Chapter 84 Liam’s Arrival
Liam silently reached into his jacket and retrieved one of the guns he had picked up earlier. Without a word, he placed it into Vanessa’s hand. His fingers brushed against hers for the briefest moment, and she felt a strange jolt run through her body. Her heart was still pounding from the earlier tension, but now there was an unfamiliar heat creeping onto her face. She tried to ignore it, but when she glanced at Liam, she saw that he was staring at her with confusion.
At first, he didn’t understand why her face was so red. But then, as his gaze shifted slightly, he realized the real reason behind her flustered state. Their bodies were pressed too close together. His arm was still wrapped around her waist, holding her in place against him. The warmth of her body seeped through his clothes, and for the first time, he noticed the way her chest rose and fell with her unsteady breathing.
Realizing this, Liam immediately removed his hand, but he didn’t step away. He couldn’t. If he moved even an inch from their current hiding spot, the sniper’s bullet would find him in an instant.
His sharp blue eyes flickered toward the wreckage where Dean and his men were standing. He could already tell—they must have figured out where they were hiding by now. They weren’t fools. Any second now, they would be on the move, closing in on them again. Liam clenched his jaw.
Vanessa understood everything he was thinking without him even needing to say a word. She didn’t need an explanation. The years of training and experience as a police officer had honed her instincts to perfection. And right now, her instincts screamed at her— stay sharp. Stay alive.
She adjusted her grip on the gun, her fingers tightening around the handle. Liam had a gun, and so did she. The odds were still stacked against them, but at least they weren’t completely defenseless. The sound of slow, steady footsteps approaching them made her muscles tense. Her grip on the gun grew even tighter. The enemy was coming closer.
Suddenly, Liam reached out and tapped her shoulder. She turned to look at him, and he motioned silently for her to focus upward. Vanessa furrowed her brows. Up?
Her ears strained to catch any noise, but she couldn’t hear anything unusual. Her mind raced. Why was he telling her to look up? Did he sense something she couldn’t?
And then—
She knew she had to.
Her grip on the gun tightened even more. She took a slow breath, steadied her aim, and waited. If Liam was right, the enemy would appear at any moment.