Page 142 of The Savior

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

As with every meeting that Liam had with Sorenson at her black site, it ended with DHS agents dropping him off at his Explorer. This time Black did the honors.

He handed over Liam’s wallet, keys, and phone. “Good luck, ace. I’m rooting for the both of you.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” If Liam never had a reason to see any of them again, he’d celebrate.

He jumped into his Explorer and scrolled through the slew of notifications on his cell. The phone calls came from unknown phone numbers, so he was unable to dial back. Instead, he called Chelsea—hoping against hope that everything they’d discussed had been wrong.

His heart ached when her voicemail picked up. The disappointment after that half second of certainty that she would answer sliced him into pieces. Liam called Chance then Hagan. Neither answered. “Fucking hell.”

He called Linda.

“Hello?” she answered, and Liam could’ve jumped for the moon.

“Hey, Linda.” He tried to calm his voice. His dry throat and anxiety didn’t help. “I’ll explain everything later, but please listen to me.”

“Oh. Of course.” Though hesitation was evident in her words.

“Grab Frank and leave. Don’t tell me where. Don’t call for reservations. No bags. No Google. Nothing. Just go. Turn your phones off—”

“Liam?”

“Turn your phones off,” he repeated. “Leave with only cash, and you have to clean the dollar bills.” Frank’s career in banking meant he would know what Liam wanted them to do: exchange their currency in cash transactions that couldn’t be traced. “Go now.”

“Liam,” she tried again, more softly. “What’s going on? If this is about the other night—”

“You’re not safe, and I’m going to kill the motherfucker who took Julia.”

That was all the conversation that had to be said. Rattled, Linda hung up quickly after promising to do as he asked.

Why didn’t I make them leave before? Why didn’t I tell them about the danger?Everything changed when he realized how Sorenson was invested. Liam had fallen for her bullshit song and dance about coaxing out Pham when all he’d had to do was stand in the middle of a parking lot and scream that there was no one left to hurt.Come and get me.

And hell, even up to the last moment, he’d thought Westin and Black could be trusted. He didn’t know their roles. He had no idea where their loyalties lay. Hell if he didn’t trust anyone now. They left him without resources or intelligence. He didn’t know where to start.

“Do nothing,” Liam muttered and bared his middle fingers against his windshield in case Sorenson was watching him like a hawk. “Not a chance.”

Then turned over the engine.Pham will find me?Yeah, well, he’d find Pham too.

Even if he didn’t know how.

Liam shifted the Explorer into drive and drove toward Chelsea’s condo. That was where he would’ve gone if he hadn’t known about the abduction. It seemed like the best place to start.

He floored the vehicle onto the expressway and bobbed through traffic until he hit the left lane, flying. Anger and worry fueled his speed. Liam would get back what was his. Chelseaandrevenge for Julia. Pham would die. He’d help Sorenson’s daughter too.

And as for the senator who chose saving a terrorist before her daughter, she could kiss Liam’s ass if she thought it mattered that he handed over Pham alive.

Traffic on the expressway was light. Liam threaded through the lanes and suddenly heard sirens. He checked his rearview mirror and saw flashing lights. “You gotta be kidding me.”

Adrenaline surged.Could I outrun them?Liam gripped the steering wheel as if he were holding on to the last thread of his sanity. The police sirens pulsed a secondary pull-the-fuck-over warning.

What the hell am I thinking?Liam slapped on his turn signal and jerked onto the shoulder.

The cruiser pulled up close to his rear bumper—too close. It made Liam apprehensive, and despite the dark, he could see that two cops were getting out.

Damn it to hell. He should’ve pulled over that very first second.

Liam rolled his window down. The officer’s dark uniform blended in with the night, but he froze, surprised by who he saw.

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