8. Chapter 7
Serena
I wake up with a pounding headache. It’s still light out, but I feel like I’ve been asleep for hours. Why was I asleep in the middle of the day? And…where am I?
I glance around the unfamiliar room, unease forming a pit in my stomach.
This is more than déjà vu; this is some cruel joke.
“Liam Arthur Hawthorne!”
His head pops in the doorway. “Bringing out my middle name. I must really be in trouble.”
“Explain!” I yell, waving my hands around the room. This is not his house or his sketchy apartment. “I thought I’d been kidnapped for real.”
“The only one who gets to kidnap you is me.” He grins, but it fades when he sees my scowl. He comes closer and sits on the edge of the bed, rubbing my knee. “You don’t remember anything?”
I don’t. Which can only mean one thing. “You drugged me!”
“No, you got drunk.”
Oof. That would explain the headache. “Agree to disagree.”
He raises an amused brow. “Someone recognized me. We had to get out of there. A car chase ensued. It was all very riveting. I’m surprised you slept through it.”
So I was drunk. Clearly, that can never happen again.
“And why are we here?”
“The man following us is a treasure hunter I knew from university. If he finds out where I live, he’ll rob me blind.”
“A treasure hunter?” Not a psycho killer or drug lord. A small positive.
He nods. “You’re safe. I promise.”
I drop back against the pillows. This man. Life is an adventure with him for sure. “Wait, what about that place near the ocean you wanted to take me?”
He purses his lips. “We can go tomorrow.”
That pit in my stomach returns, filling me with guilt. He was so excited to take me there… and then I ruined it. I glance at the time. “It’s only five. We could still make it.”
“Are you sure?” he asks.
“Of course.”
My stomach lets out an unearthly groan and Liam laughs. “Why don’t we get you some real food, and then we will talk?”
“That would be delightful.”
We walk to the café on the bottom floor of the hotel.
I order a sandwich, then find a booth tucked in the corner of the room, far from the bright lights and constant chiming of the door.
“Here.” Liam hands me two aspirin and I down them eagerly.
Our food is served and I dive in like a lion finding its first meal in days.
Liam is motionless beside me.
“What?” I ask, with my mouth full of meat and cheese.
“I just love you.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’re being weird.”
“Can’t a man simply admire his woman?”
Well, that certainly hasn't been the case in my experience. But Liam has rewritten all the rules, all the lies I believed, and shown me a love so real and full I still struggle to comprehend it. My defenses slip and slide away, leaving me a pile of mush for this man.
My cheeks flame, but I play it off with a shrug. “And I too…enjoy your company.”
He laughs and takes a bite of his own sandwich.
Liam pulls out his phone. He sends a message and locks it, only to have it vibrate immediately. He angles it away from me as he continues to type, and the phone continues to buzz.
“Everything okay?” I ask around a mouthful of sandwich.
“What? Oh yeah, just a needy client.”
He doesn’t give this number to just anyone. This client must be important. I finish my sandwich while he continues to monitor his phone.
He kept doing that in the pub as well. Then we danced, and he carried me out. And I hit my head in the car when he went over the jump. It’s all coming back to me now.
The door to the shop bursts open.
“Liam Hawthorne!”
Liam jumps, flinging his latte at me.
I scream as warm liquid drips down my front. But Liam ignores me, too focused on the door.
“We have to go.” Liam grabs my arm, yanking me out of my seat.
“What? Why? Look at me.” I gesture to my front.
“Sorry about that,” he says, turning only to glance back at the door. “I don’t know how he found us so fast,” he mutters. “Not as stupid as he looks.”
“What’s going on?” I turn to see who he’s talking about and make eye contact with a balding, middle-aged man. His face is so red, steam must be coming out of his ears. The treasure hunter, I presume. “We should probably run.”
“Way ahead of you, darling.”
“Don’t you dare leave me behind!” I leap over a rogue chair and shove Liam to the side to get in front of him.
“I’ll never leave you behind! That being said, I run faster.”
“Race you.”
I hit the service entrance first and ram right into a server carrying a gigantic tray of food. The air disappears from my lungs as the tray hits my midsection. Sandwiches, salads, and worse–jello–goes flying. All into me. I’m wearing more than the floor.
“Don’t slow down.” Liam yanks me forward, but he loses momentum when he’s jerked backward.
I slip on the jello smeared under my shoes and dive into the mess, barely catching myself on my hands and knees.
“Hawthorne.” The man grabs Liam by the throat. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
“I didn’t realize your eyesight had gotten so bad,” Liam says. This earns him a punch to the gut.
Why did I have to choose the one man intent on pissing everyone off?
I grab onto the wall to pull myself up. “Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.” I stick my hand out to the man leering over Liam. He looks at my hand but doesn’t reach for it. “Special Agent Cruz. Liam Hawthorne is in my custody and turning on some old friends from his past. Who might you be?”
The treasure hunter’s eyes widen a bit. He shakes his head. “I don’t believe you. A little birdy told me you’re looking for the Moore treasure, and I want in.”
“It already belongs to the FBI,” I say.
He pulls a gun out of his belt, and people in the kitchen scream, ducking and hiding. “Wrong. You two will take me there, or I’m putting a bullet in one of you.”
I didn’t think he’d go for that.
“In that case, you should know something.” I step to the side, garnering a better angle for myself. “Liam is a much better target because he's pretentious and annoying.”
“I resent that. You’re far more irritating than I,” Liam retorts.
The man looks at Liam, confused, and I take that moment to kick the gun free of his hand. It skitters somewhere under the kitchen counter, and Howie lunges at me. I greet him with a fist to the face and a knee to the groin.
He groans and falls to the floor. “As far as sparring partners go, I’ve had better,” I say.
That seems to tick him off, and he swipes at my leg, but Liam beats me to the literal punch, knocking him out. Liam grins up at me. “Now who's getting cocky?”
He’s rubbing off on me. I’m going to need to fix that. “Whatever.” I brush food out of my hair.
“Don’t ever change. It’s sexy. But we should probably go.”
“Agreed.” We slip out into the back hallway.
Liam leads me down the stairs to the parking garage, right to a Range Rover. He then proceeds to open it.
“What are you doing?! I thought we were working on this!”
“I didn’t steal it. It’s mine. You were asleep for that too.” He unlocks the car, and it beeps, then he turns back to me. “Wait, it’s brand new. You can’t get in with food all over you like that.”
“Are you kidding me right now? We are running from a man with a gun, and you’re worried about me getting your new car dirty?”
“He’s asleep. We have at least five minutes, and this car was very expensive. Custom seats, trim, paint job, the works,” he says, rounding the back and opening the trunk.
“Says the man who has millions!” I try the car door, but it refuses to open for me. “Let me in.”
“Just wait for me to cover the seat or something,” he says, continuing to dig through the back. “I got it. Put this on.” He hauls out the dress bag.
“You’re kidding.”
“I’ve never been more serious.” He holds it out to me.
“I’m not putting on a wedding dress to enjoy another high-speed chase.”
He shrugs. “It’s this or underwear. Which I’m not opposed to—”
“See. Annoying!” I rip off my clothes right there, wiping my dirty hands on them, and Liam helps me slip into the wedding dress. It’s more beautiful than I remembered and smooth as butter. Liam’s eyes seem to glisten as he takes me in.
“It’s even better on you in the parking garage. And with lettuce in your hair.” He smirks, picking said piece of lettuce out. He presses a kiss to the spot, and a shiver breaks out across my skin.
“Stop right there!” A shout echoes through the parking garage, and Liam rips away from me.
“Time to go!”
Liam sprints to the driver's side and peels out of the parking garage.
When we are a couple blocks from the hotel, a thought strikes me. “Why didn’t we go to the room?”
“Because they found it first. I got an alert from the camera I set up at the same time Howie came inside the restaurant. He has someone else with him.”
“This is bad, right?” I fasten my seat belt as the tires squeal over a bridge.
“It’s not ideal.”
“Stop being so blasé!”
“I find it more reassuring.”
“I find it irritating.”
“I can see that.”
He turns left out of town and takes a back road, heading through a small tunnel.
“Now where are we going?”
“I called Garth to bring the chopper.”
“You’re getting really attached to that thing. I might have to make you send it back.”
Liam gasps. “Garth is a person; I can’t just send him back to the womb.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You know what I meant.”
“Aw,” he pouts. “But Garth said he would teach me how to fly.”
Of course he did. “That is not happening.”
Ten minutes later, we park in an empty warehouse lot, a helicopter whirring in the middle.
I jump out of the car and immediately trip over the dress I forgot I was wearing. Stinking Liam. I should have kept the food stained clothes.
I pick up the skirt, and Liam rushes to my side, helping me hold all the layers. He’s got his leather bag, and together we run toward the helicopter.
It’s funny when I think about the times I fell in love with Liam.
It wasn’t in the simple moments, but in the wild ones like this, when he protected me, cared for me, and brought new energy to my life.
When he jumped in front of a gun for me, when he threw us off a bridge.
He’s larger than life, and so is our time together.
Even if it means running away from criminals in a wedding dress.
Liam helps me buckle into the chopper, then steals a kiss before climbing in.
“A beautiful night for a romantic ride, eh?”
“Eh?” I laugh. “Are you Canadian now?”
“I’ve been lots of things. Pretended to be even more things. Is it a deal breaker?”
“I should say yes…but no.” I love every version of Liam I’ve come to know.
He holds my hand as the helicopter lifts off the ground, and the beautiful city stretches out further beneath us. So maybe I was lying when I told him to get rid of the helicopter. I kind of love it. It’s a thrilling ride.
Liam kisses me as we fly over Buckingham Palace and again when we head east over London.
“You should put these on,” Liam says, pulling the box of earrings from his bag. “Complete the look.”
Why not? I put in the beautiful blue studs, feeling on top of the world, literally and figuratively. I’m not a girly girl, but even I can admit it’s fun to be spoiled sometimes.
I lean into Liam’s side as the sun begins its descent in the sky. The farther we fly to the east, the more anxious Liam seems to grow.
“You still worried Howie might be following us?” I ask him, placing my hand on his bouncing knee. No way that incapable man has a helicopter as well.
Liam grins. “Nah, I’m just ready to find my treasure.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I watch in awe as the sky turns a brilliant gold.
“Confident, are we?”
“Hopeful.” His hold on me loosens, but as we get closer to the destination or what I assume is the destination, I get more concerned. It’s a sheer rock face. He said it was hard to get to, not impossible.
“Uh, Liam?”
“Yes, love?”
“How are we supposed to get to the cave?”
He grins. “This is the part you’ll like.”
“Will I?”
“How do you feel about rappelling from the helicopter?”
I can’t fight the smile claiming my lips. Until I remember I’m in a freaking wedding dress.
“I can’t rappel down in this.”
“We’ll make it work. Let’s get you suited.”
I’m a little less sure. What if my train gets caught in the rope and I crash into the caves head first?
But Liam bunches up the train in my harness, completely oblivious to my worries.
He’s used to doing everything dressed to the nines and after this wildly long day, the dark blue wool and cashmere suit still somehow looks pristine.
It’s utterly unfair.
I glance down to where the sight of the waves crashing against the rocks thirty feet below the caves is enchanting yet terrifying. I can’t wait to see the view from inside.
“The third cave has the biggest ledge. I’ll drop you off there,” the pilot says.
I attempt to look down at the ledge in question, but it’s directly below us, which means it's time to go. A thrill shoots through my veins. It’s been a while since I jumped out of something. Never mind. I literally did this last week when we broke into a weapons dealer’s lair.
Liam pulls open the door and I grip the railing, preparing to jump. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go first?” he asks.
“When have I ever wanted you to beat me at something?” I smirk, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“That’s what I thought.” He chuckles. “Ready?”
“I’m always ready.” Usually. Though I find this man takes me off guard more than anything else.
He raises an eyebrow. “That reminds me, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” He brushes a strand of my wildly whipping hair out of my eyes and gazes at me with a look full of meaning. “I have a very important question to ask you, Serena.”
My heart jumps to my throat, and my knees buckle. “W-what?”
“Will you m—”
My foot slips out from under me and I fall.