23
Ty
Liam and his team talked logistics, divvying out responsibilities—the only part of everything they’d discussed that made any sense to me.
There was so much to sort through.
Kyle’s attack in the bedroom. Government cover-ups. Spies. Moles. David Banner.
All of it, combined with those graphic images Mick had shown, was a lot to think about.
On the bright side, Mick had verified the IPB was still watching my family, keeping them safe.
This part of me was thinking, hell, if all this stuff was real, why the fuck not with extraterrestrials, even though they seemed to get such a kick out of giving me hell about that. I supposed, for them, what they did was just their day job, like me going into the office or analyzing accounts.
None of this was my life, yet as much as I could have repeated that to myself again and again, it was evident that—whether I liked it or not—it really was.
At least, until they resolved this issue.
They finished chatting and working out sleeping arrangements, and Liam guided me up to the bedroom.
Admittedly, I was a little bit in shock, quiet as my mind made vague attempts at putting together all the pieces they’d discussed. Regardless of how I struggled, I felt like I was handling it pretty damn well considering the circumstances. When we got inside the bedroom, Liam closed the door behind us and took me gently by my forearm.
“Hey, Ty.”
After what we’d shared earlier that night, his touch felt so much more electric, something I hadn’t even thought possible…or maybe it was just the adrenaline Kyle had stirred when he’d woken me like that. But I knew better. There was something more there this time, and I noticed that Liam’s gaze was on his hold of me, as though he noticed the same thing.
His eyes shifted, meeting my gaze, and if he felt more, he didn’t show it as he said, “Are you okay? Your arm?”
“Aw, yeah. It looked worse than it was. Hell, your face is already turning purple while my injury’s just a little pink.”
“Kyle didn’t have any reason to push you like that.”
“I was going at him with a knife.”
“Only because he broke in and scared the ever-loving shit out of us.” It was clear he wasn’t as forgiving of the incident, but he shook it off. “I’m gonna resecure the bedroom and then head back downstairs and work with the guys. You get to sleep, though, and I’ll be back here soon.”
“You don’t need to be back soon. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, I saw how quiet you were through all that, so I don’t know iffineis the right word for it.”
I laughed. “Hey, come on. I was trying.”
“You really are. And don’t think that doesn’t impress me, Ty. Truly, you just keep on impressing me.”
I gulped, his compliment creating as much of an obstruction in my throat as his thick load.
“I could say the same about you. Are you okay, though?”
“What?” He seemed surprised by my question.
“That guy Spencer, your whole demeanor changed when you heard what happened to him. And the way you grabbed me… It just… That clearly was hard on you.”
He quieted for a moment before explaining, “The guy I was telling you about, the one who brought me into the IPB, that was Spencer.”
My heart sank for Liam.
For a guy who was so good at hiding his feelings, I knew he was struggling in that moment. And that pained me.
