival mafia wars. Ignoring the both of them, I marched over to the couch and sank down in its soft plushness. It might be hideous, but at least it wascomfortable.

“Feel free to watch TV,” Liam said. He leaned over to get me the remote and stroked a couple of fingers along my cheek as he did. He shifted away before I could move my head from histouch.

I flicked on the giant flatscreen and tried to ignore the longing jab that still went through me whenever either man touchedme.

27

Liam

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