“Why don’t you come along and I’ll show you the rewards?” Ronald took her hand and led her to a wide stairway. “The safe-deposit boxes are on the second floor.”
Ellie couldn’t refuse without arousing his suspicions. And what could he possibly do to her in a public place? There were so many people watching her that all she had to do was scream and they’d come running. “All right,” she said. “We make the split upstairs then.”
Ronald thought about it for a while. No doubt he had some plan to cheat her out of her share. And now he had to make a choice, keep her close or take the money and run. “Come to think of it, some banks have rules about who they let in the room while a box is open. Maybe you’d better wait outside.”
“I still expect my share before we walk out of here,” Ellie said. “I’ll be waiting.”
Ronald nodded, then started up the stairs. Ellie watched him until he disappeared through a doorway, reluctant to admit that she’d once been madly in love with him. “He’s gone up,” she said. She stood at the bottom of the stairs for a long time, waiting, wondering what to do next. She was afraid to move, afraid he might be watching her from above.
Slowly she turned to search the lobby for Liam, only to find him walking toward her, concern etched across his expression. “Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “They just took him into custody upstairs. Let’s get you out of here.”
“No,” Ellie countered. “I want to stay. I want him to know who did this.”
A few seconds later Ronald reappeared at the top of the stairs, flanked by two men in dark suits. His hands were cuffed behind his back and one of the men carried the briefcase. He glared at her as he descended and when he reached the bottom, he stopped.
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you,” he muttered.
“I guess you really did underestimate me, Ronald.”
The agents grabbed his arms and began to drag him away. Ellie stared after him, a wave of satisfaction washing over her. It was over. She’d done what she’d had to do and now she was free to move on, to leave Boston and to make a new life somewhere else.
“Well, I guess that’s it,” Liam said.
“I guess so.” Ellie turned to him, ignoring the ache that had settled inside her. She didn’t want to say goodbye, but she made her decision. “Thank you—for everything you did. And thank Sean for me, as well.”
“You can thank him yourself. I thought maybe we’d stop by the pub and celebrate.”
Ellie knew if she went with him, she’d be drawn back in, hopelessly lost in her infatuation. Since she’d confronted him in the attic, she’d been faced with the reality that Liam had deceived her. He was no different than every other man in her life—in many ways he was far more dangerous—because he held her heart in his hands.
She’d thought about a future with Liam over and over during the past few weeks, but until now she hadn’t been faced with a decision. All of her instincts told her to walk away. The other men in her life had hurt her, but Liam Quinn had the capacity to shatter her into a million pieces. Ellie took a deep breath, gathering her resolve. Now was the time to leave, if she was ever going to leave at all. “I should get home,” she said, starting toward the door.
He followed after her, his long strides easily keeping up with hers. “Ellie, you’ve got to at least give me a chance here.”
“Why?”
He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers, pulling her to a stop. “I don’t know.” He paused. “Yes, I do. I need you, Ellie. You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. And in between, I think about you a million times a day. I don’t know why I can’t get you out of my head, but it must mean something.”
“It does now,” Ellie said. “But believe me, it will fade. You’re a man. Sooner or later you’re going to feel compelled to move on.”
“Don’t lump me in with Ronald and all the others that have hurt you.”
“Why should I believe that you’re different?” Ellie asked, praying that he’d give her an answer she could believe.
“What if I loved you?” Liam asked.
Ellie sucked in a sharp breath and looked up into his eyes. She’d heard those words before and, in her experience, they usually signaled the end of a relationship rather than the beginning. Once a man said it, he believed that it gave him the license to stop trying. Then boredom would set in and then, one day, it would be over.
She’d never realized how jaded she’d become. Was she even capable of loving a man, capable of summoning the trust it required? She’d spent most of her adult life searching for the one person who would return that love. Just one person who’d make her feel as if she wasn’t all alone in the world. “That’s a nice sentiment, but saying it isn’t going to change my mind.”
“Damn it, Ellie, you can’t just walk away.”
“Yes, I can,” she said, her heart aching with tightly controlled emotion. She reached out to touch him, then thought better of it. “Goodbye, Liam. Take care.”
Ellie started toward the door, praying that, this time, he wouldn’t follow her. Yet with every step she took, she was a heartbeat away from turning around and running back into his arms. But Ellie refused to go back. She’d made her decision and now she was prepared to live with it. She’d take control of her life again and think about what she wanted beyond a romantic relationship. When she’d come to Boston, she’d resolved to spend a year without a man in her life, to put all her bad experiences in the past and begin fresh. And now she had to follow through on that promise to herself.
But as she stepped out onto the street, Ellie fought back a surge of tears. Maybe she was walking away from the best man she’d ever met. Maybe she was making the biggest mistake in her life. But she wouldn’t know for sure unless she actually walked away.
She took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life.
L
IAM SAT AT THE BAR
, a pint of flat Guinness sitting in front of him. It was the lunch hour and there were only a few regulars at the bar. Seamus stood at the far end, chatting with one of them while Liam flipped through the latest edition of the Boston
Globe.
He’d taken a nice photo of the governor opening a new factory in Woburn that should have made the paper, but it was nowhere to be found. Well, at least he’d gotten paid, whether they printed the photo or not. And he still had the money from Sean’s embezzlement case burning a hole in his pocket.
He’d thought about buying a new lens or maybe a new camera. Or spending the money on some decent prints of his work, putting a portfolio together that he might be able to take to a few galleries in town. But the idea that seemed to stick in his mind was more of a gamble than a practical choice. He’d considered giving the money to Sean and asking him to find Ellie Thorpe.
She’d left Boston the day Ronald Pettibone was arrested. Liam had stopped at her apartment that night to try to convince her to stay, only to find her gone. Her landlord had told him that the movers would arrive the next week to put her belongings into storage until she settled somewhere and sent for them. He hadn’t been able to tell Liam where Ellie had gone.
Since then, Liam had been at a loss to figure out where she was. He didn’t know anything about her family or her friends. She’d mentioned San Francisco and maybe Chicago, but those were both big cities, and easy places to get lost in.
Liam had no choice but to accept that it was over. He’d never see her again. Unless he thought of a way to find her. It hadn’t taken him long to realize the mistake he’d made, to admit how he really felt. He was in love with Ellie Thorpe.
“Hi, big brother.”
Liam straightened as Keely strolled into the pub. He closed the paper and tossed it onto an empty stool. “Hi, little sister. What are you up to?”
“I’m looking for you,” she said.
“Well, you found me.”
She slid onto the stool beside him. Seamus wandered over and Keely asked for a club soda with a wedge of lime. Seamus winked at her and Keely gave him a warm smile as he served her drink. Though Seamus had only had a daughter for a year or so, he had quickly learned to enjoy the affection that Keely seemed to lavish on him. “And you’ll have something to eat, too,” he said.
“Corned beef on rye,” Keely said, “with a slice of Swiss cheese. And fries.”
Seamus wrote down the order, then tore it off the pad. “Coming right up.”
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Liam asked.
“Photos,” Keely replied.
“When and where?”
“No, this is about photos you’ve already taken. Remember those pictures of Boston landmarks that you did for Rafe’s conference room?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Rafe was hosting a board meeting for some charity he works for and there was a woman there who is working on a coffee table book about Boston. And she was very interested in talking to you about your photos. I think she might want to buy a few of them.” Keely reached into her pocket and handed him a business card. “That’s her number. She’s expecting your call.”
“Thanks. This is great.”
“You know, I’ve always thought your photos were very special. I’m glad someone else agrees.”
Liam reached out and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “Does Rafe know what a lucky guy he is?”
“I keep reminding him,” Keely joked. But then her smile slowly faded. “Sean told Conor about your friend Eleanor. And Conor told Olivia and Olivia told me. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Ellie seemed like a really nice girl.”
“I guess the Quinn curse isn’t much of a curse anymore. I followed the rules, I came riding to her rescue. She was supposed to fall in love with me and take me away from all this. But it didn’t work. Instead, I fell in love with her.”
Keely blinked in surprise, then laughed. “Wow. You’re in love. That’s a pretty important realization. Did you bother to tell her that?”
Liam nodded. “Yeah. In a roundabout way. I mean, I didn’t come right out and say it. It was more of a what-if scenario.”
Keely rolled her eyes. “What is it with you guys? Why is it so hard for you to express your feelings?”
“Do you really need to ask?” Liam nodded toward Seamus. “I guess you haven’t heard enough of the Mighty Quinn stories to understand. Quinns are not supposed to fall in love. Women are evil and they are bent on destroying us in the end.”
“That is such a load of crap!” Keely said.
Liam shrugged. “The way I see it, I dodged a bullet. I’m the only Quinn who has managed to escape the powers of a woman.”
“You’re not free yet,” Keely said. “After all, you’re sitting here in the middle of the day, feeling sorry for yourself and trying to forget about the woman you’re not in love with when I can clearly see that will never happen.”
Liam laughed softly, then shook his head. “You do cut right to the heart of it, don’t you?”
“I’m a Quinn. We don’t sugarcoat things.” Keely reached out and covered his hand with hers. “Go find her. Make this work, Li. Tell her how you feel and make it work. Don’t let those silly legends and family curses take this away from you.”
Liam groaned softly, then put his forehead down on the bar. “What the hell am I doing? I should go to her, find her and convince her to come back. But I’m scared that I’m going to be shut down again and then it’s really going to be over. Right now, it’s safer living in limbo, hoping that I still have a chance.”
“You’re just being a big wimp,” Keely scolded. “Do you honestly think you’re going to get what you want by sitting on your butt at this bar?”
He sat up. “But I don’t know where she is,” Liam said. He paused. “Not now. But I do know where she’ll be. She has to testify at Ronald Pettibone’s trial. And we’re supposed to go to New York to talk to the prosecuting attorneys next month about our testimony. She’s bound to be there.”
“Then you have a month to figure out what you’re going to say. A month to make it so good that she can’t possibly resist.”
“I’m not sure I can wait that long,” Liam said.
“Don’t you think she’s worth the benefit of time? If you really care about her, then you need to be sure that you’re acting out of love and not out of some need to soothe your bruised ego,” Keely said.
Liam slid off his bar stool and grabbed his jacket. “Thanks, Keely.”
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Sean’s number as he walked to the door. But there was no answer on the other end. He knew Sean wasn’t out of town and he wasn’t working a case, so he was probably at home, catching up on his paperwork. Liam had done plenty of favors for his brother, now it was time for Sean to return one of those favors.
He just needed to know where she was, to make sure she was all right. Once he knew that, he could sleep again at night. For the first time in nearly a week Liam actually felt optimistic about his future. He had money in his bank account and a possible buyer for some of his photos. And he had met a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Now he just had to find the right way to tell her.
T
HE
Manhattan bookstore was a quiet respite from the congested traffic and throng of lunch-hour pedestrians outside. Ellie checked her watch, wondering if she ought to forgo browsing for a quick lunch. She had a half hour before she was due in the federal prosecutor’s office to discuss her testimony in the embezzlement case involving Ronald Pettibone—or David Griswold. She’d learned from the prosecutor that Ronald was one of five aliases that her former lover had used.
The trial would take place next month and Ellie had been told that she would be called to testify. But today her mind wasn’t occupied with thoughts of the trial, or even of her interview. Today there was every chance that she’d see Liam Quinn again.
A tremor of anticipation raced through her and she took a moment to calm herself. She’d been thinking about this day since she’d left Boston nearly a month before, wondering how it might feel to see him again, curious to know if their attraction had faded. She’d even taken the day off to get ready, spending most of the morning picking through her wardrobe and fixing her hair.
Ellie thought it would be simple to forget him. She’d been so hurt and confused and angry when she’d left him at the bank that day. Determined to make a new start, she’d decided to try a brand-new city. But on the way to her new life, she’d stopped by New York and Intertel Bank had offered her another job, as a reward for what she’d done to catch Ronald. Faced with the prospect of an exhausting job search in a new city, Ellie had accepted, gaining a promotion and a higher salary in the process.
It was as if she’d turned back the clock to a time before she’d met Liam Quinn, before she’d laid eyes on Ronald Pettibone. Her life had returned to normal—she had friends, a nice apartment in a familiar city. Only Ellie didn’t really care for normal anymore. Normal was boring.
She glanced at the signs hanging from the ceiling of the store, directing customers to the different types of books. When she saw Self-Improvement, she fought the urge to check the shelves for something new. Since returning from Boston, Ellie had sworn off self-improvement. She was now learning to enjoy fiction. And she’d started collecting cookbooks.
It was high time to be happy with herself exactly the way she was. She didn’t need to go looking for love. If it was meant to find her, it would. And all the relationships that had come before were part of her life’s experience. “The right man is out there…somewhere,” she murmured. “He just has to find me.”
It sounded like a good plan but, in her heart, Ellie had a hard time convincing herself. Every time she pictured her future with one man, that man looked exactly like Liam Quinn, with his dark hair and his gold-green eyes. At first she’d tried a rational explanation—he’d simply been the last man in her life and his image still lingered in her mind. And then she’d decided that Liam Quinn had been the closest she’d come to her perfect man. But, finally, Ellie had been forced to admit that she was still in love with him.
She shook her head, unable to focus on the shelves of fiction in front of her. Her appointment was scheduled for eleven-thirty. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t arrive early. Maybe Liam would be waiting, as well.
Ellie stepped out onto the street and wove through the mass of pedestrians, heading in the direction of Foley square. She wasn’t even sure he was coming to New York today. Only a casual comment from the prosecuting attorney had given her a tiny bit of hope. Leslie Abbott had mentioned that she was going to try to interview all of them on the same day.
“I love him,” she murmured, the thought repeating itself in her mind with every step she took. It hadn’t been difficult to face the truth. Her feelings toward him seemed so natural and so right—even though he had deceived her and hurt her. But Ellie had gone through enough breakups to know that her feelings could be completely one-sided. For all she knew, Liam had moved on.
Ellie pulled open the lobby door and walked inside, ignoring the ache in her heart. Just the thought of Liam with someone else brought a flood of emotion. How could she have walked away? She’d allowed her anger to overwhelm her true feelings for Liam. She’d ruined something that could have been wonderful.
A security guard sat at a desk near the elevator. “Please sign in, miss.”
Ellie grabbed the pen he offered and put it to paper. But before she signed her name, she scanned the list of people who had signed the book before her. Her heart skipped when she saw a name she recognized—Liam Quinn.
“Who are you here to see?” the guard asked.
“Liam Quinn,” Ellie murmured, running her finger over his name. She glanced up, then realized her mistake. “I’m sorry. I’m here for Leslie Abbott.”
“Seventh floor,” the guard said.
The elevator took forever, grinding upward, floor by floor. Ellie imagined that Liam was on his way down while she was on her way up and they’d miss each other completely. Her mind whirled as she tried to come up with something to say when she saw him. “‘Hello’ would be a good start,” she muttered. But after that?
The elevator doors opened and Ellie stepped into a tiny reception area. A receptionist greeted her and took her name, then invited her to take a seat.
“Ellie?”
She turned, then smiled, surprised to see Keely Quinn sitting near a potted plant. “Hi. What are you doing here?”
“I rode down on the train this morning with Sean and Liam. I have a cake decorating business here that I’ve been gradually moving up to Boston. But I still have a lot of corporate clients in Manhattan. I guess you’re here for your interview.”
Ellie nodded. “Is Sean in there now?”
“No, he finished earlier and headed back to the train station. Liam is in there now.” She glanced at her watch. “They said he’d be done by noon. We were going to have lunch. Maybe you could join us?”
“I—I don’t know. They might want to talk to me right away.” Ellie took in a ragged breath. “So how is everything in Boston? How is…Rafe?”
“He’s fine. But aren’t you more interested in knowing how Liam is?” Keely asked, her eyebrow arching.
“I just…well, there isn’t—” Ellie swallowed hard and forced a smile. “How is he?”
“He’s been good,” Keely said. “Busy. He sold some of his photos for a coffee table book on Boston and now he’s going to have a show at a gallery. And he and Brendan have been talking about doing a book together. He also had a chance to show his photos to
National Geographic.
They didn’t offer him a job, but they might in the future.”
“It sounds like he’s doing really well.”
Keely nodded. “He isn’t seeing anyone,” she said. “Not since you.”
“Hmm. Well, he won’t be alone for long. He’s a really great guy. There are plenty of women who will want him.”
“Yes. But what he wants is what really matters,” Keely said cryptically.
A long silence grew between them and Ellie fought the impulse to ask Keely what she was really trying to say. Did Liam ever talk about her? Had he been happy since she left? Did she think there was still a chance for them?
“And how have you been doing?” Keely finally asked.
Ellie took a deep breath. All this small talk was exhausting her! If she knew Keely better, she might be able to come right out and ask, Do I still have a chance with Liam? But she wasn’t a teenager and she didn’t need a go-between to solve the problems in her love life.
“I have a new job. And I just found a great new apartment. I’m doing really well. I’ve put everything that happened in Boston behind me. Actually, not quite everything—there’s still this trial and…well, not everything.”
Keely nodded slowly, then stood. “I’m going to see if I can find a cup of coffee. Would you like something?”
“No, thank you,” Ellie replied.
She watched Keely leave, then folded her hands on her lap, trying to keep them from trembling. In truth, her stomach was so nervous she wasn’t sure she could even take a sip of water. Everything came down to this, to the look on his face when he saw her, to the first words out of her mouth. Ellie groaned inwardly. So much for a brand-new start.
“Miss Thorpe? They’re ready for you now. Down the hall and last door on your left.”
Ellie quickly stood and hurried down the hall, her heart slamming in her chest. “Stay calm,” she murmured. “Be cool.”
She saw him as he stepped out of the conference room. He glanced up and their eyes met for an instant, then held. Ellie knew she was still moving toward him, yet she felt frozen in time. He looked so good, dressed in khakis and a sport jacket and tie.
“Hi, Ellie,” he said, a crooked smile touching his lips.
“Hello, Liam.”
The prosecuting attorney who stood behind Liam cleared her throat. “Miss Thorpe, if you’ll just come inside.”
But Ellie ignored her request. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been—”
“Mr. Quinn, I’m afraid you shouldn’t be speaking to Miss Thorpe right now. Until we’ve interviewed her, she shouldn’t be speaking to any of the other witnesses.” Leslie Abbott crossed to Ellie and gently took her arm, pulling her toward the conference room. “If you’ll just come with me, we can get started.”
The door closed behind Ellie and her heart, pounding so fiercely just a moment before, now dropped. Was that all? Just a few words, a quick hello and nothing more? She’d plucked her eyebrows and shaved her legs just for this moment and it was over before it even began!
“Please sit down, Miss Thorpe.”
Ellie took a place across the table from the court stenographer. Leslie Abbott sat next to her, setting her legal pad on the table in front of her. “So, let’s get started. I understand that you and Liam Quinn were lovers,” she said.
Ellie gasped. “What?”
“You heard me. Do you realize how this could affect our case? Look at this from the defense attorney’s point of view. We have a private investigator who enlists the aid of his brother who in turn sleeps with the suspect’s ex-lover—who was also a suspect in this case.”
“But I didn’t know who Liam was when we…we became intimate. I just thought he was a regular guy. And then when he told me the truth, I was angry. After I learned that I was a suspect, I went to him and Sean and told them that I would help them catch Ronald—I mean, David.” Ellie put her hands on the table and leaned forward. “Is this going to cause a problem? Is Ronald going to get off?”
Leslie shook her head. “I don’t know. We’ll just have to see how the case unfolds. But I have to warn you that Griswold will probably try to shift the blame to you. To make it seem as if you were the mastermind. We’re in for a tough fight here, Miss Thorpe. Are you ready for this?”
“Do I have a choice?” Ellie asked.
“I’m afraid you don’t.”
Ellie closed her eyes, an image of Liam Quinn swimming in her head. Her words to Keely now seemed almost prophetic. She’d never be able to make a fresh start—with or without Liam—until she’d put this whole mess behind her.
And from the look on Leslie Abbott’s face, that was going to take a lot longer than Ellie had anticipated.
“H
ERE’S TO
Ronald Pettibone. Or David Griswold. Or whoever the guy was,” Liam said, raising his pint of Guinness to Sean. “May there be many more criminals like him for you to chase—and me, too, when I need a few extra bucks.”
Sean picked up his glass and knocked it against Liam’s. “Ten years, no trial. That’s pretty good. Plus the bank got its money back and we got paid. Case closed.”
“A few months ago I was wondering where I was going to get the money to pay the rent. And now things are definitely looking up,” Liam said.
“What are you going to do with the money?” Sean asked, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the bowl in front of him.
“I don’t know. Make some plans. I’ve got my eye on a new camera. And I thought I might do a little traveling, see if I can’t get some nice photos to show
National Geographic.
”
“Any other plans?” Sean asked.
“What do you mean?”
His brother shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought…”
“Ellie?”
“Yeah,” Sean said. “Ellie.”
“Let me tell you, I was relieved when Pettibone took the plea bargain,” Liam said, staring at the coaster beneath his glass. “I didn’t want to see Ellie testify. After that interview I figured it might get pretty ugly. Ellie didn’t deserve to have her personal life dragged out in public. It was a good trade. Pettibone gets to serve his sentence in a cushy country-club prison and Ellie gets to go on with her life. On the other hand I was disappointed I didn’t get to see her. I had this whole speech laid out, how I was going to apologize first and then tell her how much she means to me.”
“And now what?”
“I don’t know,” Liam said. “I guess I have to figure out another way to get her back. It’s gotta be something really great—so she can’t possibly say no.”
“And while you’re thinking something up, she’s probably getting on with her life,” Sean said.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Hell, if you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you.” Sean took another sip of his beer, then slid off his bar stool. “I’ve got to go. Tell Da I can tend bar tomorrow night.”
“And you and I are going to look for a wedding present for Brendan and Amy tomorrow, right? And we have to go get fitted for our tuxes, too.”
Sean nodded and waved as he strode out of the bar. Seamus wandered down to the end and picked up Liam’s nearly empty glass. “Another?” he asked.
Liam shook his head. “Nah. I better get going. Sean said he’ll work tomorrow night. And I think I’m good for the weekend.”
“Ah, you’re a pitiful sight, boyo,” Seamus commented, wiping the bar with a damp rag. “Ya sit here every night moonin’ over that girl and where does it get ya?”
“Da, I don’t need advice on my love life from you. We all know where you stand on the subject of women. Except, of course, for Ma.”
“I’m just sayin’ that ya got to stand up and be a man. Get busy livin’ or get busy lovin’. This in-between makes ya look like a bleedin’ gombeen.”
Liam grabbed his jacket. “Are you going to tell me one of those Mighty Quinn stories now?”