Page 121 of Savage Temptation

“Liam, I want to know.”

“Alright.” He relented, taking the spot beside me and pulling my hand into his. “What do you want to know first?”

It was clear he knew my questions were coming.

“Why aren’t you marrying her anymore?” I asked before thinking, but backtracking to what was plaguing me first. “No wait, first I want to know why you were marrying her in the first place.”

My eyes detoured from his face to the couch, the feeling of betrayal creeping under my skin. I was trying as hard as I could not to feel like he had played me, desperately waiting for his answer to ease my heart.

“A few months back, I met a girl at a store, and we started talking and flirting.” He had barely started and his words were already twisting my gut in jealousy. “I was distracted, I didn’t realize the store was being robbed at the same time. They weren’t expecting us to be there and attacked as soon as they saw us. I managed to fight three of them off, but the other two took my gun and restrained me. They were holding a gun to my head when Amelia smashed a bottle of booze on one of the guy’s heads. The one holding my gun shot her with it in retribution. They ran away immediately, and I tried to stop the bleeding. I tried to save her, but it was too little too late. She was Enzo Amato’s daughter, the Don of the Detroit cosca. We couldn’t recover any of the surveillance footage because it was all staged by the owner of the store. We were the ones responsible for the protection of that damn 7-Eleven, and Amelia died on my watch with my gun, with no proof that it hadn’t been me. The only way of preventing a war was with a settlement, and my sentence was set the day before we arrived from LA. I had no idea they would make me marry into their family. I feared for your safety if I refused. Because they wouldn’t make it easy and just kill me, they would come after you. That’s the Mafia, Jamie. Fucked up men that play with people’s lives.”

I sat there, listening and barely blinking, taking in all that information, a few pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place.

“Your tattoo. Forgive but never forget. It’s about her, isn’t it?”

“It’s about all of them. Especially those fuckers who thrust me into this darkness. This happened in Tremont, close to your apartment, in fact. That’s why you’re never setting foot into that place again. It’s too dangerous, and I won’t be taking any unnecessary risks. I’ve learned my lesson.”

“It happened in Tremont? When was this?” Liam looked at me puzzled, not understanding why it mattered.

“About a week or so before I met you.”

I couldn’t believe it. The coincidence was too bone-chilling to be anything but divine intervention. It was a damn shame that poor girl had to die because of it.

“That store closed down.”

“Of course. I made sure of it.”

“I worked there. It closed down, and I was on the street, out of a job. That’s when I applied for the urgent position at AD.” Shit, this was wild.

“What? You mean that I met you because of the nightmare that’s been haunting my conscience ever since?”

“It seems so.” I was grateful, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty, too.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Baby, but when I met you, it felt like I was being punished by her ghost. There’s something about you that’s eerily reminiscent of her. Maybe your hair or your eyes. I don’t know. But it was like I was seeing her in front of me again, only it wasn’t possible because I held her in my arms as she released her last breath.” I smiled weakly. I wasn’t thrilled that he had thought of her when he saw me, but then again, Liam was truly scarred by the situation.

This was probably the turning point Liam had mentioned. Having an innocent girl die in his arms while he was supposed to be protecting the place. Being blamed for all of it and not having a way to prove his innocence. But why did he now feel comfortable in gambling with our safety?

“What changed? I mean, why can you decline now?”

“Matt is going to try to make a new deal with them. It’s not certain yet that it will work. But he has a solid case.”

“So, you might still end up having to marry her?” My eyes welled up with tears at the sound of my own words.

“Fuck no. I will protect you with all I have, Jamie. With my life, if it comes to it. You will be safe. But I will not agree to die a slow death by living a life away from you. I’d take a bullet to the skull any day.” He replied, cupping my cheek and making me see the sincerity in his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you let me think that I was just another prize on your long list of hook-ups?” My breath hitched in my throat, remembering the pain I was in while thinking I was nothing to someone so important in my life.

“I tried, but at first you wouldn’t listen. And then I realized that if you hated me, you would get over me sooner. Be happy. I wanted that for you, even though it gutted me to think that you could find happiness with someone else.”

“I can’t,” I confessed. “I could never be happy without you.”

“Then give Matt a chance. He’ll make it right. Now let’s forget about it. Come here, I’ve missed you.” Liam leaned into me, kissing my lips, his tone playful but still guarded.

Liam was walking on eggshells around me because of what happened. He was overthinking each movement and my reaction to each one of his touches. It would take time before I healed completely, and truthfully, I didn’t think some of the wounds ever would.

“So when will we know?” I asked, pulling away from his kiss but still holding on to his neck.

“Two weeks from Friday. We will know as soon as the meeting is over.”

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