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“That’s a risk I simply can’t afford. I do hope you can understand that.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and a few tears fell down his cheeks. “So you’re still going to kill me?”
“You’ve left me with no choice. But cheer up, Benji. Your death won’t be in vain.”
I stepped in front of the workbench and opened a drawer, putting on a pair of black rubber gloves. Then I went to the closet, examining the contents.
“Now what type of gun would Liam use to kill someone?” I mused, my eyes scanning the shelves filled with various weapons. “Glock 9 millimeter? Smith and Wesson 357? Colt 45? Ah, here it is. Pearl handle 38.”
I grabbed the gun and checked the cylinder, making sure it was loaded before snapping it back in place.
“Liam was always a bit...extra. No doubt he’d want a gun that was the same.”
I faced Benjamin, advancing toward him with my weapon aimed at his torso.
“No. Please. I’m sorry,” he cried, his sobs overtaking him. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Didn’t mean for her to get hurt.”
“You should have thought about that beforehand.”
I added pressure to the trigger and a deafening bang reverberated in the room as Benjamin’s body went limp, blood pooling around him.
ChapterNine
Imogene
“I can walk, ya know,” I snipped out at Liam as he led me up to the front door of the massive house he bought in Rancho Santa Fe, his protective arm wrapped around my waist.
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, kicking up the smell of freshly cut grass and fragrant flowers. Despite its opulence, this was the last place I wanted to be right now.
I wanted my home, regardless of its current state of disarray. Unfortunately, the doctor would only release me if I had someone agree to watch over me for the next twenty-four hours, so I was stuck going home with Liam.
“I know, Gin. I just…”
Coming to a stop by the front door, he exhaled a long sigh and faced me, clutching my cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut, resting his forehead against mine.
“You have no idea how scared I was when Melanie called. It didn’t matter what assurances she gave me.” When he met my gaze, concern and fear swirled in his dark orbs. “It brought back too many memories. Losing Samuel the way we did was bad enough. To learn you were attacked in an alley? It reminded me of the phone call I got when they found his car.” He shook his head, trying to clear away the painful memories.
“You may think I’m overreacting. And maybe I am. But when it comes to you, there’s no such thing. I can’t bear the thought of getting another phone call like that. I can’t lose you, too.”
“And you won’t,” I assured him, pressing a hand to his cheek. “The guy who attacked me can’t hurt me anymore.”
“What about whoever gave you that damn necklace?” Liam shot back with a sharp edge to his voice, digging his fingers through his hair and messing it up.
The perfectly maintained appearance he usually kept was in disarray, his face unshaven and sandy hair askew. His designer suit now hung wrinkled on his form.
“They still haven’t found him. He could be anywhere.” He punched his code into the keypad in frustration.
Once the door buzzed, he stepped back, allowing me to walk into his palatial estate. It seemed excessive for a home that wasn’t his primary residence. I’d learned there was no such thing when it came to Liam Pierce. He had money and wanted everyone to know it.
He wanted hisgrandparentsto know it.
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me about the necklaces,” he murmured.
“I honestly thought it was just some fanatic,” I lied.
The only upside to this guy approaching me in the club was all the security cameras inside. By the time the detective came to take my statement this morning, he already had a name — Benjamin Astor.
When the police searched his apartment in Albuquerque, they found evidence he’d been fascinated by my father’s story, and me, in particular.
