Page 108 of Choosing Us

“That’s right. Just say the word.”

“And you’ll what? I’m a federal agent, Liam. Don’t confess to any crimes in front of me, please. It would make the holidays incredibly awkward if I had to arrest you.”

Liam’s laugh echoes off the walls, and I’m grateful no one comes to point out that it’s well past visiting hours. Apparently, when you were held hostage in an FBI case, and there’s an FBI agent with you in the room, there are certain perks, broken ribs excluded.

“It’s going to be okay, Lo. And we are going to be more than okay—we will be great, alright?” I lift my hand and slide it around her waist, pulling her down to me on the too narrow bed. She gently wraps her arms around me, careful not to hit any of my ribs.

I kiss the top of her head. “And anyone who messes with you will face the wrath of our family, okay? Does that sound scary enough to you?”

She nods but not before she swipes away a few tears with back of her hand. “I think it sounds perfect.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

Taking a sip from my black coffee with a splash of cream, I let the familiar taste ground me in the moment. Christine handed me a fresh cup as we made our way to the interrogation rooms. She always times the coffee handoffs perfectly for our team, and I’ll never know how she does it—I just hope she never quits. She keeps our team functioning at the highest level.

And today, we need to be at the absolute top of our game.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I check the screen before nodding toward the hallway. “I need to take this quick. I’ll be just a moment.”

“Take your time, sir,” Tara responds as she, Kelly, and Mason make their way toward the interrogation room.

“Hey, Liam, I only have a moment. What’s going on?” I step out of the main corridor into a side hallway with less foot traffic. I would have had more time to talk if he caught me driving into the office. The daily sixty-minute drive from my front porch to my parking spot is a route I could navigate with my eyes closed at this point, but one I’ll happily drive because at the end of the day, I get to make that same drive home and have my family waiting for me.

“Walker. I wanted you to know I’m staying at Savannah’s guest house if you need me to come help with anything today, or even over the next few days, I am available.”

Ah. I respect my brother-in-law, but I also am a rule follower at heart. And I really don’t want Graham to have a centimeter of wiggle room to claim procedural misconduct when it comes to his defense and how he was questioned by my team. “I appreciate that, man, but I think we’ve got it. I’m just about to go into the interview, actually.”

He pauses before he quietly asks, “Are you sure?”

I exhale loudly, recognizing what’s really going on. “Listen. You didn’t drop the ball here, man. None of us had any idea that Ryan was in danger, or how close The Carnation Killer was to our family.”

“But he’s … Fuck. Walker, Ryan’s my little brother.” Liam’s voice is twisted with emotions that I’m sure weigh heavy on him. He’s a complicated man, but at his core, he’s driven by the need to protect his people, even though he was on an entirely different continent when Ryan was taken.

“I know he is—he’s my brother, too. I promise you I am going to do every step strictly by the book and everything possible to ensure that when we hand over the evidence to the prosecutors, it is an airtight case, resulting in this asshole being put away for the rest of his entire fucking miserable life. I know you don’t want to stand down, but I need you to trust that I have this.”

“I know you do. I’m not questioning your skills and ability. I’ve never doubted that.”

I don’t fight the smirk at that comment. “Never?”

He huffs a small laugh. “Okay, I haven’t doubted you in the last twelve months.”

I do the math quickly. “Viv and I were already engaged a year ago.”

Liam hums in agreement. “I know.”

“I will keep you as updated as I can, but that’s the best I can do right now. My team is really fucking good at their jobs, Liam. Let us do them.”

“Yeah, I know. You have a great team—but if you need anything, I have access to the best of the best out there.” He pauses but I give him a second before filling the silence. “I’m not sure what to do right now; I’m not very good at waiting in situations like this.”

“Go over to my house, visit with your sister, and play with your niece and nephews.”

“Yeah, your kids are good distractions. And you did leave my sister all alone with them.”

I chuff at that. “Do you honestly think my wife goes a single day alone with our kids?”

“Knowing our family and her friends? Probably not.”

“Exactly. I’ll give you a call when I’m headed back home, alright?” I can’t promise I’ll tell him everything, but I can keep him in the loop a little at least.