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She startles from where she’d been lying on the bed. "What's wrong?"
Relief floods me. Any restraint to hold her that I had before is gone. I rush her, gathering her up, pulling her onto my lap, and wrapping her in my arms. At any moment now, she's going to start yelling and punching. Until then, I'm going to hold her. I'm going to soak in her strength, her beauty. I'm going to savor the reality of her, of her life and vibrancy. And then I'm going to hunt down Babichev and I'm going to torture him until he's begging for me to end his life.
24
KATE
When Liam went to answer the door, fatigue fell over me. It was likely pregnancy, but also the stress and emotional turmoil. I went to my room to lie down and was very nearly asleep when Liam bellowed out my name and came bursting through my door.
Fear gripped me, especially when I couldn't decipher the expression on his face. It didn't seem to be anger. Terror, maybe. I wasn't sure what he was doing as he scooped me up off the bed and sat me on his lap, pulling me close.
But now as I sit here, my cheek resting against his chest, listening to his elevated yet steady heartbeat, and feel the warmth of his embrace, I determine we’re not in any immediate danger. With that thought, the logical part of me says to push away from him. I’m still angry at my situation and blaming him for it. But deep down, I want to burrow into him and feel his strength around me.
But that’s risky. I don't know why he's holding me like this, but I know it’s not out of love. Even knowing that, I don't move. In fact, I sink deeper against him, closing my eyes and inhaling his scent.
We sit like that for several moments, and then finally, his grip loosens and he releases me. "I'm sorry."
I sense that he's letting me go so I can move away from him. Again, my brain goes into logical mode, telling me I should. But I don't.
Instead, I press my hand against his chest as I lean back a little to look up into his face. "Did something happen?"
I see torment in his eyes as he looks down on me. His fingers gently caress my cheek, pushing my hair away from my face. It's a sweet, gentle gesture that only moments ago, I didn't think he was capable of.
"Your store was broken into."
That gets my attention. “What did they take?” Liam promised me that I would go back to my normal life, and I believed that would mean I'd be in my home, running my store.
"As far as I know, nothing was taken. The police are involved, and Lucy is dealing with things."
I stare up at him, feeling like there's something he's not telling me. "The police will want to talk to me, won’t they?”
His jaw was tight. "Probably."
I tilt my head, wondering what he's not saying. "There's something else?"
His eyes darken. "I don't want to tell you."
Irritation shimmers through me. "You don't think I can take it?"
"It's not that. None of this should've ever happened to you. I don’t want the ugliness of my world to taint yours. It changes you, and I don't want that for you."
"It’s a little late for that, don't you think?" I cross my arms over my chest, but I don't leave his lap.
"It doesn't stop me from wanting to protect you from the horrors."
I narrow my eyes at him. "What horrors? What happened?”
We stare at each other, and I'm beginning to feel like it's an impasse. I make the decision that if he doesn't tell me what's going on, I'm going to get off his lap and order him out of my room.
His eyes close, and I think he’s going to acquiesce. When he finally opens his eyes again, he says, "Babichev left a message for me in your bookstore."
I still don't see the horror of that. "What sort of message?"
Once again, he stares at me with the battle raging in his eyes.
"Tell me, Liam."
"It was a sonogram. It had your name on it."
