Kate Hoffmann - Liam

“You think I embezzled money?”

“They do. The bank. And my brother.” He inhaled a deep breath. “If you tell me you didn’t do it, I’ll believe you.”

She stared at him for a long moment, doubt clouding her gaze. Then she shook her head. “I don’t need to tell you anything. I don’t owe you any explanation. Not after this.” She yanked her arm from his grip and hurried out of the attic.

But Liam wasn’t going to let her go. Not until he had an answer. He raced after her, taking the steps two at a time until he caught up with her on the second-floor landing. “Tell me the truth, Ellie. Did you and Ronald Pettibone steal that money?”

“Don’t come near me again. If I see you on the street or in this attic, I’m going to call the police. And this time you’ll stay in jail.”

She hurried down the stairs and Liam cursed as he heard the front door close. He fought the urge to go after her. Maybe it would be best to give her time. But he wasn’t in the mood to wait for answers. She’d never said that she wasn’t an embezzler. Had he really expected her to admit it? Hell, would it have made a difference if she had?

Liam sighed softly and started down the stairs. When he got to the street he searched the sidewalk for the video camera and found it resting against the building, one side smashed in, the tripod bent. A small price to pay for the trouble his brother had caused in Ellie Thorpe’s life.

Liam shook his head. What about Ellie’s deceit? She hadn’t denied her involvement in the embezzlement. Not once had she offered an excuse. What price would she have to pay? Ten, fifteen years in prison? And how long would it take for Liam to forget her? Somehow he suspected it could be just that long.

“I should never have agreed to this in the first place,” he murmured. “I should have told Sean to just take this job and shove it.”

Though he’d already spent some of the retainer Sean had given him, the majority of the money was still in his bank account. If he gave it back to his brother, less the cost of a new video camera, maybe then his life could get back to normal. But first he’d start by spending the rest of the afternoon and evening doing what he did best-occupying a stool at Quinn’s Pub.

He’d forget Ellie and everything that had happened between them-no matter how many pints of Guinness it took.

“SO, DO YOU LOVE HER?”

Liam sat at the end of the bar with Brian, the two of them sharing a late-afternoon meal. Quinn’s Pub was busy for a weekday, filled with all the regular patrons, the after-work crowd and a few tourists, as well. The pub had appeared in the latest edition of Roamer’s Travel Guide to Boston as one of the truly authentic Irish pubs and Seamus had been pleased with the boost in business-even if the regulars weren’t.

This afternoon Dylan was behind the bar and Brian had stopped by for some dinner before he headed for the station. A half-eaten corned-beef sandwich sat on a plate in front of him. Liam had settled for a burger and fries.

“Aren’t you going to answer my question?” Brian asked.

“Are you a reporter twenty-four hours a day?” Liam countered.

His brother grinned. “I’m used to getting the truth out of people and I don’t think you’re telling me the truth.”

Liam reached out and picked up his glass of Guinness, then took a sip. “I don’t know. I guess, until now, I really haven’t thought about it.”

“Either you do or you don’t. It’s that simple.”

Liam paused. “It’s never that simple. You know me. I need people to like me, especially women. I know what they want and I give it to them. And even after it’s over, after I’ve moved on to the next woman, they still want to be friends.”

“Sounds like you’ve been seeing a shrink,” Brian teased.

Liam pointed to a dog-eared book on the bar. “Ellie left that at my apartment. She’s always got one of these books open. Self-improvement.” He held it up. “Ten Steps to True Love. I’ve been reading it. According to the book I’m ‘Male Type No. 4: the Consummate Charmer.”’ He flipped through the pages and read, “‘The Consummate Charmer feels an almost pathological need for feminine approval. He’ll say and do anything to complete the conquest, then will move on, finding another woman who will give him a fresh ego boost.”’

A frown furrowed Brian’s brow. “That’s not you.”

“Oh, no? Sounds pretty sick, doesn’t it?” Liam sighed. “I think it all goes back to our childhood. I’ve thought a lot about this and what happened to us when we were kids has made us into the guys we are today.”

“Now you sound like a shrink,” Brian said. “We’re Quinns. We’re not supposed to sink into self-examination.”

“Maybe so. But look at us. Conor was responsible for holding the family together. And now he spends his life trying to protect the public the same way he protected us. And Dylan, he rescues the helpless. We were helpless when we were kids.”

“And Brendan,” Brian added. “He was always trying to escape. And now he can’t stay in any one place for more than a month or two. He and Amy live like nomads.”

“I haven’t figured out you and Sean yet,” Liam said. “But then I’m new to this.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Brian said. “It’s only natural that our upbringing affected who we are. Da gone for months at a time, Ma walking out when we were so young, Conor and Dylan and Brendan raising us. And then there were all those Mighty Quinn stories.”

“But our older brothers got past that. Conor, Dylan and Brendan. They all fell in love. So it’s possible.”

“Maybe,” Brian conceded.

Liam silently contemplated the notion of love while Brian finished his dinner. Was he in love with Ellie Thorpe? From the moment he’d first seen her through the lens of his camera, he’d been drawn to her. And then after they’d met, it had been almost impossible to put her out of his mind.

Time and time again he’d tried to rationalize his feelings. Why was she any different than all the other women who had walked in and out of his life? How had she managed to find a place in his heart when the others hadn’t? His brothers might say that it was the Quinn family curse. That if he didn’t want to love her then he shouldn’t have saved her from the burglar.

But Liam knew better. Something had shifted inside him. Gone was his instinct to run, to avoid commitment at any cost. For the first time in his life he actually wanted a relationship to last longer than a few months.

“Maybe you should give it a chance,” Brian said.

“You think?”

He nodded. “The way I see it, we’ve got one shot at it. And if we don’t recognize it when it comes along, then we spend our lives looking. Look at Da. After all those years he’s still in love with Ma. She walks out on him and he’s thrilled to have her walk back in the door twenty-five years later.”

“Not everyone has been happy to see her,” Liam said.

“What is it with Sean?”

Liam shrugged, then nodded toward the door. “Why don’t you ask him?”

They both watched as Sean strolled through the bar. He gave Dylan a wave and sat at the far end before noticing his brothers at the opposite end. He picked up his beer and started toward them. Liam fought the impulse to leave.

“What are you doing here?” Sean demanded, setting his beer down on the bar.

Liam groaned softly. He was in no mood. “Lay off, Sean.”

“You’re supposed to be watching Ellie Thorpe.”

“I’m done. I don’t need your money and I don’t want the job. If you want her watched, then you do it yourself.”

“Pettibone is still in town. We’re this close. You can’t quit.”

“I can and I do. Besides, she knows we’re watching her. If she embezzled that money, she’s probably long gone by now.”

Sean cursed softly. “She knows?”

“Yeah. After I left this morning, I went to her apartment and waited for her. I told her everything.”

“Why?”

“She thought I was some kind of stalker so I had to set her straight.”

Sean let out a tightly held breath. “She’s gone.”

“Maybe not,” Liam said. “You’re under the assumption that she’s in on this with Ronald. I don’t think she is.”

“He’s in love with her,” Brian said, his mouth full of corned beef.

Sean glanced between the two of them. “Aw, hell. I should have know this was going to happen.”

“I’m not in love with her,” Liam said. “Not at all. I’m just not interested in doing your dirty work. If you want to watch her, then go ahead. If you want to chase Ronald Pettibone around Boston, feel free. I’m just saying that I’m done with it.” Liam pushed away from the bar. “I’m going to play some pool. I’m sure there’s some beautiful young thing who needs a partner.”

He left his brothers to discuss the vagaries of love while he wandered to the back of the pub. Two girls in tight shirts and body-hugging jeans had commandeered the pool table, giggling and flirting with the men who had gathered to watch. Liam set a quarter on the corner of the table. “I’ll play the winner,” he said.

They both turned to him and graced him with dazzling smiles. He’d assumed that charming a new woman would take his mind off the previous woman. But as he watched them finish their game, Liam found himself comparing the pair to Ellie Thorpe-and they were suffering in the comparison.

He hadn’t known Ellie for long-not nearly long enough to be sure that he loved her. But he knew the important things: she was honest and kind and stubborn and determined. She was passionate and naive and spontaneous and optimistic. And she had a natural beauty that didn’t fade over time. In truth, Liam could go on and on, listing all the qualities about her that he admired.

He strolled over to the rack and picked out a cue. Maybe that was it. He didn’t just need Ellie or want her, it wasn’t just about attraction. He admired her. She’d walked away from her life in New York and come to Boston to start fresh. Though her history with men had been a series of disasters, she still believed in romance and passion. She wasn’t jaded or cynical or bitter, she was just…Ellie.