Page 27 of Liam

Thinking of his friends had him turning to his conversation with Alex. He had been entirely out of order with the man. Alex had never been anything other than a friend to him, and if he were honest, he knew he’d been selfish. He was not the only person who’d lost a friend the day Ambrose died, yet he’d behaved like he was.

He now recognised it must have been incredibly hard for Alex to step up and he’d done a fantastic job. Liam owed Alex, and probably the others, a massive apology. He took out his phone and toyed with the idea of calling, but that was a pussy thing to do. Alex deserved a proper apology in person. Which would have to wait until later, or even tomorrow, depending on how the day panned out.

His phone on his desk rang, and he saw Jack’s name so he answered. “Boss.”

“I’m at the gate.”

“I’ll let you in, come on up.”

After they had arrived home yesterday, Liam had closed the main gate at the bottom of his drive. It was far from bombproof, but it allowed him to see if anyone approached the property.

Moving to the front door, he unlocked it remotely and waited for Jack to pull up. His boss parked facing the exit, ready to move if he needed to. Jack swung from the car, his sunglasses covering his eyes. He strode towards him, not giving anything away as to why he was here.

Liam stepped back and allowed his boss entrance. “Want to go through to the office?”

Jack nodded and slipped his glasses from his face.

Liam followed, wondering if he was about to get fired for the way he’d spoken to Alex. He closed the door and faced Jack. “If this is about the way I spoke to Alex, then I already know I’ve been a dick. I’ll apologise the first chance I get, but it needs to be done in person.”

Jack lifted his chin. “Good, because you were a giant dickhead.”

“I know.” Liam shoved his hands in his pockets. “Did Alex tell you?”

“Of course not. Alex isn’t a fucking grass. He’s a good man and a good friend. He stepped up when we lost Ambrose, and it was hard for him.”

Jack sat down in the office chair and looked up at Liam. “Not as hard as it was for you, we all recognise that. But every person on this team has their own shit going on, and you need to recognise that and understand we’re a unit. If one bleeds, we all bleed.”

Liam leaned his ass against the desk, his hands gripping the edge at Jack’s words. “How did you know?”

“I saw it on the camera. If you ask me, you’re lucky Alex didn’t deck you.”

Liam chuckled. “I guess.”

“Listen, all I’m saying is it’s okay to grieve for your friend but honour his memory by being the man he knew, not someone who turns on his friends, because Ambrose would’ve been the first to kick your ass for that.”

Liam knew Jack was right, and he had some serious soul searching to do and some amends to make. “I guess I have some grovelling to do.”

“No, just stop being a twat, that’s all.” Jack looked out the window at Digby and shook his head with a grin. “Bet she loved him.”

Liam knew exactly who he meant. “Oh, she sure did. Thinks he’s cute.”

“Huh.” Jack glanced his way. “How’s she doing?”

“Okay. She was doing well after the attempt in Madrid, but this call shook her up.”

“I bet it did, and that’s why I’m here. My contact confirmed that both her nieces are fine and healthy and show no signs of harm.”

The air left Liam’s lungs in a whoosh. “Thank fuck. It would kill her if anything happened to them.”

Jack eyed him carefully. “You’re falling for her.”

Liam’s instinct was to deny it, but he honestly needed someone to tell him to step away. “I didn’t see it coming but yes. I haven’t done anything about it. Taamira is so far out of my league, she’s practically a different species.”

“Maybe, but I have a feeling it’s mutual. Taamira won’t hear of anyone else taking care of her security. You make her feel safe and seen, and I think that’s something she hasn’t had in a long time.”

“Makes no difference, does it? This ain’t a fairy tale, and I’m no prince charming.”

“You can fucking say that again, you ugly fucker.” Jack chuckled. “But I think safety and security and someone who can see the real person behind the title is exactly what she needs.”