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“Everything okay?” He studied her. In the past twenty-four hours, she’d been in an accident and harassed by the police.
“Did you have to call insurance about your truck?”
He nodded. “They’re compiling the paperwork. I’m going to borrow Gage’s car until the weekend when I can go get a new truck.”
She sighed.
“I’m just glad you’re not hurt.” He wanted to reach out and cover her hand with his but was pretty sure that was his mom peering around the back of the bench seat to look them. “That’s what counts.”
“Thank you.” Her gaze drifted to the window again, and she sucked in a breath.
“What is it?”
She paled. “I thought I saw him.” Her gaze scanned outside, through the window. Liam turned and looked as well. Beyond the parking lot were the storefronts in this strip mall: an outdoors store, footwear, and chain clothing at awesome prices.
“Where did you see him?” Liam shifted in his seat.
“It was probably nothing.” She gave him a sardonic smile. “He’s dead, remember?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. Maybe it’s someone who just looks a whole lot like him.” Liam sat back so Destiny could put a pasta dish in front of him. She set a loaded cheeseburger in front of Roxie and then disappeared again.
They grinned at each other and then switched plates.
Liam grabbed the burger. “Thanks.”
Roxie took a bite.
Before he dug in, he said, “I think it’s probably a cousin, or maybe he has a brother? Did he ever mention any family to you?”
She shook her head.
“How long were you together?”
“Too long.”
Okay.“Were you married?”
“No, thankfully.” She flinched. “Not grade A on the morals, I’m afraid, but I’m glad I dragged my feet on that. He was pushing. I think it was the catalyst for me wanting to get out. Before I ended up any deeper.” She shifted on her chair. “He got orders saying that he was being deployed for nine months. He never would’ve left me at home. I think that played into him trying to kill both of us.”
She glanced at the window again.
Liam ran a thumb over the back of her hand. “Maybe it’s calloused to say this, but you’re alive, and he’s not. I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”
She nodded but didn’t look at him. She turned her hand and held on for a second. “I wonder how I could’ve been so stupid. Why I didn’t realize what was happening before it was too late? How I could’ve fallen for it without seeing below the surface.”
Liam might’ve done the same with Karina, considering she’d strung him along by claiming to have nothing to do with the Russians, and now she was practically in bed with them. He wanted to sit her down and ask how long that had been going on and why she was with them when she’d been so angry over her sister’s involvement. Maybe that was because Veronika had been a confidential informant, giving him information on them rather than Karina’s more sympathetic route.
After dinner he drove her to Destiny’s. A few minutes later, a uniformed officer he’d known for a long time pulled up to sit on the house for the night. Liam shot the breeze with him while Roxie went inside. It was time to call it a night, but tomorrow, he’d go back to the office to run some names, to find out if Mark had siblings or cousins he shared a resemblance with.
First thing the next morning, after he forced himself to work out at the gym because he needed it, he sat at his desk and pulled up the database so he could search some more. His mom had messaged him during his workout to tell him that she loved Roxie. With heart emojis. Not something that needed a reply when he’d rather talk to her about the Vanguard case.
He called her, but she didn’t pick up. But this morning might be the day she had that ladies’ Bible study.
Half an hour later, he had a list of names. He’d check their social media accounts first since it usually proved a treasure trove of information—and photos—and it was all public. The desk phone rang, and he put it to his ear. “Sergeant O’Connell.”
“This is Ethan, down at county lockup. We just opened for visiting, and one of the names you gave us? He just signed in.”
Liam didn’t recognize the voice, and he knew most of the officers down at the jail. This one must be new. “Which name?”
