Page 13 of Liv Parrish

“I had reason,” is his only reply. Aaron sighs, shakes his head and then takes a sip of his beer before responding.

“Shit, sorry man, but this place is giving me hives, so let’s get this over with.” The waitress appears with Wyatt’s beer, places it in front of him with a wink and a smile before turning away. If nothing else the service is efficient, but the girl doesn’t look old enough to drink and her outfit would make a prostitute blush. Wyatt doesn’t seem to notice, but then again, he chose this place, and the girl seems to know him. I decide it’s better not to speculate too much on what that could mean. Best to get down to business, the reason why we’re here.

“We’ve prepared this, all the information we have on the Reznikov Syndicate, but there are some significant gaps we’re hoping you can help with.” I slide the small thumb drive across the table at him and he palms and tucks it into the pocket of his leather jacket. It looks almost as rough and worn as he does.

“Yeah, they’re a nasty bunch. Had a run-in with a couple of their guys a few weeks ago, but I have to warn you, you’re not going to get anywhere close to the inner circle. Their ranks are closed tighter than a nun’s habit. Are you working with any other agencies on this?”

“No, we contacted you first but I’m sure the Reznikovs are going to be on more than just our radar. The last thing we need is some inter-agency meltdown because everyone is doing their own thing. But you can tell us what you know, who else is involved.”

“Yeah, it’s not always that simple. Inter-agency communication isn’t what it should be, but I’ll take a look and let you know what I find.”

Aaron doesn’t linger once we’ve arranged another meet. He has a young son waiting for him at home and even though he’s committed to Fortress, his life revolves around Jacob. I guess we’re all starting to look to the future these days, wanting to settle down and find something more important to live for than danger and violence, or maybe it’s just me. Memories of Liv kneeling before me, dressing my wounds and touching me race through my mind.

“Man, I’d love to hear the story behind that smile.” Wyatt is smirking at me as if he can guess what I’m thinking even though I didn’t say a word, and I suppose it would be easy to get the wrong idea. None of us are saints, even Mike was a raging horn dog before he met and fell in love with his wife, Kate. Aaron is the only one who’s life seems to be under complete lockdown, but that’s his choice and no one blames him for it. Life can teach you some painful lessons and sometimes it’s just easier to accept them and stay put rather than risking any more of yourself.

“Not much to tell. I met someone, but she’s not quite as enamored with me as I am with her, so I need to figure that out.”

“Enamored? Jesus, Hayes, I think you got lost in the wrong century. Tell her how you feel and then fuck her brains out. Either that will convince her to give you a chance or it will scare her off for good. It’s all up to you. At least then you’ll know where you stand, and if you’re any good in the sack.”

“Fuck you, man. I’m awesome in the sack.”

“Yeah, I’m not the one you need to convince, lover boy.” We both laugh at that, glad to move away from the serious conversation from earlier, and soon we’re joking around like we did back in the Navy.

“What about you? Anyone keeping your bed warm at night?”

“You’re joking, right?” he scoffs at me. “Man, my situation is so dangerous I wouldn’t bring my ex-mother-in-law into this life. Better to just go it alone for now. There will be time for romance later, if I make it out of this in one piece.” Shit, I forgot he used to be married, but Dana couldn’t hack being a military wife and things fell apart soon after his first deployment. I get it, that life is not for everyone, but it hit him hard and made him reluctant to try again. “There is this doctor though … I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better. Fiery as hell, loyal, fucking gorgeous.” Huh, I did not see that coming.

“That’s great, man. I hope you get your shot. Gives you something to look forward to while you’re in this shitstorm.”

“Damn straight.”

Now we’re stuck playing the waiting game. Waiting for Wyatt to gather usable intel, waiting for the Reznikov Syndicate to make a move that will give away their agenda and help us take them down, waiting for Liv to … I don’t even know what. Give me some sign that I haven’t blown it completely with her? That, if I try hard enough, I could somehow win her for myself, because that’s all I want, to make her mine and have the future I’ve always dreamed about. And I know it will be worth it. We could be phenomenal together, but it’s clear she’s not ready, that there is something from her past holding her back, something she’s not willing to talk about but it haunts her. And I’m powerless against this ghost. She’ll have to find the strength to open up to me and allow me to stand with her, because I’m not willing to give up on her.

A week passes before we hear from Wyatt, and then it’s in the form of a cryptic text from a burner phone supplying an address, nothing else. When we get there, we find an apartment building that looks like it should have been condemned years ago, and no one would mistake this for anything other than a place to hide. Being careful to keep our weapons close but concealed, we make our way to Wyatt’s apartment, but when we knock on the door, it’s not Wyatt who opens.

“Liv?”

Chapter 4

~ Liv ~

Oh shit!

I haven’t heard a word from Nick since that day in the hospital, so his text should come as a surprise, but it doesn’t. I knew he would reach out; it was just a matter of when. His text is brief, just an address and the instruction to bring the kit, which means someone needs medical attention. I’ve learnt not to make assumptions, because Nick is pretty good at dodging a fist, or a weapon. It’s a familiar routine so I don’t waste any time, just grab what I need, jump in my Jeep and make my way to the address provided. It’s an old, rundown apartment building in a part of the city I’ve never been and would not venture into alone or at night, but I’ve been in worse places, and Nick would never deliberately put me in danger, so I make my way inside. When I reach the door to his apartment, I knock … and knock again.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” I hear from inside. At least I know I’m at the right place, but when the door opens, I hardly recognize the man standing before me. Nick’s face is a mess, one eye swollen almost completely shut, a cut splitting the brow of the other that is going to leave one of those sexy scars, a split bottom lip and I’m pretty sure his nose is broken. He’s not wearing a shirt so I can also see dark bruises forming over his ribs and sides, as if he was kicked and beaten repeatedly.

“Holy shit, Nick, what happened?!” I step into the matchbox-sized apartment, trying not to notice the state it’s in. The only furniture visible is a foldup table shoved into a corner and a stained sofa in the middle of the room, with takeout wrappers and containers strewn everywhere. There’s also a smell …

“Doesn’t matter, just fix it.” He shuffles over to the sofa and lowers his body slowly, grimacing and groaning the entire time. His face is sheet white and there is sweat forming on his brow.

“Uh, I think we might have reached the limit of what I can do here. You could have internal injuries and if your ribs are broken you need to go to the hospital or you could puncture a lung! This looks serious, Nick.”

“Trust me, Little Pain, I’m well aware, but for now see what you can do, yeah? Going to a hospital isn’t really an option right now.” God, what is it with men and hospitals? Do they think it’s a sign of weakness or something? Deciding that now is not the time to broach that subject, I follow him to the sofa that must be older than I am but before I can drag my kit closer, there’s another knock on the door. Nick squints up at me. “Get that, will you? I called some friends to come help. They’re guys I work with, so just be cool.” I roll my eyes at him, clearly asking when am I not cool, as I head back to the door. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I mean, seriously? It’s like my life now includes this secret club for badass men with testosterone so potent you could stir it with a spoon.

“Liv?” Yep, at the front of the badass parade is Heath, looking at me as if I’ve just been beamed down by an alien spacecraft. Next to him are Aaron and Mike. Thank God, someone with medical qualifications who can talk some sense into Mister Stubbornpants.

“Hey guys, funny meeting you here. Come in.” Heath stares at me for a moment before walking through the door, followed closely by Mike who makes a beeline for the sofa where Nick looks like he’s about to pass out. I remain by the door, mostly just to be out of the way, but also to make a quick exit if necessary, because I’m not sure I want to know what these guys are involved in. Heath hangs back as well, with a look that is more suspicion than surprise aimed my way, and I try very hard not to let that get to me.

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