Page 40 of Lethal Lover

It's over. They have her stalker now, and he’s lucky he’s not dead. He’s also lucky Slick took my knife off me after that incident in the alley.

“Oh, God, Liam…” Elena sobs, and I let my arms wrap around her, but I’m conscious of how tightly I hold her. I know how strong I am and I know how fragile she must feel right now. “Oh, God,” she says again and again, and I hold her.

The cops haul the guy out of the room and two nurses bring a gurney to lay him on. He’s out cold, maybe has a head injury. I don’t give a fuck. As they roll him past, I want to climb on thebed and strangle him the way he was Elena only moments ago, but she’s in my arms now and that’s what matters. She’s safe.

Slick hovers, even when the cops come by and ask me questions, but it’s all a formality. They will mark it down as my being a hero, and even the newspapers will shout my praise. Good PR, but not what I was going for.

Eventually, Kraus finds his way to us, when Elena is being looked at by a doctor. I feel numb, like I almost lost myself in there. Like I almost lost her. It’s not a good feeling at all. Everything passes by me so slowly. I know I’m in shock, but I wave everyone off and ignore their attempts to get through to me until I’m in the car with Elena on my lap and my arms wrapped around her again.

“Thank you,” she whispers, kissing my cheek lightly. She feels right. It feels right having her in my arms.

“Baby, I will always be there for you.” My strange obsession with having her, with making her mine, it’s gone. I don’t know what this feeling is that I’m feeling, but I like it. It’s warm and comfortable, like a new sweater on a cold day.

“Can I stay with you for a while?” Her timid question doesn’t even need to be asked. I’m not letting her out of my sight.

“Of course. In my home, in my bed, in my heart forever.” I push the hair out of her eyes and notice a small cut on her lip. She’s going to be black and blue for a few days, like my fists. My knuckles are bloodied, but I’m not sure whose blood it is, mine or Warren’s.

She kisses them and sighs. Then she lies across my chest as Slick drives us to my house. “I think that was the first time in my life I’ve ever been scared,” I tell her.

“Of what?”

“Losing you.” I place more kisses on her head and hold her more tightly. “I never want anything like that to happen again. You have to tell me if people are threatening you.” I blame myself, really. I saw some of those letters before they were threatening. I should have known better.

“I promise.”

“Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” I ask her, and she says nothing. After a few minutes, I hear her lightly snoring. She’s fallen asleep on my chest and I couldn’t be happier. This is where she belongs.

26

ELENA

Ilie on my back on Liam’s bed, waiting for him. He’s off to get a bowl of warm water and a washcloth to clean my wounds. The emergency room staff wanted to check me out, and they looked over my cuts and abrasions, but I didn’t need stitches, so I refused any other treatment. Still, there are small traces of blood here and there, and Liam is in a doting mood, so I’ll let him do as he pleases. It’s nice to be cared for, especially on a day like this.

His watch lies on the nightstand staring at me. I know the inscription isn’t about a brother now. It’s about him. His real name, the identity he hid from me. It’s something that still bothers me and unnerves me a little. Liam is in the Mafia, and it’s not just a hyped-up drama show on TV. It’s real, and his father runs it. I have no idea who I’ve been sleeping with and dating, and I don’t know if I want to know it all.

Things with Liam are incredible. He’s sensitive and caring. He listens to me and supports my desires. He treats me like a princess, and he’s always there for me. If I don’t think about what he does for a living, he seems like the perfect man. I haveno complaints, not even his occasional temper. Everyone has things that aren’t perfect, and Liam is no exception.

However, when I put it into perspective of who he actually is, I want to run away and hide from him. My life may never be free again. I have fears about what may happen if things don’t work out and I really do want to leave him. Will he be patient and let me walk away? Or will he control me or even worse, hurt me?

“Alright, I’m back.” Liam walks into the room carrying a bowl and a washcloth. He has a towel draped over his shoulder, and the furrows on his forehead show his concern.

I turn to look up at him as he sets the dish of water on the nightstand next to his watch and then sits next to me on the bed. He dips the cloth into the water and then squeezes it out and dabs my face as I stare up into his eyes. There are so many questions I’d like to ask him about himself and his life, but I’m not going to press him right now. It’s enough that we’re together.

His hands work to clean my skin, and I lie patiently and watch him. He says nothing, as if he knows how delicate the situation is. I’ve had the scare of my life after months of mental torture and fear. I’ve been to the depths of what I thought was the worst thing that could happen to me and then inadvertently dove deeper. If Liam’s being in the Mafia is the worst thing about him, I think I feel okay with that. Maybe I don’t like some aspects, but it could be worse. He could have been my stalker.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asks as he dips the cloth back into the bowl to rinse it.

When his hand returns to my busted lip to wipe it clean, I gently grasp his wrist and halt him. “Do you kill people?” I know the question is probably very dumb. He’s in the Mafia. They killpeople who get in their way. I don’t know why I asked him. I don’t know if I even want to know the answer. But the question hangs between us as he dabs my lip and scowls.

“I have never once killed someone.” Judging by the way his eyes grow stormy, I know he isn’t pleased with the question, but if he wants me to be with him, there are a lot more questions that will eventually come out.

“I can’t be with you if you kill people.” I let go of his wrist, and he sighs and places the cloth into the bowl and brings his hand back to cup my cheek.

“I don’t kill people, Elena. And I give you my word, you will never, ever hear of me killing someone.” The intensity of his gaze tells me he means what he’s saying, but somehow, I don’t fully believe him. There’s a loophole there, one I won’t ask about outright. He doesn’t have to pull the trigger to be the killer, but I’m afraid of hearing how many hits he’s ordered. I have to be content with this answer for now.

“Promise me you will never lie to me or keep things from me again. We are partners in this, and I need to know I can trust you to be honest even if it hurts, even if it’s scary.” I feel my lip quiver as I talk, and my voice cracks.

Liam leans down and brushes his lips over every single spot where I’ve been injured, then gently kisses my lips. The kiss lingers, slowly deepening until I wince at the pain of the small cut being reopened due to exertion. He pulls away just far enough to look me in the eyes.

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