Page 2 of Liam

The two missing today were Angela Woods and Belinda (Billie) Malone. We’d known each other all our lives. We’d started school and had all been in the same Reception class, sticking together all through primary and secondary school. We’d rarely been apart over the years.

Blowing out a breath, I breathed in deep, trying to stop the tears that threatened at the love they had for me. Blinking rapidly, I tilted my head back until I had myself under control. All my dreams had been shattered—first, not making it back in time for my dad or his funeral, then finding out that my brother had swiped the company out from under me. But this here… these women made me realise that while I’d had hard hits today, they were there for me through thick and thin.

When I had myself under control enough to look them in the eye without breaking down, I reply, “I’m going to ride to New Forest and see Draco. He and his wife invited me when he heard about Dad and reached out. I’ve got some savings and what Dad put aside from the company for me, so I’ll be alright for a while. I’ll have a look around while I’m there and see if anyone is looking for a security expert; if not,” I shrug, “you know me—I’ll find something to keep me busy.”

“Awesome,” JoJo bounces on her toes, clapping her hands. “I’ll come with you. I need a change of scenery. When do you want to leave?”

Laughing a little with relief, I reach for my friend, who wastes no time engulfing me in her arms in a tight embrace. “We’ve got you, girl; don’t worry.”

“Thanks, JoJo,” I answer softly.

“Well, if my sister and best friend are going, there’s no way I’m staying here. I’m sure they have hospitals there that need a paramedic. When do you want to leave?”

“I’m going to call Draco once I leave here and see if it’s okay to turn up tomorrow. But first, I need to take my Jeep to the lockup; I was planning on riding my bike.”

“Eh, don’t do that,” JoJo orders. “I love your Jeep and hate my car, and you know there is no way I’m ever riding a bike. Let me take my car to the local garage and see what I can get for it. I’ll drive your Jeep and take whatever luggage you want me to, and you can all ride your bikes. Billie and Ange are waiting for us at the pub; I’m sure they’ll be wanting to ride with.” With that, she turns and starts walking towards her car. Clapping her hands, she calls out loudly, “Chop chop, people; we don’t have all day.”

Evie and I laugh. “She’d have been great in the Army,” Evie grins at me. None of us took offence at JoJo’s bossiness; it’s how she is and always had been.

Evie saunters after her sister, and I get in my Jeep, taking one last look at my childhood home as I slowly backed out. I knew that home wasn’t a place—it was the people who filled your life that made your home. With Mum and Dad no longer living, I’d have to find my home elsewhere.

CHAPTER 2

LIAM

All of them were falling like flies.

My brothers and even my cousin Tommy although I considered him a brother as he’d always been part of my life and had grown up in our home.

Not that I blamed them, the women they’d chosen, or maybe it was the women who’d chosen them. Either way, it didn’t matter; they were some of the best women I’d known. And I knew a fair few good, strong women. My new sisters-in-law were wonderful, and I loved them and the children they’d brought with them. I found I thoroughly enjoyed being an uncle.

However, with all the new members being added to our family, it meant there were changes within our business structure as Johnny and Adam now had other priorities. And that’s how it should be.

But it did mean we didn’t get to sit down as often as I’d like to go over how our businesses were doing. As far as I knew, it was only my clubs where we were still losing money, and while it wasn’t thousands, it was enough to be annoying. I hated not knowing how it was happening or who was doing it. I’d like to say I trusted everyone who worked for me, but that wasn’t true.

I wasn’t a trusting person. Not with the business we came from and the subsequent betrayal that meant the brother I was closest to had ended up in prison for a very long time.

I’d never wanted to be in charge of our family business. Rhett was the one I’d always followed, and I hated the feeling that I was letting him down by not knowing who was nicking money from us. Not that he would have thought that, and he’d be kicking my arse if he knew that’s how I felt. But he’d cast a large shadow, and I was content to let him. It had been a shock to no longer be in that shadow when he’d been sent down. It was especially hard not having him there to bounce ideas off about the changes I’d made once we knew there was no chance of him getting out of prison any time soon.

There had been hard decisions to make, but I knew in my heart of hearts that I wouldn’t be able to see another of my brothers in prison, and I knew it would kill my Da if it were to happen again.

I’d expected more pushback, but both Adam and Johnny had jumped on board, and surprisingly, Da had been fine with my suggestion of getting out of running guns. We’d passed all our clients as well as some of our crew that didn’t want to go into legitimate business onto our cousins in Ireland, and somehow, they made it work. A lot had retired, and we’d made sure they were comfortable.

Adam’s team had stayed with him; they were well-suited to the security and bodyguard business he’d opened. Surprisingly, we made more money now than we did when we sold guns, and it was a fuckton less dangerous.

Usually, I’d be at one of the clubs at this time of day. But today I was doing a favour for Adam and Tilly while they went to the hospital for a scan on the babies they were expecting. They hadn’t wanted to leave the office unattended as they wereexpecting someone to come and speak to them about setting up the security side of the business that Adam wanted to grow. Draco had passed on the details of someone they’d known in the military who had the right qualifications. Another great business decision had been going into partnership with the Crow MC.

We’d known them for years and at one time our families were related through Rhett’s marriage to Noni. Unfortunately, that hadn’t survived his incarceration. That was all on Rhett, though; Noni had been prepared to wait. His decision to divorce her had broken the normally bright, vivacious woman. She’d become a ghost of what she had been.

It was partly because of her generosity that we’d had the money to start up our businesses. She’d sold the house she’d lived in with Rhett and given the money she got for it to me to invest. The only thing she’d asked was that we not use it for illegal gains, and we hadn’t. We’d bought Johnny The Lounge with it but didn’t have enough for both the nightclubs until the Crows had agreed to be silent partners.

They left us alone to run them how we saw fit, for which I was grateful. And Noni was now travelling around Europe as she’d needed to get away from all the memories, not that I blamed her; there were days that I wished I could do the same. I knew she’d been to see Rhett before she’d left because he’d told me when I’d visited him.

He still loved her; we all knew that, and while none of us agreed with the way he divorced her, we could understand it. He wanted her to be able to live her own life and not wait on him because we’d all known she would. It was just the way she was built; she’d been loyal from the day she’d seen him. Her loyalty and love for my brother were two of the many reasons I had a feeling she and Bull hadn’t worked out. We missed having her in ourlives—my Da the most—but Tilly, Maya, and their children were now filling that hole.

I was brought from my musings and memories by the sound of the office phone ringing.

“Hello,” I answer.

---