Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Telling her he was the one who had gotten me pregnant wouldn’t help me save my job.
She leaned back against the desk again, sitting on the edge. “His daughter is married to the head of the Mafia. You don’t live in Ocala all your life and own a business without knowing that the Southern Mafia is based here under the guise of their wealth and racehorses. We want no connection to them. Not even a minuscule one. I’ve let someone go before for a much smaller connection to the Mafia than yours. You have family dating a man linked with the Devil himself. I can’t bring that to our doors. I’m sorry, Liberty, but I need you to get your things, and I’ll give you your last paycheck tonight. When you leave, do not walk back in those doors again. Not even as a customer.”
My throat felt as if I’d swallowed a ball of yarn and it was lodged inside. I was losing my job. This was real. All because of Liam. I wanted to argue my case and beg her to not do this, but I knew it would do no good.
I’d not known who Liam’s daughter was. We had never discussed it. Would this cause me problems? My baby?
Standing up, I struggled for words. I was in shock. Liam wasn’t just connected to the Mafia; he was linked by marriage.
Oh God. I swallowed.
“I … I didn’t know. I’m—I’ll go,” I stammered.
She nodded, and for once, in all the years I had worked here, I saw a touch of sympathy in her expression even if it was fleeting.
“If you can, stay clear of him. For your own good.”
I should never have thought my situation couldn’t get any worse. It had just spiraled to a new level of low.
“Okay,” I replied in a whisper.
She picked up something off her desk and held it out to me. “Tom wanted to add some extra to it.”
I glanced at the check to see that it was one hundred dollars more than it should be. Every little bit helped at this point.
“Thank you,” I said, the words feeling thick on my tongue.
Turning, I left the office and headed for the room where we kept our personal items while working. Both my suitcases and my purse were in there. I felt like I was functioning on autopilot. Distress, shock, fear all battled for first place, and I didn’t have the energy to fight them.
I rolled my luggage to the employee entrance, then glanced back once. It wasn’t that I loved my job, but this had been my one small shred of security I clung to, and now, I didn’t have it either. I shoved the door open with my shoulder and pulled my luggage out one at a time before letting it fall closed with a heavy thud behind me.
Not wanting to stop and linger, I kept walking, unsure if I was going to go all the way to the bus or to the nearest motel. I had a little over a hundred in cash from tips tucked in my pocket. I could use it to get a place for today and perhaps look for a job the rest of the afternoon.
“Are you pregnant?” a deep voice demanded.
Startled, I swung my gaze over to the parking lot to see Liam standing beside his Charger instead of his Harley, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, his leather biker vest, and a pair of jeans. His jaw was clenched tight, and although I couldn’t see his eyes behind the glasses, I felt the threatening scowl directed at me.
“Leave me alone, Liam. You’ve done enough,” I said as my own anger began to burn inside my chest.
He was the reason this was happening.
He took a step toward me, and I refused to back away like a scared little girl. It wasn’t like he was going to hit me. I squared my shoulders and glared at him.
“Are you pregnant, Liberty?” he asked again.
“Why do you want to know? I seriously doubt Sissy is interested in my life,” I snapped.
“Answer me,” he said, his tone going a touch more intense.
“Yes!” I all but shouted.
He might as well know. It wasn’t like he was going to help me, and even if he wanted to, I wasn’t sure how safe that was. His connection to the Mafia didn’t make me feel comfortable.
“Is it mine?”
Of course he would ask me that. His opinion of me was pretty low, and I would blame that all on Sissy, but I was the one who had opened my legs for him hours after meeting him.
“Does it matter?” I asked him.
He stalked toward me, and I backed up until my back hit a tree behind me. Liam stopped inches from his chest touching mine. I tilted my head to stare up at him. I could feel the anger pulsing from his body.