Forsaken (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #3)(63)

Unbelievable. Jared was right; she’s been all but brainwashed by this man. “No hidden agenda, huh? Then why is your doctor working for Sheridan, showing up at his office in a wig?”

“She’s a good friend,” Amy says defensively. “An amazing friend who has put herself in danger to protect us.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “What part of ‘she’s working for Sheridan’ did you not understand?”

“She’s right,” Liam interjects. “Dr. Murphy is not working for Sheridan, but he thinks she is. His people approached her, and she came to us right away. We tried to discourage her from going along with them, but she didn’t listen. She felt that being inside his circle meant knowing his plans, and protecting me and Amy.”

I almost laugh at what is either ignorance or a blatant lie. “Sheridan corrupts at will. You might be convinced of her honor, but I’m not.”

Liam’s eyes sharpen, a flicker of anger in their depths. “Contrary to your obvious belief that I’d be careless with your sister’s safety, I wouldn’t trust Amy’s care to an unknown. Dr. Murphy has been a longtime family friend, and a very close and personal friend of Alex’s.”

Amy launches into further explanation. “That’s Liam’s adoptive father.”

“She also supplied some interesting intel on Sheridan’s new business interests, which I’ve been monitoring—interests the consortium wouldn’t be pleased with, and which could in fact divide and weaken them.”

“And the wig?”

“She says he’s become paranoid to an extreme,” he replies. “Something has him shaken, and I have a few ideas about what.”

I open my mouth to press for details, but Amy is already pleading Liam’s case again. “Liam’s one of the good guys. He helped me deal with Sheridan and that list of his allies you left for me. He hired a hit man and told Sheridan that if anything happened to me or anyone close to me, they would all be killed.”

Feeling the clock ticking, I grab her arms and pull her in front of me. “A hit man won’t stop Sheridan or anyone else on that list from using you against me when the time is right, and that time is now. You need to come with me. You can come back here when this is over.”

“When it’s over? Will it ever be over? I love you. I love you so much, but I’m not leaving Liam. If I’m wrong about him, I don’t care.”

Dread fills me, but my resolve is strong. “I don’t want to hurt you, little sis, but I can’t lose you either. Don’t make me take you by force.”

“You can’t do that. I won’t let you. He won’t let you. It’s my choice to stay, and I will suffer the consequences.”

“This is bigger than you and me and our personal wants and needs. If it wasn’t, I would have given them what they wanted a long damn time ago.” I set her aside, holding onto her arm, my gaze colliding with Liam’s. “We’re leaving.”

His jaw sets hard, his eyes glinting with steel. “Let me be crystal clear,” he replies crisply. “You’ll have to shoot me to get her away from me, in which case, Tellar will shoot you.”

“And risk putting Amy in the crossfire? Not a risk a man in love would take.”

“I’ve never met a trained sniper who couldn’t pick a target,” Tellar replies for him. “That includes me.”

I glance at him, a cynical twist to my lips. “Sniper?”

“That’s right,” he confirms. “And a very skilled one.”

“I’m a firm believer in karma, and that’s a heartless job that doesn’t scare me. It makes me want to shoot you.”

Amy grabs my arm. “Please. Stop. Let’s leave now. Together. In peace. Let Liam show you all of his research on Sheridan.”

The clock is ticking, and while I’d assumed Jared would return, he and Gia could as easily be sitting ducks in the truck as we are here in this hallway. “For Amy’s sake, I’ll review the information, but on my terms. We leave together, in my vehicle, and we go to a location of my choice where you can make your case. You can bring the research to that location.”

“We take two cars,” Liam counters, “and Amy stays with me.”

“Not a chance in hell,” I reply. “You could call Sheridan or someone else to intercept us.”

He hesitates a moment, then concedes, “We’ll take your vehicle but I want to know our destination.”

“An apartment I keep as a safe house near Rockefeller Center. You get nothing more.”

“Pick a public place.”

“Public is dangerous,” I argue.

“Private can be, too.”

“The Marriott Central Park,” I say, every second feeling like an hour. “There’s a bar with a view of the street and valet parking that can hold the vehicle by the door for the right cash.”

“Tellar drives. Amy’s in the back with us.”

“Agreed,” I state, “but we’re plus two: Jared, who you know, and Gia, the woman who tried to distract you from coming in the door.”

“And we should trust Gia why?” Tellar asks.

“Because I say so, Sniper,” I snap, getting to what matters. “I’m the black SUV in the delivery zone. The keys are still in the ignition. You take the front guard.” I raise my jacket, exposing my weapon. “I’ve got the rear.”