Unbroken (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #3.5)(13)

“Jared betrayed Chad and us. Chad’s got to be afraid of the same thing happening again. I’m afraid, Liam. Putting this much trust in Josh is a huge step for us to take.”

“I understand that—and I know it’s why Chad declined Josh’s involvement in the Circle. So let me tell you a story about Josh. When Alex discovered illegal activity under the Chase Electronics umbrella, he questioned Josh’s father, then the CEO, and it turned quite nasty. Josh defended his father, despite the man’s emotionally abusive treatment of him. For years, it put a wedge between us. Not until Alex was dead and I took over his board seat did we begin rebuilding our relationship. At that point, Josh was the brains behind all the new technology rollouts, but not active on the board. Somehow, though, he stumbled onto proof of his father’s illegal activity and came to me. We unseated his father at great expense to Josh and the company. Josh could have stayed quiet and just inherited a fortune. Instead, I had to help him re-create it and save Chase Electronics.”

I cringe. “Oh God. I feel horrible about the billionaire comment.”

“Don’t. He wasn’t even slightly rattled by it. The bottom line is that we need to bring Josh into the mix. He’s less of a risk than our being blind and exposed. And I’m not suggesting we tell Josh all the details, or about the Circle—even if Chad buys into this idea. Ideally, Chad would provide states, countries, and regions to monitor for keywords. If he doesn’t buy into this, we’ll set up what criteria we can, which I still believe can be extensive.”

“And if there is trouble? Do we get Tellar involved?”

Liam shakes his head. “If he starts following up on leads that Josh generates, he could bring attention to us that we don’t need. He has to stay as removed as we are from any problems that might arise.”

“So who follows up on the leads?”

“I’m working on that. A man named Dante. Josh knows him well. I’ve checked him out and I think he’s our man.”

“Another person we have to trust? That makes me nervous.”

“Dante has worked for the government at the most elite levels. He’s discreet and dependable. And wise choices are better than none at all. We’re exposed, no matter what. So we need to control it as much as we can.”

“I like the idea of control.”

“Good. I’m going to try to convince Chad of my plan, but if I can’t reach him or he doesn’t agree, it changes nothing. This is the right thing to do, and I’m going to set up a breakfast meeting with Josh tomorrow. We also need to be at his party tomorrow night.”

“That seems like it brings attention to Josh’s involvement with us. And Dante’s. Anyone researching you would know that you don’t like parties.”

“Becoming more active with Chase Electronics makes any extra time I spend with Josh reasonable. He’s also been trying to convince me to redesign their corporate headquarters, and I’m going to agree to that as well.”

I inhale and let it out. “You’re never going to be out of this. I was fooling myself this morning to think you would be.”

“No, I’m not, and neither are you. And your nightmare reminded me that you need to feel grounded in reality. I was wrong to forget that. I told you this was over; Chad told you it was over. And that’s true of the hiding—but the cylinder and our connection to it will always exist.”

It’s as if I can breathe more easily with his words, and a sense of peace slides over me that I haven’t felt in far too long. “Thank you,” I say, squeezing his hand. “That feels real.”

“I need you to know that we’re taking the right steps to make sure that in a few years, we’ll barely remember the cylinder exists. We’re together, Amy, that’s why I talked to you about Josh before I talk to him.”

Moments like this remind me of his amazing gift to be overwhelmingly alpha yet able to share the right amount of control with me. “Thank you, Liam. It’s the not-knowing that always gets me.”

“I know.” Then he motions toward the other room. “I have something I want to show you. A good something.”

“Another surprise?” I ask as he stands and helps me to my feet.

“Another surprise,” he confirms, lacing his fingers with mine and leading me forward, the tiles fading into the shiny dark wood of the hallway. It overlooks a cozy living area, complete with fireplace, brown overstuffed furnishings, and several wide round pillars set in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. We continue on up the stairs to the second floor, where our bedroom is located. But instead of turning right, he turns left down the long hallway.

Nearly at the end of the hall, Liam leads me into his office, its pale hardwood floor beneath our feet, rows of bookshelves lining every wall in place of windows. One side has a desk that is reached by way of a short stairwell overlooking the main sitting area directly in front of us. Liam uses a wall switch to turn on the fireplace to the right of the sitting area, leading me toward it and around the rectangular oak coffee table. Side by side, we sink into the pure luxury of the navy cushions of the couch framed by two matching chairs. Then he reaches under the table to produce a long, slim silver box, which he sets on top.

My eyes widen at the sight of the engraved symbol etched into its surface and I reach out to touch the triangle of numbers with the 3.14 over the top. “It’s your tattoo.”