Chapter Two
Catriona blinked a couple of times,allowing her brain the extra seconds to process what Liam had just said. In the end, it still didn’t make sense. “Your father is trying to kill you?”
With a grimace, Liam dumped the rest of his tea in the sink. “My father wants power, or more correctly, to crush people under his boot, and as his bastard sons are fighting back, destroying us is his priority.”
“Bastard sons?” It was obvious she sounded like a stupid parrot, but now that the lid was cracked open, she couldn’t help but want to know more.
“Gabrielle didn’t tell you anything, did she? As soon as I find her, I’ll wring her neck! She knows better than to bring an innocent into this mess.
Once more, he called her innocent as if she hadn’t done or accomplished anything in her life. “Let me remind you that I’ve worked with major agencies and law enforcement organizations…”
“Behind closed doors, sitting at a desk and surrounded by throngs of police officers. This is different and must be handled carefully, out in the field with me, without much protection to make sure you stay safe. I won’t risk you.”
It was clear he was dismissing her, and she could leave and forget all about this. Somehow, it felt like the wrong path to take. She knew Gabrielle wouldn’t have asked her to help if it wasn’t essential or if she didn’t have the capacity or strength to complete the task. Liam Harker was a stranger, but she saw something in him. He was a good man in a complicated situation, and he needed help.
“I’ll take the risk of my own accord. I wasn’t given these gifts, the ability to understand numbers, to use them only when it’s safe or easy. I couldn’t live with myself if I stepped back now. I’m not afraid of danger. Never have been. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen to do what I do. Your family needs me. You need me. Please.”
At that moment, it was apparent how heavy the burden on his shoulders was. His hands rested on the counter and his head bowed. How long had he shouldered this? He spoke of his brothers, but she suspected that he was intentionally taking the brunt of it to protect them too, as he was doing with her.
It was pure instinct when she breached the gap between them and covered his wide knuckles with her smaller hand. The simple gesture was to offer comfort, but strangely, something twisted in her chest at the contact. Beyond that feeling, it was the shock of locking eyes with him at that very moment, the silver of his irises looking deep into her soul that shook her the most. For the very first time in her life, something churned in her body at his contact. The feeling was so foreign, she didn’t know how to process it, and it almost made her lose her train of thought. “Liam. I’m sincere. I know I can help. I’m not fragile and you can trust me. Let me help you. Let me put my talents to good use so you can finally find peace.”
The man broke eye contact when he closed his eyes and sighed heavily, pushing himself from the counter as he turned his back on her, allowing herself to gather her thoughts.
Time was suspended as Catriona watched him rake his fingers through his short brownish hair, a sign he was unsure and debating the right thing to do. In this position, he seemed even taller, larger. It wasn’t only physically, she realized. His aura, or presence, made him a force to be reckoned with in a room. She’d seen it at the café, but it was even more impressive in the intimacy of his home.
When he finally turned to look at her again, Catriona knew she’d won.
“Okay, you can help, but there will be rules.”
This time, she smiled. “Hit me. I’m used to rules.”
His mouth wavered as if to smile. “No taking risks or making a move without telling me first so we can discuss it, and I’ll find you a safe place to stay and you’ll agree to it. That’s non-negotiable.”
The rules were fair, but he probably wouldn’t like what she was about to say next. “I’ll agree to all of them on one condition. That they also apply to you.”
Liam couldn’t hide his surprise. “I don’t need those rules.”
“But I do. I figure working together makes us a team, so if you want me to respect your rules, I need you to abide by them too.”
The play of emotions running over his face was an indication that, even if he was a cop, he was more used to walking his own line, wherever it went. Finally, he nodded slowly, almost carefully.
“If it brings you peace and makes your work even easier, I’ll do it, Sister Walsh.”
The name grated her nerves. “Catriona. Please, say that name. Gabrielle uses the sister title to tease me. I’m not officially a nun. Yet.”
Liam opened his mouth, but his question was cut off by his ringing phone. “My brother. Archer.”
He put him on the speakerphone between them. “Hey! Took you long enough to call me back.”
“Hey, yourself! You’re not the one juggling an empire, a wife, a baby, and a teenage brother-in-law.”
Liam rolled his eyes. “Zoe is the one that manages all that stuff while working for you at the same time. She’s the real hero suffering by your side.”
Archer sighed. “It’s the time of year. The holidays make everyone crazy, and I can’t finish half of the work that needs to be done.”
“I’m happy I’m not in that situation and trying to take down our evil father, so your family gets a safe and merry Christmas.”
A series of curses came from the other end of the phone, and Catriona didn’t know if she ought to blush or giggle.
