Always Yours (Roommate Duet 6)

Maddie steps toward me, closing the space between us, then wraps her arms around my neck, pulling my lips to hers. “We have forever, Liam.”

Lifting her chin, I brush my lips against hers again and growl. “Forever isn’t enough,” I admit, knowing I’m greedy when it comes to her. “I want an eternity.”

She flashes me a bright smile, and reluctantly, we break apart and finish getting ready, then go our separate ways.

For the next eight hours, I stake outside of an empty warehouse on the other side of town waiting for a guy to deliver stolen vehicles. He’s been arrested and bailed out a handful of times but decided last month to skip his court date. All day, I wait and never run into the guy or really anyone. By the time I make it home, I’m frustrated, but this sometimes happens when the people I’m tracking know they have a warrant out for their arrest. As soon as I grab a beer and sit on the couch, Maddie comes bolting through the door. She’s a golden ray of sunshine, and I immediately perk up when I see her.

With a plop, she kicks off her shoes, tuckers her legs under her body and leans against me. “Missed you. How was work?”

“Sucked.” I shrug. “Tomorrow will be better, though. How was school?”

“I should’ve stayed home and fucked you all day,” she tells me, throwing her head back with a laugh. “Seriously, though. Nothing monumental about it. We’ve started preparing for our senior recital, and I’m not as in it as I thought I would be. Maybe after a few weeks when I actually have the choreography memorized.”

Just as I’m about to respond, my phone vibrates in my pocket. It’s an unknown number, but I answer it anyway.

“Liam.” Tyler’s distraught.

“Hey man, what’s up?” The line is silent for a few seconds.

I’m about to ask why he’s calling me from a different number when Tyler lets out a ragged breath. “I got arrested. I’m in jail and completely fucked.”

My body goes into full alert, and Maddie notices my demeanor change. She stares at me, searching my face.

I put the call on speaker. “What did they arrest you on?”

Maddie’s eyes widen in shock. “What happened?”

“Victoria set me up. Loaded the bed of my truck with pounds of drugs, guns with the serial numbers scratched off, and bricks of money. It looks like I was hauling this shit across the US. They booked me for possession with intent to distribute and sell.”

“Fuck,” I bark out loudly, running my fingers through my hair. “I thought this was over. She fucking promised she would stop and leave the people I love alone. She just unleashed the door to hell.” I’m seething, already planning what I’m going to say to her when I track her down and choke her. I still have all those photos of her and Mickey, and even if she’s not afraid of what her dad will do, I imagine the DeFranco family won’t be as forgiving, especially after JJ’s stunt.

“Did she know Tyler was your friend?” Maddie asks me. “Or just that he was the mole in getting me out?”

“She saw me at the fight with you, so she knows,” Tyler says. “Wouldn’t have taken her long to put everything together, especially with the people in her circle. Eric probably told her what I did too. She had more than one reason to get back at me,” he explains.

“Goddammit,” I hiss, balling my hands into fists. My heart races, and I’m seconds away from planning a full-on rage-revenge.

Tyler continues, “I shouldn’t be as shocked as I am, but she went to the extreme, making sure I’ll be fighting like hell to prove I didn’t do it.”

“When do you see the judge? I can get you bailed out once it’s set. Are you in Vegas?” My legs shake anxiously, ready to go wherever he is, even if that means returning to a city I swore I’d never visit again.

“No, I’m in Sacramento. I was gonna surprise you and Maddie and was only fifteen minutes from your house.”

“I’ll figure out a way to get you bailed out at least until the court date,” I tell him confidently. There’s no way I’m letting him stay there.

Tyler blows out a frustrated breath. “It’s gonna be high.” His voice is nearly a whisper.

“I don’t care,” I tell him. “It’s your first offense. You’re a vet. You don’t have a record. I’ll call my lawyer friend, Serena, and see what she can do.”

“Well, unless she’s a miracle worker, I’m not holding my breath. The officer who put me in cuffs was a total dick. Before putting me in the back of his unmarked car, he whispered in my ear and said I should’ve never betrayed Victoria. Then he winked and pushed my ass inside.”