Page 97 of Fighting With Light

“You know, I was thinking we should go on another ride today if you’re up for it,” Liam says, drawing my attention from the screen.

“Sure. What are you going to do with that bike when we leave, though? I’d imagine it would be hard to get it down to Colombia.”

He shrugs and takes a drink of water. “I was just going to give it to someone, I don’t need it. I have bikes at home.”

“That’s nice of you,” I say.

“Or maybe you’re just a good influence.”

I shout in laughter. “I have never been called a good influence in my entire life.”

“Well, then there’s a first time for everything, princess.”

***

Liam pulled me away from the computer and took me for a ride on the bike. I refused to put on a helmet this time because I want to feel the wind through my hair, I don’t particularly care if it’s irresponsible. Liam wasn’t happy about it, but I told him where he could shove his irritation.

I squeeze my arms and legs tighter around him and he pats my hands a few times as we drive down the road as fast as he can push it. The ocean air fills my lungs, and the green from the farms and jungle mixes with it as we follow the coastline. I take another deep breath of it and sigh, tipping my head back.

Liam slows down and makes a turn into a beach entrance area. He looks around once and then helps me off the bike. There aren’t many people here. It looks like mostly locals as we walk down to the water.

“I was—” Liam stops and pulls his buzzing phone out of his pocket. He frowns, letting go of my hand, and opens it. “Of course,” he sighs.

“What?” I ask him.

Liam chuckles, but there’s no joy in it as he looks out at the water. He pulls me closer to him in a huh and rests his chin on my head. “It’s my family, I should call them, both of my brothers are getting pissed off that we haven’t talked in a while and I know Emerson is probably struggling to explain why Ben is in our mom’s basement right now,” he mutters and kisses the top of my head.

“I can understand that. You should clue your family in. But do they know about us?”

He sighs and holds me tighter. I don’t push him, but the sinking feeling in my stomach hints at the answer. “They knew I followed you to Hawaii when things were going down. They weren’t happy about it. So I’m sure when I tell them, their first response will be that I’m trying to manipulate you or something like that. It couldn’t be that…” he trails off. “They won’t think it could be because we have a common goal, and I like you.”

I gasp, trying to lighten the mood. “You like me?” I ask him.

The corner of his mouth tips up and that smile I adore beams down at me. “Yeah, princess, I really,reallylike you.”

I purse my lips. “You just like me for my money and all the things I buy you.”

He guffaws. “Yes, you spoil me, princess, like when I bought you all that climbing gear, or when I buy you dinner, or when I teach you to surf, or when I took you rock climbing, or when I do that—” I hold my fingers to his lips silencing him because my heart is beating too hard and I want to say it I want to say the words that have been sitting on my heart and yet I know I can’t let them slip past.

“You’re naughty, Tarzan.”

He smiles against my fingers, then opens his mouth, biting the tip of my middle finger.

“I don’t need to call them right now, and as bad as it sounds, I don’t want to talk to them yet. So, I say let’s go back and I can spoil you some more.” He grins mischievously.

“We didn’t even finish our walk,” I say, looking around. It’s beautiful and the water looks so inviting. I glance up at Liam and he’s looking at the small waves caressing the shore like an ocean dance. “I wish we could just stay in a little hut. No one would find us, and we wouldn’t have to deal with anything. It would be peaceful.”

He looks down at me, putting his hand on the side of my neck and drawing his thumb over the underside of my jaw. “People would still be dying, princess.”

I stare up into his beautiful, dark green eyes. I know this, I know that what we are doing is more than me and Liam. It could save women from a life of slavery, or save drug users from an overdose, maybe giving them the chance to fight theiraddiction. What we are working towards could save kids from a criminal life that could only end in death, or life in prison. Exposing Fred Coldwell for the corrupt and evil man that he is could save a lot of people, and his downfall would inevitably drown my father. It won’t solve all the world’s problems because my brothers will still be there, but it would do a lot. It could save a few, and that’s worth it.

“A hut on the beach sounds pretty good, though,” he says. His eyes are still out over the sea, and I think he’s picturing the life we could have together. I’ve tried to stop myself from thinking too much about it, but when I look at him, there’s no stopping it.

“We’re going to figure out Colombia, you’re going to go win the world surfing championships, and we’re going to bring our fathers down.”

He presses a tender kiss to my forehead and doesn’t say another word, so I leave it at that. There is no way to explain heartbreak before it’s even happened, and uttering a word about it would reveal the way I really feel about him,us, and I can’t do that to him.

I never knew loving someone could be so tragic.