7. Chapter 6
Serena
I couldn’t get into the back office. It was locked up tight, and I was afraid I’d set off an alarm if I picked the lock. Liam may not have a history of being the most honest man in the room, but I trust him if he thinks this is a dead end. Plus, I’d prefer not to end up in prison with my ex.
I emerge from the back to find Liam holding a green embossed jewelry bag, one that's far too big for a single pair of earrings. That’s concerning. What else did he buy? But before I can ask, he grabs my arm and escorts me out the door, and this time to the passenger side of the car.
“Have I been demoted?” I tease.
“No. I just have somewhere special I wanted to take you.”
“I thought we were going to finish the journal entries in the book.”
He looks over at me, giving me a very concerning grin complete with an eyebrow waggle. “That’s where I got the idea.”
I raise a brow, waiting for more.
“Cillian never wrote in this book of a treasure but one entry mentioned this spot near the sea that was a ‘treasure indeed.' I may have visited a similar spot when I was younger and want to see how it has held up.” He opens my door and I slip inside.
Liam hops in the car and pulls out the book. He flips to a page and puts it in front of me. “This is the entry I was talking about.”
I skim it. “A cave over the sea, one, two, three. A home for you, a home for me, a treasure indeed.” It seems like nonsense to me.
“My grandfather once took me to a cave like this on the east side of England off a small island,” Liam says. “The cave is wide and has three openings, but is hard to get to so it is relatively unvisited. It’s utterly enchanting.”
“You think the treasure could be buried in a cave?”
“You never know. Regardless, I'd like to take you there.”
“Okay. Let’s do it. But can we stop for food first? I’m starving.”
He glances at his watch and an unidentifiable expression flitters over his features. But before I can dissect it, it’s replaced by his typical grin. “Of course, my love. Of course.”
Liam
“When you said you were hungry, I expected you to eat actual food,” I muse, eyeing Serena over my glass of water. The music and atmosphere at the pub are so lively it’s contagious. Serena did something I’ve never witnessed. She ordered a drink.
“But you said this was a vacation, and I haven’t had a vacation in…ever.” Serena’s words are slightly slurred, but she keeps claiming she’s as lucid as a lieutenant. Apparently, this lieutenant is a lightweight.
I glance at my watch.
“Why do you keep doing that?” she asks, her body lolling to the side.
I sigh and scoot my chair closer to hers. “I was just hoping to take you to the caves soon.” Preferably before it gets dark, and I had things I needed to do first.
“That’s sweet.” She leans her head on my shoulder.
“But of course, you have to go and surprise me.” I chuckle, wrapping an arm around her.
“Says the man full of surprises.” A new song starts up over the speakers, and she looks up at me. “Should we dance?”
“No one else is.”
“Since when has that stopped you?”
“You might be a little too drunk, love.”
“Nope.” She shakes her head. “I’m always in control.”
Yet, she’s not. And it’s only with me she’s letting go of that control and allowing me to care for her. I will never take advantage of that. I press a kiss to the top of her head. “Let’s dance then.”
I help her stand, and her knees buckle, but I hold her up, swaying us to music not meant to be swayed to. It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters more than the woman in my arms.
“I think I’m dizzy,” she mutters, leaning her head on my chest.
“I’ve got you, love. I’ve got you.”
I hold her through the next five songs until soft snores escape her lips. I should get her home or at least to the car. My plans for the day will have to wait.
I scoop her up into my arms and her head falls against my chest. I drop a couple of hundred pound notes on the table then head for the door.
“I can walk,” Serena mumbles.
“Okay,” I say, but don’t put her down.
“Did you drug that lady?” A man steps in front of me, stopping me with his folded arms and a scowl to match.
“Not this time.” I clamp my lips shut. Why are sarcasm and light deflection always my go-to’s?
A fist flies at my face and I dodge, which is a lot harder to do while carrying an unconscious woman.
I maneuver to the side, putting a table between us. “She drank too much. I’m taking her home.”
“More like to your bed,” the man snarls, grabbing the attention of everyone else in the pub.
This is just dandy.
“Liam Hawthorne?”
The blood in my veins turns cold.
I don’t turn, refusing to acknowledge the man addressing me. If he knows me by my real name, that means the situation is even worse. He wants something from me. What can I say? Everyone wants a piece of me. Literally.
Time to get out of here.
Except the idiot in front of me is still there and still pissed.
“She’s my wife,” I sigh. I slip my phone from my hand and show him the screensaver: a photo I doctored to appear like we were married two months ago. Serena never made me change it.
The man looks back and forth between the picture and us then nods and steps to the side.
And then I run.
“Liam!” the voice comes again, but I don’t stop.
I get Serena in the car and turn in time to see a furious Howie Garfield, AKA the most annoying treasure hunter on the planet, bursting out of the pub doors.
Blast. What terrible timing to run into someone from my past. I jump in the car and floor it. Howie isn’t alone. I watch in the rearview mirror as a black SUV picks him up and turns down the street after me.
At least I’ve got speed on my side. I press on the gas, revving the engine, and flying over the country roads like a race car. But the SUV somehow keeps with me, not close enough to shoot but too close for comfort. I’ve got to switch it up.
I slow down to take a left turn, then a right, purposely keeping to back roads that will lead me to the motorway. Serena’s head smacks the door as I take another left.
“Liam,” she grumbles. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing. Just rest, love.”
“Are we being chased?”
“A little bit.”
“Why am I not surprised?” she murmurs. Her eyes close again, and I thank the heavens she’s out for this next part. I send the car airborne. I put my hand on her head to stabilize it as we crash to the ground, metal scraping in what’s sure to be a very expensive fix.
The SUV takes the same leap behind me.
I slam the steering wheel. Why do I keep trying that move?
I tally my options. Under the sea to Paris, or disappear into the crowd in London?
I turn again and again, attempting to lose them. When I hit the roundabout, I speed up, pretending to take one exit, then taking the next.
There’s an SUV too far behind me to confirm it's him, but I don’t slow. I’m not about to lead Howie, of all people, back to my home. I need to get rid of this car. I make a call to Rico.
I enter the motorway, diving back and forth between the cars. No one drives quite like the English.
It’s too quiet with Serena asleep, so I hit the radio, searching for appropriate car chase tunes. It’s safe to say this is not what I had in mind for the day.
Thirty minutes later, Serena is still asleep when I pull into the parking garage of our hotel for the evening.
“Serena.” I nudge her leg. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”
She mumbles but stays asleep as I transfer everything from the Lamborghini to the Range Rover awaiting me. I hand the keys to Rico.
“What do you want me to do with the Lambo?” Rico asks, his eyes dragging over the body of the car with a grimace. The damage must be worse than I thought.
“Whatever you want. Just get it off the streets for the next couple of weeks.”
“That I can do.” Rico grins and hands me the keys to the Range Rover. I go back for Serena before he can take off with her. I scoop her into my arms and start up the stairs. I get the room unlocked and lay her on the bed closest to the window showcasing Buckingham Palace in the distance.
She’s going to be ticked when she wakes up. She drugged herself this time though, so it’s not entirely my fault.
I leave her in the room and take my laptop to the living room. I have some plans to change.