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Eli’s expression blanked. It was the equivalent of white noise, and she wondered how long it had taken him to perfect it. “Told you I don’t know anything about no fight ring.”
“I saw it with my own eyes,” Cora said impatiently. “The crowd, the announcer, the cage. What do you have to say about that?”
“I’d say you must’ve hit your head pretty hard in the scuffle just now,” Eli said, tugging at his beard. “Or maybe you dreamed it. In fact, I reckon if you went to look at this barn you’re talking about, you’d find nothing but a pile of hay and some dirt.”
Cora mashed her lips together. Of course that was all she’d find. Eli was too shrewd to risk keeping his operation there, now that Cora had admitted she knew it existed. The Booze Dogs were probably already dismantling everything and erasing all traces of them ever having been there. But Cora knew it wouldn’t be the end of it. The cage fights were far too lucrative for the motorcycle club to stop. She felt certain they’d ramp up again somewhere else in the near future. “Even if you set up shop somewhere else, I’ll find it eventually.”
“Do what you need to do, girl. But I always say it’s best not to go looking for trouble. People who don’t stay in their lanes sometimes find themselves in a head-on collision with something much bigger and more powerful than them.” His ominous tone spoke volumes she never wanted to read.
Cora stared him dead in the eye. “Is that a threat, Mr. Shelton?”
He shrugged. “Just an observation. Might want to consider your priorities and focus on problems closer to home, for now.” He nodded at Liam, then turned his attention to the sound of the helicopter appearing in the distance. The rhythmicwhump-whump-whumpof the blades grew louder as it approached.
After checking Liam’s vitals for the umpteenth time, Cora said a silent prayer of thanks for the mountain rescue. In the grand scheme of things, Eli was right, because Liam’s survival was her sole focus. Everything else that seemed so important in her life faded to background noise. Nothing mattered to Cora as much as the beloved man whose precious life she was holding in her hands.
29
LIAM BECAME AWARE of his surroundings in small increments. The low, electronic beeping of a machine near his left ear. The crisp scratch of fabric against his skin. A faint whiff of antiseptic that tingled his nose. He tried to crack his eyes open, but the ambient light was too bright. Instead, he strained to make out the hushed voices in the room. Someone was using phrases like “vulnus sclopetarium” and “missed vital organs” and “scheduled antibiotics,” which meant nothing to Liam. Everything about this place felt strange and unfamiliar. A moment of confused panic seized him until, suddenly, memories came flooding back in an onslaught of vivid, visceral images that had him gasping. Like startling pictures on a movie reel, his last day’s events snapped into focus. The caves. Finn. Boyd holding Cora at gunpoint.
Cora.Liam gave an involuntary jerk, and his fingers clenched as if he could hold on to her. The last thing he remembered was staring up at her tear-streaked face as she begged him not to leave. He’d have moved heaven and earth to stay with her, but that was never part of the bargain, was it?
With effort, he tried to sit up, but he was as weak as a newborn kitten. Again, he fought to open his eyes, relieved when he could finally make out the paneled squares on the ceiling and the stark white walls surrounding him. He was in a chamber with a single chair and a large window in the corner with bare metal blinds. It wasn’t the house he’d shared with Cora because it lacked all her decorative touches. There were no cheerful curtains. No splashes of bright color. No purring cat to greet him. This place seemed sterile and cold. Bleak as the future that awaited him. Was this it, then? Was he dead? He shifted on the rather comfortable bed, confused by the lack of fire and brimstone. It made no sense. As far as hellish afterlives went, this wasn’t at all what he’d expected.
“Liam.” Cora’s soft presence enveloped him like a welcome hug, and he felt her gentle fingers squeeze his hand. No way this could be hell. Not if she was here. He still had a bit of time left, then. That was the only logical explanation.
“I’m so glad you’re awake,” she said in a voice thick with emotion. She ran out of the room, and within moments, Liam was surrounded by a doctor and nurses who were poking and prodding him and asking questions. It seemed to go on for ages, but through it all, Liam kept his gaze focused on Cora. She stood in the corner watching him with a tremulous smile on her face. When most of them eventually left and he finally had a moment’s peace, he reached for her.
“How are you feeling?” Cora asked gently, coming to the bedside and gripping his hand.
He tried to answer, but his throat was dry, and his tongue scratched the roof of his mouth like fine grit sandpaper.
“Here, drink this.” Cora helped lift his head and pressed a cup of water to his lips.
He stared up at her in wonder, drinking the cool water in great, thirsty gulps. It soothed him almost as much as the sight of her beautiful face. When he finished, she helped him to lie down again. His hand encircled her wrist as he fell back on the pillow. He was afraid if he didn’t hold on, she’d disappear and leave him to spend his eternity in this dreary room alone. In his peripheral vision, Liam was vaguely aware of two doctors who remained near the wall. They wore white coats and were discussing something on a clipboard, but all he saw was Cora. Smiling down at him with love, her golden curls framing her face, she was like a bright ray of hope when he’d thought there was no hope left.
“How do you feel?” she asked again. “You’ve been asleep a long time.”
“I feel...” He swallowed. His throat was swollen and sore, but his heart was light as a helium balloon bouncing against his rib cage. Cora was here.With him.He never thought he’d see her again. Whatever happened next, he was beyond grateful for this moment. Right now, her presence was a gift, and he felt as though he could fly. “Everything.”
She brushed the hair back from his heated face with cool, gentle fingers. “Is that a good thing?”
“You’re here with me,” he said, as if that was all the explanation he needed. “It’s the best thing.”
Cora leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. The achingly familiar scents of lavender and warm vanilla and sunshine surrounded him, and though her kiss was sweet, he was suddenly greedy and wanted so much more. It was always this way with her. He could never get enough, especially now that this could be their last moments together. Cora was his anchor in this storm of uncertainty, and he needed her close. Tugging on her wrist, he tried to drag her onto the bed with him, but she pulled away. “You need to rest, Liam.”
His surly growl made her laugh, but he was dead serious.“What I need is you in this bed with me. Where you belong.”
Her face turned a lovely shade of pink as she glanced at the two medical professionals in the corner. Then she looked back at him with that trademark steely determination he recognized. Cora was about to put her foot down, and nothing under the sun was going to change her mind. “I’m afraid that will have to wait.”
“Mmm.” Challenge accepted. Still gripping her hand, Liam brushed his thumb lightly over the pulse of her wrist, giving her a smoldering look that deepened the pink in her cheeks. “We’ll see.” He could be just as stubborn as her when it came to something important. And right now, nothing was more important than having her in his arms. “Come, let me hold you,macushla,” he coaxed. Without breaking eye contact, he lifted her hand to press an intimate kiss in the center of her palm. Cora’s breath hitched, and her cerulean eyes darkened with desire. She licked her lips and seemed to be struggling with her resolve. Liam gave her a wicked smile. He loved to see her flustered like this, especially when it meant he was about to get what he wanted. “You wouldn’t deny a wounded man on his sickbed, would you?”
Cora’s spine snapped straight.Bollocks!He’d gone too far. She pulled her hand from his. “I’m afraid I would, especially when your recovery is priority one. The doctor said you’ll need another week of rest before you can get up or exert yourself. In case you’ve forgotten, you were shot.”
Liam blinked. Hehadbeen shot. Frowning down at himself, he noticed a needle in his hand with a tube connected to a bag of clear fluid on a pole near his bed. Someone had draped him in a shapeless blue gown, and he could feel the tightly packed bandages on his side beneath the flimsy cotton fabric. “Why aren’t I in more pain?”
“That’d be the excellent drugs you’re getting,” Cora said. “You had to undergo an operation when you got here a week ago, but thankfully the bullet didn’t hit any major organs. You were very lucky, Liam.”
His head began to spin. “Did you just say...a week ago?” Surely, she was mistaken.
