Page 169 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Where are you going?" Matthew asked. "It's almost time for your speech."

"You'll handle it for me," Liam said. "I need to get Eden and our son out of here."

"Call us if you need anything!" Julian called after him.

Eden was still hard at work, handing out snacks and refreshments with her friends. But she stopped everything when she saw them. "What's going on?"

"I'm not feeling too great," he lied.

"Okay, let's get you home," she said. "Give me a second to grab my stuff."

Five minutes later, they were in the car on their way to Green Point.

Liam headed straight to his study as soon as they got home, spending almost an hour on the phone with his father. As expected, Clarke was against the meeting and even more disturbed when he brought up the idea of dropping the charges.

"Are you insane?" he shouted, and if they were in the same room, he would have likely throttled him. "We almost lost you. How can you even think about this?"

"What other choice do I have, Dad? He's watching Eden. We're getting married in three weeks. I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder. What kind of life will that be for Eden and our children?"

"James told you there's a way to handle this. Aleksei and his brother are dogs. They should be put down."

"And what will that make us?" Liam asked sadly. "I didn't call to ask for your permission. I was simply informing you the meeting with Andrei is happening."

He clicked off before his father could push with his crazy proposal.

Liam sat on the edge of his desk and called James, and he was in his study within minutes. "Arrange a meeting with Andrei."

James refused outright. "I can't allow you to do that."

"Andrei wants something from me. I'm guessing he wants his brother out of prison. If dropping the charges means keeping my family safe, I'll do it. Make it happen."

"Your father won't agree to this."

"My father has his family, and I have mine. I have to do what's right for me."

"Sir—"

"Enough, James!" Liam growled, upending the items on his desk, startling his handler with his display of anger. Since the shooting, he'd gravitated between rage and apathy, and moments of extreme sadness and agitation. The doctors said it was all normal signs of PTSD.

Liam, though, didn't think it was PTSD. It smelled like fear, helplessness, and failure. He was terrified he'd never be able to keep his family safe if he didn't give in to Andrei's demands.

"Get me that meeting, James," he grunted, still gripping the edge of the desk tightly.

Half an hour later, after assuring Eden everything was super, they set off.

"When will it end, James?" Liam asked, his heart burning as much as his bullet wound.

"Tonight, sir. It ends tonight," the other man replied as he helped him into the car, and they headed to the Ivanovs' compound in Linksfield.

The meeting took place in Andrei's study, and they got down to business as soon as they sat down. Both men held deep-seated disgust for the other, the hatred between them so thick one would need a katana sword to slice through it. So niceties were not necessary, and they skipped all pleasantries and handshakes.

Surprisingly, Andrei's staff was hospitable, offering Liam their most expensive bottle of bourbon.

"No thanks." He pushed the glass away and stretched out his legs in front of him.

"Ouch, I'm offended by your insolence Anderson," Andrei snickered from his mahogany desk, touching his chest in mock heartbreak.

"Screw you," Liam growled. There was no way he'd take anything from the Ivanovs. He wouldn't put it past them to lace his drink with cyanide or something equally deadly.

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