Liam watched her closely, part of him feeling such sorrow for a woman he barely even knew. But as he sat there, he realized he was also was proud as hell.
Allison had risked everything—fuckingeverything—to get her and her daughter out of their own personal, terrifying prison. Time and again, she did what she had to so she and Maddie would be safe.
So yeah, he was proud of her. Who wouldn’t be?
But there was something else gnawing at him. A feeling he couldn’t quite name. And the longer Liam took in the tension in her beautiful profile, the stronger that feeling became.
You know what it is. You just don’t want to admit it.
Liam’s hands curled into fists as they lay resting in his lap. The voice in his head was right, and damn if that didn’t hurt. Because Liam was pretty certain Allison knew more about her husband’s illegal dealings than she was letting on.
So why lie and pretend as though she didn’t?
He’d wait to ask her that question until later, once they were alone. For now…
“Okay, look.” Knox spoke up again. “From what I’ve been told, internal affairs is running their own investigation. They know there’s a major problem with guys on the force being on the take. So they’ve been running an off-the-grid investigation for the past several months, trying to get as much evidence as they can on as many corrupt cops as they can. Especially those they suspect of having possible ties to organized crime.”
“I’m glad they’re finally looking into that,” Allison commented. “But what does that have to do with me and the trouble I’m having with Tommy?”
“The investigation into Torres’s death is a small piece of it all. But if we can somehow connect Gallo to the crime, then we can use that to try and turn him.”
“Turn him?”
“He’s saying they can offer Tommy a deal on the charge of murder if he agrees to give up the names of the guys above him.”
“We start there and just keep moving up to the next man on the ladder.” Knox nodded. “Eventually, we’ll reach the man at the top, which will bring the entire organization to its knees.”
Allison grew quiet as she processed all they’d heard. A moment later, she took a deep, cleansing breath before paraphrasing everything Knox had shared.
“So let me get this straight,” she began. “You guys are looking at Tommy for Marty’s murder, and you also think he’s connected to the mob, but you can’t prove any of it.” A short pause ensued. “I mean, given who my husband is, that’s not all that surprising, but I still don’t understand what any of this has to do with keeping him from coming after me or my daughter.”
It wasn’t until that exact moment that Liam realized the real reason they’d been invited here. It wasn’t so they could have a private meeting without fear of it being overheard, nor was it so he could selflessly aid in her efforts to escape.
And as Liam stared back at the man who’d so brilliantly set them both up, he envisioned punching the bastard square in the face.
“You son of a bitch.” Liam pushed himself up to his feet. “It’s never going to happen, so you can push that shit out of your head right the fuck now.”
“Wait, what?” Allison looked up from where she still sat, her confused gaze bouncing back and forth from him to Knox.
“You want to tell her, or should I?”
Knox motioned back to the couch. “If you’ll calm down a minute, I’ll explain everything to you both.”
“Fuck you and your explanation,” Liam seethed. He held out a hand for Allison to take. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” She stood of her own accord. “But we just got here.”
“She’s right, Travis.” Sloane took Allison’s side. “What are the two of you not saying?”
Neither he or Knox spoke, prompting Allison to turn her frustration his way.
Her blue gaze searched his with desperation. “What’s going on, Liam?”
“What’s going on?” He took a broad step toward her, pointing his index finger toward Knox. “He wants to use you as fucking bait, that’s what.” His rage-filled gaze met with the other man’s. “Never going to happen.”
“All right,” Knox drawled. “Why don’t we all just take a breath and?—”
“I don’t need to take a fucking breath, and neither does she,” Liam informed him sharply. “In fact, the only thing we need to do is leave.”
