Liam Read online

He barely waited for a reply before stepping out into the night.

  “Took you long enough,” Finn said at the door.

  Liam walked past his brother into the main hall.

  “Mom,” he said and held up his phone.

  Finn closed the door and moved to stand in front of him. “Does she know you know about your true father?”

  Liam shook his head.

  “You’re going to have to tell her eventually when you become my first,” he said.

  Liam grinned at him. “So certain I’m going to?”

  Finn grinned back, his green eyes bright. “We are brothers after all.”

  Despite himself, the smile slipped a little. It was still just weird to say it.

  “We’ll see,” Liam said. “So what’s the meeting about?”

  “Mainly to keep the men on our side,” Finn said as they walked to his office. He closed the doors behind him. “But also to see what’s going on with Meg’s break in. We can’t discount that the Russians are involved.”

  Liam shrugged. “Not a lot. We’ve seen someone break into the place, but that’s about it. Seems like they are looking for some sort of paper.”

  Finn frowned. “For what?”

  “Don’t know.” He shrugged.

  “Does she have anything of value?” Finn sat in his chair, and Liam sat across from him.

  “Not that she can remember,” he said.

  Finn scratched his chin in thought. “It sounds like someone has it out for her. What sort of detail do you have? I’ll put up a man if you’d like.”

  Liam shook his head.

  “She’s mine to protect,” he said firmly.

  Finn nodded to him. “Just remember, I’m here for you. I’d like to make up for lost time.”

  Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. Growing up, he had always wanted siblings, and now he had them. Granted, it wasn’t the way he had expected, but sometimes the unexpected was the best way.

  “Thanks,” he said, his voice low with emotions.

  Finn nodded his understanding. It hadn’t been an easy run for him, having his brother Ennis turn on him and try to take over the family, only to find out that he had more than one brother and his dad was more an asshole than originally thought. To Liam, things were strange, but Finn was dealing with a whole new level of fucked up.

  “All right.” Finn stood, clapped Liam on the shoulder and grinned. “Let’s get this meeting over with, so you can get back to your woman.”

  *

  When Meg entered the living room, her mother and Harley had already gone to bed. She swallowed as she looked at her dad.

  “So,” he said and laid down his evening paper. “Things are all clear at the house?”

  Everything raced through her mind, but nothing good came up.

  “Sort of,” she said and sat hard on the seat next to him.

  “So does that mean you should or shouldn’t be going over there?”

  “According to everyone, I’m not allowed to go anywhere.” Meg sighed. “I just want to go back home, Dad, and have things be normal.”

  “Are you sure that’s even possible?” He stared at her with such intensity that she knew he suspected something was going on.

  Meg leaned her head back against the chair. “I’m not sure of anything,” she said.

  “I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told your brothers.”

  Meg lifted her head and looked at him with surprise. She didn’t think there was much of anything he didn’t share with her brothers.

  “Your mother wasn’t interested in me when we first met,” he said quietly.

  Her eyebrows shot up with shock. “But that’s not how Mom tells it,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Because it wasn’t love at first sight for her.”

  Meg leaned forward a bit more. “But it was for you?”

  She watched as his eyes glassed over a bit, like he was seeing her for the first time all over again.

  “The moment I saw her, I knew she was the one,” he said. “She was still in high school, and I’d just signed up for the Army.”

  “I thought you and Mom met at bonfire, when you were already in the Army?” Meg asked. This wasn’t the story she had always heard.

  “That was the night I met her, but it wasn’t when I fell in love with her.” He smiled warmly. “No, the night I fell for her was at a different party. The music was playing, and her boyfriend at the time, Adam Crane, was slow dancing with her.”

  He frowned as he talked about the other man. Even now, it still pissed him off. Meg would have laughed, but she wanted him to go on.

  “Back then she had a lot more red in her hair and was a firecracker.” He chuckled. “Adam found that out the hard way. He let his hands slip too low one too many times, so she pulled back and socked him in the nose.”

  “Mom punched someone?” Meg nearly jumped out of her seat. She knew her mom had a temper but nothing like that.

  Her father nodded, a twinkle in his eye.

  “She leaned over him and said, ‘Next time you try to feel up a girl, you should make sure her daddy didn’t teach her how to throw a punch.’”

  Meg laughed at her mother’s words. As odd as it seemed, she could see her saying exactly that.

  “And that was it, I was hooked.” He smiled.

  “But what did you do?”

  Her father shook his head. “What was I supposed to do? I had orders to leave the next day, and the odds of me coming back weren’t all that great.” He shrugged.

  “So you just left without saying anything?” Meg stared at him, her heart sinking.

  “I left because it wasn’t the right time.” He stared pointedly at her. “She had just broken up with her boyfriend, I was leaving for the Vietnam, and she still had two more years of high school left.”

  He was right. If her father had tried at that time, things might have turned out very differently.

  Tears welled in her eyes. “Do you think I need to leave like you did?”

  Her father reached for her hand and patted it in his own. “Honey, you misunderstand me,” he said and looked into her eyes. “You aren’t like me. You’re like your mother.”

  Meg frowned. Like her mother? How the hell was she like her mother? She’d done nothing but love Liam from the moment she saw him.

  Reed had finally given in to her constant pestering to be hired. She was in her last year of college, could only work part time, and was given all the crap work, but she didn’t care. She loved the job. It had been her first day at work that she’d seen him out at the firing range. He wore a sleeveless t-shirt as he fired the gun, his muscles contracting to compensate for the power of the weapon. He had turned and told her to it was dangerous to be in there.

  Irritated he would assume she knew nothing, Meg had taken the gun he was holding and fired the rest of the shots, punching a large hole in the center of the target. He had stared at her with such awe, it was hard not to fall in love.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know, Dad.”

  Her father gave her a knowing smile. “Ask him when you two first met.”

  Meg stared at him for a moment and then nodded. She didn’t think Liam’s recollection would be much different from her own, but it might be fun.

  “As for going home,” her father continued, “I don’t guess there’s much I can do to stop you.” He sighed. “Just be careful and keep your gun close.”

  Meg nodded and stood. She leaned over and kissed her father on the head.

  “I’m really glad you loved her first.” She smiled. “Thanks for telling me.”

  He waved her off as she grabbed her bag. In addition to her gun, she’d need to put on some comfortable clothes.

  Chapter Nine

  Liam gripped the steering wheel with such strength that his fingers went slightly numb.

  Part of him had thought the call from Mr. Allen must be some sort of mistake. He stared at her car parked out front. It had been a mistake, but no
t one made by her father.

  Liam stepped out of the car and made his way past hers. He placed his hand on the hood. Still warm. She hadn’t been home long.

  As he approached the house, he frowned. It didn’t seem like she could have been home long enough to go to bed, but with all the lights out, she must have. This only angered him more. She hadn’t even waited for him to show up before going to sleep.

  When he reached the door, he banged hard against the wood. He could just make out through the beveled glass when a light came on at the back of the house. He waited a bit more at the door before banging on it again.

  “Damn it, Meg. I know you’re home,” he shouted, certain he was waking a few of the neighbors. The light through the window flickered slightly, and he froze. The smell of smoke drifted through a gap in the frame. “Fuck.”

  Liam tossed himself hard against the door. It creaked and moaned under the pressure. He threw himself again against the door and grunted as his shoulder popped. He ignored the pulsing pain and rammed the door yet again. It splintered and swung hard inside.

  The air was thick with smoke, and he struggled to see.

  “Meg,” he yelled as loud as he could.

  He raced to the kitchen at the back of the house, where the orange glow originated. His heart jumped into his throat. She was lying there on the floor, unmoving. Liam dropped to his knees next to her, ignoring the flames on the other side of the room. His fingers clumsily searched for a pulse.

  Never in his life had he been so relieved.

  The heat from the flames finally registered. He lifted her easily and raced to get her out of the smoke-filled house. He placed her on the ground and ran back to the door. He could already hear the fire trucks in the distance, but he might be able to stop it from being worse than it already was. After pulling off his shirt, he covered his mouth before going back inside.

  He yanked open the door underneath the sink and gave a sign of relief when he spotted the extinguisher. Liam ran his shirt under some water and tied it around his mouth and nose. It wouldn’t stop the smoke, but it did help. He approached the back of the kitchen with caution. It seemed like the fire started in the trashcan and had engulfed the drapes to the back window.

  Liam released the pin and let loose the spray. Almost immediately, the flames started to sputter out. By the time the can was nearly empty, firemen were pouring in with their own equipment.

  “Are you all right, sir?” one asked.

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  He nodded to several as he passed out the door. When he reached the safety of the grass, Liam dropped to his knees, took off the shirt around his face and sucked in the fresh air. It burned, and he coughed loudly.

  He jumped when a hand soothed his back.

  “Are you okay?” Meg put her face in front of his. Worry written all over.

  Liam reached up and pulled her hard against him. “Thank God,” he whispered.

  That had been close. Too close. If he had even been five minutes later, it could have been a totally different outcome. He smoothed his hand along her hair and pulled her even closer to him.

  Ignoring the chaos around them, Liam pulled back and press his lips firmly to hers.

  Meg kissed him back with force and wrapped her arms around his neck. She blinked a few times when he pulled back.

  “What the hell were you doing here?” he asked harshly.

  Meg flinched at his question and looked down.

  “You could have…” He stopped himself mid-sentence and took a moment to compose himself. “It was stupid and childish.”

  Meg flinched again but looked up to meet his eyes. “You’re right,” she said quietly.

  He leaned back and stared at her with confusion.

  “I put myself in danger, and I put you in danger.” Her heart hurt at what she’d just put him through, all to prove a point. Tears leaked down her face as she stared at the odd shape of his shoulder.

  “Oh my God.” She stared at his arm. “You need a medic,” she said and started to get up. His large hand on hers stopped her from moving.

  “I just want to get you the hell out of here,” he said firmly and stood using his good arm.

  “But your arm,” she said.

  Liam stared hard at her. “If either of us should see a medic, it should be you.” He reached out and rubbed the small lump on the side of her head. She hissed with pain. “Does that hurt?” He frowned.

  Meg gave him a weak smile. “Only when you rub it.”

  His frowned deepened.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  Meg turned to see Reed and Kace staring at all the firemen in her yard.

  She looked between the two of them and wondered how they had even heard.

  “I got the call that there was a suspected fire and gave Reed a call,” Kace said to her. “I’m going to see where we’re at with all of this.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Liam said to Reed as Kace walked over to talk with the firemen. “I need to get her out of here.”

  Reed frowned. “It was deliberate?”

  “I think so,” Liam said.

  Meg stepped between them.

  “It was deliberate. I came home and got clocked in the head.” She frowned. “Next thing I knew, I was watching Liam run into the house he had just saved me from.”

  Reed stared hard at her. “What the hell were you doing here?”

  She swallowed hard.

  “She was meeting me.” Liam stepped in front of her. “My meeting with Finn took just a little longer than expected.”

  Reed nodded. “I’m just glad you got here when you did,” he said.

  Liam nodded and stared hard at her. “Me too,” he said softly.

  Meg swallowed and jumped when Kace spoke loudly behind her.

  “Seems like the damage is mostly superficial,” he said. “They are still investigating it all, and the police will need to take a statement, but they said it could wait until morning.”

  Liam nodded. “Good,” he said. “Would you get her bag while I get an icepack for her?”

  Reed gave a funny look as the others left to do their tasks.

  “Bringing your bag for a stakeout?” He raised a brow.

  Meg twisted her hands. “It was my fault. I was stupid,” she said and frowned. “But I’m still not talking to you.”

  Reed sighed. “I’m likely to blame for some of this,” he said. “Meg, did you ever think that maybe I was on your side?”

  She looked up to him and glared. “No.”

  Reed chuckled. “What if I was trying to make him choose? Trying to get him to take the steps, so you’d both be happy.”

  Meg thought on it. She’d never known Reed to be cruel. Maybe that was his intent.

  “You are my baby sister,” he said quietly. “I just want you to be happy.”

  For the second time that night, tears slipped down her face.

  “Thanks,” she choked out.

  “What the fuck?” Liam growled. She turned to look at him. For once, it wasn’t her he was glaring at.

  “Relax,” Reed said and held up his hands. “We were making up.”

  Liam turned his eyes to hers, and she nodded.

  “Here,” he said and thrust an ice pack into her hand. When she didn’t immediately press it to her head, he sighed and guided her hand to the lump.

  Meg hissed at the contact. His thumb made soothing circles at the pulse on her wrist.

  “Can you handle this?” He nodded to the firemen.

  Reed nodded. “Take her home.”

  Still holding her wrist, Liam pulled her close to him. “We’ll call tomorrow,” he said.

  He pulled her gently along and stopped at the car. Kace had just loaded up her suitcase into his car.

  Liam nodded to the house. “Her keys are in the bowl.”

  Kace gave a curt nod and strolled back to the scene.

  “What about your arm?” she said softly.

  Liam op
ened the passenger door and ushered her in. When he climbed into the driver side, she watched as he took several deep breaths.

  He grabbed his arm and slammed it upward. He grunted in pain and closed his eyes. Meg pulled the icepack from her head and pressed it gently to his shoulder.

  “That’s for your head,” he said, his eyes still closed.

  “My head is fine,” she said. “Please,” she said softly. “Just use it.”

  Liam looked over to her, his eyes holding something she’d never seen before.

  “Hold it for me while I drive.”

  Meg nodded as he started the car. When they pulled away, she sighed. Someone had tried to burn her house down and kill her. She had put Liam in danger and was now going to have to tell her parents what an idiot she had been. She closed her eyes. Some days really should have a do-over button.

  *

  Liam knew she was asleep when the icepack moved further and further away from his shoulder. At least the throbbing had subsided to a dull ache. A little ibuprofen would likely take care of that.

  He stopped outside his small rental house and glanced over at her. There was no way he’d be able to carry her in tonight now that his adrenaline had left him.

  “Meg,” he said softly.

  Her beautiful brown eyes blinked open. His heart melted when she smiled sleepily at him. It took her a few seconds more before she frowned.

  “I thought you were taking me to my parents,” she said, clearly confused.

  Liam shook his head. “Too dangerous,” he said. “You’re better with me.”

  Meg sat up and looked at his place.

  “Is this your house?” She looked at the house through the window.

  “It was either this or the family cabin,” he said.

  He had been very close to taking her out there. If they could wait until all this passed, it might be the better choice.

  Liam cringed as she stared with interest at his house. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had someone over to his house. For the most part, he spent his time by himself, learning new skills and practicing old ones.

  She climbed out of the car, and he followed. When she went around back, he cursed.

  Meg struggled to pull out her bag, and he slipped in beside her.

  “You shouldn’t,” she said.