Forgive and Forget(47)

There was no way in hell he wasn’t making it out of this. Joe was alive. For a moment he’d been terrified, thinking that son of a bitch imposter had shot Joe, but when he heard the sirens, heard the bastards arguing about leaving the “pie guy” behind, he knew Joe was safe. Geoffrey had found him. Liam could always count on his partner to come through for him.

They’d been walking for miles. During that time, Liam had been studying his captors and his surroundings. The men stopped in a clearing. Someone jerked him to a halt before kicking at the back of Liam’s knees and forcing him down onto the dirt, his hands zip-tied in front of him. All he needed was the right opportunity, but first he needed to buy himself some time. His team wouldn’t be far. He’d be surprised if they weren’t already tracking him.

“Where is it?” one guy growled.

“Where’s what?” Liam asked, adding a slight tremor to his voice.

A punch snapped Liam’s head to one side, splitting his lip and leaving a slight copper taste in his mouth. He remembered the taste well, along with the blood, broken bones, bruises, and everything else that came with being a field agent. He remembered being shot at, punched, grazed by a runaway truck, and a host of other injuries he’d acquired while taking down drug-peddling *s like these.

“Where’s the package?”

Liam spit out saliva tinged with blood. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

One of the dark-haired goons holding a rifle sneered. “Don’t play dumb with us. We know you’re a Fed. Matteo wants your head for your betrayal.”

Matteo would want someone’s head for sneezing. The guy was a hotheaded nasty piece of work, ruthless in his quest to expand his empire. He started out small, taking over his father’s drug running business before the shipments went from drugs, to firearms, and finally people. It had taken a hell of a lot of restraint on Liam’s part to act indifferent to the freighter hauling young men and women, some of them underage and others barely legal. All to be sold or forced into prostitution. That’s when Liam swore to himself that he’d do whatever it took to take down Matteo and the filth who worked for him. “I don’t know what or who you’re talking about. Look, I don’t remember anything. All I know is someone assaulted me. Hit me in the back of the head hard. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember my own name. Whoever you think I am, whatever you believe I have, I don’t remember.”

The half-dozen armed men exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“You expect us to believe that?” one of them chimed in.

“Check this guy out. I didn’t know Feds had a sense of humor.”

Liam shook his head. “Do you really think if I was who you say I am that I wouldn’t have run off to the cops? That I wouldn’t have done whatever I was supposed to do with this package you’re after? You’ve been after me for how long? I’ve been washing dishes and baking pies, man. Does that sound like something a Fed would do while he’s being chased by God knows who?”

The men seemed to think on that.

One of the guys frowned. “He’s got a point, Castro. Dude’s been hanging out in a pie shop.”

“Bullshit. If that was true, then how come he kicked the shit out of Santo and his guys? This guy wiped the floor with them.” The head moron in charge marched up to Liam and smacked him with the butt of his machine gun. Stars appeared in the front of Liam’s eyes, and he sucked in a sharp breath. His face was in serious pain, but he couldn’t make a move. Not yet. Before he could recover, he was punched across the face and kicked in the chest. He wheezed and drew in a lungful of air as he fell onto his side. He was kicked a couple more times for good measure, pain shooting through his body. Liam tightened his abs and covered his head as best he could with his restrained hands.

“We need him alive, you idiot,” another gunman hissed.

The guy who’d kicked him jerked him back onto his knees in front of him. “If you can’t remember, maybe we’ll go back and ask your boyfriend.” He laughed as he squeezed Liam’s cheeks.

The hell you will. Liam murmured something under his breath.

“What was that?” The guy leaned in closer. “I can’t hear you.”

“I said,” Liam ground out through gritted teeth, “I’d like to see you try.” He made fists and thrust his elbows back with all his strength just as he smacked his head forward, head-butting the guy as he snapped the zip tie restraining him. Liam threw a hand out and grabbed hold of the guy’s shirt, snatching the machine gun away with his other hand. Knowing what came next, Liam spun the guy in front of him, using him as a shield. He could almost kiss the guy for wearing a vest. Instead, he fired at the guy’s associates as he backed up toward some trees. No honor among thieves. They fired at him, hitting their friend wherever they could in the hopes of getting Liam.

When Liam was in the clear, he released his screaming and bloodied friend and took off into the woods. The men shot as they chased after him into the darkened mass of trees. Liam knew the place well. He’d come here plenty of times with his parents when he was a kid and then with friends when he was older. If he kept down this path, he’d end up on Payson Avenue a few yards from the playground. Liam fired behind him at no one in particular. All he had to do was continue making enough noise and his team would find him. They’d close in on the bastards and take them down.