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“Liv. That is not what I’m saying.” He sighed. “You need to trust me. I promise to tell you everything when I get back.”
“Trust you? Like I did when you said you would keep me in the loop?” She snorted. “What am I supposed to believe? The second you are told you are out of danger, you take off and leave me behind. What could be so important that you have to leave right this minute?”
“I can’t tell you.” He looked tired.
The urge to comfort him was as overwhelming as it was frustrating. It would be so easy to swallow her pride and pretend his leaving didn’t bother her. To ignore all the warning bells in her head and believe that he would come back to her and they would walk off into the sunset together. Unfortunately, years with a sister who made and broke promises like they were dollar store toys had taught her that faith was for fools. She swallowed back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. She needed to ask him for what she wanted. His response would tell her all she needed to know.
“I’m asking you to stay. Please don’t leave me alone.” The ‘please’ stuck in her throat, but just this once she wanted someone to choose her. To say that she was more important than anything else.
For a moment, she thought Sean was going to surprise her. It was a wonderful dream where they would stay and talk things out. He would tell her what was going on and then she would let him go with promises of hot ‘I missed you’ sex when he got back. That fantasy shattered as he shook his head.
“You won’t be alone. The guards will stay and we’ll talk when I get back.”
Gathering her pride around her like a tattered cloak, she tilted up her chin. She couldn’t regret what had happened between them the last couple of days. The memories of what she thought they’d been building would be both comfort and a reminder that in this world, no one would ever put her first. She loved him, but she would never allow that stupid emotion to turn her into an emotional punching bag again.
“Don’t bother. I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t bother what?”
“Coming back.”
Chapter13
Sean
“What the hell happened back at the cabin?” Dante’s voice startled Sean out of his thoughts.
His friend had held off through over an hour of uncomfortable silence. After Liv dropped her ultimatum, she’d retreated to the bathroom, locking him out. Sean had tried reasoning with her and may have even shouted, but she’d remained silent. He could’ve broken down the damn door and probably would’ve if Marcus hadn’t called again, reminding him that he needed to get moving. He hoped that she would forgive him, but the further away from the cabin they drove, the more his fear grew that she wouldn’t.
“Domestic troubles.” Hassick said from behind him. “My offer to get Federal Marshals up here to protect her still stands.”
How had he forgotten about the DEA agent in the back seat? It’d taken every ounce of willpower he had to not punch Hassick when he’d first offered his help. Time hadn’t lessened that urge. The man had heard the two of them shouting and been a little too smug when Sean had come out of the bedroom.
Dante gave a quick glance between Sean and the rearview mirror. “She didn’t take the news about her mother well?”
Sean winced. “Marcus told you?”
Dante nodded.
“I didn’t tell her. She would have wanted to come, and that is too risky.”
“What about her mother?” Hassick asked.
It was tempting to keep quiet, but the man was law enforcement and could probably help. “Luis kidnapped Liv’s mother and attempted to kidnap mine as well. He’s sent word that unless Liv and I show up at a specific location alone with all copies of the dirt on him that he’ll kill her and my family.”
Marcus had pulled in his parents and put them under guard, but his brother was still in the service and they’d yet to locate him to warn him. Finding out that his mother had almost been taken by that asshole had rocked his world. She and his dad lived in Delaware in a quiet, little, private community. Sean didn’t have all the details, but he did know that it was only luck that she’d escaped. To his shame, he hadn’t even thought about warning them when Luis targeted him.
“If it wasn’t that, then why were the two of you fighting?” Dante asked.
“Romeo here told her he was leaving and wouldn’t give an explanation. She was not amused at being kept in the dark or being left behind.”
Dante gave a low whistle.
Sean gritted his teeth. “Eavesdropping isn’t polite.”
“Don’t glare at me. You two were shouting loud enough I didn’t have a choice but to listen.” Hassick shook his head. “You think she’s pissed now? Just wait till she finds out her mother was in danger and you didn’t tell her.”
“Liv isn’t close to her mother. She’s a junkie who abandoned her when she was a teenager.” But Sean was sure that despite that, Liv would rush recklessly into danger to try to save the worthless woman. In the heat of the moment, he’d justified that keeping her in the dark was the only choice. Most likely her mom was already dead and any exchange they setup would be a trap.
