Page 41 of Cowboy Elite 2: Mike

Liv sat on the overstuffed sofa and Mike joined her, his size and strength giving her courage.

"You don't have to do this," he said quietly.

"Yes, I do." Her voice came out steadier than she felt.

Lyle pulled out a chair for Heather then sat beside her. Joe leaned back, arms crossed but expression open. Kenny stayed where he was, a shadow against the far wall.

Liv's throat closed. She looked down at her hands, at the small burn on her thumb from the oven rack.

"I lied to you," she said, meeting each person’s eyes. “And I’m sorry. You already know my real name isn’t Liv Ramsey.” Her voice cracked. "It's Olivia Langford."

No one moved, but their non-judgmental demeanor encouraged her to continue.

"I'm from New York. I owned a dessert bar in Manhattan. Crème & Crumble. It was... everything I'd worked for. My whole life." She swallowed. "And then a couple months ago, I catered a private event that went horribly wrong. I witnessed a man being executed at point blank range.”

Her hands fisted in her lap. Silence pressed in from all sides, but no one flinched.

"I saw it. All of it. The blood. The way the man fell. I was horrified and frozen in place." Her voice broke. "And then the shooter turned and saw me standing there."

Mike let out a slow exhale, his eyes never leaving her face. He already knew this part. That didn’t make it any easier to hear again.

"I ran. Called the police. They promised protection. Asked me if I’d be willing to testify." She shook her head. "But before anything could happen, I started getting threats. My phone was hacked. Messages left on my door. When I didn’t get anywhere with the NYPD, I reached out to a friend’s dad who was a detective. I felt I could trust him. He told me they were building a case against Damian Russo’s organization, but that the case wasn’t solid enough to move on him and if they jumped the gun and arrested him on my say-so, the whole thing would fall apart. Evidently, whatever they’re trying to pin on him trumps a blatant murder.”

“Which left you vulnerable as a sitting duck,” Mike said quietly, tersely.

“Yes. Detective Sanchez said there was a lot of red tape and stuff going on behind the scenes and that I’d need to lay low until they were able to get more evidence in place. He told me if I stayed in New York, though, I'd most likely end up being framed for some fabricated infraction. Or worse, wind up at the bottom of the Hudson river." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "So I left. Changed my name. Wiped my social media. Kept moving until it felt safe enough to stop."

She looked over, met Mike's eyes. "I thought Bear Valley, the ranch, all of you . . . I thought maybe I could finally breathe." Tears blurred her vision. "But obviously they’ve found me."

The room went so quiet Liv could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen. The creak of the house settling. Her own heartbeat hammering in her ears.

Lyle nodded, slow and deliberate. "Thank you for trusting us with your story, Olivia. Or Liv. Whichever feels right."

Kenny didn't say anything. Just pushed off the wall and came over, rested one hand briefly on Liv's shoulder—solid, grounding—then walked out.

It was the most he'd said without words since she'd met him.

Mike was still sitting beside her. Watching. His eyes were bright and fierce and full of something that made her chest ache.

"You picked a good place to hide," he said, voice rough. "Because we don't give up ground. Not to anyone."

"Miss Liv?" Charlotte appeared at her elbow just as she finished cleaning up the lunch dishes the next day, the ever-present stuffed lamb tucked under one arm, face smudged with what looked like jam.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"If your name's really Olivia, can I still call you Liv?"

Liv's throat tightened. "Of course."

"Good." Charlotte nodded, solemn. "'Cause Olivia sounds like a fancy lady who doesn't like goats."

Liv laughed, surprised. "And Liv doesn't?"

"Liv sounds like someone who makes really good cookies and isn't scared of Tiny."

"I'm definitely scared of Tiny."

Charlotte patted her hand, wise beyond her years. "That's okay. Everybody is." The little girl took off out the back door and Liv stepped outside to watch her go, nearly colliding with Kenny as he mounted the porch steps.