She slapped her forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I’m assuming that means ‘What a dumb question,’” Alec said.
She nodded. “I can’t take it off. It has to be cut off with a special tool I don’t believe has been invented yet.”
“Why did you agree to let him put it on you?” Jordan asked.
“Like I said, he wore me down,” Allison admitted. “Want to know one of his other numerous suggestions? He was real enthusiastic about this one. He thought it would be a good idea to put a tiny chip under my skin. That way he could always know where I was. Don’t they do that to dogs?”
The entire time Allison had been ranting, her eyes were taking quick glances at the table. She moved closer and stared at the puzzle. She simply couldn’t help herself. It was a quirk of hers, she supposed, although Charlotte called it a compulsion. She once asked Allison if the house were on fire but there was an unfinished puzzle, would she feel compelled to finish it before she left? Allison remembered she’d told her it was a ridiculous question. Of course she’d get out right away, but deep down she wasn’t so sure. She might have been tempted to take the puzzle with her.
Now that she’d seen it, she had to put the damn thing together. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to see the picture taking shape in her mind. And then she went to work, snapping the pieces together.
She was incredibly fast. Jordan watched the three men. They looked mesmerized.
“Faster than a speeding bullet, right?” she whispered to her husband.
Noah nodded. “Her brain’s a computer, isn’t it?”
“I swear she’s wired differently than the rest of us.”
“I can hear you,” Allison said. “So stop making fun.”
“How can you talk and do that at the same time?” Alec asked.
“I can also walk and talk at the same time.”
“No need to be sarcastic, sweetheart.” Liam made the comment.
“Liam, talk to Agent Phillips,” Jordan said. “Tell him to let up on Allison.”
Allison was exasperated. She didn’t look up when she said, “Do not talk to him. I can take care of myself.”
“How come he wants to track you?” Jordan asked.
“He thinks I could be dangerous. At least that’s what he keeps telling me. He makes it sound like I have an affliction.”
“He’s right,” Liam said. “You are dangerous.”
Allison continued snapping the pieces together. After the first few minutes the others pulled out chairs and sat down to watch in awe, as though they were spectators at some phenomenal sporting event. When the last piece had been inserted, she stepped back and surveyed her work, then turned around.
“Wow” was all Alec could say.
“When my contract is up, I’m not doing anything more for the FBI,” she blurted, finishing her argument. “I know that’s why you’re here, and I’m not—”
Liam didn’t let her finish. He took her by the hand and led her toward the French doors that opened to the patio.
“What are you doing?” she asked. Two months without a single phone call, and now he was being domineering? No way was she going to let him get away with it.
She was about to resist when he said, “We have to talk.”
Glancing over her shoulder, she wondered why Alec wasn’t following them. After they stepped onto the patio and Liam closed the doors behind them, she pulled her hand away. With a bite in her voice, she asked, “More hacker talk?”
“No,” he replied. He walked over to the short brick wall that surrounded the patio and leaned against it.
She took a seat next to him. “Then why are you and Alec here?”
“We’re going fishing with Noah.”
“So you’re going to Nathan’s Bay?”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t make up her mind if she was happy or irritated that he would be with her that weekend. Two months without a word and now he was acting as though he’d only just seen her yesterday. Irritated, she decided. She was irritated. She had already been thinking like a clingy rejected woman, and that was simply unacceptable. If she let that attitude continue, she would soon be singing those stupid melancholy songs. “Why do you have bruises on your face? Were you in a fight?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“London.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“No.”
She didn’t know if he couldn’t tell her or wouldn’t tell her, and she once again pretended she didn’t care. “You’ve been in London all this while?”
“No,” he answered. “I had to go back last week.”
She wanted to ask where he had been for the last two months besides London, but she repressed the urge to pursue the subject. Where he had been or what he had been doing—or whom he had been doing it with—wasn’t any of her business. Right?
“Okay, then.” She started to get up, but he put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her.
“I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
He didn’t ease into the news. “There’s a warrant out for your cousin’s arrest.”
She braced herself. “What happened?”
“Will’s girlfriend, Mary Lou Something-or-other, went to the movie with another man. Will found out about the date and waited in the parking lot for them to come outside. According to the police report, Will was pretty drunk when he jumped the guy. There were dozens of phone cameras filming your cousin beating him to a bloody pulp. He put him in the hospital.”
She thought she might be sick. “How bad was the man hurt?”
“He’s stable now, but still in ICU.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“Yes,” he answered. “I gotta say, Mary Lou sure set the bar low for boyfriends. The guy in the hospital is younger than Will, but he’s already a felon with a record that goes way back. I wouldn’t waste any tears on him, Allison, because as soon as he’s released from the hospital he’s going to be locked up. Turns out, the police have been looking for him. He was involved in an armed robbery a couple of months ago.”
He stood over her with his arms folded across his chest. “This is a clear-cut case against Will. The DA will add charges. Your cousin is going away for a long time.”
“If there’s a warrant, that means he’s not in jail?”
“He ran before the police got there. He hasn’t been found yet.”
“This is all my fault,” she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. “That man is in the hospital because of me. Will could have killed him. If I hadn’t pleaded for probation, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Yeah, it would have,” he said. “It just wouldn’t have happened this soon. Your cousin isn’t going to change. He’s got a lot of rage inside. He should be locked up.”
She put her head down and covered her face with her hands. “I’m responsible. Why didn’t I think he was capable of such violence? Why didn’t—”
Liam wouldn’t let her continue to berate herself. “You thought you were giving him one last chance to change his life.”
“I was a fool.”
“No, you were naive. There’s enough blame to go around. Phillips or I could have refused to get probation for him. But what’s done is done. He’s going to try to get you to help him.”
“He doesn’t know I helped him get probation, does he?”
“No.”
“Then why would he come to me for help?”
“Because you’ve always helped his family in the past. Hell, you supported all of them. Your cousin has been running with some bad people. One of them might show up at your door. If Will or one of his friends tries to contact you, I want you to call me.”
“What if you’re out
of the country?”
“You call me.”
He wasn’t going to let up until she agreed. “Yes, I’ll call you.”
“Give me your cell phone.”
She pulled it from her back pocket and watched as he programmed his number in and added it to speed dial.
“All right, then,” he answered with finality.
Allison waited for him to say something else, but Liam stood in front of her, silent and unmoving. The only sound was the chirping of crickets in the darkness. The longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable she became. Just being alone with him was enough to make her heart beat faster, but the way he was looking at her now almost brought her heart to a stop.
She broke the silence. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”
His answer was brusque. “No.”
“Then we should go in.”
Liam took her hands to pull her to her feet, but when she was standing bare inches away, the willpower he had been relying on all evening evaporated into thin air. From the moment she walked through the door, he’d wanted her. For the past two months, he had looked for every excuse to return to Boston. He had told himself the memory of their time together would fade, but that hadn’t happened. And then, when he saw her again tonight, he knew he was in real trouble.
“Allison . . . ,” he began.
She waited for him to continue, but he only held her hands more tightly. His eyes searched hers as though he was seeking something intangible.
“Are you going to let go of me anytime soon?” she whispered, hoping he couldn’t feel her trembling.
“No, not yet.”
She peeked around him to see if anyone was watching. The light from inside poured through the French doors. Thankfully, the dining room was empty. She wasn’t worried about Alec and Noah noticing. They wouldn’t say anything, but Jordan was another story. She’d have at least a hundred questions, and Allison knew she wouldn’t be able to answer a single one. How could she, when she didn’t know what was happening herself? The only thing she was sure of was that she had been miserable for months, and Liam was the cause. To avoid a future of misery, she had to keep her distance from him.
She freed her hands and said, “You should leave me alone.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I should leave you alone.” He stepped even closer so that she had to tilt her head up to look at him. She could feel the warmth of his chest against hers and wondered if he could hear the breath that caught in her throat.
He lowered his head, and as though she had no control over her reactions, her fingers slid into his soft hair. “This is all wrong. I can’t—”
“Yeah, it’s definitely all wrong,” he said as his mouth brushed over hers.
And then he kissed her exactly how she wanted him to, and oh, how he made her want more. She heard a low groan, then realized she was the one making the sound. He overwhelmed her, and when he finally ended the kiss her arms were clasped around his neck. She was slow to get her wits back. When she finally found her strength, she pushed against him. Unfortunately, he didn’t budge.
“You can’t just waltz back into my life and think you can kiss me.”
There was that heart-stopping smile again, messing with her concentration. “I don’t waltz,” he said. “And I already kissed you. Did you forget? How about I show you what I did?”
He kissed her again. She was ready to push harder this time. She absolutely was, until his mouth settled on top of hers. Then she was all in, her tongue rubbing against his, clinging to him while he robbed her of every thought but one. Lordy, did he know how to kiss! She was so swept away in the moment she didn’t hear the door opening.
Jordan called out to her, “We’ll take two cars. Alec will ride with Noah and me, and you can ride with—” She stopped abruptly when she saw them. “You two seem to be getting along.”
Allison could hear the laughter in her voice. Liam finally let go of her.
“You’re blushing,” he whispered, loud enough, she thought, for the neighbors to hear.
“You like embarrassing me, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I kinda do.”
She stepped away from him. “Jordan, I should drive myself in case I get called in.”
“If you get called in, I’ll drive you back,” Liam said.
Just then her phone rang, and for the first time since she’d started working for Agent Phillips, she hoped he was on the line. She knew she was acting like a wimp by trying to get out of spending the weekend with Liam, yet her reason made perfect sense to her. She was afraid of being alone with him. She was vulnerable with him, and she hated that feeling because she didn’t know how to protect herself.
The call was from Dan. “Are you going to be available Monday evening around seven?”
“Should I be?” she asked.
“You absolutely should be.”
She turned away from Liam and walked to the side of the patio overlooking the garden while she waited for Dan to explain. He’d sounded concerned and almost frazzled, which was totally out of character for him.
“What has you so upset?” she asked when he didn’t immediately tell her what was wrong.
“I’m not upset. I’m angry. Brett is doing a presentation of your program to potential buyers. There’s a group of important company execs coming in, and Brett reserved one of the banquet rooms at the Adams Harbor Hotel. After the way you reacted at Basher’s party, I’m guessing he’s keeping the time and place real hush-hush. He doesn’t want you to find out until it’s too late.”
“How did you find out?”
“He came by the house, walked in like he owned the place, and asked if Mark or I had found his iPad. We told him no, and then he said he wanted to catch up. We knew he was up to something,” he said, adding, “He’s such an ass. Anyway, he kept bringing the conversation back to you. Twice he asked where you were and what you were doing. Neither one of us answered the first time. Then Brett circled around to you again and said he wanted to talk to you and find out if you knew where his iPad was.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I lied and said you were in Seattle visiting your sister and wouldn’t be back for two more weeks. He was out of there lickety-split. Looked relieved, too.”
“How did you find out when this presentation is taking place?”
“Like I said, I knew he was up to something, so I called a friend, and he called a friend who put some feelers out, and I finally got the information I was after. It’s on Monday night at seven. Please tell me you’re going to crash the party.”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Be careful. No telling what Brett’s capable of. If he thinks this deal is worth millions, I’ll bet he’ll have a couple of bouncers with your photo standing at the doors. I’d take some heat with you.”
“I don’t need an armed guard to crash the party,” she protested.
“I don’t know about that. Maybe take the armed FBI agent you’ve been seeing.”
“I’ll be fine on my own. Don’t worry about me.”
“Brett doesn’t have any money. Someone has to be bankrolling him. The party is open bar with lots of food, and that hotel is expensive. I’ll bet his money backer expects a big profit from the sale, too. Listen, I’m reevaluating. Maybe you shouldn’t go,” he added worriedly.
“Oh, I’m going.”
“Then how about I go with you?”
“Dan, if he sees you, I won’t be able to sneak in.”
“You’re not going to be able to sneak in anyway,” he argued. “You’re a knockout. Men are going to notice you.”
“I’ll get in,” she said, ignoring the comment about her appearance. “And stop worrying. I can take care of myself.”
A minute later she ended the call. When she turned around she found Liam wat
ching her. He wasn’t the only one. Alec, Jordan, and Noah were also watching.
“What?”
Liam walked closer. “What’s Dan worrying about?”
“Dan’s the old roommate, right?” Noah asked.
Liam answered, “Yes. He watched out for Allison while she lived with him and another guy.”
Allison asked, “Were all of you listening in on my phone conversation?”
“I was on the phone with my wife, so I only caught a little of it,” Alec said.
“Yes, we listened,” Jordan said. “As soon as I heard you say hello, I decided to eavesdrop.”
“You shouldn’t—,” Allison began.
“Of course we shouldn’t. It’s rude,” Jordan said. “So, what did Dan say?”
“What’s he worried about?” Noah wanted to know.
“Nothing, really. Dan tends to overreact.”
Liam wouldn’t let her evade the question. “Allison, what’s he worried about?”
“You’re starting to irritate me, Liam.”
“Answer me.” There was a sharp edge to his voice this time.
She knew he wouldn’t stop. He was determined to get his way, and she wasn’t in the mood to fight, especially in front of the others. She repeated the conversation she’d had with Dan, and the second she finished, Liam said, “I’m going with you.”
“I’d like to come along, too,” Noah said. “Maybe I can move some things around.”
Alec nodded. “I wish I could be there. I’d like to watch the presentation.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Allison argued.
Alec grinned. “I really would, but I’ll be back in Chicago.”
“I have to be in Dallas Monday, so I can’t go,” Jordan said. “I wish I could be there. Since you’ve been working on this program for so long, I’m guessing you’ve built in a way to stop someone from stealing your work. You have, haven’t you?”
Allison nodded. “The software isn’t complete. Brett isn’t smart enough to know that. I’m sure he thinks he has it all figured out, but he doesn’t. It isn’t possible until I add more code. It’s intricate.” She could have answered in more detail, but the only one who would have understood was Jordan, so she spared the men a long explanation.