Liam took mercy on her. “Want to change the subject?” he asked.
She blocked out the faces that were staring at her and straightened in her chair, focusing on Liam. “Do you like basketball?” she blurted. “I do. I love the Celtics, and if I were going to stay in Boston, I would get on the list for season tickets. Good ones are hard to come by,” she rattled on. “And baseball. I love baseball, too. I go to a lot of the Red Sox home games.” She stopped because she had to take a breath.
“I’ll have to take you to the batting cages one of these days,” Liam remarked. He was trying not to laugh at her, because she was so uncomfortable. Her face was still red. Such an innocent, he thought. There wasn’t anything phony or pretentious about her. Yet another reason he was drawn to her. She definitely was unusual compared to the other women he’d known.
But she was an asset and off-limits, he reminded himself once again.
She was finally getting past her embarrassment. “I can go to the batting cages by myself. Besides, you won’t be in town long enough to take me. Remember? After I do that little favor for you, you’re out of here. Isn’t that right?”
He didn’t like being reminded that he would be leaving. “Right,” he said, his voice clipped.
She suddenly remembered a question she wanted to ask. “Why did you come to my house tonight?”
“I tried to call you, and your number was disconnected. I came to find out what was going on.”
“When you saw me leaving with my bag, did you think I was trying to escape?”
“Trust me, Allison. There’s no place you could go that I wouldn’t find you,” he said with a confident smile.
“I was going to Jordan’s house. I just needed to get away,” she said. “I changed my phone number because of my aunt. On the way back from Emerson, she called at least twenty-five times. I’m not exaggerating,” she insisted. “I knew she wouldn’t stop harassing me, so I changed my number. I’m only giving it to a few trusted friends, and you, of course,” she added hastily. “I’ll give you my new number now if you’d like.”
“I already have it.”
Surprised, she said, “You what? You have it? I only just changed it.” She shook her head. “If you want something you just . . . get it?”
“Pretty much.” The waiter appeared with the tab, and after paying, Liam stood. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” she answered, and even though there had been awkward, even embarrassing moments, she hated to see her evening with Liam end.
As they crossed the restaurant, he put his arm around her and pulled her into his side.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Protecting my asset.”
The two men who had shouted at her were whistling, but she ignored them and stared straight ahead.
Once they were in the car, Liam asked, “Do you want me to take you home or drop you at Jordan’s?”
“Home,” she answered. “I’ve decided I need a little time alone to think about the documents my cousin, Will, gave me today, and speaking of Will . . .”
He glanced over at her. “Yes?”
“I have a favor to ask.” She paused, wondering how she should bring up the subject of her irresponsible cousin. After weighing her choices for a few seconds, she decided the direct approach was best. “I’m hoping you can help him stay out of prison. I want him to have one last chance.” When he turned to her, she saw the incredulous look on his face.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m serious. If you can, I’d like you to help him. Why do you look so surprised?”
“I’ve read his file,” he said, his tone hard. “There’s no way I’m going to help him. He’s had too many chances to change his life.”
She didn’t say another word. She wanted to let him think it through, and hopefully he would change his mind. She knew he would eventually ask her why she wanted to help Will, and it was going to be difficult to explain. Did admitting that she felt sorry for him make her a complete fool? His growing-up years had surely been as traumatic as hers, just in a different way. Having such controlling and smothering parents who had watched his every move was much worse than being ignored.
The set of Liam’s jaw told her he was going to need more time to consider her request. They pulled up in front of her house, and Liam retrieved her overnight bag from the trunk and then followed her up the sidewalk.
“Looks like the house is empty,” he remarked.
“They must have gone out to get something to eat. No worries,” she added. “They’ll be back.”
The porch light was off, and the porch was cast in shadows from the light coming through the living room window. The sheer drapes softened the glare and turned the light a golden hue.
At the door, Allison turned back and took a step closer to him. “May I please e-mail you a video? It shows Will and the bar fight he was involved in.”
“You don’t need to e-mail it. I can get it, but tell me, does it prove Will’s innocent?”
Once again she didn’t give him a direct answer. “It shows three men pressing in on him. Just watch it, okay?”
“Allison, why do you want to help him?”
She sighed. “I want to believe he can change. Is that so wrong? I don’t want to give up on him. He’s not all bad,” she insisted. “Yes, he has a bad temper, but he’s never turned his anger on me, and he always warned me when his friends were coming to the house.”
“Why did he warn you?”
“He knew I didn’t like them.”
“And what did you do when he warned you?”
“I stayed in my room with the door locked. None of them ever bothered me.”
“You were afraid of them.”
Duh. “Yes.”
He shook his head. “I guess that makes him a saint, warning you and all. . . .”
“I’m just pointing out that he isn’t all bad.”
“How about you read his file?” he suggested.
“Everyone deserves a second chance.” She looked up into Liam’s beautiful eyes and felt her heartbeat quicken.
“He’s had a lot more than two chances.”
“Then one more won’t hurt, will it? I’m doing a favor for you. Couldn’t you do this favor for me?”
“And in return I’m giving you immunity. That was the deal.”
She could see she wasn’t getting anywhere, and she needed to change her terms. She thought for a second and then said, “Okay, how about this? If you help him, I’ll work for Agent Phillips and you for a month. A full month,” she stressed.
“You’re negotiating—”
“That’s thirty-one days.” She took a step closer until she was all but touching him and said, “That’s a real deal.”
“What happens if he gets probation and does something else? Are you going to ask for help again?”
“No,” she answered. “It’s on him then. He’ll have to suffer the consequences.”
“He should have suffered the consequences a long time ago.” He shook his head. “No.”
She wasn’t giving up. “How about two months? I’ll work for you and Phillips for two full months.”
“If I were to do this, it wouldn’t be for Will. I’d do it for you, and two months won’t cut it.”
Sensing victory, she smiled and said, “How long, then?”
“A year.”
“A year? That’s crazy. No.”
“No deal, then.”
The argument continued. She didn’t back away from him.
After several minutes of bargaining, they came to an agreement. Liam would do what he could for Will if she worked at the cyber unit for six months. In that time, the FBI would allow her to get the few hours she needed for graduation. Allison thought it was a nice compromise. Liam was more suspicious. Based on what he already knew, he figured Will would break probation within a month and be hauled off to prison. He didn’t share his opinion with Allison, though, knowing she would start arguing again.