Page 67 of Be Very Quiet

“Pissed, but fine.” Nina brushed the hair off Liliana’s face. “Girl, you are a rock star.”

“Are you kidding? I was terrified. You gave me the strength to confront him.”

Nina looked surprised. “How so?”

“You weren’t the least bit afraid. You taunted Douglas.”

Nina gave a sheepish grin. “Maybe not the smartest idea. I can’t believe your man busted in to save you. That’s so hot.”

Your man. The phrase sent a shiver through Liliana, and she glanced at Luca. He looked so steady. Totally in charge. He was her rock. He looked at her, and breathing was difficult. It wasn’t because of Douglas’s kick, but the one Luca gave to her heart every time she saw him. She was so head over heels in love with him it wasn’t even funny.

“Did you hear me?”

Liliana turned back to Nina. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“That it turns out, we didn’t need him. You were the savior.”

#

Following the signal of the backup tracker, Luca and the others drove down a busy road with houses separated by fences and palm trees. Audria parked along the street instead of pulling into the driveway, so they didn’t tip anyone off if they looked out a window.

Luca started for the house, but Audria grabbed his arm to stop him. “What?”

“We can’t go charging in without assessing the situation. I know you know that, Luca. You were a detective.”

Damn it, she was right. He couldn’t go in guns blazing and risk Liliana being shot . . . or worse. Nina too. But his head wasn’t telling him to rush in and grab her. It was his heart.

This was why it was never wise to get involved with a client, though, technically, she wasn’t one. He was doing this on his own, with his bosses’ approval. Still, when you tossed feelings into the mix, mistakes could be made—costly ones.

“Okay. You’re right. Christian, you head to the left side to check the windows. Audria, the right. I’ll take the front. Status update via comms.”

They spread out and crept to the house. Luca stayed low as he moved to the porch and ducked beneath the window until he could look inside. A formal living room that seemed too perfect to be lived in. No stray soda cans, no toys on the floor, and no dust. There was also no Liliana.

“Got something.”

“What is it, Christian?”

“Bedroom, back left quadrant. Liliana tied up on the floor. Nina tied to the bed. Perp’s back is to me, so I can’t see his face. He’s looming over Liliana.”

Luca firmed his jaw. “Going in through the front door.”

“Wait for us,” Audria chastised. Again, all he wanted to do was rush inside, but Audria was thinking clearly.

When he felt Audria and Christian behind him, he picked the lock, and they whispered inside. The house was furnished with comfortable furniture, tasteful artwork, and trendy accessories. Luca couldn’t care less about any of it as he made his way to the room at the back of the house where the love of his life was being held.

The door stood open, and he spotted the man looming over Liliana. It took everything in him not to pull the trigger. Again, Audria grasped his arm to stop him. When the man cocked back his leg to kick Liliana, Luca raised his arm. Before he could squeeze the trigger, Liliana flipped the man’s leg up and took him down before performing an acrobatic move that brought her to her feet. Luca stared in awe. She was magnificent.

This time, the shove Audria gave him was to get moving. The man was rising from the floor. Luca ordered him to stay put and then roll to his stomach so they could cuff him. When he kept going and grabbed Liliana again, he almost fired. Once again, Liliana bested the man, shattering his nose, judging from the amount of blood pouring from his proboscis.

She was poetry in motion and the most incredible woman he’d ever met. He wanted to march over to her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss her into tomorrow. Instead, he grabbed the man’s shirt and hurled him against the wall, taking immense satisfaction in the grunt of pain.

Christian was there to cuff him. The man whined about being hurt.

“You’re lucky I don’t put a slug in your brainpan,” Luca snarled into his ear. He got his first good look at the man’s face, or as much as he could with the blood. It wasn’t Ted Rader but Douglas Speke, Liliana’s former employee. Luca jolted, recognizing the man from the pictures he’d studied of him. What was Speke’s connection to Rader?

He’d find out soon. First, there was something he had to do. He stood and strode over to Liliana, gathering her in his arms, uncaring of his nearby coworkers. She hissed, and he instantly pulled back.

“What is it?”

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