My words of defeat didn’t stop him. He hoisted me over his shoulder with little effort, laughing at my pitiful kicks.
“Put me down, Shrek!” I said, smacking him three times.
His shoulders vibrated beneath me.
He’s laughing at me?
“You find this amusing?” I growled.
“Kind of. You’re so angry and small.”
“Just the right height to knee you in the balls. Now, put me down, so I can show you.”
He moved quickly, stuffing me into the passenger side with a careful throw. I grunted as I hit the leather seat, catching the grin on his face just before he slammed the door shut and locked it.
I bounced upright. “I can unlock it from inside, Einstein,” I shouted next to the window, flicking the silver lock upward for effect.
“That’s not to keep you in. It’s to keep others out,” he said, looking around the parking lot. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a sec.”
What did he think I was, a dog?
I scanned the dark shadows between parked cars and contemplated following him back inside. Making a scene would probably get me what I wanted, but it would also ruin Nina’s night and possibly Danny’s. But it might put an even bigger damper on Liam’s evening.
Decisions, decisions.
I sighed heavily, punching the lock back down after a quick heartbeat, feeling defeated.
The inside of his truck was impeccably clean, apart from the dashboard littered with guitar picks and a single black baseball cap.
A faint aroma of sandalwood and leather tickled my nose in a delightful way, the same scent that had teased me inside the bar when he got too close. On a warmer day, it would’ve seemed cozy in the cab of his truck, but the chilled leather seat and the cool night air made shivers spread down my arms.
I cursed to myself, knowing I had a zip-up in the backseat of my car across the lot.
My phone chimed with a text from Nina the second I saw Liam walk back out the bar doors a few minutes later. She was checking to see if I was okay and making sure he wasn’t taking me hostage. I mean, he kind of was, but I didn’t want her to worry. I had accepted my fate of transportation for the evening, so in a sense, I was going willingly. There was no need to signal for help. Instead, I affirmed the migraine story Liam must’ve gone with and threw my phone on the seat beside me.
By the time Liam climbed into the driver’s seat and slid the key in the ignition, my blood was still simmering on a low boil, but I didn’t have much fight left in me.
There was, however, one question that bothered me enough to ask.
“Why do you care?”
Liam glanced at me as he waited for an opening in traffic. “Care about what?”
The cab was silent, aside from the low grumble of the motor and the ticking of his blinker. “Why would you care if I drove back, drunk?”
He shook his head and let out a deep laugh. “I couldn’t care less what you do, sweetheart.”
I pursed my lips. “Stop calling me that.”
He ignored me and continued, “Danny, on the other hand, would kill me if he found out I let you leave with a few drinks in your system. He might be smaller than me, but that fucker can be scrappy when he’s pissed.”
“So, if I wrapped my car around a pole somewhere, you wouldn’t bat an eye. Got it.” It was a statement, not a question. “Good riddance, right?” I laughed to myself, though I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t funny.
The question of whether or not my brother would be concerned about my safety as much as Liam thought lingered for a moment, but I pushed that notion aside, reminding myself that Danny and I were blood. Family. He was letting me stay with him, rent-free and on a moment’s notice after all. He loved me. In his own way, he loved me.
I could feel Liam’s stare burning into the side of my face, but I kept my eyes fixed on the red light in front of us.
When the light finally flicked green twenty-three long seconds later—I’d counted—Liam didn’t accelerate through the intersection, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from questioning him. I immediately wanted to look away, but I figured that would be cowardice, and I refused to be a coward around him. If I showed any signs of weakness, he would pounce on me.
