Page 1 of The Savior

CHAPTER ONE

That Tuesday was just like any other except that it would become one of the most important days in Liam’s and Julia’s lives. Liam rolled his shoulders back, unable to find a comfortable way to sit next to his girlfriend. Though a commuter-packed Metro wasn’t the most comfortable place to start.

The train descended into a tunnel, and he straightened. The underground lights whirred as they passed with a rhythmic hum. The seesawing normally eased him into a hypnotic form of relaxation, but not that night. With every stop closer to the restaurant where he’d requested a secluded table, the ring box weighed heavier against his chest.

“Are you feeling all right?” Julia brushed her hand across his cheek.

“Of course.” Liam cleared his throat. Who knew proposing could give him a nervous high?

“Oooh-kay.” Her eyebrows arched, but her laughter was soft and as sweet as cotton candy. “If you say so.”

Hell if he hadn’t spoken too fast… too loudly… too everything that might ruin the surprise. Shrouding his nerves, he gave a playful side-eye. “Oooh-kay, yourself, sweetness.”

“I still think you’re up to something,” she joked.

He kissed her cheek. “You just have a creative imagination.”

Her easy laugh rolled off her tongue. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

Which was a joke. When he’d discovered how reporters were paid, he quickly understood why Julia had teamed up with her best friend, Chelsea, a federal agent, to sensationalize true-crime stories for a big-name publisher. Not that their contracts meant they were paid better, but Liam saw similarities with her job and his decision to pick up freelance military-contracting work.

The dark-purple sky lit their Metro car as it surfaced again. They rounded a bridge toward DC, and if he hadn’t known how soon autumn was, he would have said the skyline almost seemed as if it still belonged to the summer.

A few weekends ago, the summer sun still hung high at night when he’d sat Linda and Frank down to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage. They were close enough to be his parents and had said as much when they’d happily given their blessing.

“Liam?” Julia’s eyebrows arched. “Earth to Liam. Come in.”

“Sorry.” He focused. “What?”

“I can still catch up with Chelsea tonight…” She twisted a lock of hair. “If you need to concentrate on work.”

He bristled. No way in hell.

Julia nudged him. “What’s up?”

“I’m not changing a date night for Chelsea.”

“I was just offering to change our plans if you had elsewhere to be.”

He grumbled.

“Ease up, all right? It was just a thought.”

“Iamat ease.”

She giggled. “I can see that—and you don’t have to hate on Chelsea for everything.”

Hedidn’t. What he was trying to do was propose. Liam readjusted his suit jacket as they slid into a station. The doors opened, and people pushed in and out. Commuters headed home. Hill rats headed for happy hour. Tourists took up too many seats with their gift-shop bags. But an older man was the one who commanded Liam’s attention.

“Do you know that guy?” Liam asked under his breath.

The old man gripped a metal pole and stood rather than taking an empty seat. The train picked up speed again. Outside their car, dim lights whooshed, methodically humming as they remained underground.

“Nope.” Julia rolled her thumb over Liam’s knuckles.

The man still stared.

A cold shiver pricked at the back of Liam’s neck. “Because he’s looking at us.” He cracked his neck and stretched to check their surroundings. There wasn’t anyone in the man’s direct line of sight.

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