The mighty Quinns: Liam - By Kate Hoffmann Page 0,61

groan slipped from her throat and she wrapped her arms around his neck, surrendering to his kiss. Liam knew if he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, he’d meet no resistance. But he wanted Ellie to need him as much as he needed her, to want him so badly, she couldn’t survive without him. So he pulled back, breaking the intimate contact and leaving her to stand alone on wobbly knees. He turned and pulled open the door.

“Wha— What are you doing?” she murmured, her forehead wrinkled with confusion.

“Just showing you what you’d be missing if you decided to run off with Ronald Pettibone,” Liam replied. With that he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He was nearly to the second-floor landing, when he heard a crash of glass upstairs. And then another.

“I guess I made my point,” he said with a smile.

“ARE YOU READY?”

Ellie glanced over at Sean Quinn, sitting behind the wheel of the car. He stared straight ahead, his gaze fixed on the facade of Rawson Bank a half block away. “I think so,” she said. “I’m a little nervous.”

“There’s no need to be. Liam says that Pettibone is already inside waiting for you. There are F.B.I. agents inside, as well.”

“The F.B.I. is here?”

“Ronald broke a few federal laws, too, so they’re in on the case.”

“How will I know them?” Ellie asked.

“You don’t need to know them. They know you. You’re wired for sound and if you get in any trouble, just yell for help.”

“Trouble?”

“Don’t worry. It’s a public place. Ronald isn’t going to pull anything.”

Ellie nodded. “All right. Let’s review. I go inside, I give Ronald the key, and I wait while he opens the safe-deposit box. When he comes back out, they’ll arrest him. And then I can leave.”

Sean nodded. “They took your statement for the grand jury, but you may have to give the Feds more information. And then there’s Ronald’s trial. Or trials, depending upon who decides to go after him.”

“I’ll have to testify?” Ellie asked.

“Probably.”

“What if he gets off? Do you think he’ll come after me?”

“He’s not going to get off,” Sean said. “If he’s acquitted in New York, he still faces federal charges and he’ll probably be extradited to Nebraska, Washington and Texas to stand trial for those other crimes. You’ll be a grandmother before he sees the outside of a prison.”

Ellie smiled. “Knowing my history with men, that could be a life sentence for Ronald.”

Sean smiled, the first time she’d ever seen him smile. He was usually so intense, so preoccupied. But when he smiled, his whole face changed and he became the second most handsome man on the planet. Ellie had been grateful for his help over the past few days, through all the questioning and statements and explanations. Though Liam had been prickly and aloof, Sean had been steady and comforting, always there to calm her nerves. “I know he seems angry,” Sean said, “but he’s not.”

“Liam?”

“None of this is his fault,” Sean said, glancing over at her. “I talked him into taking this job. I don’t think he ever believed that you were a criminal.”

“Did he ask you to say that?”

Sean shook his head. “Liam may be charming, but he’s not that charming. I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

“I believe that about you,” Ellie said.

He took a deep breath. “Are you ready to go?”

“I’m ready,” Ellie said.

“Then let’s do it. I’ll be a few yards behind you.”

Ellie opened the car door and stepped out, then started toward the bank. As she walked, she replayed Sean’s words in her head. She wanted nothing more than to believe in Liam, to trust in a future with him. But she’d been burned so many times by men far less charming than Liam Quinn. What if she did allow herself to forgive him? How long would it be before he betrayed her again? And if he betrayed her again, would she ever recover?

Yes, he was wonderful and sweet and sexy and handsome, all those qualities that a woman should want in a man. But these things made him attractive to every other woman on the planet. How long would it be before he found someone more exciting than Eleanor Thorpe, accountant and amateur private investigator?

Ellie knew she wasn’t supermodel beautiful or accomplished in the bedroom. She wasn’t particularly sophisticated or polished. She was just an ordinary girl who wanted an ordinary guy to love. The problem was, she’d stumbled on an extraordinary guy

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