Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Nate leaned forward and placed a fat baby hand on Liam’s nose, touching and patting it like it was a new toy.
“I won’t kill him. I’ll only make him wish he was dead, and after I’m done with him he won’t ever be able to do this to another woman. He won’t have the proper parts because I’ll cut them off. Then I’ll ensure he does his damn duty to you and the boy.”
It was hard to take him seriously when he had a baby tugging on his nose, but Liam was a patient man. Probably because he’d had his own son and now had another kid on the way.
“I don’t want Nate growing up with a father who resents him, so I’ve left Brody out of my pregnancy.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “Are you telling me he doesn’t know?”
“Of course he knows.” She stood up, giving him a frown of her own. “I called him. I called him about ten times, Li. He wouldn’t answer the phone. I left him a detailed voice mail about how his seed was growing in my womb. I went into clinical detail. I was pissed at the time.”
“And he didn’t reply?”
She sighed, her anger fleeing in a moment, replaced with the sadness that invaded any time she thought about that Aussie. “He told me before we slept together that he didn’t intend to see me again. He left me a note asking me not to call or try to contact him. I was supposed to contact Damon Knight if I needed anything, but I think he was talking about security concerns. Li, please drop this. He knows. He doesn’t care and I’m finally okay with it.”
Li’s jaw tightened but Avery stepped in.
“Don’t make this harder on her. Let me hold that baby and you go and pull out the crib.” Avery took Nate, cuddling him close. “And then call Ian and let him know we need a family meeting in the morning.”
Liam kissed his wife and stepped back with a shake of his head. “Do you know the name of the person who’s coming after you?”
Weariness set in. It had been a hideous few days. She’d had to make her way to Guinea and then to Frankfurt and Dallas, all the while worried there was an army behind her. “He was a mercenary. I’ll be honest, Li. I didn’t get his name. They all called him boss and that was all. The boss.”
“You say he’s a merc? Not a warlord?” Li asked.
Liam had spent plenty of time in that part of the world. She rather thought one of his reasons for taking assignments in West Africa had been so he could check up on her, but it also put him in a position to understand the geopolitical forces at work in the region. “He’s European. German, or maybe Dutch. I’m crappy with languages. I know they weren’t speaking English or Krio. It was a European language he spoke with his men.”
“What exactly happened?”
Avery held out a hand. “Li, it’s almost midnight and she’s been traveling for days. She needs sleep. She can go over all of this in the morning meeting.”
“You’re sure he’s coming after you?” Liam pressed.
“He promised to kill me, but I’m hoping it takes him some time to find me. My friend Alfi found a private plane that took us to Conakry in Guinea. I managed to get a flight to Frankfurt, and from there I made my way to Dallas. I hope he’s still looking for me to have flown out of Freetown or to have gone on by car.”
Li nodded. “Smart girl. We’ve got a bit of time. All right, then. I’ll make sure everything is set up and I’ll call out for a few additional eyes for the night, just in case.”
“He means we’ll have a couple of beefy bodyguards here in about an hour or so.” Avery sat down in the chair across from her and started to rock back and forth, as though having a few armed guards come to her house wasn’t a big deal. “Ian recently hired a bunch of new bodyguards and they are heavenly looking men. My Li is the handsomest of all, of course, but Serena and I are trying to convince a couple of them to be cover models for Serena’s new project.”
“I’m done with hot bodyguards.” She’d totally learned her lesson. Alfi was incredibly handsome and had made it plain he hadn’t cared that she was pregnant. He would be happy to sleep with her when he came by. She’d turned him down with a laugh.
Avery studied her for a moment. “I don’t know. They are pretty nice to look at and a couple aren’t even manwhores. You never know. Unless you’re still stuck on Brody.”
She wasn’t. She’d written him off when he hadn’t bothered to call her back to even ask about his son. It had been a kick to the gut as the days had gone by with no return call. She’d tried again when she was four months along and she’d been seized with the morning sickness that should have come in her first tri. She’d called and told him exactly what she thought of him. Explicitly, and with lots of words her child shouldn’t have heard even in utero.