Page 26 of Liam

Liam frowned. “Whatever for?”

Taamira worried her fingers, picking at her cuticles and not looking him in the eye. She hated this meek side of herself, wished she could be the confident woman she portrayed for the world instead of the girl cowed by domineering men. Liam placed his hand over hers to still her movements.

“Taamira, why would I be angry?” His voice was firmer now but in no way cruel.

“I panicked and shut myself away. I should have talked to Blake and Decker and told them what happened instead of dragging you back here.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, fear is a cruel mistress. Nobody should be made to feel bad for it. Tell me what happened.”

“I was pouring the tea when my phone rang. I recognised the number as my niece Najwa. I haven’t heard from her in so long, and I was excited to speak with her. But when I answered it was a distorted male voice.”

Taamira frowned at the memory and gripped Liam’s fingers harder in her own. Sensing her discord, he lifted his arm and pulled her against his chest, resting his chin on her head. Knowing she was safe, she continued. “He said I was a disgrace to my people and that if I didn’t stop my public engagements and decline the invitation to speak at the conference then Najwa and my other niece would be raped and the videos leaked online.” Her voice shook as she said the last, the threat of that act perpetrated on her teenage nieces so horrific she could hardly bear it.

Liam stilled to an almost statue at her words. Pulling back, she looked up into his face and saw pure fury. If it had been any other man, she would have run, but she knew his ire wasn’t directed at her but at the person who had threatened her.

“Where is your phone now?”

Taamira rose and went to get it from the dresser where she had dropped it. Picking it up, she saw her hand was shaking and took a deep breath as she tried to control it. Returning to him, she dropped it into his outstretched hand.

“Who had this number?” he asked as he opened it and scrolled through her meagre contacts.

“Just my nieces. They are the only ones who have any kind of affection for me now.”

“Are they likely to have given it to anyone else?”

“No, they are loyal.” She shook her head with vehemence. That gave her pause though because if someone had made the threat, then they could very well have hurt Najwa.

She gripped his arm tightly. “Liam, we must make sure she is okay.”

“I’ll have someone put out some feelers to see if we can find out if they’re safe.”

Taamira nodded and then looked sadly out of the window at Digby. “I must make a call to the conference organisers and cancel my speech.”

“No way.”

Taamira swung her gaze back to Liam, who was prowling towards her slowly. “But I must. If I do not, then my nieces will suffer. Liam, you do not understand. If they make good on the threat, not only would they suffer from the act itself and the shame, but they would be forced to marry the perpetrator or risk death at the hands of a male family member because of the shame it would bring to the family.”

Liam’s face twisted into a look she could not read and didn’t want to before he wiped his face into a neutral expression. “That is the very reason, Princess, that you need to make your speech and fight to get the laws changed. It should never be okay for a woman who has been attacked to become the person in the wrong. No woman should face the fear or threat of such a heinous act being held against them and they should never, in any way, be made to believe they’re to blame.”

He reached up and gently cupped her cheeks. “You were right the other night to fight for your right to make that speech. You have the voice these women need, and we’ll find a way for them to hear you. We won’t rest until we make changes that, at the very least, allow women to feel safe from crimes against them.”

“We?” she asked, hope blooming in her chest for the first time since the call came in.

“We,” he reiterated as he held her gaze. “We’re friends, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help you and protect you, and in the process, protect them.”

Taamira’s shoulders sagged a little at his words, her chest aching which was silly. This incredible man was offering to help her make the lives of her female counterparts safer, and she was a horrible person for letting disappointment enter her head. Yet, at the word friend, her heart had fallen. She wanted so much more from this man who believed in her, more than anyone ever had, who seemed always to support her and keep her safe.

A cockney boy from the Eastend he called himself, and yet he carried himself and held himself to account better than any King she had ever known and that included her father, who until his abandonment, she had loved very much.

“You are a good man, Liam Hayes. A king among men.”

Liam stroked his thumb over her cheek gently before he blushed and let go. “I’m just doing what any friend would do.”

That word again. He used it as a shield, and for a moment she wondered who he was trying to remind—her or himself.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

AS TAAMIRA SHOWERED, LIAM MOVED THROUGH TO HIS HOME OFFICE. IT WAS A LARGE ROOM THAT overlooked the back paddock. He rarely used it, as he preferred to be around his friends, but he liked to sit there and watch the world in peace sometimes. The large glass desk was tidy, only holding his laptop with a secured VPN, an empty notebook, and a coaster.