Page 43 of Liam
A muscle in his cheek ticked, but he followed her, staying close the entire way to The Grind. No words were spoken, the air thick with anger and frustration, and the silence was so damn loud it was deafening,
He waited until they’d reached her car to touch her arm again. “Nylah—”
“I’m going home. I’ll make sure I lock my doors and windows when I get there.”
When she tried to pull the car door open, he reached around her and grabbed it, stopping its movement. “You think I’m wrong about what I said.”
She whirled around. “I think you don’t give me enough credit and you could have worded what you said better.”
“You’re right. I’m a jerk. But I said what I did because I was worried. Because I want you to trust your gut and stay safe.”
“Youarea jerk. Because you think I can’t protect myself even though that shit’s been drilled into me since my first steps. You’re a jerk because you’re doingexactlywhat my brothers do to me, even though you know I came here to get away from all that. And yes, you’re a jerk because you think I make stupid decisions.”
“I said what you did wasn’t smart.”
“It’s the same thing, Liam.” She blew out a frustrated breath, shaking her head as her eyes slid away, refusing to stay on his. “I need to go. Please step away from my car.”
A new wave of frustration slammed into his gut. There was no part of him that wanted her to leave like this. “Let me come with you.”
“No.” The response was instant and firm. “I need some space tonight. Like I said, I’ll keep everything locked up and my phone close in case I need to call the police.”
The police. Nothim.
The only thing that stopped him from losing his damn mind was that she’d saidtonight. Would she allow him to see her tomorrow? Would she let him stay close?
When he didn’t move, an almost anguished expression crossed her face. Then she finally turned sad eyes on him. “Please.”
That one word from her lips…it sounded pained, and that pain carved itself into his chest.
It took too much fucking strength to step back. To give her space. Instantly, he hated the distance.
She ran a hand through her hair. “We’ll talk later.”
She met his gaze for one more fleeting moment before sliding into her car.
He turned, wanting to punch his fist through something. To kick his own ass for reacting while feeling so emotional. He’d handled this all wrong.
CHAPTER12
Liam stared at the man’s profile for what had to be the fiftieth fucking time. Hell, he’d read the files of every man from the shooting so many times he could probably recite their life stories. There were clues here he wasn’t seeing. Something that would give him a bit of insight into their reason behind the attack.
He knew that, but…did the reason even matter when they’d made their intentions—to end Liam and his team—crystal clear?
He leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. Therealproblem was that he couldn’t focus. All he could goddamn think about was Nylah. The anger in her eyes this afternoon. The hurt as she’d tugged herself away from him like she couldn’t bear his touch.
Fuck.It killed him.
And if the day wasn’t already bad enough, they’d gotten word that there’d been an attack on Bodie in Marble Falls. He’d left the office late the previous night, and two men had just started shooting the second he was out the door. A bullet had caught him in the gut, but he’d been able to drop, roll, and return fire. The shooters were dead. Both were former military with angel and dagger tattoos.
Footsteps sounded in the hall, pulling him out of his spiraling thoughts. He knew who it was—the only other man still in the Blue Halo offices tonight.
Flynn stopped in the doorway and leaned a shoulder against the frame. “Hey. You still here because you’re worried about leaving? Thinking about Bodie in Texas?”
“I’m here because I feel chained to this place until we catch these assholes.”
Flynn’s eyes narrowed. “I know. We have to watch our backs and those of our women.”
“Carina okay?”
