“McCrea and Romero.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Two detectives who came into the shop looking for Tom. I got a bad feeling about them, so I lied. Told them I hadn’t seen the man they were looking for.” Joe slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the SD card. He handed it to Agent Geoffrey. “Their names are on this list.”
Agent Geoffrey took the card from him, his eyes wide. “Where did you get this?”
“Tom—I mean Liam—found it buried in the garden in a potted plant. We think he stashed it there before he was assaulted. It would explain why there was nothing but dirt and flower petals in his pockets when I found him. It’s encrypted, but he knew what to do. He was able to access it. It has a long list of names, numbers, and figures, surveillance photos, invoices, and a bunch of other stuff. Those detectives were on the list, along with a court judge.”
“That’s what Liam found. Dirty officials on the cartel’s payroll. No wonder we kept hitting a wall. Damn it. Someone on that list must have made Liam.”
Joe grabbed a hold of Geoffrey’s arm. “When they find out he doesn’t have it….”
Agent Geoffrey tapped his earpiece. “We need to catch these guys,
now
.”
Joe looked out his window. Up ahead he could see the exit for Inwood Hill Park. Jesus, they were going to drag Tom into the dark woods. How the hell were they supposed to find him in all those dense trees? The closer they got to the place, the more anxious Joe became. He tried not to think of the poor innocent people who’d been found dead in that park over the years. He dug his fingers into the passenger side door. If anyone could save Tom, it was the FBI, right? They had to be as experienced as Tom. Liam. Dammit. He had to get used to that.
The sirens blared and lights flashed as they sped down the parkway in a convoy of huge black vehicles. Joe had no idea if the men who took Liam were still ahead of them or already in the park. Within minutes, their vehicle came to a stop outside the park. Everyone jumped to action, and Joe silently slid out, aware of the resonating sound of cocking firearms. Agent Geoffrey rounded everyone up and gave instructions.
“Spread out. I want Agent Baker returned alive.”
Alive? Oh God. The gravity of the situation hit Joe hard. What if the men killed Liam? There was so much Joe wanted to say to him. They were so close to the truth. Did Liam remember who he was? Joe stood by, feeling useless, but what could he do? These were professionals. This was what they did. Agent Geoffrey spotted him and hurried over.
“Stay here, Mr. Applin.”
Joe nodded as dozens of agents disappeared into the darkened forest. All Joe could think about was Liam, in there somewhere, against who knew what, in danger.
Please, be okay. You have to be okay.
LIAM
remembered everything.
He remembered hitting his head on the radiator when he was a kid after not listening to his mom about jumping on the bed. He had to get stitches and to this day had a faint scar on his left eyebrow. Then there was the time he’d chased his sister into the basement of their neighbor’s house while their mom got a perm and he scraped his head on the unpolished banister. He bled but thankfully no stitches were needed. He really needed to stop hitting his head. Everything was there, everything before today, including the first time he saw Joe’s deep blue-green eyes.
There was no way in hell he wasn’t making it out of this. Joe was alive. For a moment he’d been terrified, thinking that son of a bitch imposter had shot Joe, but when he heard the sirens, heard the bastards arguing about leaving the “pie guy” behind, he knew Joe was safe. Geoffrey had found him. Liam could always count on his partner to come through for him.
They’d been walking for miles. During that time, Liam had been studying his captors and his surroundings. The men stopped in a clearing. Someone jerked him to a halt before kicking at the back of Liam’s knees and forcing him down onto the dirt, his hands zip-tied in front of him. All he needed was the right opportunity, but first he needed to buy himself some time. His team wouldn’t be far. He’d be surprised if they weren’t already tracking him.
“Where is it?” one guy growled.
“Where’s what?” Liam asked, adding a slight tremor to his voice.
A punch snapped Liam’s head to one side, splitting his lip and leaving a slight copper taste in his mouth. He remembered the taste well, along with the blood, broken bones, bruises, and everything else that came with being a field agent. He remembered being shot at, punched, grazed by a runaway truck, and a host of other injuries he’d acquired while taking down drug-peddling assholes like these.
“Where’s the package?”
Liam spit out saliva tinged with blood. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
One of the dark-haired goons holding a rifle sneered. “Don’t play dumb with us. We know you’re a Fed. Matteo wants your head for your betrayal.”
Matteo would want someone’s head for sneezing. The guy was a hotheaded nasty piece of work, ruthless in his quest to expand his empire. He started out small, taking over his father’s drug running business before the shipments went from drugs, to firearms, and finally people. It had taken a hell of a lot of restraint on Liam’s part to act indifferent to the freighter hauling young men and women, some of them underage and others barely legal. All to be sold or forced into prostitution. That’s when Liam swore to himself that he’d do whatever it took to take down Matteo and the filth who worked for him. “I don’t know what or who you’re talking about. Look, I don’t remember anything. All I know is someone assaulted me. Hit me in the back of the head hard. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember my own name. Whoever you think I am, whatever you believe I have, I don’t remember.”
The half-dozen armed men exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.
“You expect us to believe that?” one of them chimed in.
“Check this guy out. I didn’t know Feds had a sense of humor.”
Liam shook his head. “Do you really think if I was who you say I am that I wouldn’t have run off to the cops? That I wouldn’t have done whatever I was supposed to do with this package you’re after? You’ve been after me for how long? I’ve been washing dishes and baking pies, man. Does that sound like something a Fed would do while he’s being chased by God knows who?”
The men seemed to think on that.
One of the guys frowned. “He’s got a point, Castro. Dude’s been hanging out in a pie shop.”
“Bullshit. If that was true, then how come he kicked the shit out of Santo and his guys? This guy wiped the floor with them.” The head moron in charge marched up to Liam and smacked him with the butt of his machine gun. Stars appeared in the front of Liam’s eyes, and he sucked in a sharp breath. His face was in serious pain, but he couldn’t make a move. Not yet. Before he could recover, he was punched across the face and kicked in the chest. He wheezed and drew in a lungful of air as he fell onto his side. He was kicked a couple more times for good measure, pain shooting through his body. Liam tightened his abs and covered his head as best he could with his restrained hands.
“We need him alive, you idiot,” another gunman hissed.
The guy who’d kicked him jerked him back onto his knees in front of him. “If you can’t
remember
, maybe we’ll go back and ask your boyfriend.” He laughed as he squeezed Liam’s cheeks.
The hell you will.
Liam murmured something under his breath.
“What was that?” The guy leaned in closer. “I can’t hear you.”
“I said,” Liam ground out through gritted teeth, “I’d like to see you try.” He made fists and thrust his elbows back with all his strength just as he smacked his head forward, head-butting the guy as he snapped the zip tie restraining him. Liam threw a hand out and grabbed hold of the guy’s shirt, snatching the machine gun away with his other hand. Knowing what came next, Liam spun the guy in front of him, using him as a shield. He could almost kiss the guy for wearing a vest. Instead, he fired at the guy’s associates as he backed up toward some trees. No honor among thieves. They fired at him, hitting their friend wherever they could in the hopes of getting Liam.
When Liam was in the clear, he released his screaming and bloodied friend and took off into the woods. The men shot as they chased after him into the darkened mass of trees. Liam knew the place well. He’d come here plenty of times with his parents when he was a kid and then with friends when he was older. If he kept down this path, he’d end up on Payson Avenue a few yards from the playground. Liam fired behind him at no one in particular. All he had to do was continue making enough noise and his team would find him. They’d close in on the bastards and take them down.
Liam ducked and dodged, running around trees, and over boulders and fallen trees. The shooting continued and a bullet grazed Liam’s arm.
“Shit.” He ducked behind a tree. In the distance he could hear shouting and see the faint glow of flashlights. His captors were closing in on him. If he called out now, he’d give away his position. Forget waiting for backup. It was time to take matters into his own hands. Liam checked the magazine of the machine gun. He was tired of being hunted. It was time to become the hunter.
Liam slipped into a thicket of trees and crouched down in the shadows. He grabbed a rock and tossed it far across to the other side, where it hit a tree. Two of the men rushed forward, their guns ready. Liam fired twice, one bullet per guy, catching them both in the legs. They dropped to the ground, shooting blindly as they screamed and writhed in pain. Three down. Three more to go. Liam silently and swiftly left his hiding spot to duck behind a large tree. He peeked out, grinning. The three men were out in the open, exposed. Liam’s adrenaline was pumping. He smiled to himself. It was good to be back.
A SERIES
of shots rang out somewhere close-by, and Joe gave a start. “Oh no.” It was Liam, he just knew it. Joe took off, ignoring the shouts of the men who’d stayed behind with him. He had to go to Liam, make sure he was all right. Joe sped off in the direction the sound had come from. There he was putting his safety at risk, but he couldn’t think about anything except Liam. It was strange thinking of Tom as Liam. Whatever name he used, it wouldn’t change what had happened over the last few weeks. It wouldn’t change how Joe felt.
Running through the woods, Joe was aware of the dozens of agents running along with him, guns in hand. Joe prayed Liam was safe and that he was able to call on his training as he had in the shop. Liam could handle himself; Joe had to trust in him. Maybe he even remembered who he was. All this had to jog some kind of instinct or reaction, some memory recall.
In the distance he spotted a man holding a gun standing over an injured man, and Joe’s heart almost stopped, until he realized the man holding the gun was Liam. Joe came to a halt when he reached him, stunned to find three men scattered around on the ground writhing in pain. Liam had done this on his own?
The Feds closed in, rushing the men and detaining them. One officer arrived to take the machine gun from Liam. When Liam spotted Joe, he hurried over and pulled Joe into his arms.
“Thank God you’re all right. I was so worried.”
“
You
were worried?” Joe pulled away. “When they took you, I was terrified.” He noticed the blood on Liam’s arm. “You’re bleeding!”
Liam released him, seeming to remember they weren’t alone, especially as an EMT was heading their way. “It’s just a graze. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course I came. I was so afraid they’d hurt you.” Joe swallowed hard as they escorted the men away, cursing and shouting. Joe had witnessed arrests before, but never anything like this. Liam pulled Joe to one side, his expression troubled.
“I’m okay, Joe. How about you? Are you all right?”
Not remotely, but he nodded anyway. The EMT spoke to Liam, asking him questions before she got to work on his arm. “So this is what you do.” Joe glanced over at one of the gunman being taken away.
“Sometimes. Other times it’s a lot of sitting around waiting, filling out paperwork.”
Joe turned his attention back to Liam. “You’re a G-Man.”
Liam chuckled. A mischievous gleam came into his eyes. “Guess it’s better than a nutritionist.”
Joe arched an eyebrow at him. “Not funny.” Liam laughed, and Joe shoved his hands into his pockets, aware of the chaotic scene going on around them as agents dealt with the crime scene. He waited for the EMT to finish up with Liam, and once she’d walked away, he spoke up. “So, what happens now?”
“First things first.” Liam held his hand out with a smile. “Liam Baker, FBI.”
Joe took his hand with a sad smile. “Nice to meet you, Liam.”
Someone called out Liam’s name, and Joe’s heart sank a little. “You should get going. They probably have a lot of questions for you. I gave the SD card to Agent Geoffrey.”
“He’s my partner at the bureau, and a good guy.” Liam’s expression softened, and he placed his hand on the small of Joe’s back, leading him back in the direction of the parked government vehicles. “I need to take care of this, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll come by the café. We need to talk. I’ll send people over to clean up and get you some new chairs.”
“That’s not necessary,” Joe assured him.
“No, it is. Please.”
Joe nodded and did his best to smile, but his heart was breaking. This was it. This was what he’d feared. He couldn’t blame Tom—Liam. The man had a life, one he’d lived just fine before meeting Joe. He had a career and maybe someone special back home. Even if he didn’t have someone, Liam was a federal agent. What would he want with a man who baked pies for a living? Joe was happy with what he did. He loved what he did, but he could understand how that might not be the most exciting lifestyle for a man of action like Liam.
The ride back was quiet. Agent Geoffrey took Joe’s statement, recording the conversation as Joe explained everything he believed was relevant to their case from the moment he’d found Liam until the FBI showed up. Of course he left out personal details, like their nights in front of the TV together, enjoying each other’s company, or the way Liam had made him feel like he was the most desired man in the world. Their intimate moments, caresses, embraces, the way Liam drove him crazy with his kisses, or the way Liam brought him to his knees. Their nights making love, teasing each other. Joe didn’t bring up any of that. He didn’t mention how much he missed Liam already.