Midnight Alias: A Killer Instincts Novel (36 page)

Olivia must’ve noticed the murder in his eyes, because she let out a soft breath. “Don’t worry. Isabel stopped him from doing any real damage.”

“You inflicted some damage of your own,” Isabel said in an amused voice. “Nice move with the pencil to the neck.”

When he noticed that Olivia didn’t return the blonde’s smile, Luke offered a contrite look. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Isabel was working with us. It was for her protection as much as yours.”

Olivia nodded. “I figured.”

He glanced over at Isabel. “Thanks for getting her out, Izzy.”

“I aim to please Jim Morgan and his men,” the blonde replied with a faint smile.

Taking Olivia’s hand, Luke led her to the couch and gingerly lowered himself to the seat, pulling her down beside him. Trevor and Isabel left them alone, the couple drifting toward the kitchen, talking softly to each other.

D and Holden were holed up in the guest room, monitoring the Diamond Mine via the security feeds, but Luke was kind of apprehensive about asking for an update. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what state the club was in. Apparently Isabel had shot Angelo’s guard on her way out of there, so Vince was likely to be on a rampage. Not only had he lost Olivia, but his bodyguard had taken a bullet to the leg. He’d be gunning for both women, but Luke wasn’t worried about Isabel; she could take care of herself. He was far more concerned with the woman sitting next to him.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice.

“What for?” Olivia asked.

“It was my fault he attacked you. I slipped up and that’s the only reason he went after you.”

She exhaled heavily. “No, it was bound to happen. I’ve been walking a fine line for the past six months, trying to keep Vince at bay, but he was going to snap eventually. I figured it would happen when I refused to sleep with him.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her green eyes blazed. “But that’s the last time that son of a bitch lays a hand on me, Luke.”

“Damn straight,” he said in a lethal voice.

“I’m serious. I want you to give me a gun, or show me some better self-defense moves.” Her mouth set in a firm line. “If Vince or anyone else ever comes after me again, I want to be able to stop them.”

He squeezed her hand, then swept his thumb over her knuckles. “I’ll keep you safe, darlin’.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he hurried on. “And I’ll also teach you how to keep
yourself
safe, okay?”

“Okay.” She went quiet for a moment, and then looked at him in dismay. “I’m worried about my mom. I called her on the way over and told her that a friend of mine was coming to pick her up. I think I freaked her out.”

Trevor drifted back to the living area. “Your mother is fine. Sullivan just checked in. They’re on their way here.” He held two mugs of coffee in his hands and gave one to Olivia, the other to Luke.

Isabel trailed after him with two more mugs. She settled in the armchair, while Trevor perched on the arm of it.

“What did you say to Kathleen?” Luke asked.

Olivia sighed. “The truth. That she had to get out of the apartment because our lives were in danger. I’ll tell her the rest when she gets here.” With a grim look, she met his eyes. “What happens now? Can my mom and I stay here?”

“I think it’s better if we get both of you out of the country. You can stay at the compound until we take care of this Angelo situation.”

“I agree that my mom can’t be here, but I don’t think I should go.”

“It’ll be safer if you leave town too. Angelo will be looking for you. He’s out for revenge, Liv.”

“I know. But—”

Luke silenced her by pressing his finger to her mouth. “But nothing. You’d be taking too big a risk if you stay, and I’d feel a hell of a lot better knowing you’re being protected at the compound.”

Fortunately, the front door opened before Olivia could argue. Sullivan entered the main room with Kathleen Taylor, who wore a blue cotton kerchief over her head, a loose shirt, and sweatpants. She looked positively frantic—until she spotted her daughter. “Liv! Thank God!”

Olivia vaulted off the couch and hurried over to her mother. As the two women embraced, Luke heard Olivia murmuring soothing words. The sight of them spoke to something deep inside him. One so frail, the other fit, yet both women were tough as nails. It was frickin’ poetic.

“What on earth is going on?” Kathleen demanded when they broke apart. She looked past her daughter’s shoulders at Luke, then at Trevor and Isabel.

Olivia cleared her throat. “Is there somewhere private where my mom and I can talk?”

“Master bedroom,” Trevor supplied. “Double doors at the end of the hall.”

With a nod of gratitude, Olivia gently took her mother’s hand and led her to the corridor.

Once they were out of earshot, Luke turned to Isabel with a somber expression. “Angelo will be hunting her,” he said flatly.

“Oh yes, he will. He’s furious.” She hesitated. “He was strangling her. I know she said it wasn’t bad, but . . . Jesus, he nearly killed her.”

He gritted his teeth. “You should have put a bullet in his head.”

“I couldn’t. We need him alive if we want to find Dane, remember? Besides, my gun wasn’t equipped with a suppressor. A gunshot would have alerted the guard outside the door.” She looked apologetic. “My first priority was getting Olivia out.”

His throat closed up. “You’re right. That was the
only
priority.”

* * *

“Mom?”

Olivia searched her mother’s face, her heart breaking as the silence dragged on and on. They were sitting side by side on the king-size bed in the master bedroom, where she’d just spent the last forty-five minutes talking. And talking. And then talking some more. She’d confessed everything—about her job at the Diamond Mine, the attack in the alley, Vince’s obsession with her. She’d told her mom about Luke’s mission, their agreement, the drugs, Cora’s death.

Through it all, her mother had listened—and hadn’t uttered a single word. Now, with the chasm of silence stretching between them, Olivia was so overwhelmed with shame she wanted to weep.

She blinked back tears. “I know you’re disappointed in me.”

To her surprise, her mother grabbed both her hands and squeezed them. Kathleen’s grip was surprisingly powerful for a woman who could barely hold a fork for longer than a minute.

“You can never disappoint me,” Kathleen said with unfaltering conviction. “Never.”

The tears spilled over and coursed down Olivia’s cheeks. “I lied to you.”

“
That
I’m disappointed by. You should have told me, Liv.” Kathleen sighed. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry for putting you in this position.”

She recoiled in shock. “What? No. You didn’t—”

“You took that job because of me. You’ve been running yourself ragged all these years—for
me
. I’m sorry, Liv. You shouldn’t be taking care of me. It should be the other way around.”

Olivia fell into her mother’s arms. The events of the past year finally hit her, and she began to shake and shudder as her mother offered the comfort she’d craved but hadn’t been able to ask for. She’d kept everything inside for so long, it was like a dam had broken inside her, and when they finally pulled apart, she was hiccuping and her eyes were red and swollen.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s all going to be okay.”

With a soft knock, Luke appeared in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let you know we’ll be leaving for the airfield in an hour.” He glanced over his shoulder and beckoned to someone outside Olivia’s line of vision. “D will be escorting you to our compound.”

Olivia’s shoulders sagged. The idea of leaving town—leaving Luke—brought an ache to her heart. But who was she kidding? They would have had to say good-bye eventually. In fact, maybe she ought to arrange for those new identities sooner rather than later. While Luke was still in Manhattan even. That way she and her mom would already be gone when he returned to his boss’s compound.

It felt like a heartless move, saying a quick good-bye now instead of a proper one later when they would have more time, but what was the point in prolonging the inevitable? As wonderful as Luke was, his dangerous profession didn’t mesh with her cautious approach to life. Even her mother had seen it—that adventurous streak running through Luke. The bad-boy thing he had going on.

Good-bye had always been in the cards for them. The life she wanted for herself didn’t include a reckless mercenary, but a man she could rely on. Someone who came home at five o’clock and ate dinner with her, who’d be a good father to the kids she wanted to have, a dependable husband and a stable partner.

Still . . . she’d hoped they would have more time. Another day, a week. Even a few more hours.

The big mercenary with the tattoos appeared in the doorway. His visible lack of enthusiasm triggered Olivia’s irritation. She wasn’t sure she wanted that man anywhere near her mother.

Kathleen winced at the sight of him, but to her credit, she managed a polite smile. “Thank you,” she told D, meeting his gaze head-on.

“Sure,” he mumbled before stalking off.

Olivia frowned, then turned to her mother. “Did you bring your injections?”

“Yes, but I only have a two-week supply left.”

“We’ll get you anything you need,” Luke said. “It won’t be a problem.”

His answer seemed to appease Olivia’s mother. On shaky legs, Kathleen stood up. “Do I have time to wash up before we go?”

“You’ve got plenty of time.” He took a backward step, then halted and sought out Olivia’s gaze. “Can we, uh, talk before you leave for the airport?”

After a second of hesitation, she nodded.

“Okay. Um. Good.” He took another step. Halted again. This time, his dark eyes found Kathleen’s. “By the way, my middle name? It’s Gustave.”

Kathleen arched one brow in amusement. “Oh, dear.”

“What was my mama thinking, right?”

With a little wink, he walked off, leaving Olivia staring at his retreating back with uneasiness.

“You’re going to break up with that boy, aren’t you?”

Her mom’s blunt inquiry made her smile, as did the use of the word
boy
. “Breaking up implies we’re dating,” she pointed out. “Which we’re not.”

“But you are sleeping together.”

“Yes, but that’s just . . . sex.”

Kathleen laughed. “Liv, we both know you’re not the type of woman who does
just sex
. You wouldn’t have gotten intimate with him if you didn’t care about him.”

She couldn’t deny that. She
did
care about Luke. But that didn’t mean she would sacrifice the life she wanted in order to be with him.

“Luke is amazing,” she admitted. “He really is.”

“But?”

“But his work is dangerous. And he
likes
the danger—otherwise he wouldn’t be doing this job. I don’t want a daredevil for a partner, Mom. I don’t want to be with someone like . . .”

“Like your father?” When Olivia nodded, Kathleen sighed. “Your father had his flaws, honey, I know that. And yes, he didn’t always put his family first, but you know what? I wouldn’t have traded him for anything.”

“I don’t understand you sometimes,” she confessed. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and yet when it comes to Dad . . . you’re . . . you’re . . .”

Weak
,
she wanted to say.
Blind
.
Illogical.
But the words refused to exit her mouth.

Kathleen gave her a knowing look. “You think I should have left your father.”

“I don’t get why you didn’t.”

“Because I loved him.” Her mom offered a gentle smile. “The heart wants what it wants, Liv.”

“That’s it? That’s your reasoning for putting up with his recklessness and his selfishness and his—”

“Enthusiasm. Spontaneity. Laughter. Passion. Love.” Kathleen’s green eyes sparkled. “Eddie was the love of my life, honey.”

Olivia bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to respond. The conviction in her mom’s tone was unmistakable, and it gave her not only pause but an inexplicable pang of guilt. Had she spent so much time focusing on her father’s shortcomings that she’d forgotten the good things about him? He must have had
some
redeeming qualities, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember.

Next to her, Kathleen’s voice grew weary. “You know what I worry about, Liv?”

She met her mom’s exhausted eyes. “What?”

“That when the man you’re meant to be with comes along, you’ll be so busy searching for someone who’s not like your dad that you’ll let the right one slip away.”

For some reason, those quiet words sounded oddly prophetic. Olivia couldn’t control the tremor of distress that skated through her. She tried to come up with a response, a way to convince her mother that those fears were unfounded, but she couldn’t find the words.

In the end, she simply brushed off the concerns. “Don’t worry. That won’t happen.” She studied Kathleen’s face, her protective instincts kicking in. “You look tired, Mom. After you wash up, I want you to lie down. You need to rest.”

“I’m fi—”

“No arguments. You might not like that I want to take care of you, but that’s too bad. I will
always
take care of you.”

“How about we take care of each other? How does that sound?”

Nearly choking on the lump that rose in her throat, Olivia reached for her mom’s hand. “It sounds good.” She swallowed hard, which brought a twinge of pain to her bruised neck. Hoping her mom hadn’t noticed her wincing, she stood up and took a step toward the door. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Kathleen smiled. “Take as long as you want, honey. I’ll be just fine.”

Olivia strode into the hall, then stopped to orient herself. Male voices wafted from the living room, but when a flash of movement caught her peripheral vision, she ended up lingering in the next doorway rather than going to find Luke.

Through the open doorway, she watched D bend over a large duffel bag, then straighten up and pull a black hooded sweatshirt over his head. He rolled up the sleeves, revealing the multitude of tattoos covering his arms. Lord, he was such an imposing man.