“Then you’ll send copies of the documents to every boss in the city.”
“He won’t buy that.”
“We’re out of time here.”
“We can run. Why don’t we just run?”
“I can’t leave. Richie will be in danger.”
I blinked. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”
He reached out and took my hand. “We can make this work.”
“No, it’s too dangerous. There has to be another way.”
He looked sad. “This is my last resort.”
“It could work,” Leary said.
I gave him a look. “Stay out of it.”
“Actually,” Liam interrupted, “we need him. Leary is going to send a message to Colm tonight, and he’ll hopefully set up a meeting for tomorrow.”
I gaped at him. “Tomorrow? Are you kidding me? You’re practically still bleeding.”
“We can’t afford to wait. Colm will find us eventually, one way or another. We need to make this happen while everything is still fresh.”
“And what if it goes bad?”
“It won’t come to that.” Liam looked at Leary. “Can you make it happen?”
He paused. “Yeah, all right.”
“Thanks. I owe you my life.”
Leary stood up and grinned. “Yeah, well, you’ll pay me back in the end.”
He nodded. “I will.”
“See you soon, brother.” They shook hands. Leary gave me a little grin and then disappeared out the front door. I got up and locked it after him. When I turned back, Liam was frowning at me.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
I sighed. “I’m thinking you’re trying to commit suicide for me.”
He laughed. “Believe me, I’m not.”
I sat back down next to him. “Don’t disappear on me, asshole.”
He grinned. “Disappear, and not get to see that perfect fucking ass of yours anymore?”
I laughed and kissed him, hard, letting him know how much I meant it. He relaxed into me, though I was careful with his injured shoulder. I pulled away after a minute, letting my forehead press against his.
“You don’t have to save everyone else.”
“I do, or else I’m lost.”
I sighed. “Why are you like this? I thought you Mob guys were all selfish pricks.”
“We are, except I’m not a Mob guy anymore.”
I pulled away and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Before you, I was a selfish dick. I only thought about pussy and money. Now, though, I have other people to worry about.”
“You had Richie before.”
He looked away. “Yeah, I guess.”
“This is all so fucked and wrong,” I said softly.
He looked back at me. “It’s both. It’s right and wrong. We’re fucked and not fucked. We’ll keep going.”
I sighed and kissed him again, more softly. He wasn’t exactly a poet, but he had a way with words. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me close to him, despite the pain I guessed was lancing up his shoulder.
“Earlier, when the gun was against my head, I kept thinking that I’d let you down. That I had failed you somehow.”
“You can’t fail me, Liam.”
He sighed. “I know you think that, but it’s not who I am. I won’t be able to forgive myself if I fuck all this up and we end up at the bottom of some gutter.”
I kissed his neck softly. “You’re not going to. I believe in you.”
“I wish I had that much faith.”
I pulled away and looked him in the eyes. “Listen to me, idiot. No matter what happens, this, this right here, is the realest I’ve ever felt in my entire life.”
“Everything else was like a dream,” he said.
“Exactly, and ever since that bastard put a gun to my head, I’ve been awake. You’ve already saved me.”
He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t let him. I pressed my lips against his and swallowed his words whole, not caring what kind of self-deprecating shit he wanted to say. He had to know how much I needed him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. Even if it was for such a short and horrible time. I was grateful that I’d had the courage to kiss him, to stroke his body and to feel him.
No matter what happened next, that wouldn’t change.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Liam
I looked down at the ringing phone on the nightstand, Ellie stirring next to me, and flipped it open.
“What’s up?” I grumbled, annoyed that I was awake.
“Colm took the bait. Meeting is at three this afternoon.”
That got me up. “What’s the deal?”