Chapter 13 - The Choice
The realization hung heavy in the air.
The war was over. Liam’s leg was healed enough for him to resume his life. The threats had been eliminated, his dominance restored.
Which meant my job was officially finished.
That evening, I sat in my small bedroom adjoining the master suite, staring at my worn duffel bag resting on the bed.
The bank account I had set up for Tommy was fully funded. My brother was recovering in Switzerland. I had enough money to buy a house, go back to school, or start a new life anywhere in the world.
There was no longer any medical reason for me to stay at the Mercer estate.
A soft knock sounded at the communicating door.
Liam stood in the doorway. He was wearing a dark, custom-tailored suit—the first time I had seen him out of sweatpants or bed sheets. He used a single carved wooden cane for support, walking with a slight, barely noticeable limp, looking every bit the ruler of Chicago’s underworld.
He looked at the duffel bag on my bed, his dark eyebrows pulling together.
"You're packing," he said quietly.
"My contract was for four weeks," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I folded a sweater and placed it in the bag. "Tommy is safe. You're ambulatory. You don't need a private nurse anymore, Liam."
Liam walked into the room, the steady clack of his cane against the floorboards marking his heavy, deliberate steps. He stopped right beside the bed, reaching out to lay his hand over mine, stopping me from folding the next shirt.
"I don't need a nurse, Clara," he said, his voice dropping into that deep, intimate register that made my pulse race. "I never needed a nurse. I needed you."
I looked up into his face. "Liam, your life is filled with guns, syndicates, and violent wars. My life was spent in county hospital wards and quiet apartments. We live in two entirely different worlds."
"Then let me build a world where both of us fit," Liam pleaded, his hand closing around mine, pulling me close to his chest. "I don't care about the syndicate, Clara. I care about this. I care about the woman who stood in front of a shattered glass and told me she wasn't leaving."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, velvet-lined box, opening it to reveal a silver key on a thin platinum chain.
"What is this?" I whispered.
May you like
"The key to a house in the mountains outside Zurich," Liam said softly. "Ten minutes from Tommy's clinic. I bought it yesterday. It's yours. Whether you stay with me or go, it's yours."
He looked into my eyes, his icy glare replaced by a terrifying, vulnerable hope. "But I'm asking you... come to Switzerland with me. Let me show you what my life looks like when I'm not fighting for my survival."
