Beautifully Cruel (Beautifully Cruel #1)(29)

“Ach. No.”

He sounds truly appalled by the idea, so I believe him. “A spy? A drug lord? A superhero vigilante?”

He says drily, “You have a vivid imagination, lass.”

“This is what happens in the absence of facts. Imagination kicks into gear to fill the vacuum and suddenly that little bump on my neck turns into an inoperable tumor rapidly metastasizing through all my vital organs, and I only have weeks left to live.”

After a pause, he says, “You should stay off the internet.”

“I know. I once convinced myself from reading Web MD that the little twitch in my left hand was the early stages of MS. Don’t change the subject. What’s your deal, Liam Black?”

He says nothing for a moment. I hold my breath, gripping the phone, listening hard into the crackling silence.

“I…I’m in a very dangerous line of work.”

His voice is so low it’s almost inaudible. I don’t dare say a word, because I can tell he had to fight himself to reveal even that much, and I want him to keep going.

He takes a breath. “The kind of work that could follow me home. Which is why I don’t have anything in my life that isn’t expendable.”

I can’t help myself. I need more. “Expendable…”

“I have to be able to walk away from everything at a moment’s notice, and never look back. It’s the way I live. The way I’ve lived for a very long time. I can’t have ties, you understand? Anyone I’d be close to would become…”

When he doesn’t continue, I whisper, “A target?”

“A liability,” he corrects, his voice gaining an edge. “A responsibility I can’t afford.”

My heart hammers against my sternum, banging so wildly it’s hard to catch my breath. “And this dangerous work of yours…what exactly is it?”

After a tense pause, he says darkly, “Enforcement.”

Why that sounds so damn ominous, I don’t know. “Like…law enforcement?”

“Aye. Exactly like that. Except outside the law.” He pauses again. “Your laws, anyway.”

I swallow, my pulse going gangbusters and my hands starting to shake. “Okay. This is a lot. To be honest, it sounds like you’re telling me you’re a criminal.”

His voice softens. “You know what I’m capable of.”

“The devil himself is afraid of that man.” I hear Buddy’s words in my head, but push them aside in frustration. “You did what you did to help me. Criminals don’t put other people’s well-being before their own.”

“Perhaps we have different definitions of what a criminal is.”

I say hotly, “Which one of us in this conversation is going to be a criminal defense attorney, me or you?”

This pause is the longest so far. Then, softly, disbelievingly, Liam starts to laugh. “You’re studying to be a criminal defense attorney?”

“Don’t laugh. From what you’re telling me, you might need me one day.”

“I need you now,” is his sharp, instant response. “And not for your skills in the courtroom. Which is why this is such a disaster in the making, and I keep warning you away.”

We sit in tense silence for a while, until I say, “If you truly think this is such a disaster in the making, then you’re the one who should stay away. I don’t know all the facts. I’m lacking half the evidence. I can’t make an educated decision, but you can.”

His voice goes rough. “Aye. And for almost a year, I’ve been telling myself every time I see you that it’s the last time, but it never is. So I’ve thought of something that might be a workable solution for us both. But you should still say no.”

I think for a moment, then give up. “Okay. No.”

His silence sounds surprised. That gives me a profound sense of satisfaction.

“Your move, Mr. Black.”

He says my name, my full name, in this hot, frustrated, sexy-as-hell guttural tone that makes me think he’d love nothing more in this moment than to take me over his knee and spank my ass.

Which, let’s be honest, would be a very satisfying outcome to the conversation.

“I’m going to hang up now, because I’ve reached my daily limit of growls. But my front door will be open tonight. If you don’t come, don’t bother contacting me again. I’m not going to play this cat and mouse game with you. I don’t have the patience for it.

“And if this is really the last time we speak and I never see you again…you should know that I think you’re the most interesting, aggravating, and beautiful man I’ve ever met. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.”

I hit the End button and throw Ellie’s phone over my shoulder. Then I sit on the bed, seething with discontent.

Liam Black. Criminal? Vigilante? Hit man? Warrior poet? Cultured badass?

Good guy who does bad things…or bad guy who does good things?

In the end, all my brooding gets me nowhere, so I get dressed and call a cab to take me to work.

My laptop’s in my car, and I’m in the mood to do some major online sleuthing.





12





Tru





My car is parked in the same spot I left it at Buddy’s. When I go inside, Lisa’s behind the counter, pouring coffee for a customer. She glances at me, does a double-take, and fumbles the coffee pot, almost dropping it. Coffee splashes all over the counter.