Chapter 46 – Gabriella
Everything was prepared. Tonight was the night. It was too late to leave without my heart being torn, but the decision was simple. Liam was an adult. While he had needs, he could always find another wife. On paper, I was replaceable, even if his declaration last night promised that wasn’t true.
If I didn’t leave, nature was going to gnaw at me until I was brittle with loss.
The precious cash was hidden in the bottom of my bag, and I only had to get through the day with a semblance of normalcy. Which meant taking my weekly walk to the park.
I didn’t think I could stomach that.
Especially when Liam walked through the door, holding two coffees.
I stifled a yelp of surprise and braced myself against the kitchen island.
He was here. Why was he here? This man had a thriving empire, yet he just strolled into the house like he had nothing better to do than spend a morning with me.
My heart clenched tightly.
“What’s this?” I gasped, trying to act breezy and natural.
Liam cocked his head. “I just wanted to check that you were okay. After last night.”
He could have called.
Instead, he’d made time for me.
Pain lanced my heart. It was a struggle to find the words.
“The house stinks of bleach, but I’m good,” I said, even though that was the furthest thing from the truth. “Need some fresh air.”
Liam slid the iced latte across to me. “I’ll get Storm. Then we’ll go for a walk. The Bay Front Park is just down the street.”
I blinked, heart in my throat. As if he didn’t already know I went there every Tuesday morning. Merda…why? Why was he coming with? I drew a ragged breath through my nose and forced myself not to tremble.
Maybe he pretended not to notice, but Liam moved about as if I wasn’t unnaturally stiff.
He clipped the training collar around the dog’s little neck, put the leash on it, grabbed his coffee, and then looked up at me.
There was no avoiding the question in those stormy eyes. He waited patiently, letting me take him in.
“Are you alright, cailín?” he asked.
I gave him a nod, snatched my drink, and followed him out the door. The sky was filled with fluffy clouds, tinged with grey. The weatherman said it would storm tonight, which was a fitting backdrop for my heartbreaking plans.
“Aren’t the guards coming with?” I asked as we made our way down the driveway to the front gate.
Liam shook his head. “No, it'll be a fine day when I can't protect my own.”
I fidgeted with the ice-cold drink, my fingers numb where they wrapped around the freezing plastic.
“Is something wrong with the coffee?”
I took a quick sip and then let out a short laugh. “Nope, it tastes sickly sweet.”
“Is there a reason you don't want me with you this morning?” Liam pressed.
I had to face him. I had to look him in the eye when I said what was next.
“I’m glad you’re coming with me this morning,” I admitted. “We haven’t spent much time together since you became the head of the organization.”
“That’s true,” Liam added. “Part of the reason I wanted to be with you today.”
“And what was the other?” I asked, curiosity warring with panic inside my chest.
Liam plucked the drink out of my hand and took a sip. He made a face. We were almost normal, but I didn't feel like laughing or smiling. There was still an ocean between us.
“The other reason,” Liam repeated, answering my question, “is that I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh, you told me that already,” I said, wiping my hand against my jeans before taking the cup back.
His voice was a gentle caress. “It’s not every day that you kill someone.”
He was worried I was in shock. Nothing more. I took a deep breath before swallowing some of the hazelnut latte.
“Well, for you it is,” I countered.
He let out a hoarse laugh, tugged on the leash to make Storm heel, and we fell into a comfortable silence the rest of the way to the park.
I tried to think of anything and everything else to keep my mind off the reality that this man was so sweet.
His hands might be permanently bloodstained, but he had never been monstrous to me.
If only there was a way to make this work….
While I might be safe with him, that secret was too fragile to breathe into existence. I bottled it up, locked it tightly away, and determined to protect it at all costs.
“I noticed you have a collection of sports memorabilia in your home gym,” I offered when I couldn't take my inner turbulence that the silence brought on.
Liam sat down on my bench and crossed a leg over his knee. “I haven't been to a game since….” He pointed at his mask.
I frowned.
“Too many cameras,” he added by way of explanation.
I winced for him. “I'm so sorry. I’ve never been to a game, but I’ve heard they’re fun.”
He cocked his head, looking at me without hiding behind the mask. “Would you like to go? The Red Sox are in season now. The Patriots will start up the regular season in two weeks. The Celtics won’t play until this fall, but I still have season tickets to their games. Take your pick.”
I obliged him. I let us live in this delusion where we could be a couple who went to sports games together, where he wasn’t wearing a mask and I wasn’t going to run.
“I don't know,” I said. “I think I like the idea of padded men in jerseys and tights running into each other as they chase a ball.”
Liam rolled his eyes. “I’ll try not to take offense at the ‘men in tights’ comment.”
Dio sopra, why did this have to feel so normal?
Why did I want this nice moment to last?
I was a sucker for it. Living from a beautiful place with the possibility of existing in a space where there was no threat of violence even though our lives were tainted by the darkness of the underworld, this felt like home.
“What else do you like to do besides sports?” I asked, sitting back. “What did you used to do before your accident?”
Liam let out a long breath. “I liked to fish, but that’s not because of the accident.” He twisted his own coffee between his fingers. “I just haven’t had the time with everything else going on.”
I almost laughed. I almost did. I couldn’t picture this big, murderous, bloodthirsty killer as an avid fisherman. It was too quiet of a pastime.
“You mean you sit there with a pole and coax the little fish to come bite your hook?” I blurted out, unable to contain my astonishment.
Liam shot me a look sideways. “It’s very relaxing, cailín.”
“Relaxing.” I tasted the word. “But it’s so slimy!”
“Slimy?”
I nodded. “Fish are gross, and don’t get me started on the worms!”
He snorted then, flashing me a mischievous grin. Per la miseria! He looked young. Innocent. Beautiful.
My heart bled.
“Maybe if we don’t have any more incidents, we could make plans to go Friday afternoon,” he offered.
By Friday afternoon, I would be gone. But this wasn’t a moment of reality. This was a dream of a future that never could be. “If I don’t have to touch anything, I’ll think about it.”
He responded, teasing me, baiting me to smile or laugh.
The sound of a stroller made me bite my lip. The daydream slipped away. My destiny crept forward on creaking wheels.
I’m coming, Luca. Just a few more hours until our inevitable reunion—and our terrifying race to escape Boston.