Page 54 of Battered Moves

“And during your classes, you should be safe,” Chase adds.

“What about you guys?” Liv asks him. He looks at me intently, and I can already predict his response.

“We’ll go to the studio and return together, right, Jax?” he asks. I huff but agree.

“I think you should stay with us for the next few days, at least until we can be sure that he’s just trying to provoke us and doesn’t have anyone carrying out his threats,” I say to Liv.

“I see your point,” she replies, nodding.

“That’s it?” I say, my eyebrows rising. “You’re not going to fight me on this?”

She looks down at the desk, shaking her head.My girl is defeated.Just as I’m about to get to Liv and wrap her up in a hug, her phone begins to ring. She quickly answers it, pressing the loudspeaker button.

“Frank,” she greets.

“Olivia, I have some good news and bad news for you,” he begins.

“Hit me,” Liv replies, bracing herself.

“So, Liam is still locked up, but he’s been applying for authorized leave to visit his mother. Apparently, she has cancer again, and he wants to see her before it’s too late.”

“Madeline’s cancer came back?” Liv responds, seemingly shocked.

“It seems so. I had it confirmed,” Frank says.

“He just wants to visit her, and there will be caretakers with him, right?”Liv asks, her tone softening.

I have to bite my tongue to hold back my reaction. It’s infuriating that Liam has put Liv through so much pain and continues to do so, yet she remains concerned about his mother. I struggle to comprehend how she can still show empathy and compassion towards someone who has caused her so much pain.

“That’s what it appears to be,” Frank replies with a sigh. “You never know with those wealthy folks, but I don’t need to explain that to you. Just be careful.”

“Okay, thank you so much for looking into this, Frank. Can you please keep an eye on the situation and let me know if there are any updates?” Liv asks.

“Of course,” Frank assures her.

“Great. I’ll make sure to send you compensation for your efforts,” Liv says.

“Olivia, you don’t have to,” Frank protest. “You know I’m here for you.”

“Consider it a Christmas bonus,” she quips.

“It’s October,” he retorts with a huff.

“Thanksgiving, then. Take care,” Liv says, ending the call.

“I don’t like it. I don’t believe for a second that he would only use his leave to see his mother,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

The thought of Liam potentially taking advantage of the situation to harm Liv weighs heavily on my mind. Liv lets out an exasperated sigh, clearly sharing my concerns.

“I don’t like it either, but what else can we do besides wait until Frank gets back to us? Maybe the leave won’t be authorized, or if it is, we can find somewhere else to stay until he returns to custody, but for now, he doesn’t seem like an immediate threat,” she explains, trying to rationalize the situation.

“Let’s not take any chances and treat the threat as if it is very real,” River adds. “No one goes out alone, and we need to keep our phones with us at all times.”

Ryder moves towards Liv, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

“And my baby is going to move in with us now,” he says with a smile, planting a gentle kiss on top of her head, but Liv shakes her head.

“Hold on. I have some things to take care of and I’ll need to pack my stuff. I’ll come over tomorrow with everything and then stay with you. Also, Gunner texted me earlier and said that he’ll be home tonight,” she says.

---