SWNOVELS Ryan Renewed: Chapter 43
I have a trace on Hayden’s credit cards and his bank account as well as eyes on his apartment and the bar where he works. It’s been three days since the incident at Daisy’s and I haven’t seen anything of him yet. I must have taught him to cover his tracks well. A bitter wave of sadness and disappointment washes over me when I think about the time we’ve spent together in the last three months. Was everything he ever said and did a lie?
I swat away a tear as it rolls down my cheek.
“You okay, baby?” Liam asks as he sits beside me on the sofa in the den.
“No,” I whisper. “I feel like an idiot for trusting him.”
He pulls me onto his lap, forcing me to put my laptop down. “You are not an idiot. Not even a little bit. He is a fucking cold-hearted snake to do what he did, Jessie.”
“You weren’t fooled by him though.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone around you. I never will. It’s not because I’m any more perceptive than you or my brothers.”
“You never give yourself credit,” I say as I push his hair back from his forehead and look into his deep brown eyes. “You are one of the most insightful people I’ve ever met, Liam Ryan.”
“You haven’t met all that many people then,” he chuckles as he pulls me to his chest.
“I miss him, Liam,” I whisper as he wraps his arms around me.
“I know, baby,” he says softly, pulling me tighter.
We sit like that in silence for a while. My cheek pressed against his hard chest as he smooths my hair with his hand. I listen to the soothing sound of his steady heartbeat and for a few moments I forget that someone out there is trying to hurt me and my babies.
Shane and Conor have been scouring the city looking for anyone connected to the Hayden or the brotherhood. Ironically, they have teamed up with Vlad’s sons Rudolf and Jakob – the Irish Mafia and the Bratva working together would have seemed unthinkable once given that they have previously kidnapped both Conor and Liam.
An alert pings on my laptop and I sit up, taking it from the sofa and keying in my passcode.
“Is it him?” Liam asks.
“Yes,” I nod. I’m running his image through facial recognition software too and he has been good at hiding his face from view – until now. “He’s going into an apartment building in Newark.”
“Then let’s go get him,” he says as he helps me stand.
“Okay,” I breathe as my heart starts to race.
“You can stay here if you want to. I can get Chester and the guys to sit up here with you,” he offers. I insisted that I go along when we find Hayden. The boys refused at first, but I wouldn’t back down. I need to look him in the eye myself and ask him why.
“No. I’m coming.”
“Okay. Mikey!” he shouts and a few seconds later Mikey comes running into the room. “Jessie found him,” he snarls.
“Then let’s go get the piece of shit,” Mikey snarls back.
“Where are Shane and Conor?” I ask.
“Out with Rudolf and Jakob. We can call them from the car,” Mikey replies.
“Okay,” I nod my agreement. “But boys…”
“Yeah?” They both turn and look at me.
“Can you let me handle this? Please?”
They both frown at me.
“Please?” I ask again.
“Okay, Red,” Mikey finally agrees. “But he puts one toe out of line and I will tear his head off his shoulders.”
“Thank you,” I say and then the three of us head to the basement to the armored SUV.