Chapter Nine
Cora was cursing herself ten kinds of stupid as she made up the spare bed. It was next door to her bedroom and was used more for storage than for anyone sleeping. She didn’t have many guests come over. How did she let Liam convince her to let him stay?Because he turned those baby blues on you and said he wanted to protect you.
Gullible.
It wasn’t that she didn’t thinkshe was in danger. She knew she was after all the recent break-ins; she just didn’t see the point in having a guard dog sleeping in her spare room for who knew how long. A guard dog that she used to sleep with. This was not going to end well. Not at all.You did say you wanted a guard dog.She just didn’t think it would come in a six-foot-tall broody soldier. Who was all bite and little bark.
Cora busied herself making up the spare room and getting Liam towels for the en-suite bathroom while he checked her house and made sure it was secure and grabbed his duffel bag out of the trunk of his car. How long would he stay here with her? Cora felt uneasy with Liam sleeping only five feet away from her door. She didn’t want or need him here. He was just as capable of protecting her stayingat Ben and Hannah’s. It wasn’t like he was going to be here during the day with her while she worked on her computer. He would be on base training or preparing for missions. He couldn’t be planning on staying with her 24/7, could he?
Cora was leaving the towels on the bathroom sink and turning around when Liam walked through the bedroom door. Cora sucked in a breath. Did he always have to lookso good? He was in a plain gray t-shirt and jeans. He wasn’t wearing anything special, he didn’t even wear cologne, but she still wanted to jump him. Liam must have sensed her thoughts because his eyes turned molten and skimmed her from head to toe. Cora was still in her shirt and jeans, but she might as well have been naked the way he was looking at her.
Cora cleared her throat, hoping to geta better control over herself. “This really isn’t necessary, Liam. I am more than capable of taking care of myself.” She had to try at least one more time to convince him to drop this foolish mission of staying with her under the guise of protecting her.
Liamdidn’t say anything. He just slowly walked up to her and stopped when they were mere inches apart. “I already told you I’m staying. Thosemen will keep trying to get to you until they either have you or we put them down. I won’t risk losing you.”
“I’m not your responsibility, Liam.” Cora tried to argue. She didn’t want him here making her feel like she was a job. She didn’t want him here period. She knew it had been a mistake to call him. It had been a random impulse to call him. She should have called the police; then she neverwould have been in this mess.
“You may not be my responsibility but that doesn’t mean I don’t care and I don’t want to see you hurt.” Liam looked her dead in the eye so she knew he meant every word he said.
Cora’s anger deflated. It was then she realized he still cared for her. She always thought he never told her his big secret because he was bored with her and wanted an easy out. That hewas sneaking off somewhere so that eventually she would get angry enough to leave him. That he couldn’t love her the way she loved him. But that wasn’t the case at all. He never stopped caring for her just as she never stopped caring for him. “And what about during the day when you’re on base? You can’t watch me all the time.” She had to make him see this was a bad plan.
“The guys can go inshifts. Hound put up security around the neighborhood and in front of Midas’s house.”
“Why would he need to do that?”
Liam signed. He knew he had to break the news to her and she couldn’t throw him out this time. He knew Cora. She would be in denial about it, but he had proof. These recent attacks showed him that Alejandro knew exactly who Cora was and that she was connected to them. He wasfucking with them all. “Cora sit down.” He sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. Cora popped her hip against the door frame and looked at him. He tried not to smile at her rebellious streak. “I know you don’t want to talk about your client’s. Every time I try you kick me out. No, let me finish.” He rushed out when she opened her mouth most like to argue. “I need to talk to you about yournew client Alejandro Ferrera.” He continued before she could argue with him. “Alejandro is a criminal. He is an arms and drug dealer as well as a trafficker.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said with no conviction. Liam knew he had shocked her.
“I’m many things, Cora, but a liar isn’t one of them. I may keep things from you but not something like this. I don’t know if Alejandro knows of your connectionto us but with the break-in and trying to access your computer, it’s a safe bet that he knows and is now coming after you.”
Cora scuffed. “Do you know how ridiculous you sound? People are coming after me. I do computer security, what reason would anyone have to come after me?”
“You have access to Alejandro’s bank accounts.”
“How do you know that?”
“Hound has been watching his accounts.He saw when a large amount got moved to the states. It took him a little bit longer to figure out who was protecting the money. I always knew you were good at security. It takes crazy skills to keep Hound out as long as you had.” Liam stood up and stepped in front of her. She still had doubt in her eyes. “With access to his accounts, you could take all his security away and leave him exposed to hisenemies, and believe me he has many. He’s a wanted man in several countries.”
“I-” Cora’s eyes shuttered closed, and she laid her head back against the door frame. “I never knew.” It was the first hint of vulnerability he had heard from her. It broke his heart that he did this to her.
“I know. That’s why I’m telling you now.”
“Is he…” Cora licked her lips nervously. “Is he the one who heldHannah?”
Every instinct Liam had told him to lie. But he had told Cora he wasn’t a liar. He omitted or changed the subject, but he never outright ever lied to her. It may be a breach in security, but she had to know. “Yes,”
Tears pooled down her cheeks, and Liam pulled her into her arms. “I’ve been aiding a man who…Hannah will hate me when she finds out.”
“No,” he snapped at her and pulledback from her, so he could see her face. “Hannah could never hate you.”
“I’m protecting his money.” She said slowly as if he didn’t understand. He understood perfectly.
“Not anymore. Tell him you quit, and we’ll put you in hiding.”
“No, I refuse to hide from him.” Cora worried her lip then snapped her fingers after a moment. “I have it. I’ll lure him.”
A small v formed between his brows.“How?” He didn’t like her using herself as bait. He had seen the condition of Hannah after being at the hands of Alejandro. The last thing he wanted was for Cora to be within grasp of him.
