“You don’t talk to her like that,” Liam said fiercely, shaking him. “Ever. Do you hear me?”
“Liam!” Cora shouted, grabbing his arm. “Let him go.”
Liam didn’t budge. A muscle ticked in his jaw. He shook the man again.
“I said, let him go,” Cora repeated, gripping his rock-hard arm with both her hands. “Now.”
Very slowly, Liam released the man, who stumbled off down the alley as fast as he could.
She glared at Liam, incredulous. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“Me?”He looked at her like she was insane. “That man insulted you. He was one foul breath away from laying his filthy hands on you. I know for a fact there are laws against assaulting a police officer—”
“But he didn’t. And anyway, I would’ve handled it,” she interrupted. “I am very aware of the laws. Just like I’m aware of when it is, and isn’t, appropriate to use force on a civilian. You can’t just go around slamming people against walls like that because you don’t like what they say.”
“I can and I will,” he said stubbornly. “That man should be locked up and—”
“It wasn’t up to you,” Cora interrupted fiercely. “It was my problem, do you understand? My call.” Just because her dad seemed to think Liam would make a great roommate-slash-bodyguard, didn’t mean Liam got to play the savior whenever it suited him. Before he spent another minute in her presence, she needed to hammer that home. “I didn’t need you to intervene, O’Connor.” His eyes narrowed at her use of his last name. She had no idea why, and at the moment, she didn’t care. “I can take care of myself, and I’ve been doing it a lot longer than you may think. I am not a victim. I don’t need a hero.”
“And you won’t be getting one.” Liam stepped close enough that she could see thin streaks of amber in his dark brown eyes. He bent down until they were almost nose to nose, and the tension seemed to crackle in the air between them. “I’m no hero, Cora McLeod, and I’ve never claimed to be. But you’re getting my protection, whether you want it or not.”
“Daang,” a young voice drawled. “You got balls, man. Balls.”
Cora spun around to see Billy “the Mac” staring at Liam in awe. The kid was so thin, he appeared to be all angles and bones in the baggy T-shirt and jeans he was wearing. “That was hard-core, man. I just saw you jump that guy, all defending Cora’s honor, and stuff.”
“Billy,” Cora said as calmly as she could. “Why aren’t you in school?”
He shrugged his bony shoulders. “No school. Teacher Field Trip Day, or something.”
Cora eyed him suspiciously. Was that even a thing? “We actually have some questions for you.”
Billy didn’t seem to hear her. He jerked his chin at Liam. “Man, that was a badass move you did back there. What else you got?”
Cora saw Liam mouth the word badass. Then he smiled and reached out to shake Billy’s hand. Before Cora could blink, he had Billy in a headlock.
She gasped. “Liam! What the—”
“You’re making it easy for me, kid,” Liam said with a laugh. He gently released Billy, and thumped him on the back. “I’m Liam O’Connor, Cora’s...friend.”
Oh-ho, she wouldn’t go that far. “Officer O’Connor is new to Providence Falls,” she said coolly. “He’ll be working at the station, and I’ve been assigned to show him around. We just met yesterday.” She threw Liam a glance to see if he got the message. They were not friends. They were barely even acquaintances.
Liam gave her a long, searching look. His odd expression seemed brimming with secrets she had neither the time nor the inclination to decipher.
“Just met yesterday, huh?” Billy nodded and gave Cora a cocky grin. “That’s good to hear. Wouldn’t want some rando coming between us, know what I mean?”
“Hey, watch it, kid. You saw what happened to the last guy.” Liam held up a worn leather wallet with exaggerated, wide-eyed innocence. “Is this yours, by any chance?”
Billy’s mouth fell open. He reached into his jacket pocket. “How did you?”
“Slip of the hand,” Liam said, handing back the wallet. “If you answer a few questions for us, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“Seriously?” Cora jammed her hands on her hips. “You’re going to teach a minor how to steal wallets, now?”
“It’s not stealing,” Liam insisted. “It’s just a magic trick. Like this.” He waved a hand and produced a quarter out of thin air. Then he waved his hand again, and the coin was gone. “It’s a great way to impress the ladies.”
“Sweet!” Billy looked so eager and happy to learn, Cora didn’t have the heart to intervene. It wasn’t often she saw him smile like that. She sighed heavily, and for the next few minutes, she questioned Billy about the Gas n’ Go robbery while Liam taught him the coin trick. When Billy didn’t have anything useful to offer, Cora checked her phone messages and answered a few texts from Suzette. By the time Liam started showing Billy how to pick pockets, she figured it was time to go.
“This has been fun,” Cora announced. “But I think you’ve corrupted the minor for long enough.”