Liberty House Shelter
Seattle, Washington
“Well,now. There are two faces I never expected to see.”
Liam watched the man approaching them with a carefully trained eye as he, Allison, and Maddie made their way toward the gated property known as Liberty House. His muscles relaxed a second later when he heard Maddie’s excited voice.
“Bruce!” The little girl took off in a sprint toward the middle-aged man.
“Hey, Miss Maddie!” The guard—whose name was apparently Bruce—scooped the tiny blonde up off her feet and gave her a big bear hug.
Allison leaned in closer, her dimples growing deep as she explained, “Bruce was Maddie’s favorite guard when we stayed here.”
She turned her attention back to the interaction between her daughter and the friendly guard, but Liam kept his eyes on her. It wasn’t the time, and it sure as hell wasn’t the place, but he wasso awestruck by the woman’s big, genuine smile, he couldn’t find the strength to look away.
My God, she’s beautiful.
Maddie was carefully lowered back down to her feet as Bruce huffed out a chuckled, “Never expected to see you ladies again.” But then his face fell flat as he gave Liam a slow once-over before returning his focus to Allison. “Ah, hell. Don’t tell me that SOB’s at it again.”
“He found us, Bruce,” she shared quietly. “Twice.”
The other man ran a hand over the strawberry blonde scruff covering his jaw. “You’re sure it was Tommy?”
“I saw him with my own two eyes.” Allison nodded. “He showed up in Nebraska a few weeks ago, and then two of his men were watching me and Mads at a park in Chicago the other day.”
“Chicago?” The other man was clearly surprised at how far the determined mother had travelled. “Damn. I’m sorry. But I have to ask…why come all the way back here?”
“We need to talk to your boss.”
Bruce’s suspicious gaze turned Liam’s way. “And you are?”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” Allison rushed the belated introduction. “Bruce Lamont, this is Liam Cutler. He’s my?—”
“Friend,” Liam shot her a quick look before offering the other man his hand.
Despite the glint of confusion seeping into her baby blues, she didn’t attempt to correct him.
Good girl.
“Nice to meet you, Liam.” Bruce’s grip was nice and firm. “I gotta say, it’s a relief knowing these girls have someone lookin’ out for them.”
He dipped his chin and released the other man’s hand. “Sounds like you’ve done your fair share of looking out for them yourself.”
“Just like I do for every other woman and child who walks through those doors.” Bruce motioned toward the building behind him. “It’s the whole reason I’m here.”
“You and Hank both do a wonderful job keeping this place safe.” Allison smiled. “It was really nice knowing that one of you was always here.”
“That’s kind of you to say.” Bruce grinned. “But hey, it’s not just the two of us anymore.”
“Sloane hired someone new?”
“Yup. Name’s Jeff Stapleton. He’s young, like the two of you. Seems to have a solid head on his shoulders. Plus, with Jeff added to the rotation, Hank and I actually get a day off from work now and then.”
“Good, because you both deserve it.” Allison put a friendly hand to the man’s upper arm. “But speaking of Sloane, we should probably get in there.”
“Is she expecting you?”
“I called her this morning to let her know we were coming.”
