Forgive and Forget(49)

Joe wished Liam had been able to ride with him, but their supervisor wanted to hear from Liam right away regarding his disappearance and any information he might have on the men they arrested. Liam was reluctant to leave him, but Joe assured him he’d be fine.

They dropped Joe off at the café after insisting he call the number on the card he was given if he thought of anything else or needed anything at all. Joe stood in the middle of his little shop, splintered chairs and upturned tables all around. Broken glass on the floor from the picture frames. He just didn’t have the energy to do anything about it tonight. He turned off the lights and went upstairs, showered, and got into bed. He would have thought maybe he’d return home to police cars and questioning, but there was no one. It was as if nothing happened.

Joe lay in his big bed all alone and stared at his ceiling. It was so quiet. Liam was probably still up debriefing. What would he tell his superiors about the time he’d spent here? Joe rolled onto his side, his heart aching. Liam was from a completely different world. He spent his time chasing down criminals, investigating, traveling all over the country. He’d never be happy here with Joe, in his tiny little apartment above a pie shop.

That night Joe barely slept. He’d tossed and turned, trying to come to grips with everything that had happened. The next morning when he came downstairs, he thought he must still be dreaming. The place was spotless. Everything had been swept, cleaned up, fixed, replaced, and gleamed good as new. Joe had to admit, he was impressed. Having a G-Man for a boyfriend might have some perks. If only. Joe spent the rest of the morning assuring Bea, Donnie, and Elsie that he was all right.

“Wow, I can’t believe Tom—I mean, Liam—is a Fed! How cool is that!” Donnie was still in awe, had been since Joe had told them what happened last night. Of course he left out all the shooting. They’d fuss over him, and he didn’t want them worrying. At least they were safe now.

“I knew that boy was a hero,” Bea proclaimed, and Joe almost spit out his coffee.

“You thought he was an assassin sent to bump me off!”

Bea waved a hand in dismissal. “I think the excitement has gotten to you.”

The bell above the shop door jingled. Joe turned to greet his customer and his stomach filled with butterflies. Liam stood there, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit, white button-down shirt, and a black tie. He looked more handsome than ever. It took Joe a second to snap himself out of it.

“Look at you, all respectable,” Joe teased. He reached out to straighten Liam’s collar, though there wasn’t really anything to straighten out. It was silly, to have missed the man so terribly after one night. “You look good.”

“Thanks,” Liam replied with a shy smile. He motioned to one of the empty booths near the back of the café, and Joe followed him, taking a seat across from him. “I was on my way to the New York office and wanted to stop by to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Because of you, we’re moving in on the cartel and everyone on their payroll.”

“Me?” Joe shook his head. “That was all you. You put your life on the line to get that intel. You were almost killed.”

“If you hadn’t taken me in, put your faith in a man you didn’t even know, I would have been. Those detectives who came by looking for me were working for the cartel. I’ve been collecting intel on those men for months, hoping they would lead me to more dirty officials. They were the ones who made me, and spread the word after I took off. If you’d trusted them, handed me over, they would have killed me, or one of their corrupt buddies would have. So, thank you.” Liam placed his hand over Joe’s. “There’s so much I want to say, Joe, but I have some things I need to do first. The government waits for no man. I’ll come by as soon as I can. I promise.”

“I understand.” Joe meant it. He had no idea how these things worked, but he knew enough to know what Liam and his team had accomplished, what they were in the middle of, was no small feat, and the aftermath would keep them busy for some time. As much as it broke Joe’s heart, he’d known this day would come. Even so, he wasn’t prepared. All he could do was his best, try and be brave.

“Joe.” Liam squeezed his hand. “I will be back. I promise. I’m not walking away from us.”

Joe blinked at him. “Us?”

The bell jingled and a familiar voice called Joe’s name, making him flinch. Dammit, of all the rotten timing. Did the guy not have anything better to do than harass him? Blake appeared beside their table, his upturned lip aimed at them. He looked Liam over with obvious disdain.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Joe asked, unable to believe the guy had come back.

“I’ve come to give you a second chance. Cater my event and I won’t press charges against you and your guard dog.”

Joe stood to face Blake. He was done shrinking away from his past. Blake had taken enough away from him. Joe wasn’t about to go down without a fight, not this time. “Get the hell out.”

Blake shoved his hands into his pockets and took a look around the café. “You know, it would be a shame if a city inspector came and found this place infested with roaches. He’d have to shut you down.”

“What?” Did the guy have no shame? Why wasn’t he surprised Blake would sink so low?

Blake’s toothy grin made Joe want to punch him. “You know better than to cross me, Joe. Just give me what I want and everyone walks away happy.”