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“Don’t worry about that. I told you we’ll take care of it.”
Right because not worrying about the future was a wonderful way to survive. Did he really think she was so selfish that she would just hand over all her problems to him? Already the guilt she felt for dragging him into her mess was souring her stomach. Hoping that he would be interested in anything more was ridiculous.
“I was more thinking about the distant future. But if you think I’m not going to worry about bringing down Luis you aren’t as smart as I thought you were. For as long as I can remember my whole life has revolved around my sister. I don’t know what I’ll do without that driving me anymore.”
“You know what happened to her wasn’t your fault, don’t you?”
“It’s not about fault, or even blame. I know who is to blame. I hope what I got on Luis is enough to put him away but even if it’s not, without my sister to take care of I’m not sure I know who I am.”
All of Amelia’s flaws and shortcomings didn’t matter to Liv. They were family and had loved each other. She just wished that love could have been enough to fill the hole in her sister’s soul that had driven her to reckless and eventually fatal relationships with men who didn’t respect her.
“Amelia was your older sister. She should have been taking care of you.”
Liv shrugged and traced a circle on his chest. “She wasn’t wired that way. But she loved me in her own way.”
At least she had until the drugs had turned her into someone who couldn’t care about anything but getting her next fix. Would there ever be someone who would put her first? Liv shook off those thoughts. That road led to a pity party which she had no intention of attending.
“Maybe once we take down Luis you can chase some of your own dreams.”
Liv looked up at Tepes. Had he always been an optimist? Probably. He’d set up her sister, a girl from the rough side of town, in his apartment and believed she would remain faithful. He’d been the only man to ever treat them like they had any value other than what was between their legs. Even now, years later, he’d stepped up to help Liv though her sister had broken his trust in the worst ways.
“Dreams are for people who don’t go to sleep too exhausted from life to imagine something different.”
“You’re telling me you’ve never dreamed of something other than the life you were leading?”
She shook her head not liking the pity that was filling his gaze and not wanting him to hear the hurt in her voice.
“What about when you were younger? I remember you saying you wanted to go to college.”
The only dream she remembered involved the man under her finally noticing her as more than just a kid. Mission accomplished. Though the satisfaction of that was quickly waning since he didn’t seem to want more from her. Going to college, getting out of her crappy neighborhood, and having a job where she didn’t get her ass pinched by customers were all goals she’d abandoned long ago. If she told him that though his pity would be unbearable especially if he tried to treat her like a charity case. Liv sat up, not willing to have him continue to look down at her.
The way his eyes traced over her naked body made her feel powerful. She wasn’t ready to get into a deep conversation with him about the reality of her life but maybe she could tempt him into forgetting that he was a gentleman. She stretched arching her back.
“Well, I did have a few dreams you might be able to help with. But you said you didn’t want to take advantage of me.”
“Liv.” The way he growled her name sent shivers down her spine.
She bent forward and brushed her lips up his neck. The sound of the door opening barely registered before the world spun and Liv found herself on the ground beside the bed an angry Tepes standing over her gun pointed at the door.
Masculine laugher had her pulling the comforter off the bed and wrapping it around her.
Tepes lowered his gun. “You fuckers ever hear of knocking?”
* * *
The hotness factor of the alpha men in the house was enough to send even a nun into heat. Liv knew there were women who would have sold their right kidneys for just the chance to spend a day surrounded by the five ex-military men. Unfortunately for her, those men seemed determined to take over her life. What she wanted wasn’t a factor. She was supposed to sit quietly on the couch.
So, she tried to remain silent, even though it was tearing her up inside. No matter how much she tried to control her life it seemed like fate always intervened to cast her in the role of burden or obstacle to the people around her. She was determined to not let that happen this time.
“Let’s stash them in the Montana safe house.” Marcus said.
He was supposedly the ‘Tech Nerd’ of the group but she had never met a geek who looked like he could be an Olympic swimmer. Tepes switched between calling him Marcus and Static so she guessed they had been in the military together. When he'd ruined their earlier fun by walking in on them Liv had appreciated that he hadn’t done more looking than was necessary. But he’d killed any good feelings by constantly talking about her like she was a toxic package instead of a person.
Tepes shook his head. “I’m not going into hiding.”
“Then what do y’all suggest?” Austin asked.
The blonde southerner and the man called Brooks were like light and dark carbon copies of each other. Both had muscles that she thought could only be achieved by lifting small cars for fun. In contrast to Austin’s Nordic looks, Brooks’ hair was almost jet black with more Italian features. They’d stormed into the bedroom earlier like they were about to start tearing people apart. For some reason they had been pissed to find her naked and Tepes half-dressed and hadn’t hesitated to say so.
