Page 10 of Liam James
His gaze flicked to Jenny as she stepped outside, carrying a box of supplies Tessa had dropped off. She smiled politely, but Ididn’t miss the way his brow lifted slightly, like he’d just figured out this trip wasn’t only about strategy and logistics.
“Uh-huh,” he said slowly. “Well, the gas tank’s full. Don’t drive like your brothers.”
“Which one?” I asked.
“Any of them,” he said, then slapped my shoulder, laughing.
“I missed you Dad.”
“I missed you too. Next time, don’t stay away so long.”
“Fraiser will give you a ride back home. You can stay here for the night and eat dinner with everyone.”
“That sounds good to me. But your brother James will be here soon.”
I saw Jenny’s eyes get big and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Jenny
I shook my head. I couldn’t believe he named another son James.
I stacked the last box in the backseat, pretending like my hands weren’t shaking. It was ridiculous—I was thirty-one years old, had survived things that could break a person in half, but standing next to Liam James made my pulse feel like it was learning new tricks.
He was inspecting the tires, one arm resting on the hood, muscles shifting under that black T-shirt as if the sun had come out just for him. He noticed me looking. Said nothing, just that faint grin, as if he knew something I didn’t.
And God help me, but a part of me wondered if leaving town with him was more dangerous than staying.
Liam
Fraiser came over with his laptop tucked under one arm, muttering something about police records and encrypted files. “We’ve got people trying to figure out where Daddy Dearest is hiding,” he said. “Could be a cabin, could be a storage unit—he bought property under other names. We’re digging. Now that it’s known all over the country that all those bodies were found on his property, he’s a wanted man.”
“Let me know the second you find something,” I said.
He nodded and walked off toward Max, the two of them talking low while Forest loaded more bags into the truck bed.
Jenny came around the corner just as I shut the tailgate. “We should be on the road in an hour,” I told her.
She nodded but didn’t move, her eyes on mine like she was trying to read me. “You really think he can’t find us?”
“I think he’s going to try,” I said, softer than I meant to. “But I also think he’s not getting anywhere near you or Poppy.”
Her lips parted as if she wanted to argue, but then she looked away, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
And for just a second—only one—I allowed myself to wonder what it would be like if this were another life. One without serialkillers and hiding spots. One where I could reach over, tilt her face back to mine, and—
Forest slammed the cooler shut, making both of us jump. “Snacks are loaded,” he announced. “Priorities, people.”
I stepped back, shoving the thought where it belonged. Deep down. For now.
Jenny
Poppy came barreling out the front door with a backpack twice her size, nearly tripping over the porch steps. “I’m ready!” she yelled.
Max laughed. “You packed the whole house in there?”
“Only the important stuff,” she said, climbing into the backseat like she owned it. “I didn’t know they put backseats on trucks this old?”
“My Dad had this seat added a few years back,” Liam said.
