Page 146 of Missed Sunrise
My inflated pride would never recover from this.
“I lift now,” I deadpanned after I shut the tailgate.
Liem approached me and gripped my newly bulging bicep. “Hmm, yes. I feel it.” His eyes darted up to me, dark and full of mischief as he leaned forward and licked a quick stripe up my arm, maintaining eye contact with me as he straightened and licked his lips before saying sweetly, “I can taste it too.”
Stunned, all I could do was snort a laugh and then pull my little beast in for a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed just as hard, then surprised me by stepping onto the tops of my feet, putting him at the perfect height to burrow right under my chin.
I indulged in the feeling of him for a long time before I carefully walked us—with Liem’s feet still on top of mine—to the passenger door. I opened it and guided him to the seat, missing his heat as soon as he was gone. Once he was situated, I picked up the box from the ground and handed it to him. Liem eyed it curiously before resting it delicately on his lap.
We had a two-hour drive back to Bay Springs ahead of us. Plenty of time for questions, if he wanted to ask them.
But first, we were dropping by the condo for his things and so he could check on Aunt Ari one more time and make sure her migraines hadn’t returned.
I kissed him quickly on the mouth and then shut him in before going to the driver’s side, Once I was buckled, I turned toLiem, my gaze dancing over the shadows on his face made by the cabin light above the dash.
His dark eyes flicked to mine, probably sensing my gaze. “What time is this mysterious meeting of yours?”
“Ten o’clock downtown. I promise to tell you all about it when it’s done, but I don’t want to get your hopes up if it doesn’t go as expected.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “So delightfully mysterious, Cody. Like this.” He touched the tip of his finger to the silver circle on the box. “There’s a lock.”
“There is,” I agreed, then gestured to my keys in the ignition before turning them and turning the truck on. “The key is here.”
Liem smiled at the key chain he’d made me, seeming pleased as he asked, “When can I open it?”
“Whenever you want. It’s yours. Or, it kind of is. It’s mine too.”
“Mysterious,” he repeated.
“I meant for you to open it last night, but you were too insatiable. We ran out of time,” I said dryly.
He smiled, full of amusement. “Yes, I was. And am.”
I turned on the truck’s headlights and pulled onto the street, chuckling. “Tell me which way to go?”
He gave me directions, and I shifted gears, physically and metaphorically, and wished I could hold his hand instead. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him set the box at his feet, apparently deciding to wait.
Solving one of my problems, I grabbed his hand and set it on the stick shift, then gripped his hand above it. The smile on his face every time we shifted together was well worth it.
The streets of Gulf Shores were quiet this early in the morning, and we made our way easily to Vinh’s former condo, mostly keeping between Second and Third gear as we navigated the small roads.
But then we saw lights. Flashing red and blues that had me slowing the truck. Lights that had Liem’s hand slipping from under mine as we approached a tall condo building.
“This is it?” I asked quietly, hoping he would say no.
But he didn’t say anything at all, his eyes fixed on the two police cars, ambulance, and fire truck that were parked in front of the building, blocking the road. I pulled over onto the grassy area by the street a few hundred yards away.
“Liem?”
When he still didn’t answer, I moved my gaze from the lights to him. He held his phone in front of him, frozen as a statue, and then I registered the buzzing and looked at the screen. Vinh was calling him.
I glanced at the console. 6:12 a.m. No good phone calls were made at 6:12 a.m.
The call rang out, and then, a moment later, my phone started to buzz. Inexplicable sweat broke out across my brow as I looked at it.
Vinh.
I answered after only a moment’s hesitation, my voice thankfully steady. “Hello?”
