Liam: Branded Brothers (19 page)

“It’s your lucky day, Ms. Taylor,” he said, his eyes
crawling over her skin. Charla finally exhaled, hoping like hell this guy
didn’t have a morbid sense of lucky. “Usually I’m not this generous, and the
men I work for, they’re definitely not this generous. But you’re beautiful, and
I like beautiful woman. I’d hate to see a pretty little head like yours
floating in the lake.”

A sharp pang of fear radiated in Charla’s chest.
This guy
is fucking crazy.

“It’s a shame when something like that has to happen,” he
said slowly, moving his eyes toward the back window overlooking the lake. He
paused for a moment before turning back to her. He leaned in again, his voice
steady and commanding. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going into your
bedroom to sit on that bed. Count to sixty while I walk out of here. By the
time you’re done counting, I’ll be gone. Then you can get in that shitty car of
yours and go wherever you planned on going. You won’t call the police under
any circumstances. If you do, your family and friends will find that pretty
little head of yours floating face down in the lake.”

Charla swallowed hard and fought back tears. She opened her
mouth but was unable to speak.

“Understand?” he asked.

She nodded her head violently.

“Don’t make me ask you again, Charla,” he warned.

“I understand,” she sputtered. “I promise.”

“Good girl,” he said, giving her one last look. “Do what I
told you, and I’ll forget you were here.”

“Deal,” she whispered, counting down the seconds until she
could flee into the room.

He bent down to pick up the bat. He gave it a small shake in
the air before pointing it at her. “I wouldn’t want you to try anything crazy.”

She shook her head again, inching away from the bat.

“Goodbye, Charla.” He backed into the dining room, his eyes
still steady on her. He let out a low laugh before turning to walk toward the
patio door.

She exhaled and propelled her legs, fleeing past him. She
ran through the hallway and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her. She
jumped behind the bed and slid down to the floor, her body shaking violently.
She waited for the squeak of the patio door, but it never came.

Instead his voice called out, piercing through her. “If I
find out you lied about someone being here, I will kill you.”

She closed her eyes, beginning to count slowly to sixty and
wondered if she was crazy to believe a word he said.
Would he really leave?
Is he going to put a bullet through the door?
Finally, she heard the squeak
of the patio door twice as it opened and closed slowly when she was halfway to
sixty. She finished counting and peeled her eyes open. She sat for a few
seconds longer, trying to gather the courage to get out of the room.

If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it already.

Nothing can break you.

She got up on wobbly legs and turned the knob slowly. She
inched the door toward her and peeked her head into the hallway. The house was
silent.

Now or never.

She fled into the kitchen and grabbed her bag, swinging it
over her shoulder. Then she scrambled through the living room and down the
patio stairs to her waiting Corolla. She scanned the woods around her as she
climbed into the car. He was gone. The woods were dense, and she hadn’t seen a
car parked along the road on the way in. She flung the bag on the passenger
seat and started the engine. She slammed on the gas, kicking up dust as her
tires spun against the driveway. She swung around on the grass and sped down
the driveway, checking her rear view mirror.

“Shit, shit, shit.” She gripped the wheel and watched the
cottage disappear. She squealed onto the road, leaving the cottage and the man
in the woods behind her. She was a mile down the road before she dug in her
purse, grabbed her phone, and held it in her hand.

The man’s words echoed in her head.
Don
’t go to
the police.

She wanted nothing else than to call 911. That’s what
everyone was trained to do in emergency situations. You called the police. They
would save you. She envisioned her dead body floating in the lake. There was no
doubt he’d keep his promise, but she had to tell someone. She needed
protection. She needed help. There was only person that would understand. One
person who could help her.

Pick up, pick up, pick up.

Charla exhaled when Liam’s voice finally answered. “Hey.”

“Liam,” she stuttered.

“Charla?” he asked, his voice laced with concern. “What’s
wrong?”

She panted in the phone, trying to make sense of what just
happened.

“Charla?” he asked again. “Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” she whispered. She was here. Alive.

“What’s wrong?” His voice rose with panic. “Are you okay?
Where are you?”

“I’m driving,” she replied. “I just left the cottage.”

“Did something happen?”

Her chest constricted. Liam needed to know. After all, he
knew who Charla was. “There was a man in the cottage.”

“What?” Liam shouted. She heard a loud bang in the
background. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, trying to steady her breathing.
“I’m totally fine.”

“You don’t sound fine,” he said. “Pull over, Charla.”

Pull over. Brilliant idea.
She put her foot on the
brake and eased onto the shoulder.

“Are you pulled over?”

“Yes.” She put the Corolla in park and locked the doors. She
looked into her rear view mirror half expecting to see a car following her, but
all she saw was an empty road.

“What happened? Where are you? I’m coming to you.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she reassured, trying to convince
herself, but she wasn’t fine. How could she be fine after
that
?

“Jesus, what happened? You have to tell me,” he replied.

“There was a man.” The words rushed out of her like a flood.
“He was massive. Huge. He was wearing gloves and a ski mask. The cottage, he
tore it up. Oh God, Liam, he had a gun. He knew my name. He knew my
fucking
name
.” The cell phone shook against her ear.

Breathe, you
’re fine.

“Slow down,” he interrupted. “Someone was in the cottage?
Start from the beginning.”

She exhaled again and started in, “I packed my bag and was
headed out when I saw the basement door was open. I went down there and saw the
walls had been torn apart. Every single board was taken down. Panels were
broken all over the place. All of the studs were exposed. I mean, the whole
thing was trashed. So, I ran back upstairs, intent on leaving, when he grabbed
me.”

“Did he hurt you?” Liam interrupted.

“No, I’m fine, except for some shot nerves. He wanted me to
tell him where some bag was.”

“Where what was?”

“I don’t know, some bag,” she replied. “He just kept on
insisting I knew what it was. I have no fucking clue what he was looking for,
but he knew my name.”

“Did you get a good look at him?”

“He was wearing a ski mask.” She closed her eyes, trying to
envision anything about him that resonated with her. All she could see were his
piercing jade eyes and his massive size. “He was huge, 6’5’ or so. Big arms,
bigger than yours. Green eyes. He had an accent. Like he was from the east
coast or something. Boston, like one of my classmates. I’ve never seen him
before, at least I don’t think anyway.”

“Good, that’s a start,” he replied, his voice jostling
around and the soft sound of an engine starting. “Where are you? Are you safe?”

“I don’t know. I think so,” she replied, glancing again at
the thick line of trees on either side of the road. He was somewhere out there,
and the last thing she needed was for him to see her on her cell phone.
Get
yourself together.
She took another deep breath and gripped the steering
wheel with one hand.
I can do this.
She shifted the car in drive and
spun out of the dirt back onto the pavement. “I’m getting back on the road. I’m
going to the Equinox, Jill’s gym. This asshole is somewhere out here. I didn’t
see a car or anything, but he has to be out here somewhere, and I don’t want to
be anywhere near here when he shows up or else…”

“Or else what?” he asked.

“He threatened to kill me if I went to the police or if I
told anyone,” she said. “He said the other guys weren’t as generous as he was,
implying they would have killed me.”

“God damn it! He threatened to kill you? Charla, oh God, I’m
so sorry.”

“He said he didn’t want to see my head floating in the
lake.” The words stung in her mouth.

“That’s not going to happen. I’m not going to let him near
you, you hear? I’m not going to let you get hurt,” he said. “No matter what.
I’ll find that bastard and take him down.”

“Maybe we should go to the police…I mean, Jesus, their job
is to protect and serve. They have to be able to put me in protective custody
or a safe house or something. That shit exists, right?”

“It does,” Liam said slowly, calculating his next words.
“But if he threatened you like that, he’s going to find a way to keep his
promise and if not him, then one of the other guys he works with. Give me one
day, then we’ll go to the police.”

“But -”

“Charla, trust me.” The weight of his words hung between
them.

Despite the fact she’d only met him less than forty-eight
hours ago, she trusted him more than anyone, besides Jill. But Jill wasn’t
going to do a whole helluva lot against the jade-eyed intruder. “Yeah, okay,”
she replied softly. “Liam?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I’m not cut out for this shit. I’m just a regular
girl from Hudson, Illinois.”

“But you’re my girl,” he replied. “I’ll meet you at the gym
in fifteen minutes.”

Chapter 11

The stifling heat swirled in the
locked car as Charla watched people filter in and out of the front entrance of
Equinox. Beads of sweat formed on the back of her neck, plastering her hair to
her skin. She only had a few more minutes in her sealed car before she’d either
have to crack a window or get her ass out of the seat, neither of which she
could bring herself to do at the moment. She glanced at the rear view mirror,
hoping like hell Liam would get here soon.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

“Shit.” She jumped out of her seat at the sound of tapping
glass. She spun her head to see Liam’s calm eyes staring back at her. She
exhaled and reached for the window.

“You scared me,” she said as she rolled down the window. The
warm summer air felt like a cool breeze against her skin. She gulped it in and
fanned out her shirt.

“Are you okay?” He bent down and pressed his hands against
the opening of the window.

“I’m better now,” she replied quietly, watching a man with a
gym bag jog towards the gym behind Liam. She’d been eyeing every passing male
with intense scrutiny, expecting to see the jade-eyed intruder pop up any
second. “Not exactly okay, but better. I don’t know how to be okay after something
like that.”

“Charla,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? It’s not your fault some
guy grabbed me and threatened to kill me.”

“I thought he didn’t hurt you?” His eyes darkened.

“Well, he grabbed and squeezed me, almost made me pass out,
but he didn’t exactly hurt me.” She looked down at her red hands that were raw
from rubbing them together while she waited for Liam.

“Do you need to be checked out?” He pressed.

“No,” she waved her hand. “It’s going to take a whole lot
more to get me in a hospital. I’m a nurse for Christ’s sake, I can handle
myself.”

Liam cracked a smile. “That’s what I like to hear. You did
fend him off without any weapons. That’s not an easy feat. You must have talked
your way out of it…”

“He told me he let me go because I was beautiful,” she
replied.

“Well, he’s right about something.” Liam stood up and
scanned the parking lot. “Why don’t you get out of that car. It’s got to be hot
as hell.”

“It is,” Charla agreed, feeling the comfort and ease of
their conversation chip away her anxiety. Liam stepped back to let her open the
door and climb out of the car. “I told Jill that I’d stop here and get a key to
her place for tonight.”

“You’re not staying with Jill,” he replied, shutting the
door for her. He faced her for a second, staring intently into her eyes as he
touched her shoulders. “There’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight until we
get this settled.”

“Jill and Aaron will be home tonight,” she replied
half-heartedly. “Plus, how are you going to get Mickey McGrath if you’re
watching me?”

“I’ll leave you with someone I trust.” He pulled her into
him and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed her face into his chest,
inhaling the smell and comfort of a man she never wanted to let go. A man who
made her feel safe. He kissed the top of her head softly. “Ronan’s meeting me
at my place at five. Jerry’s going to be there, too. We’re going to make a plan
to take down Mickey. We might be staking out tonight, and if that’s the case,
I’ll have Jerry stay with you.”

“You trust him?” she asked, pulling her head away from him.

“Yeah,” he replied. “And Jerry’s got more to offer than I
originally thought. He knew Jack, and I’m going to get him to tell us
everything he knows tonight. We’ve got to have all the cards laid out tonight
if we have any chance of getting Mickey.”

“You think the intruder at the cottage was one of his guys?”

“Most likely,” he replied, scanning the parking lot again.
“But he let you go, which makes me think they’re not after blood. They’re after
something else.”

“I hope they find it and get the hell out here,” she
replied.

“Don’t worry, I won’t them get to you again. If they even as
much as lay a finger on you…” He tilted her chin toward him and bent down to
press his lips against hers. He kissed her lightly, leaving a sweet taste on
her lips. “I’ll kill them.”