Chapter 30 Liam
LIAM
When my phone rings, I almost jump out of my skin. I expect it to be Emma with an update, but it’s Nikolai.
“Nik,” I say as I answer the call.
“Hopefully, you are far away from this shitshow by now.”
“At the hospital,” I say. “What do you know about Emma’s sister? I had to leave her on the lawn, and it...didn’t look good.”
“She was alive when they took her,” he answers. “I heard them on the radio ahead and say she was in critical condition. You are there now?”
“I dropped Emma and her – our son at the door. I just parked.”
“Liam, this was messy, I will not lie,” Nik says. “Messier than planned.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t know who else to call for help.”
“There’s no need to be sorry,” Nik says. “They broke many rules. What happened was… unavoidable. Marcus was in the house, by the way. He’s alive and in our custody. We have… other questions for him. But if you need an outlet for your frustrations, you’re welcome to stop by. I won’t stop you.”
A hot, dark pulse of rage spikes through me.
For a second, I see Marcus tied to a chair, me putting my fist through his face over and over until he feels even a fraction of what Emma felt. Until he understands what it’s like to hear a child scream for their mother and not be able to reach her.
My hand tightens around the phone. My jaw clenches.
“Oh, I want to,” I admit. “You have no idea how much I want to. I could end him for what he did. For what he almost did.”
Nik doesn’t respond, but I can feel his approval through the silence.
“But…” I let out a harsh breath. “Emma and Laddie come first. They need me here. They need me whole. I can’t waste time breaking Marcus when my family’s still trying to recover.”
“The invitation stands,” Nik says.
“Yeah,” I reply, blowing out a breath. “I appreciate you.”
But right now?
I chose Emma.
I choose Laddie.
And that’s the only thing keeping me from doing something I won’t come back from.
Nik hums a low, unreadable sound. “Suit yourself. I find that enacting violence on bad people is a very therapeutic exercise.”
I have zero doubt that Nikolai Ivanov can kill a man with one punch if he feels like it.
And thank God he’s on my side, not the opposite.
“What happens now?” I ask. “They took Talia and Laddie before the deadline. Can they even do that?”
Nik lets out a long, irritated sigh on the other end. “They fucked up. Look… deals in our world are often gray. Fuzzy. Nothing written down—just a handshake, a word of agreement. But even with all that flexibility, there are boundaries. And the Brownings crossed several.”
“Please fill me in.”
“Where things happen matters. Whose territory it is matters. Timing matters. And most of all, the people involved matter.”
He pauses, then continues, “The Brownings were jumpy about the deal we made, and jumpier about the money taking longer than planned. The real estate transfer was dragging, and they assumed you’d try to buy more time.
“Why the hell would I do that?” I ask, flabbergasted. “I just wanted to be done with all of this.”
“I’m aware,” Nik says dryly. “They, however, are paranoid idiots. They worried you’d run or renegotiate, so they grabbed Emma as leverage.”
My stomach twists. “And they got Talia instead.”
Nik grunts in agreement. “Yes. Which is its own problem. We’re not above using partners or spouses as bargaining pieces, but only after we confirm we have the right target. And one more thing…”
His voice drops, firm and cold. “And we all have an agreement about children. We do not involve children. Ever. Taking someone’s child? Putting a child in deliberate danger? That’s a dealbreaker in every family, Liam.”
“A dealbreaker?” I echo.
“Mmmhmm,” he hums.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I have Marcus O’Rear in my custody,” he says calmly. “I’ve spoken to the head of the Browning family. I’ll return Marcus mostly intact. But the deal we struck with them is null and void.” A pause. “And that includes your debt.”
“I don’t think I understand,” I say, drawing out the words.
“The moment I return Marcus, you will officially be off their books. Your father’s debt will be cleared. The price was negated by their fuck-up with the boy.”
“Are you...sure?” I ask.
“Yes.”
I’m quiet as I process, and Nik says he’s got to finish a few things.
“Thank you, Nik. Am I in debt to you?”
“I had to hand over a significant amount of cash to the police tonight,” he says. “We’re still buying your father’s home, and I’ll take it out of your proceeds. We can call it even then. I hate the Brownings. It was exhilarating to fuck them up.”
I shake my head, reeling. “So I...I’m walking away with—”
“Just over two-point-five million, yes,” he confirms. “It’s yours to keep at this point. Invest it well.”
I thank him again and hang up, completely shocked.
I am free of my father’s debt.
In a few days, I will be a millionaire.
I should be excited about this, of course, and a part of me is. But I still can’t relax.
I can’t relax because there is one really big loose end that I need to tie up with Emma.
And if Talia dies, I doubt I’ll ever see her again.
By the time I walk into the hospital, the chaos has already hit its peak.
The ER is buzzing with that frantic energy, nurses rushing between bays, monitors beeping, and families crying in the corners. Someone wheels a blood-smeared gurney past me, and the smell of antiseptic hits hard.
I practically run down the hall toward the waiting area they pointed me to. When I spot Emma, it damn near knocks the air out of my lungs.
She’s curled into one of those hard plastic chairs, holding herself together with nothing but sheer will. Her scrubs are streaked with dirt and tears. Her hair’s half fallen out of its tie. Her hands won’t stop shaking.
Laddie is passed out in her lap, completely exhausted from crying, worn out from fear. His cheeks are still blotchy, his little fists still clenched like he was afraid to let go of his mother.
“Emma,” I say softly.
Her head snaps up like she’s expecting bad news. When she sees me, her breath catches.
“Liam,” she says, and her voice cracks on my name.
I drop into the chair beside her and slide an arm around her shoulders, wanting to shield her from all the cruelty of the world.
“What happens now?” I ask.
She swallows hard. “They took her straight to surgery. Internal bleeding. They didn’t tell me anything else.” Her voice breaks. “I don’t know if she’s— I don’t know if she’s going to make it.”
I look down at Laddie, limp in her arms, lashes still wet with tears.
“He cried until he couldn’t anymore,” she whispers. “And then he just… shut down. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help him. I don’t know—”
Her voice crumbles, and she presses her forehead to the top of Laddie’s head.
Gently, I ease Laddie’s weight onto my lap, lifting him so she can breathe for one damn second.
Emma lets out a tiny, broken sob.
“I’m here,” I say quietly. “You’re not doing this alone.”
She closes her eyes and takes a shaky breath, her fingers curling around my sleeve like she needs something solid to hang onto.
“Liam,” she whispers, “I’m so scared.”
I nod, my chest burns with fear, fury, and helplessness twisting together. “I know,” I whisper. “Me too.”
She shakes her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I keep thinking… what if she dies? What if he remembers all of this? What if—”
Her voice breaks completely, and she bites down on her lip, trying to hold the panic inside her mouth. Her arms tighten around Laddie like she’s afraid the world might try to take him again.
“Here,” I say softly. “Let me.”
I slide my arms under Laddie and lift him fully against my chest. He stirs, whimpers once, then settles instantly against my chest like he knows exactly who I am.
I hold him close, shifting him so his head rests safely on my shoulder.
“Just breathe,” I say softly. “I’ve got him. Take a minute, Emma. Please.”
She nods, but the tears keep falling.
And that’s the moment it hits me, hard and absolute:
These two are mine.
My responsibility.
My family.
And I will burn down the fucking world before I lose them again.