Page 104 of Taken With Trouble

“He’s a good man. Like you.”

“I did teach him everything he knows,” Henry says with a smile. "I told you, everything would be okay."

He did.

My phone rings, breaking the moment. I pick it up and glance at the number. The hospital again. Liam has been bugging the nurses nonstop to let him leave. I stand and walk toward the small sofa near the entryway.

“No, you can’t leave yet,” I say as I answer.

“Miss Cruz?” a nurse says instead.

Not Liam.

“Oh, sorry, yes?”

“Um, so… Liam kind of escaped.”

I jump to my feet. “What do you mean hekind ofescaped?”

“Not kind of… I mean, he really escaped. I went to check on him, and he and all his things were gone. No one saw him leave. We’ve been checking the cameras and can’t see where he went.”

“Did he steal someone’s phone?”

“I don’t think so… Actually, come to think of it, a patient mentioned losing their phone for a while yesterday.”

“Don’t bother looking for him. He’s gone,” I say, more to myself before hanging up and dropping to the sofa. I rest my head on my hands. I knew this would happen. I knew he’d leave.

Yet, for some reason, I stayed.

Now what? Do I sit here and wait fifteen years for him to return? I can’t do that. I shake my head. I would try not to, but in my heart I always would. That means I have to find him first. And when I do…

“I’m going to kill him,” I mutter.

“Some things never change.”

My head whips toward the entryway, and there is Liam, shirt unbuttoned to expose the bandages around his body, eye still swollen.

“Liam.” I race over to him. “What are you doing here?”

He raises a brow. “I thought it was obvious.”

“You escaped from the hospital. You aren’t supposed to be discharged fortwo more days. Why would you do that?”

He rolls his eyes. “Because I had to get out of there.”

“No, you had to stay there. What if your wound opens, and you start bleeding again?”

He steps toward me and slips an arm around my waist, pulling me gently into him. “I have faith my beautiful bride will take care of me.”

I rear back. “Bride?” I choke on the words.

His eyes scrunch. “That didn’t happen?”

My cheeks pinch as I shake my head.

“Then it was an excellent dream. Perhaps we can make it a reality someday.”

“I think you’re delirious.” I try to ease out of his arms, but he holds me tight.