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

“She was telling truth about the shelter.” Liam sat hunched down behind the wheel of his car.

For the past several minutes, he’d been parked down the block from the building where Allison had claimed to be staying.

“That’s a good start, at least.” Jagger Brooks’ deep voice filled the vehicle’s interior. “And if that part’s true, it stands to reason the rest of her story is, too.”

“Kind of what I thought,” he responded using the car’s hands-free connection.

After following her to the unmarked safe haven, Liam had waited to leave until after she’d gone inside. Rather than driving straight home, as he’d led her to believe was the plan, he’d circled the block so it would only appear as though he’d left for the night.

But he hadn’t left. He was still very much here. Watching. Waiting. And praying she didn’t do something stupid like take her daughter and run.

“I’m assuming you’re going to look into the husband?” Jagger spoke up again.

“As soon as I leave here.”

“What are you waiting for?”

I want to see her again.

Liam blinked, mentally shaking the thought clear from his head. “Just want to see how well she follows instructions.”

“Instructions?”

“I suggested she stay put for the night,” he explained. “Figure if she really is in fear for her life and that of her daughter’s?—”

“Then she’ll do as you said and stay put for the night.”

“Nothin’ slips past you, does it, Brooks?”

“You do know I could kill you a hundred different ways, right?”

Liam chuckled as he adjusted himself to a more comfortable position. Banter was his team’s love language, which made his job all the more enjoyable.

Not that Jagger was lying about his ability to kill. The former Air Force Combat Controller was one of the most dangerous and highly skilled members of their team.

A flash of blonde caught the corner of Liam’s eye, forcing his focus to slide to the playground on his left.

It was small but nice, taking up half of the lot adjacent to the building’s southern wall.

And from where he sat, Liam could clearly see Allison walking hand-in-hand with a little girl that could be her mini-me.

Long, curly blonde hair. Eyes so big he could see them from here. And when the little girl looked up at her mother and smiled…

Maddie.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind the little girl was Allison’s daughter. He watched the pair as they approached a set of swings, and when the woman he’d recently met began to push the child carefully into the air, Liam could hear Maddie’s unabashed giggles.

A sudden warmth spread across his chest, but just as quickly he began to feel anger.

When he thought about what Allison had told him…

when he pictured that innocent little girl’s own father threatening to kill her mother, and then nearly killing her …

Liam felt the deepest urge to find the son of a bitch and?—

“Dude, you still there?”

Shit. He’d gotten so lost in his thoughts, he forgot all about Jagger.

“I’m here.” Another quick clearing of his throat. “Sorry. Maddie just walked outside with her daughter.”

A low curse came through the speakers. “So she is leaving.”

“Nope.” He shook his head slowly. “Just spending some time with her daughter on the shelter’s playground.”

“Okay, well that’s better than I thought, but still. Should she even be outside at all?”

No.

But one look at the big, toothy smile spread across Maddie’s face and Liam could see how easy it would be to give in. Even so?—

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Smart move. If this husband of hers is as bad as she claims, we can’t assume the pricks he sent to find her won’t take her out in broad daylight and then snag the kid.”

Liam’s gut clenched at the thought. “I’ll call you when I know more,” he promised.

He ended that call, rolled his window halfway down, and then initiated another. His gaze remained locked on Allison, his focus following her every move. She reached into her pocket, picking up the call on the third ring.

“Liam?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” It felt a bit odd, watching her while they spoke on the phone. “Just making sure you got settled in for the night.”

“Oh, um…yeah. I did, thanks. I’m actually on the shelter’s playground with Maddie.

And before you say anything, I know I shouldn’t be out here, but she was begging me, and she’s been through so much.

” Allison sighed, her defensive voice growing quieter as she added a soft, “I only promised her a few pushes before dinner.”

The warmth he’d felt in his chest a moment before morphed into a tightness that made his stomach churn. She had rushed to explain her choice she’d made to allow her daughter a few short minutes of fun, almost as if she’d expected him to chew her ass for doing so.

That last part she’d spoken had sounded so small and weak. Almost childlike in its delivery. And it pissed him the hell off.

Not at her, but at her abusive dick of a husband. Because he’d knew exactly what that was like.

“I understand,” he told her truthfully. “And I’m not mad that you let Maddie take a few whirls on the swings.”

“You’re not?”

“Of course not. I know your husband has put you and your daughter through hell, and all you want is for her to have a normal childhood. But listen, now’s not the time to?—”

“Let my guard down,” she finished for him. “I know. Sorry.” Allison bent down so she was eye-level with a patiently waiting Maddie. “Come on, sweetpea. It’s time to go inside and get cleaned up for dinner.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he rumbled.

“Just one more push, pleeeeease,” the adorable little girl begged for more.

Though they were separated by several yards of grass, sidewalk, and street, Liam instinctively knew Maddie was giving Allison her best and biggest puppy dog eyes. He chuckled softly. “One more push, and then you really should go inside for the night.”

Allisons’s mouth curved upward into a visible smile. One big push and several giggles later, both mother and daughter were back in the building where he knew they’d be safe.

“Okay, we’re back inside,” she informed him. “So…I guess I’ll just wait to hear from you tomorrow, then?”

Liam nodded despite her not being able to see him. “I’ll call you first thing to let you know where we are with everything.”

“Come on, Mommy!” Maddie’s sweet voice sounded in the background. “If I hurry my baf, I’ll have time to watch cartoons before dinner.”

“Sounds like you have your hands full,” he couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Liam. And…thanks again.”

“’Night, Allison.”

He ended the call and drove away.

Though he probably should, Liam didn’t feel a lick of guilt for watching her from afar like a creepy stalker. It was a necessary part of the job, and he needed to make sure she was safe.

He also needed to know he could trust her.

The latter would eventually answer itself one way or the other. As for Allison’s safety, his gut said she wouldn’t do anything that would risk herself or Maddie, like leaving the shelter without him.

With that particular concern off his plate, Liam was free for the rest of the night. That meant he could finally look into Tommy Gallo and his known associates. But first…

Food.

A drive-thru burger and fries was all that he needed to refuel his tired brain, so he made a short detour on the way to home. By the time he reached his driveway, Liam was popping the last remaining fry into his mouth.

Thanks to the generous salary working for R.I.S.C.

’s Delta Team provided, he’d been able to stash away enough cash to purchase his first-ever single-family home.

It wasn’t as big or boastful as he could have afforded.

But the one-story craftsman was in great condition, and it was located on a quiet street in the middle of a quiet, friendly neighborhood.

He dropped the crumpled, grease-stained fast-food bag and cup half-full of nothing but ice into the trashcan positioned next to his garage. Liam made his way along the curve of his sidewalk and up onto the home’s covered porch.

A few minutes later, he was finally locking himself inside for the night.

“Home sweet home,” he sighed, tossing his keys and wallet onto the small accent table next to the door.

It had been a long day filled with phone calls, emails, research, and client meetings. And there were still a few more hours’ worth of work ahead of him before he could crash.

Liam walked past his living room and halfway down the hall to the second door on the right. He smiled damn near every time he entered the personalized space.

It was his spare bedroom-turned-home-office. The place so much of his tech magic happened. Rather than a bed and dresser—as one would typically have in a second bedroom—Liam had turned the space into a technical analyst’s dream oasis.

His desk, which was actually a long, rectangular table, was centered facing the room’s double window overlooking the street below. Strategically placed on top of the table were multiple computer monitors.

Six to be exact.

Some might call it overkill, but not Liam. Multiple screens allowed him to look over data from more than one source at one time. And when it came to his line of work and the information he gathered, the phrase “the more the merrier” rang true.

“Okay, Allison,” Liam spoke to himself as he sat down in his chair and powered up the custom-built PC tower snuggled on the floor beneath the table. “Let’s see what we can find.”

He rolled himself up closer, his fingers sliding straight to the awaiting keyboard.

With effortless movements and his eyes locked on one of the six monitors, he typed in Allison’s first and last name, as well as her last official city and state of residence.

Seconds later, her smiling face appeared on the screen before him.

Allison Michelle Gallo—formerly known as Allison Cook—was born thirty-two years ago at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. So far, he was off to a good start.