Page 135 of Burning Bridges Duet

“Hey, Frank. I’m sorry to bother you again,” I reply.

“You never bother me, Olivia. What’s wrong?” he asks, genuine concern evident in his voice.

“There’ve been two more letters from Liam since we last talked, and now he’s threatening me,” I explain, my voice filled with unease.

“He is? Do you have it on paper?” Frank’s tone shifts to a more determined one.

“I do,” I confirm.

“Now we can go back to court,” he says, sounding satisfied. “Maybe they’ll finally lock him in something more secure than that institution,” he suggests, a hint of frustration in his voice.

“I don’t want to go back to court, Frank,” I say, shuddering at the thought. “I want to know if he’s still locked away and if these threats should be taken seriously. He’s also targeting my friends.” There’s guilt evident in my voice.

“I’m going to call your lawyer, inform him about the threats, and make sure he checks the security measures,” Frank assures me. “If there are any updates on Liam, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you. Do you think it will take long?” I ask, a glimmer of hope in my voice.

“No, I’ll contact him directly after we hang up,” Frank replies. “You pay the guy enough that he knows he has to act promptly when you call.”

I hear Ryder snicker beside me, and I shoot him a glare, causing him to instantly sober up.

“Thank you, Frank,” I say.

“No problem, honey. I’ll call you right back as soon as I have something,” Frank promises before we end the call.

As we wait for Frank’s call in the office, we take the opportunity to share our locations with each other. It’s something we had already discussed wanting to do, and I mentally cuss myself out for forgetting about it earlier. Now we’re all set up and able to see each other’s whereabouts.

In addition to sharing our locations, River takes it a step further by installing a panic button feature on our phones. This way, if any of us are in danger, we can press the button, alerting everyone and automatically calling the police. It may seem like an extreme measure for just my safety alone, but considering the threat to my entire family, I’m more than willing to have as many safety nets in place as possible.

“No one is going anywhere alone anymore,” I say firmly.

“And how should we do this while still going to college?” Liv asks, letting out an exasperated huff.

“Our schedules nearly match,” Ryder quickly responds. “River and I can wait for you until you finish your classes, which means no one goes home alone.”

“And during your classes, you should be safe,” Chase adds.

“What about you guys?” Liv asks him. He looks at me intently, and I can already predict his response.

“We’ll go to the studio and return together, right, Jax?” he asks. I huff but agree.

“I think you should stay with us for the next few days, at least until we can be sure that he’s just trying to provoke us and doesn’t have anyone carrying out his threats,” I say to Liv.

“I see your point,” she replies, nodding.

“That’s it?” I say, my eyebrows rising. “You’re not going to fight me on this?”

She looks down at the desk, shaking her head. My girl is defeated. Just as I’m about to get to Liv and wrap her up in a hug, her phone begins to ring. She quickly answers it, pressing the loudspeaker button.

“Frank,” she greets.

“Olivia, I have some good news and bad news for you,” he begins.

“Hit me,” Liv replies, bracing herself.

“So, Liam is still locked up, but he’s been applying for authorized leave to visit his mother. Apparently, she has cancer again, and he wants to see her before it’s too late.”

“Madeline’s cancer came back?” Liv responds, seemingly shocked.