Page 124

The city is waking up, but I am not ready to move.

The faint glow of sunrise spills over the skyline, casting soft gold against the glass towers and steel beams of Willow Creek. A gentle breeze rolls over the balcony, but I don't feel cold. Liam is behind me, his hand warm in mine, his grip sure and steady.

I turn toward him, the city lights glinting in his dark eyes. I nestle closer, my forehead resting against his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

Liam Carter, the man who built walls taller than the skyline, the man who swore he didn't need anyone—his grip tightens around me like letting go isn't an option.

His lips brush my temple. "Rest a while," he murmurs.

And for the first time in weeks, I sleep with no fear.

I don't know how long we're asleep before the sharp buzz of Liam's phone jolts me awake.

He groans, shifting slightly, but doesn't let go of me as he fumbles for it.

I blink against the dim light filtering through the curtains, my head still heavy with exhaustion as Liam lifts the phone to his ear.

"What?" His voice is thick with sleep, rough around the edges.

A pause. Then…

Liam's entire body tenses.

I sit up immediately. "What is it?"

His jaw tightens. "Tyler."

That sends a jolt of awareness through me. I reach for the phone, but Liam puts it on speaker before I can grab it.

"Say that again," Liam says, his voice sharper now.

Tyler's voice crackles through the speaker. "I found something." He sounds wired, like he's been awake for hours, buried deep in whatever digital labyrinth he's been navigating. "Vanessa has a meeting scheduled for tomorrow night. Some warehouse in North Hill."

My stomach clenches. "A meeting for what?"

Tyler exhales. "I don't know. The files are encrypted, and I didn't want to risk tripping anything by digging too deep, but based on the limited access I got—it's big. Bigger than anything she's pulled so far. If she's meeting someone in person, it means she either doesn't trust digital communication anymore or she needs something done off the record."

Liam sits up fully, rubbing a hand down his face. "This is it."

Tyler is in agreement. "Yeah. You want to stop her? This is your last shot."

27

LIAM

Tyler hangs up. I notice Ava is on the verge of panicking so I calm her down until she breathes easier, resting in the nook of my arm. I glance at the clock. 8:27 a.m. We can stay in bed a little longer.

And then it hits me.

The pasta.

I sit up abruptly, shifting Ava in the process. She makes an irritated noise, blindly reaching for me. "Where the hell are you going?"

I throw the sheets off. "We forgot to eat."

Ava blinks blearily, still half-asleep. "What?"

"The pasta," I say, already moving. "I made pasta and we forgot to eat it."