Liam's POVI pushed myself off the wall and walked back toward Ashley who was still standing near the nurses station looking like she'd just witnessed something her brain couldn't quite process.The security guards had disappeared somewhere probably to file reports about what happened or maybe to pretend they hadn't seen anything at all because that seemed easier than trying to explain it."What just happened?" Ashley asked when I got close enough that she didn't have to raise her voice."I don't know," I said even though that wasn't entirely true because I knew exactly what had happened but understanding why or how was a different matter entirely. "Is Elijah awake?""Last I checked he was resting but the nurse said he might be conscious now." She glanced down the hallway toward his room. "Do you want to see him?""Yeah." I needed to talk to him about multiple things including making sure he knew his parents had been here and were now gone in a way that probably meant they wouldn't be

Liam's POVI stood there watching the two men disappear down the street and told myself this wasn't my problem because I had enough complications in my life without adding more by getting involved in whatever situation that woman was running from.She'd gotten away with her child and that was enough because I'd already done my part by saving the kid from getting hit by a car and anything beyond that was crossing a line I didn't need to cross.I turned around and started walking back toward my penthouse while ignoring the nagging feeling in my gut that told me I should have done more.The streets were darker now and fewer people were out which made the walk feel longer than it should have been because I kept hearing footsteps behind me that turned out to be nothing when I looked back.My shoulder still hurt from hitting the pavement and I rolled it a few times trying to work out the stiffness while thinking about everything that had happened today. Michael's father's warning about the

Liam's POVI moved toward the door before my brain had fully caught up with what my body was doing and reached for the handle just as the officers were about to step into the hallway. "Wait."The older officer turned back to look at me with his eyebrows raised. "Sir we need to take her in for questioning about the discharge of a firearm in a residential building.""I know but I need a moment before you do that." I could feel Claire's eyes burning into the side of my head but I didn't look at her because I knew what I'd see there and it would make me second guess what I was about to do."Liam what are you doing?" Claire asked from behind me. "Let them take her.""Just give me a second," I said while still not turning around."No," Claire shot back and I heard her footsteps crossing the room toward where I was standing. "You're about to do something stupid and I'm not going to stand here and watch you risk our safety for someone who just tried to shoot us."She appeared beside me and I

Liam's POVVincent moved toward Sarah like he was going to grab her arm and drag her inside his house but I stepped between them again because I could see in his eyes that leaving her here would be a death sentence that just happened slower than a bullet."She's staying with me," I said while keeping my voice firm."That's not smart, Liam." Vincent replied and his jaw was still tight with barely controlled anger. "I can keep her secured here until the meeting.""Secured," I repeated and let the word hang in the air between us. "That's just another way of saying you'll make sure she doesn't survive long enough to face the vote."Vincent's face darkened but he didn't deny it and that told me everything I needed to know about what would happen to Sarah if I left her in his care. "She killed my brother.""I know," I said. "But if we're going to do this the right way then she needs to be alive for the meeting and I don't trust that she will be if she stays here."Vincent stared at me for a

Liam's POVThe man standing in front of me looked almost identical to the Mr. Rossi except for subtle differences that became more obvious the longer I stared at him.His face had the same sharp angles and his eyes were the same color but there was something different about the way he carried himself like he'd lived a completely separate life from the man I thought I knew."I'm not the Mr. Rossi you're thinking of," he said and his voice was smooth and cultured in a way that suggested expensive education and years of practice commanding rooms full of people. "I'm his twin brother."My brain struggled to process that information because Vincent had never mentioned anything about Mr. Rossi having a twin and that felt like the kind of detail someone would bring up when talking about their dead father.Unless Vincent didn't know or unless this was some elaborate con designed to get me to lower my guard."What do you want?" I asked while keeping the gun pointed at him even though I'd lower