Page 35 of Moonlit Hideaway
“It’s Walsh,” Liam said. “And unlike you, I’m not hiding from anyone.”
His words chilled Sierra to the bone. Was it a coincidence that Liam’s surname was the same as Uncle Tony’s? Had her father’s fixer sent him to look after her, or was this more nefarious? Could Liam be working for Marco?
“I’m keeping an eye on you, buddy.” Sierra decided that aggressiveness was more appropriate than quaking with fear. “We’d better not find anything missing.”
Meanwhile, Oliver was happily rooting around Sierra’s truck. She herded the pig toward his pen by dangling an apple, and after securing him, she decided to return to her room. As she passed a window overlooking the parking area, she noticed Liam’s suspicious behavior. He was walking around her truck, his hands occasionally disappearing beneath the vehicle as if touching the underbody.
Was he placing a GPS tracker on it? Or perhaps she’d had one unbeknownst to her, and he was collecting it? Sierra’s unease deepened. Who was this handyman, and what was he up to? She’d have to ask Hank about it, but first, she would have to do her own investigations.
Emma’s door was unlocked. In fact, no one other than Sierra locked their doors. Sometimes, Howie even left his door openwhile stepping outside for a smoke or a walk on the beach. Sierra felt like a sneak going into the teenager’s room, but she needed to use her laptop to call her mother.
The walls were plastered with photos of pop and country singers, including a huge one of Sierra performing at the Madison Square Garden. The room was as disorganized as Hank’s office, but she located the laptop underneath a pile of sheet music and used the VPN to call her mother.
“Hey, it’s me again.” Her voice trembled slightly. “I’m still safe but worried.”
“You’re worried?” Her mother’s voice was laced with irritation. “Imagine how I feel. When are you returning to your senses and coming home?”
“I need to understand where Uncle Tony stands. Can I trust him?”
“I’ve got Tony eating out of my hand.” Her mother’s tone softened into a croon. “Just tell me where you are, and he’ll bring you back safely.”
“That’s not happening. I’m not signing my life away to Marco.”
“Sierra, darling, be reasonable. Marco’s a catch—wealthy, educated, and quite a looker.”
“Mom, he’s just not for me, okay?” She suppressed a sigh and continued, “I need to know something. Liam Walsh—is he working for Marco or Uncle Tony?”
A pause. “Liam? Tony’s boy. Did he make himself known to you?”
“Not saying, but what’s his story? Should I be worried?” Sierra realized she’d made a big mistake. Her mother would ask Tony to contact Liam, exposing her position.
“He won’t hurt you. Kind of dense and stubborn. Nothing to worry about. I don’t get why you’re so cloak and dagger. So childish.”
“Mom, please understand. I need to live my own life, and I don’t want you, Uncle Tony, or anyone else blowing my cover. I’m laying low until Marco figures out he no longer wants me.”
“I’ll see if Tony can finagle a deal with Marco. If you don’t want to marry him, I can’t see why he’d force you.”
“But the businesses Dad left me. Aren’t they tied to me marrying him? What happens if that doesn’t happen? Who would get those businesses?”
“Your father never planned for you to refuse Marco. He assumed you’d agree. Marco has control as CEO of the businesses.”
“What happens if I don’t marry him?”
“What are you thinking? That you can slip out of the deal?”
“If Marco was… out of the equation, I could express my gratitude differently. Perhaps through the businesses by giving them to someone who cares.”
“I see. You already have someone in mind. Who?”
“Nobody. And Mom, if you love me, I don’t want to be found until Marco is dealt with. I love you, but I can’t risk coming home.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Hon. Just lay low, and I’ll see what I can do. Bye now.”
The call with her mother left Sierra more exposed and vulnerable than ever. Even if she couldn’t trust her mother’s common sense, she had to rely on her self-preservation. And control of the businesses was an incentive her mother couldn’t pass up, now, could she?
Hank was tired and sweaty after a hard day’s work, shoring up the inn's foundation. The job went faster than he’d expectedbecause of Liam, and the two of them worked like a well-oiled team.
“Any plans for tonight?” he asked as they gathered their tools.
