My head shakes in a nod, for the first time since meeting Liam I start to doubt his motives. Even if only for a moment.
“Okay.” I sink further into Gio’s arms.
GEMMA IS STILL IN GIAN’S room when my phone starts to ring.
The muscled guy is watching me like a hawk as I pull it from my pocket, I show him the device mockingly. “Not a gun.”
He snorts, unamused, eyes still tracking my movements.
There was a metal detector to get into the hospital, not that it does much. If you really want to bring a gun in somewhere there are ways to get it in. As I glance over him, I’m sure he has a handgun tucked into the waistband of his pants. It would be bad press to have a shootout in a hospital, so I assume he’ll save it for emergencies.
I, however, left mine in the car like a good civilian. Also, I didn’t want to give these guys any reason to fuck me up more than they already have.
“What?” I ask into the phone. It’s Declan, I’m sure calling to give me an update on the failed hit.
“Iceman missed. Looks like the prince is in the ICU.”
I sigh. “Fuck,” I say into the phone, acting surprised.
“Yeah, fuck.” Declan echoes.
He’s silent for a moment, we’re both thinking over the failure of the hit and the consequences that will come from it.
“Liam?” he asks.
“Yeah?”
Declan lets out a rush of air, like the next thing he’s going to ask me is painful for him. “Where are you?”
I freeze. I need to sell the lie that’s about to leave my mouth. “Home.” I tell him nonchalantly. “Why?”
He sighs. “Are you sure?”
“What are you getting at?” I retort, a hint
of anger and annoyance in my voice.
“Giuseppe DelGado just called Da.” My heart aches in my chest. “He’s says you’re fucking his daughter.”
Fuck.
My heart is racing, beating a million miles per hour in my chest. I think it might explode.
“Dec—”
“Is it true?” he asks me harshly. Declan and I aren’t close. We’re friendly enough, we manage the business together, but we aren’t close. We don’t share secrets and we don’t protect each other, so I know he won’t help me if I tell him the truth.
But I do anyway.
“Yes.” I sigh.
“Jesus.” Declan huffs. “Are you fucking serious right now?” I don’t answer. I can practically hear him pacing on the other end of the phone. “Did you botch this hit, Liam?” He asks gruffly.
“No.” I’m not lying this time, I didn’t. I would have, but I didn’t get here soon enough.
“Da’s gonna kill you, ya know that?”
He’s probably right. My father won’t react the same way Gemma’s did, it will be worse. He’ll see this as betrayal. He’ll probably assume that I told her all our secrets, like all we did while fucking was talk about our businesses. It won’t matter that he’s wrong though. His word is law and if he wants me dead, I will be.