Page 164 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
Michael relayed the information and gave the Smitty person a time frame while Liam worked on Claudia’s handcuffs and then Emily’s. Saving Jamison for last, he snuck a kiss as he snapped her cuffs off. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Her bottom lip trembled, but she refused to cry. Now was the time to remain strong. Breaking into a million pieces would have to come later.
“Hey, guess what we’re doing tonight?” Liam gave her a bittersweet smile as he stroked her hair. “We’re going to have a nice dinner and a couple of bottles of wine. Maybe get naked for a few hours. Then I’ll tell you all about the night Holden and I got completely wasted in our early training days and how when we showed up for hostage training the next morning, I was so hungover I thought it would be a great idea to act like Beetlejuice during mock negotiations.”
Ah, hell. So much for not crying. He was trying to distract her, which meant that he knew something bad was about to happen.
When the first tear fell, Liam cradled her cheeks in his palms, brushing his thumbs under her eyes. “No tears. I won’t lie and say this is going to be easy. This is probably going to be the hardest moment of our lives and screw us up mentally for years, but it’s not going to screwusup. It’s you and me. Okay? It’s always been just you and me. We’re getting out of here, and we’re going to live a long life. We’re going to grow old together and be so fucking happy.” His voice broke, but he kept talking as fast as he could to help her remain calm. “You and me. Always has been. Always will be.”
She couldn’t control her breathing. Seeing him terrified earlier and then hearing his words now had panic gripping her firmly by the throat. “D-d-don’t leave me.”
Without another word, Liam grabbed her hand and dragged her across the room and into the bathroom. “We need a minute.”
“We don’t have—”
Michael’s voice cut off as the door slammed shut. Her breathing had turned shallow, her lungs simply unable to get a full gulp of air as the weight of what was about to go down sunk in. Pressing her back against the door, Liam held her by the shoulders.
“Let it out, Jamison. No one can see or hear you but me. Give me your fears.”
Her brain tried to articulate what to say, so she didn’t sound like a horrible person, but she couldn’t, and he was right. They were the only ones in the bathroom, and no one else would hear. “I don’t need you to be a hero today,” she blabbered through tears. “I need you to be mine. I need you to promise you won’t do something that could get you killed. Like if you see someone down there begging for help or saying they didn’t mean any of this and to please get them out. I know you. You’re a good man. You’ll want to try to save them.”
“I’m not a good man, Jamison. Not anymore,” he rasped, dragging her into his arms like he needed the reassurance as much as she did. “And maybe I never was because I don’t give a damn what happens to those people. I don’t care what happens to Tobias Miller. Samuel should have killed him in the graveyard. We…no, not we.Ifailed that day. I should have finished the job. I should have shot Toby. I failed to protect you and everyone else. Now dozens of people are about to pay for that failure, and yet… I still don’t care. I’m going to walk away and allow Sinclair to have his vengeance.”
Pressed against his chest, she shook her head. “How did he do it? How did he stay around these people and pretend for so long?”
“Because he’s ambivalent to life. The man handed out death to hundreds during his career, and when the world finally gave him something to cherish and love, these people ripped it away,” Liam whispered into her hair. “Sinclair is a man who has lost everything, and when there’s nothingleft—”
Liam didn’t finish his sentence. Going instantly on alert, he slammed one hand against her mouth while readying the Glock in his other.
“It’s not time to start,” came a shrill voice through the bathroom door. “So why is he on the floor, Michael?”
Taylor.
“Don’t just stand there,” Taylor screeched. “Answer me!”
As slowly as possible to minimize any noise they might make, Liam moved Jamison behind him to listen.
“I leave for a few hours, and this is what happens. I get wanting to rest for the party tonight, but did everyone need a nap all at the same time?” Taylor whined. “And where the hell is Jamison? Did you leave her in your room? I want to talk to her.”
Something big hit the wall, rattling the medicine cabinet. “And why are these bitches out of their chains?” Parker bellowed with a grunt. “Stop biting me, Emily!”
“Oh my God, Michael. Get them under control.” Even through the bathroom door, Jamison could hear Taylor stomping her foot. “I don’t have time for this. And Parker, don’t step on my Damon!”
Liam swung open the door, his Glock aimed at someone Jamison couldn’t see. She balled her hands into fists, fighting the urge to pull him back.
“Taylor.” Liam stepped out of the bathroom. “Move away from Damon.”
A snorting round of giggles rolled out of Taylor. “How the hell did you get in here?”
Careful to keep out of sight, Jamison peeked around the corner, her breath catching in her throat at the scene.
Michael stood back while Taylor squared off against Liam. On the wall next to the bathroom, Parker was getting absolutely wrecked by her cousins. Claudia was pummeling him with her fist, giving his face a rapid succession of strikes while Emily had him pinned around the waist against the wall as if she had tackled him like a linebacker.
But before the beating could continue, Parker regained control and tossed Emily aside to go after Claudia. With a backhanded hit, he knocked the mother of his child flat onto her back.
“What is wrong with you, Parker?” Taylor yelled. “She’s pregnant.”
