Page 71 of Liam

The words hit me hard because she’s right. “I know. I think I’m ready to try.”

“Good, because if you didn’t, I had a plan to hack your calendar and arrange blind dates for you until you came to your senses.”

I laugh. “You and what army? Last I checked, your hacking skills were limited to guessing Logan’s Netflix password.”

“Hey, that was a feat of social engineering, I’ll have you know,” Cora protests. “Not all of us can be both legal eagle and tech wizard extraordinaire.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Little Sis,” I tease. “Thanks, Cor. For always being there. For everything.”

“Always,” Cora says. “That’s what family’s for, right?”

“Right. Now, any sage advice from the family love guru?”

“Oh, now you want my advice? What happened to ‘stay out of my love life, Cora’ and ‘stop trying to set me up with your friends, Cora’?”

“Consider this my official retraction of all previous statements,” I say. “I bow to your superior wisdom in all things romance.”

“That’s more like it,” Cora says. “Alright, here’s my advice. Be yourself. The real you, not the smooth-talking lawyer or the brilliant engineer. The dorky big brother who taught me how to change a tire and who still can’t watch the ending ofMarley & Mewithout tearing up.”

“I do not tear up atMarley & Me,” I protest.

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Cora laughs. “If this girl is as special as you say, she’ll love you for who you are. Nerdy ramblings, tech obsessions, and all.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Hey, wait a minute. You’re the one who called me. Is everything okay?”

“No. There’s something I need to tell you.”

The change in her tone has me sitting up straight. “What is it?”

She takes a deep breath. “I’ve been getting more threats. Anonymous texts. But they’re specific. Threatening.”

My blood runs cold. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” she says, and I can picture her biting her lip the way she always does when she’s anxious. “Ryder’s with me, I’m safe. But Liam, you need to be careful too.”

“Has this creep revealed anything about his location?"

“No.” Cora sighs. “Zane’s team has been working around the clock trying to trace the messages, but this guy... He’s a ghost.”

I clench my fist. “What did the messages say?”

“The usual threats against the family. Nothing new.”

I close my eyes, guilt and anger warring inside me. “This is insane. We can’t keep living like this, constantly looking over our shoulders.”

“I know,” Cora says. “But what other choice do we have?”

The question hangs between us, heavy with implications. I think about Aleria, about the spark of something real growing between us. About the family legacy I’ve spent my whole life protecting. About Cora and our siblings and my need to keep them safe.

“Maybe...” I say, then stop. How can I even think about pursuing a relationship with Aleria when my family is in danger? When I could put her at risk just by being associated with her?

“Liam? What are you thinking?”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know, Cor. With everything that’s happening, maybe it’s not the right time to start something with Aleria. What if I’m just putting her in danger?”

“Oh, no you don’t. I know that tone. That’s your ‘I’m going to sacrifice my happiness for the greater good’ voice. I will kick your ass if you do that.”

Despite everything, I can’t help but chuckle.