Liam

4

LIAM STARED out the front windshield of his car, the view of the Charlestown neighborhood blurred by the drizzling rain. “I want out,” he murmured. “I don’t care about the money. Consider the work I’ve put in so far my gift to you.”

“You can’t,” Sean replied. “We’re too close. Sooner or later Pettibone has got to show up.”

“How do you know he hasn’t got the money?” Liam asked. “How do you know that he didn’t pull this off on his own?”

“You said it yourself. They were lovers. She admitted that much to you. Pettibone took that money and she has to be in on it. They’re playing it cool. Staying away from each other so they don’t arouse suspicion.”

“I don’t like this,” Liam said. “She seems like a nice person.”

“Some criminals are nice,” Sean said. “Embezzlers win over your trust, then they rob you blind. It’s part of the M.O.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to confront her? I could just ask her if she stole the money and watch her reaction. I read people pretty well and I’ll know if she’s lying.”

“And then what? She’s going to hand it over?” Sean laughed. “That’s a plan.”

“Maybe. Maybe she could make a deal and give the money back in exchange for them dropping all charges.”

“Li, what is your problem with this woman?”

“I don’t have a problem.”

“Then just do the damn job,” Sean said. “It’s your watch, I’m going home.” He opened the car door and stepped out into the rain. At the last moment Sean braced his arms on the edge of the roof and leaned back inside. “Don’t screw this up. We’re close. Let’s just finish it.”

Sean slammed the door and Liam watched him jog to his car. He tipped his head back and sighed. This whole thing had gotten way out of hand. Though he was used to charming women, his main goal had always been a passionate night in bed followed by breakfast the next morning. Both parties were left well satisfied and nobody got hurt.

But this was different. His goal here was to put Ellie Thorpe in jail. And the more time he spent with her, the more he began to feel that no matter what she’d done, she didn’t deserve twenty years behind bars.

With a low curse, he raked his hand through his damp hair. After the kiss they’d shared, Liam felt as if he was the one in prison. Thoughts of her filled his head, the way she tasted, the soft warmth of her body in his arms, and his instant and very intense reaction. Kissing women had always been one of the true pleasures in life for him. But with Ellie, it had been different. Kissing her had been exciting and disturbing and confusing all at once.

It hadn’t been just one kiss, either. Over the past few days they’d spent a fair amount of time repeating that first encounter. Every moment they spent together seemed to be filled with tension that only a long and very deep kiss could relieve.

“To hell with this,” Liam muttered, shoving open the door. As he’d told Sean, all he had to do was ask and he’d have his answer. But as he walked toward Ellie’s apartment, he realized that after he had his answer, the questions would only become more complicated. Right now Ellie was a beautiful woman, bright, sexy, funny. He’d known his fair share of women and they all possessed similar qualities, but Ellie had them in a unique combination.

But what was it that made her different? Was it the secrets she kept? Had Liam found her attractive because, for once in his life, he couldn’t read a woman’s thoughts? There were moments when he wished he could strip away everything, like peeling away layers of clothes. The closer they got to intimacy, the closer he got to the truth.

Liam glanced over his shoulder as he crossed the street to her apartment. If he crossed that bridge, he might never come back. It was clear from the intensity of the kisses they’d shared that he and Ellie would be incredible together. Even now he could imagine the feel of her skin beneath his hands, the weight of her body on top of his, and the heat that would race through his blood when he was inside her. If he tasted that, there might be no going back.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed her number, then stared up at the third-floor windows. When she answered, he caught himself grinning. “Hey, there.”

“Hi,” Ellie said.

Liam imagined her face, the tiny smile curling her lips, her eyes bright. “What are you doing?”

“Working on cover letters, reading the want ads. I made a few calls to some headhunters about jobs in Washington, D.C., and Chicago.”

Liam’s jaw went tight at her comment. He didn’t want to think that she’d be walking out of his life as quickly as she’d walked in. “Why don’t you forget about that and come out with me?”

“Where are we going?” Ellie asked.

“I don’t know. I thought, since you’re new to the city, I’d show you the sights of Boston. I’ll pick you up in ten or fifteen seconds. Be ready.”

He switched the phone off, then took the front steps to her building two at a time. When he’d buzzed her apartment, she’d unlocked her door and was waiting for him on the third-floor landing. She wore a faded pair of jeans and a bulky wool sweater. Her dark hair was tied back in a pretty scarf, and though she wore very little makeup, she still managed to look gorgeous.

“Where were you?” Ellie asked.

“Out front,” Liam said, jogging up the stairs. Without even thinking, he grabbed her around the waist and gave her a quick kiss, their tongues touching for an instant and the taste of her going straight to his head.

“You’re a pretty confident guy, aren’t you?” she murmured, pressing her palms against his chest.

“No one can resist my charm,” Liam teased. “Get your jacket. It’s raining.”

She disappeared inside the apartment, but Liam decided to stay in the hall. The urge to spend the afternoon necking on her sofa would be too much to resist. When she reappeared, she’d pulled a rain hat over her head and bundled herself in a jacket. She handed him her umbrella as she zipped up her jacket.

“We won’t need the umbrella,” he said.

“Let’s walk. I want to go see that pointy thing and it’s a perfect day for a walk.”

“It’s raining,” Liam said.

“I was reading this book last night called Experience Your Life. It was all about living for the moment. A walk in the rain can be refreshing.”

“It’s wet,” Liam said.

“It can cleanse the soul. Everyone needs their soul cleansed now and then.”

“All right,” Liam said, figuring his soul could use a decent bath. “We’ll go to the pointy thing, which just happens to be the very famous Bunker Hill monument.”

“That’s even better. We’ll get some history with our walk.”

Liam grabbed her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm as they started in the direction of Monument Square, a place he’d visited countless times as a Boston schoolboy. But they’d just reached the other side of the street when he remembered his camera. The light was unusual, the sun filtering through the haze every now and then, and the rain shimmered off the pavement, exactly the kinds of conditions for a great photo. “Wait here,” he said. “I’m going to run back to get my camera.”

He turned and jogged to his car, then retrieved one of his older cameras from the bag in the trunk. It was loaded with black and white film, but he grabbed a roll of color just in case. Liam hung the camera around his neck and strode down the sidewalk. When he reached the intersection, he stepped off the curb, intending to walk back to where he’d left Ellie.

She waved and called to him and he paused, thinking what a pretty picture she made in her rain slicker. She started across the street toward him and he lifted his camera, catching her through the lens.

Liam wasn’t sure what made him look away. Probably the sound of a car engine racing and the whir of tires on wet pavement. He caught a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye and shouted to Ellie to stop. As if the entire world slowed, Liam watched the confused expression on her face. She glanced to her left and saw the black sedan racing toward her.

Startled, she froze for a moment and Liam’s heart stopped when he realized that she was about to be hit and he could never get to her in time to push her out of the way. But Ellie’s reflexes were quicker than he expected and she spun and threw herself at the front bumper of the car parked behind her. She fell to the wet pavement and the car roared away, splashing up a wave of dirty water that sprayed over her.

Once Liam saw that she was all right, he turned the camera in the direction of the car and quickly snapped off a few shots of the rear license plate. Although Ellie had stepped into the intersection unexpectedly, Liam got the distinct feeling that the car had been aiming for her.

When he reached her, Ellie was just struggling to her feet, her face dripping with gray water and the knees of her jeans muddy and scraped. He gently took her arm and tucked her into his embrace, skimming his hand along her body to see if she was still in one piece. “Are you all right?”

“I didn’t see him coming,” Ellie said in a shaky voice. “I looked but then he just came out of nowhere. If you hadn’t called to me, he would have hit me.” She pressed her hands against his chest and stared up at him. “You saved my life…again.”

Liam furrowed his hand through her damp hair and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Though he’d had his doubts about his part in “saving her life” that first time around, he knew he couldn’t deny his part this time. She was right. If he hadn’t heard the car, she’d probably be lying in the middle of the street right now, seriously injured…or worse.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” he murmured, his lips pressed against her temple. His heart still slammed in his chest and he consciously willed it to slow, worried that she might sense his panic. If the driver had actually been out to hit her, then Liam was going to find out why.

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and then crossed back to the sidewalk that ran in front of her building. But as he walked, Liam had the uneasy sense that the burglar and the car were somehow tied together. And that the case he was working on for Sean was at the bottom of both near-death experiences.

ELLIE PULLED HER KEYS out of her pocket and, with a trembling hand, tried to push the key into the lock. But no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t go in. For a moment she felt as if she’d pass out, or throw up, or just start weeping uncontrollably. But she couldn’t decide which, so she just stood numbly on the front stoop of the building, the keys dangling from her fingers.

“Here,” Liam murmured. “Let me.” He reached around her and opened the door, then gave her a gentle push inside. They climbed the stairs to her apartment without speaking and when they reached the third floor, he opened that door, too, making sure to deactivate the alarm.

Ellie headed for the sofa, but Liam stopped her and helped her out of her jacket. Then he turned her to face him. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Ellie nodded, giving her hands a shake to keep them from going numb. “Yes. I am. I just need a moment.”

Liam smiled down at her and brushed a thumb along her cheek. “Come on. Why don’t you get out of those dirty clothes and into something dry? Or maybe you should take a nice hot bath.”

“Okay,” Ellie said.

He pulled her into his embrace and she laid her head against his chest. She felt as if she could stay in his arms forever, that if she just waited, his touch would banish all of her fears. That car had passed within a few inches of her and she’d never seen it coming. An image of what might have been flashed in her mind and Ellie pinched her eyes shut and tried to put the horrible thoughts aside.

“First, I wasn’t safe in my apartment and now I’m not safe outside it, either.”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Liam said, softly stroking her hair. “You and the car were just trying to occupy the same space at the same time.”

“I’ve had a streak of bad luck,” she said. “This book I’m reading called The Secrets of Self-Determination says that there is no such thing as bad luck. That we create every situation that we find ourselves in. But I don’t believe that. There was the burglary. Why did that guy choose my place? The people downstairs have a much nicer television. And I’ve had a terrible time finding a job. And I didn’t make that big brick fall off the roof of my building.”

“What brick?” Liam asked.

“It happened a few days ago. I was leaving for an interview and this brick came flying out of the sky and nearly hit me on the head. It looked exactly like one of the bricks from my building so I called the landlord to tell him he had some serious safety issues.”

“Was there a problem?”

“No,” Ellie said, frowning. “He found a few bricks on the roof but he figured that there were kids playing up there. They sometimes crawl up the back porches.” She smiled weakly. “Maybe I should take that bath. That might calm me down.”

“Do you want anything?” Liam asked. “I could make you a cup of tea.”

“That would be nice,” she said.

She wandered into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the old claw-footed tub. But suddenly she felt too exhausted to move. Though she’d only known Liam for ten days, he’d already become such a presence in her life. If she’d been alone on the street… If he hadn’t called out… If he weren’t here now to make her feel safe and secure… “My white knight,” she murmured, reaching over to turn on the water.

As the tub slowly began to fill, Ellie slipped out of her wet shoes and damp socks. Then she tugged her sweater over her head. The grimy water hadn’t reached the cotton camisole she wore underneath, but the damp still had seeped into her bones. Ellie rubbed her forearms as she stared into the tub.

“Here’s your tea.”

She glanced up at Liam who watched her from the bathroom door. “Thanks.”

“I’m not much of a tea drinker so I didn’t make it the regular way. I just nuked the water and stuck in a tea bag. I hope it’s all right.”

She took a sip of the lemony brew and it immediately began to warm her. “It’s perfect.” Ellie sucked in a deep breath then looked at him, fixing her gaze on his. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you think that car was trying to hit me?”

An uneasy look flitted across Liam’s handsome face before he hid it behind a warm smile. “Why would someone want to run you over?”

“I-I don’t know. I’m just-” Ellie waved her hand, then set the mug down beside the tub. She stood and nervously refolded a bath towel and hung it on the rack.

Liam came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Ellie tipped her head back and sighed as he softly massaged the tension from her neck. His touch felt so good, strong and sure. She moaned softly and focused on the warmth of his fingers as they skimmed across her shoulders and back. But when he pushed aside the strap of her camisole and pressed his mouth to her shoulder, she froze, her breath caught in her throat.

Then, as if all the fear had been suddenly washed away, Ellie turned to face him. She stared up into his eyes, with their indescribable mix of gold and green. Her gaze drifted down to his mouth and she remembered every kiss they’d shared, how exciting and exhilarating it had all been. She wanted that again, something sweet and soft to occupy her thoughts.

Ellie pushed up on her toes and touched her lips to his. But a brief kiss wasn’t enough and she decided she wanted more. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her, her mouth meeting his with a clumsy bump.

But Liam didn’t seem to mind. He pulled her against his chest and gently explored her mouth with his tongue, teasing and tasting, lingering over her lips. Ellie knew she shouldn’t let it go any further. They barely knew each other. But in the past days, she’d learned to trust Liam with her life. How could a man who’d saved her not once but twice possibly turn around and hurt her?

His hands slipped beneath her camisole and spanned her waist as he deepened the kiss. She’d wanted the taste of him to drive all the worry out of her head, but it was also sweeping her common sense right along with it. She’d made a vow to stay away from men for at least a year. She’d kept that vow for sixty-seven days and about six hours, and with just a few incredible kisses she was ready to throw it all aside.

Liam Quinn was not Ronald Pettibone. Nor was he Brian Keller, the stock analyst she’d been with before Ronald. Nor Steve Winston, the business consultant. Or any of the others that she’d thought she’d loved. Liam was…different. He was a man she could depend upon.

“I read this book once that said that people who have near-death experiences sometimes become more passionate in the aftermath. Do you think that’s what’s happening here?”

“I don’t know. Is that a bad thing?”

Ellie shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s just the author’s observation.”

“Maybe we should stop.”

She reached for the hem of her camisole and slowly pulled it up. “Maybe we shouldn’t.” Ellie gazed into his eyes, waiting for a cue, anything that would tell her that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He slid his hand up along her rib cage and cupped her breast, stroking his thumb across her nipple and bringing it to an aching peak through the soft fabric.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “From the moment I first saw you, I thought about this.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “You were dancing a-” he paused “-around me with that-that phone in your hand, dressed in your nightgown.” He grinned. “You know, when you stood in front of the light, I could see right through it.”

“You looked?”

“I couldn’t help myself.”

She pulled her camisole up a few more inches, until it was bunched beneath her breasts. “I’m lucky I tied you up,” she teased. “I didn’t realize how dangerous you were.”

Liam chuckled softly, then brushed her hands away. “You like dangerous?” He took the soft cotton knit in his hands and slowly dragged it up and over her head. Then he tossed it aside.

This time when his hand touched her breast, the contact was electric, sending a shockwave through her body. “I do like dangerous,” Ellie murmured. “Very much.”

With a low growl, Liam reached down and grabbed her, pulling her up until she sat on the edge of the bathroom sink. He covered her mouth with a deep and shattering kiss and Ellie had no choice but to respond. He seemed to know exactly what she wanted. Every place he touched and kissed ached in the moments before his lips moved there.

She couldn’t deny that she wanted him, but it was a need that was irrational. With every other man, the weeks or even months that approached this moment had been measured carefully, as if following some prescribed schedule. But now she didn’t care. So what if she’d only known Liam for ten days? So what if he’d probably seduced a string of beautiful women? That didn’t matter.

For now all that mattered was that she wanted him. Ellie reached for the buttons on his shirt and fumbled with them until they were undone. Then she brushed aside the soft cotton and smoothed her hands over his chest, lost in the pure masculine beauty of his body.

His chest was broad and finely muscled, a thin line of hair leading from his collarbone to beneath the waistband of his jeans. She trailed her fingers along that line as if it were a map to the next spot in their seduction. When she reached for the button on his jeans, Liam pushed her hands aside.

He worked the zipper on her jeans until they loosened around her waist. Then, lifting her, he pulled them down her hips, skimming her panties along with them. As he set her back on the countertop Ellie didn’t care that she was completely naked and he was still fully dressed. Somehow it made the moment seem more wicked. But she really didn’t realize how wicked it was about to become.

She expected him to start on his own clothes next, but instead he slowly explored her body with his lips and his tongue. Perched on the edge of the sink, she felt as if she might slip off at any moment and tumble onto the floor. But his hands were on her body, strong and sure.

Liam trailed his tongue from her nipple to her belly and then paused, gently parting her legs. Ellie sucked in a sharp breath as his mouth found its next destination. The pleasure was so intense that if she moved, she was certain she’d dissolve into a puddle on the floor. Her limbs became weightless and she couldn’t keep a rational thought in her mind. All she could do was experience the pleasure he gave her.

Ellie ran her fingers through his hair, arching into him with every sensation. She wanted to hold back, afraid to allow such vulnerability in herself. But the ache inside begged to be relieved. Second by second, she came closer, his tongue testing her limits. And then, as if something inside her burst, Ellie cried out.

Spasms of ecstasy rocked her body and she clutched the edge of the sink, certain that if she fell, she’d tumble into oblivion, destroyed by such an incredible orgasm. But Liam brought her down slowly and gently, until she felt completely relaxed and sated.

“Feel better?” he murmured, pressing his mouth against the curve of her neck.

A shiver of desire raced through her. “I guess the book was right,” she murmured.

“Are you ready for your bath now? The tub is almost full.”

Ellie didn’t care about a bath. Right now, she wanted to drag Liam Quinn into her bedroom to continue what he’d started, making wild and crazy love for the rest of the afternoon. But she wasn’t sure how to ask for what she wanted and, in the end, simply nodded her head.

“A bath would be nice.”

CANDLELIGHT FLICKERED against the walls of Ellie’s bathroom and she sighed softly as she sank back into the steaming water, submerging to her chin. Liam watched from the doorway, a glass of wine in his hand.

She looked so beautiful, so relaxed, he was almost tempted to carry her from the tub to her bed and make love to her. But Liam had stopped just short of that for a reason. Though he’d wanted nothing more than to pleasure Ellie, he knew that if he lost himself in the same pleasures, he’d be taking a risk that might prove costly in the end.

Over and over again he’d had to remind himself that he was still working for Sean. He had a job to do, and no matter how intense his feelings ran for Ellie, there was a chance that she’d committed a crime.

But was that really what he was afraid of? In his heart he knew she wasn’t capable of such deceit. But she was capable of something much more dangerous. She could steal his heart, make him fall head over heels in love with her. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Liam slowly walked to the tub and squatted beside it. “Here,” he murmured.

Ellie opened her eyes and turned to look at him. She smiled then took the glass from him. “I guess my tea got cold.”

Liam nodded. “The wine will relax you.”

“I don’t think I need to be any more relaxed,” she said. Ellie sat up, the water skimming off her breasts and leaving her skin slick and shiny. She set the glass on the tiled floor, then reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m fine,” she said.

“You’re sure?”

Ellie nodded. “It was just an…accident. Nothing more. He didn’t see me, I didn’t see him. It was stupid. I should have been paying more attention. And from now on, I will.”

“Good,” Liam said, leaning forward to drop a kiss on her damp lips. “I can’t come riding to your rescue all the time.”

But Liam knew that he wasn’t going to rest until he knew exactly who had been driving that car. The windows had been tinted, but he was pretty sure he’d gotten a decent shot of the license plate. If there was any connection between the driver and Ronald Pettibone, he’d find out-and he’d make Pettibone pay.

“Would you like me to wash your hair?” he asked.

Ellie nodded.

Liam levered to his feet, grabbed the mugful of tea and dumped it in the sink. When he returned to the tub, he reached down and scooped up some water, then carefully poured it over her head. Ellie handed him a bottle of shampoo and, after her hair was drenched, he squeezed a small bit into his hand and massaged it into her hair.

He’d never really indulged in such tasks with a woman. There was an undeniable intimacy found in waiting on her, in the simple act of helping her bathe. In a way, it all seemed more intimate than what they’d shared earlier. That had been about desire and need, but this was about comfort and affection.

The phone rang and Ellie opened her eyes. “Do you want me to get that?” Liam asked.

“No,” she said. “Let the machine pick it up.”

“All right,” Liam murmured. He moved his fingers down to her nape and gently scrubbed. After four rings the answering machine picked up and they listened as her outgoing message echoed through the empty apartment. Then the beep sounded and a male voice replaced hers.

“Hi, Eleanor. It’s Ronald. Listen, I was just calling to apologize about the other day. You just took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to feel…well, what I wanted to say was that I really need to see you again. Soon. We have to talk. I’ve got some contacts at a few banks here in town and…well, we’ll discuss that when we see each other. I’m at the Bostonian. Room 215. Call me.” The answering machine beeped again at the end of the message.

Liam’s fingers slowly dropped to her shoulders. Ronald Pettibone? Damn it, when had she seen Ronald Pettibone? He’d been with her almost constantly over the last ten days. And when he hadn’t been with her, either he or Sean had been watching her.

“I guess that wasn’t about a job,” Ellie said with a light laugh. “How embarrassing to have one man call me when I’m in the tub with another.”

For a while he’d almost forgotten what had brought him and Ellie together in the first place. And now, sitting in her bathroom, her naked in the tub, he realized what a colossal mess he’d made of it all. Sean had warned him and he’d refused to listen, certain that he had everything under control. But he should have realized from the very moment he’d first seen Ellie that he was in trouble. If not then, their first kiss should have been a big clue. He should never have let it get this far.

He cleared his throat and hoped that his voice would sound indifferent. “Who is Ronald?” Liam already knew the answer to that question, but it was a logical one to ask considering the circumstances.

“You remember. I told you about him. He’s a co-worker from New York,” Ellie explained. “Well, more than a co-worker. Not anymore but-” She twisted around until she could look into his eyes. “We used to be…an item.”

“Is that another way of saying you used to be lovers?”

“Yes. But nobody knew. We kept it a secret. Ronald was afraid that everyone at the bank would find out and it would hurt our careers. Then he dumped me and I figured that he never really cared for me anyway.”

“And now he’s in town?”

“Yeah. In fact, you saw him that day outside the coffee shop. He was talking to me when you came out, remember?”

Liam slowly let the breath seep from his lungs. God, how could he have been so stupid? Ellie hadn’t looked a thing like her picture, why had he expected Ronald Pettibone to resemble his photo? Maybe it was all part of the plan, Liam mused. A new life, a new look. But Ellie was living her life out in the open. She was looking for a new job and making new friends and in no way trying to hide her identity. Not the behavior of someone just one step in front of the law.

But could the same be said for Ronald Pettibone? Not for one instant did Liam believe his appearance in Boston was coincidental. He’d come to her for a reason and either it was the money they’d both stolen or it was Ellie herself. Whichever it turned out to be, Liam wasn’t going to be a happy man.

“Maybe you should call him back,” Liam suggested.

“Now?”

“Not this minute. But after you get out of the tub.”

Ellie slowly swirled her hand around in the water. “It’s all over between Ronald and me. I don’t want you to think that-”

“I don’t,” Liam interrupted, already learning to hate the guy’s name. Ronald. Ronald was the name of the weaselly kid who was the tattletale in grade school. Ronald was the name of the brainiac in high school who always got a better grade in English. And Ronald was the kind of guy you just wanted to punch in the nose.

Liam grabbed the mug and began to rinse the soap out of Ellie’s hair. For a long time they didn’t speak. He wasn’t sure what to say. Hell, he knew Ellie had a past with men, far fewer than the number of women he’d had in his life. But Ronald Pettibone wasn’t just any old boyfriend. If he and Ellie had pulled off a crime together, then they shared a connection a little deeper than just physical attraction.

He bit back a curse, stood and grabbed a towel from the stand next to the sink. “The water is getting cold,” he said.

Ellie stared at him for a long moment, as if she were trying to read his expression. Then she slowly stood, the water sluicing off her naked body. Liam quickly wrapped her in the towel, unwilling to tempt himself any further. He was this close to dragging her down to the bathroom floor to really make love to her.

“You’re not angry that he called, are you?”

“Why would you think that?” Liam asked, tucking the towel tight around her breasts.

“You just seemed a little…perturbed.”

It wouldn’t do to have Ellie suspicious, Liam mused. But he wasn’t about to deny his feelings. “Maybe I am, a little. But that shouldn’t stop you from seeing him. He said something about banks. Maybe he can help you find a new job.”

A slow smile curved Ellie’s lips. “I never thought about that. He said he had some contacts here in Boston. Maybe he can give me a few leads. In fact, that’s probably what he wants to talk to me about.”

“Why don’t you finish drying off and I’ll go get us some lunch?” Liam said. “I’ll pick up a couple of sandwiches and we’ll just relax.”

“The sun’s come out,” Ellie said. “Maybe we should go out to lunch and then go sight-seeing. I’m feeling much better now. And the fresh air and exercise will do me good.”

In truth, Liam was anxious to get out of the apartment so he could give Sean the news. Ronald Pettibone was in town and Liam knew exactly where to find him. If things went well, Liam would have answers to all his questions soon. And then he’d finally know exactly where he stood with Ellie Thorpe.