Page 101 of Attraction (Mobsters + Billionaires 3)
“He tried to sexually assault me.”
I feel numb as I say the words.
“Like the last time?”
His voice is so soft and haunted that I look over, confused. He takes off his mask and familiar features coalesce into a memory. And a name.
My mouth falls open a little. “Wait…William?”
“I, uh, go by Liam now. Liam Hughes.”
“I didn’t recognize you until just now.”
He smiles. “I had floppy hair and really bad acne back then,” he says, pointing to his neat fade and smooth skin.
“You do know that you saved me back then, right?”
His eyes hit the floor.
“That was the last night I saw my father,” he says quietly. “Until tonight. I walked away from all of it—the money, the greed, the abuse. I’m sorry I never got to apologize for what he did to you.”
“You never need to apologize for what your father did.”
“That’s kind of you to say.” Sadness crosses his face.
Luca squeezes my hand. I have a feeling he knows more than he’s letting on.
“Why are you really here, Liam?” I ask, confused.
He glances at the body on the floor then opens and shuts his mouth a few times.
Luca answers for him. “The Byrne brothers think you look like a good target. I can promise you they will regret that decision.”
I swallow hard. “So you came to warn me?”
He nods.
“What’s the move here, Agent?” Luca’s voice is doing that smooth-slash-murderous thing that means he’s in a very dangerous mood. “Careful with your answer.”
Liam tears his attention from me, making eye contact with Luca. “This is a clear case of defense of another. But I don’t think any of us would be helped by law enforcement getting involved.”
“Good answer.”
“That said, can I assume you’ll take care of this?” he asks, gesturing at his father’s body.
Luca nods carefully. “Yes, you can. But I have to ask—why are you okay right now? I mean, he’s your dad, right?”
Liam shakes his head, his mouth slanting down. “My father was a con man who never loved my mother. She thought he hung the moon. I did too until the night he hurt Ford.”
Luca adjusts his stance, something like understanding lifting his eyebrows. “Do you think history is repeating itself with your brother and Dominick Byrne?”
Huh. That would be fitting.
Liam bobs his head. “I told Fallon tonight that Dominick fits the pattern. That he’s just like Dad. But my brother has always thought he’s smarter than me.”
As I’m considering his words, Hopper sweeps into the restroom, mask pushed back like a headband. “Is Ford okay? Has anyone seen Liam?”
He slides to a stop when he spots his man. “Oh. Hey.”
