Page 101 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

O nce upon a time, Samuel Fairweather said that north wasn’t always the right direction when following one’s moral compass, and that bent principles on a crooked path would forever be the destiny of men like them.

Liam hadn’t wanted to admit it at the time, but Samuel was right, and any lingering regret over choosing to take that crooked path with him had long faded with the years.

North was no longer an option. Their broken moral compasses knew only one direction, guiding them to make decisions based on what was important.

Their women.

Their children.

Their family.

The rest of the world, including themselves, could go to hell as long as they were safe.

Yet, when he and Samuel decided to kill Tobias Miller, there had been that initial hesitation. It caused the orienting arrow on their compasses to spin out of control, but deep down, they knew it had to be done. It was the only way to know peace and balance the scales.

But then Michael Sinclair entered the picture.

“Any news?”

Sitting astride their boards, the horizon still pink with the rising sun in the distance, he and Samuel had thought they could release a little tension in their waiting game by catching a wave or two.

But the Gulf of Mexico wasn’t behaving this morning, annoying them both with low swells breaking a few feet off the shore .

“BOP should alert Klausen around seven,” Liam replied, unzipping his wetsuit to slide it off his upper body.

December or not, the heat was heavy, and he couldn’t tell if it was the humidity or his nerves making him sweat.

“Bruce’s message was vague, but for sure, we’ll hear something today, as will the rest of the world. ”

“Killian said he’s still got a man inside, but the guy has orders only to confirm it’s done.”

Without the possibility of someone listening, they could talk openly out here on the emerald water. “We got lucky with the transfer. Toby being moved to a low-security transport facility made everything easier.”

Samuel grunted in agreement. “I’m assuming Killian’s man also made sure Toby was aware of what happened in Arkansas?”

“Oh, yeah.”

That was the single thing Samuel had wanted. Sinclair’s man could have the kill, but Samuel wanted—needed—Toby to know the fate of Taylor’s gruesome end. In the first few days of sweeping the grounds, the assembled investigative teams had quickly found Taylor’s body.

Well, what was left of her body.

Obliterated by the phosphorus bomb Sinclair had shoved in her mouth, Taylor’s pretty face had been melted into indistinguishable piles of waste.

Fragments of the rest of her remains were not far off, scattered across the now scorched lawn.

The cleanup crew had spent an extensive amount of time ensuring that they collected every piece of her, leaving no bone or leftover body parts behind.

When they learned the full details, Samuel had no outward reaction, but he did make another call to Killian, asking for a second favor. Not only was his man on the inside to inform Toby about what happened to Taylor, but Samuel also wanted him to pass along a very special message to his cousin.

I win.

It might have been evil, but those two little words made Liam smile even now, and while he admired many things about his friend, Samuel’s pettiness was his favorite trait in the man.

“The bastard won’t care about Zanmi, but when he finds out it was Sinclair behind their deaths and that Sinclair had been the one to end Taylor’s life, he’ll lose his mind,” Samuel said. “The piece of shit will know she suffered. ”

“And you’re good with that? Taylor worked for you for years, Samuel. The betrayal—”

“I’m good with it,” Samuel cut him off. “Sinclair was pressed for time. I get it, but what he gave her was an easy death, in my opinion.”

“An easy death? Sinclair put a bomb in her mouth and taped it shut. Have you ever seen what phosphorus does to human flesh?” Liam raised an eyebrow when Samuel nodded. “You know, I think you might be getting vicious in your old age.”

“Fuck you. I’m not old.” Samuel lifted his leg out of the water and tried to knock Liam off his board with the flat of his foot. “And you’re only a few years younger than me.”

Keeping his balance, Liam waved at Jamison when she came out of the back door of their townhouse. Already in her bathing suit, she looked good enough to eat, and he thought he might do just that once he finished talking to Samuel.

A few houses down, Evie appeared on the rear pool patio of their home, settling into one of the loungers to nurse Albie. Outright sighing, Samuel watched his wife. “God, don’t let me fuck this up.”

As Samuel’s closest friend, Liam figured it was only fair that he told him the truth. “You probably will.”

Peeling off the top half of his own wetsuit, Samuel scooped up some cool water to drop on his overheated body. “Stop me if I do, and I’ll do the same for you. Marriage and kids—”

“Gilbert told Jamison kids weren’t possible.”

Liam let those words sit between them, the low roll of waves causing their boards to rise and fall.

“Do you believe him?”

“Yes.”

“Does Jamison?”

“Yes.”

Samuel finally took his eyes off his wife. “And how is she processing it?”

They had spent these past few days hiding away at the townhouse, doing what honeymooners do. After the new year, Liam thought he would take her back to Paris for a real honeymoon, or maybe somewhere tropical, so she could wear that thong bathing suit for him again .

But between the sex and the laughter were the tears.

They tackled the tough stuff, discussing a future that would have a piece missing in it.

It was true that having kids scared him, but he still wanted them.

Lots of them, and with her. Jamison would make a fantastic mother, giving their children adventures and fun filled days.

On the other hand, he was aware he would make only an okay-ish dad.

The type who would freak out if a kid sneezed wrong or burped too loudly after eating.

They would be loved, though. Any child who came into their lives with either too much gas or anything else thrown into the mix would have been given an insurmountable amount of love.

“She’s taking it one day at a time, but I don’t think it’s settled into her brain completely yet.

” It hadn’t settled into his brain either if he was honest. Gilbert might have been a sick pervert, but he was an expert in his field and had no reason to lie to them.

“We discussed other avenues to eventually take.”

“Blood doesn’t make a family, Cohen.”

Liam met the gaze of the man who had become a brother to him. “So I’ve learned.”

“You know we’ve got your back, whatever you two decide.”

He knew the Fairweathers would support them, as would his parents. Will and Bernie Cohen as grandparents would be an awesome thing to see.

“And listen, while it’s just you and me out here, I want to say one thing.

” The water’s surface had gone nearly flat, and Samuel placed his hands behind him to lean back on the board.

“Thank you for being willing to risk it all for what I wanted. Toby isn’t your fight, and I should have ended him in the graveyard. ”

“Yeah, maybe follow through next time.”

“Kiss my ass.” Samuel nodded at Jamison, who was stretching out on a lounger. “And thanks for taking on that, even after everything. I know she put you through hell there for a few months, and yet you never gave up on her.”

That made Liam laugh. “Imagine what you would do if Evie pushed you away? Sit down and say no thanks the second she opened herself back up to you? ”

Samuel snorted, getting the point. “My wife could set me on fire and dance around my burning carcass, and I would still find a way to crawl back to her.”

“Exactly my point.”

The sun peeked over the houses, and without a cloud in the sky, the day was readying to begin with an unobstructed burst of light.

They promised Simone they would come over and decorate for Christmas this afternoon.

Selah had already slipped off back to Atlanta to avoid the task, but the rest of them remained, including Ben, and everyone was expected to participate.

“I’m glad we didn’t pull Rowan in any deeper,” Liam said, bending forward to stretch his back. “We’ll owe Killian for years after this.”

“Years?” Samuel shook his head. “This is a life debt. Killian will hold us by the balls until we’re dead, since he knows what we were really planning. Had Sinclair not come along, you and I both know we would have followed through on the favor, and McIntyres take this shit seriously.”

Unfortunately, Samuel was speaking the truth, but Liam would never give up a chance to argue with him. “Rowan knows.”

“Rowan knows enough, but not everything,” Samuel countered as expected. “And we stick to Killian’s request. Rowan is to keep his nose clean. It’s to his benefit and ours. If we ever did have to run, we would need someone to stay behind.”

Someone to stay behind and care for everyone. Simone. Annabeth. Abe. Ben would need support the most if he never saw two out of his three kids again, let alone his grandkids and Evie.

“Well, let’s not make planning a murder common practice, and we should be fine.”

“Christ, what have we become? We only wanted to protect them, but everything spiraled into this.” Samuel mimicked his position, bending forward and gripping the board. “I don’t recognize myself anymore.”

“We’re not good men. We know this. We’ve accepted this. We would do awful things for them—horrible things to protect our girls and Albie. But what you’re feeling now? It’s the future pressing in. A soul for an empire, Samuel. ”

It was all Liam could say, recognizing the twisted darkness growing in them both. It wanted the pain and suffering. It wanted their enemies and those who would dare threaten them to die horrible deaths.