Page 4 of Liam (R.I.S.C. Delta Team #5)

“Sloane Richardson. She owns Liberty House in Seattle. It’s the shelter where Maddie and I stayed for a bit right after I left Tommy.

” The tiniest of smiles lifted the corners of her lips, almost wide enough to deepen her dimples.

“When I told her that Naomi had suggested I seek your team’s help, she agreed. Said she’d heard of you guys, too.”

“So you trust this Richardson woman?”

“Of course, I trust Sloane.” A tiny frown dipped the center of her brows. “After all, she’s the one who—” Allison cut herself off abruptly, as if she were trying to decide just how much to reveal.

“The one who what?” he prompted, hoping the mysterious woman wasn’t going to start holding out on him now.

Those blue eyes of hers locked nervously with his. A a tiny bite of her bottom lip later, and she finally relented.

“If I tell you…” She began softly. “You have to promise to keep it to yourself.”

He offered her a friendly smile before letting her know, “I don’t keep secrets from my team.” Not ones involving Delta Team clients, anyway.

“No, of course not. I didn’t mean to suggest you keep your team in the dark. It’s just that…”

There was again. That same hesitation. It was something they really needed to work on…starting now.

“Look, Allison.” Liam exhaled slowly. “I understand your hesitation to trust a stranger. Especially after being forced to go on the run from an abusive prick of a husband. But I can’t give you the kind of help you need unless you’re up front with me.”

He fully believed the story about Gallo being a piece of shit asshole, he couldn’t ignore the nagging pull that had begun to tug deep inside his gut.

A feeling that she was holding something back.

But he also sensed that if he pushed too hard too fast, she’d walk out, he’d never see her beautiful face again.

Allison stared back at him, her round eyes searching his so deeply it felt as though she were looking for some sort of tangible proof that he could be trusted. Just when he thought she’d bolt from his office never to return, her full, bow-shaped lips parted, and she began to speak again.

“Sloane doesn’t just run the shelter,” she revealed quietly. “I don’t know all the details or who else is involved, but she also sometimes helps women like me…start over.”

And there it is. The secret she’s been keeping.

Or perhaps it was one of many. Only time would tell. Until then…

“She helped you disappear.”

The short dip of her chin confirmed as much.

“New names, new social security numbers, an untraceable phone, some cash to get started…” Allison blew out a soft breath.

“I know it’s illegal, and normally I would never willingly break the law, but I was desperate.

Tommy said he’d kill me before he ever agreed to a divorce.

And he kept showing up at the shelter demanding to see Maddie…

ordering me to come back home, and I knew that if I did?—”

“You and your daughter would wind up dead.”

Her gaze held his with unwavering certainty.

“I used the cash Sloane gave me to pay for our hotel rooms while we were on the road. No one ever questioned the new driver’s license she gave me.

And I had money I’d managed to save without Tommy noticing, so I used that to get a different car.

I’m pretty sure it’s on its last leg, but it’s at least gotten us this far. ”

“That couldn’t have been easy,” he rumbled. “Sneaking money without Tommy’s knowledge, I mean.”

“Nothing about this has been easy.”

No, I don’t suppose it has been.

“Where did you go after Seattle?”

“A little town in Nebraska.” A hint of a smile lifted a corner of her sweet mouth. “I thought we’d be safe there. That we were finally going to be free. Maddie was already making friends with the kids at her new school, and I had a job I really liked. And then…”

Her saddened gaze slid from his, making his chest grow tight with a pang he didn’t understand.

“What happened?”

“Tommy happened,” Allison bit out angrily.

“He always happens. It doesn’t matter what I do or where I go, he always manages to find me.

First at Liberty House, then Nebraska…now here.

” Her frustration became more obvious the longer she spoke.

“I mean, it’s freaking Chicago for crying out loud.

There are over two million people here, Liam.

Two million . And it only took him two weeks to find me. ”

Two weeks. Far longer than it would have taken Liam.

“Back up a sec,” he directed. “How do you know Tommy’s here, in the city?”

“Earlier this afternoon, I took Maddie to a small, neighborhood park. It’s in a decent neighborhood, not too far from the shelter.

I was helping her up the ladder to the slide when I caught a glimpse of two men standing in the grass next to the curb several yards from where we were.

I recognized one of them right away. A man named Joseph Cali. ”

“But you didn’t actually see Tommy?” He jotted Cali’s name down in his notes.

“No, but Joey is Tommy’s right-hand man. He doesn’t buy a cup of coffee without Tommy’s say so. If he’s here, it’s because he’s with Tommy or?—”

“He was sent here to find you.”

A look of disheartening acceptance flashed across her stunning face. “How did he even find me?”

How, indeed?

“Did either man say anything to you or approach you in any way?”

Allison’s curls swayed with a shake of her head. “I made an excuse to Maddie explaining why we had to leave, and then we hurried to my car. Luckily, we were able to lose ourselves in the sea of other parents and kids.”

“What about after? Did they follow you to the shelter?”

“I don’t think so. I watched my mirrors constantly and took several extra turns, purposely finding routes that were more heavily trafficked which helped us blend in with the other vehicles on the road.”

That a girl.

The woman was clearly well-versed in the art of evasion, which he found both impressive and heartbreaking. No one should be forced to live their life on the run. Especially not a single mother whose only crime—that he knew of so far—was just trying to protect her kid.

“I think I have enough for now.” Liam set the notebook and pen aside and returned his focus on her.

“Oh.” Allison sat up a little straighter. “Okay, so um…how does this all work? Do I need to make an appointment to see you again tomorrow, or…”

“No appointment necessary.” He flashed her a friendly smile.

“For tonight, all you need to do is go back to the shelter and be with your daughter. I’ll follow you in my truck, just as a precaution, and when I get home, I’ll use the information you shared to start a deep dive into your husband.

” Reaching over, he grabbed his cell from where he’d left it on his desk and opened the contacts app and asked, “What’s your number? ”

His thumbs moved quickly over the screen as Allison rattled off the digits to the burner phone she’d been using. When he was finished, he set the device back down and refocused on her.

“I’ll reach out to you in the morning so we can discuss the next step in the plan,” he informed her.

Her round eyes blinked in surprise. “There’s already a plan?”

“It’s a work in progress.” Liam tapped the tip of his index finger to his temple with a wink and a sideways grin.

The woman’s cute as fuck dimples deepened with a smile that made his heartbeat skip and his dick stand up and take notice. With that smile came a blanket of relief that seemed fall over her waves, sending a rush of glistening tears to her beautiful, round gaze.

“Thank you so much, Liam.” Allison stood and held out a trembling hand. “You have no idea what this means to me. To us .”

That last part was added in a rush, and Liam understood the ‘us’ to include her young daughter. An innocent child who probably had no idea the man who should love and protect her wanted to end her mother’s life.

If she’s telling the truth about all of this.

The more skeptical side of his brain reminded him that she could be making up the entire sordid story. He didn’t think that was the case, but he’d have that answer soon enough.

As the team’s technical analyst, background checks were a part of Liam’s daily routine. It wouldn’t take long for him to verify the biggest parts of her story.

“Happy to help.” He swallowed Allison’s delicate hand with his.

Like before, he felt an electrifying, almost intoxicating jolt as it arced from her palm to his. The sensation was powerful, enticing, and confusing as hell, but rather than jerk his hand free like he’d done downstairs, Liam found himself unable to pull himself away.

So he just stood there like an idiot, held captive by her stunning blue gaze as he found himself thinking?—

I don’t want to let her go.

Allison made the choice for him by letting her hand slip slowly from his. Ignoring whatever the hell it was he was feeling, Liam silently motioned to the door. Minutes later, they were back inside the elevator with only a few feet separating them from one another.

Just as it had been on the way up, the ride down to the parking garage was filled with awkward small talk and spans of uncomfortable silence. By the time they’d reached Allison’s car, Liam was all but convinced he’d imagined the confusing emotions running through his veins.

But even if he hadn’t, it didn’t matter. She was an official Delta Team client which meant he needed to keep himself in check. He had to remain focused on keeping her safe…and keeping his hands to himself.

Why? It’s not like the other guys ever drew that same line.

His inner voice had a valid point. Over the course of the past couple of years, four of Liam’s five teammates had each ended up marrying women they’d been protecting.

And while his friends’ wives hadn’t technically been clients of the firm back then, bearing witness to what his friends went through when they thought their women would be lost to them forever was all the deterrent Liam needed.

There was already a hefty load of his own personal baggage weighing him down. The last thing he needed was to add that particular brand of hell by falling for a single mom on the run from her abusive ex.