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“You'd better hope he doesn’t decide to take what’s ours.” Donovan is probably kidding, but there’s an edge of worry to his tone.
“Liam is loyal. Especially since we took out those fuckers who offered to help us stop him.”
Donovan laughs. “Those dipshits. Did they really not know you and Liam are like brothers?”
There is a lull in the conversation, and I feel like I should move on.
“I am worried about him,” Niko says in a tone that concerns me.
“He’s definitely not the same.”
“He’s losing himself… or… I don’t know how to explain it.” Niko’s worried tone is unmistakable.
“I think that’s right. It’s like he has nothing but the bloodlust driving him,” Donovan says. “Do you think the ladies are right about him and Kate?”
Pain lances my heart. I tell myself to walk away. Instead, I stay planted, eavesdropping, risking one of Niko’s or Donovan’s men finding me.
“With Liam it’s hard to tell, but there was definitely something. The day he left her with you, he outright said he knew I’d eliminate Kate if she brought danger to Elena. And he was pissed about it. Telling me he’d done what I’d ordered him to do in terms of protecting her, and in the end, she wasn’t safe from me.”
“You wouldn’t?—”
“I’d kill anyone who brought danger to Elena.”
A chill runs down my spine. It’s not a surprise that Niko would kill me if he felt I was a threat, but I’ve never heard anyone speak it out loud.
“Do you think he regrets it? I mean, he could still be in the FBI. He seemed to like it there,” Donovan says.
“Who the fuck knows? Liam likes to keep feelings close to the vest.”
“Maybe when he finally kills Babichev, he’ll return to normal.”
Niko laughs. “You believe that? I hardly recognize him sometimes. A part of me wishes he loved Kate. It could soften the jagged edges. Speaking of Kate, how are things in that department?”
“Good. No hints at Babichev or anyone sniffing around. She seems settled.”
Donovan’s words give me relief that I’m safe but are a reminder that I’m being watched.
“Any word on her father?”
I tilt my head to make sure I can hear better, wanting to know the answer. In some ways, I hope my father stays gone. If he came into my life, I can’t be sure Niko or Donovan wouldn’t kill him since it appears my father had been helping one of their enemies.
“Nah. If Abate killed him, he hid the evidence well. The new police captain occasionally still makes announcements about finding him, but I think they know if they look too deep, they’ll find a dirty cop, and law enforcement doesn’t like that.”
“Speaking of which, any news about the FBI’s hunt for Liam?” Niko asks.
“According to Liam, he has a guy on the inside.”
“Do we know who? That could be handy for us.”
“No,” Donovan says. “But Liam gives us info when needed.”
I’ve heard enough. I chastise myself for pining for a criminal as I go to get the gift bags. This is not the world I want to live in, I remind myself. If Liam walked through the door right now and wanted to be in my life, I’d tell him to go to hell. At least I hope I would.
I pick up the bags and return to Elena and Lucy. The babies are fast asleep, and the women are talking quietly.
“Oh, hey. I thought maybe you got lost,” Lucy says when I rejoin them.
“Had to make a stop at the restroom.” I hand the bags to Elena. “Just a little something for the babies.”
