ATONEMENT | MAFIA ROMANCE | SMUT

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"No," Liam said resolutely, and my shoulders sagged. "Don't give me that face. I need Josh with the brothers."

I suppose. "Will Alfie teach me how to drive instead?"

"Josh can proceed with lessons."

Somewhat relieved, I glanced at the cupcakes and felt the blood run cold in my veins. Icing thawed and lost their colourful identities. "What's happening?" I watched in sheer horror as the once thick frosting melted down my fingers. "Liam?"

"I am not a profession pâtissier," he half-joked, eyeing the liquified mess, "but shouldn't you wait for the cakes to cool down before icing them?" With a half-cocked smile, he snatched my wrist, brought the ruined cupcake to his mouth and sank his teeth into its crumbling destruction. "Artistically clinquant and delightfully appetising." He slowly licked buttercream from his upper lip. "I admire your work."

And I appreciate his white lie. "Can I ask you something?"

Liam used a paper towel to wipe his mouth. "Go ahead."

"A teenager's abused by his parents. Would you gather additional information and report it or coax him into an admittance?"

"If parents victimise their child, then both scenarios significantly correspond," he answered vaguely. "Why?"

"There's this boy." Gathering dirty bowls, I loaded the dishwasher. "I worry about him."

He watched me intently. "Do you believe he's in peril of his life?"

"Yes—no. No," I said firmly, unsure of the words I speak. "I don't know, Liam. I'm new to this stuff."

"This stuff," he repeated, extracting a whiskey bottle from the cupboard. "Yet, you of all people comprehend the accuracy of child abuse. You lived it." He poured himself a glass of strong liquor. "If anyone can help this lad? It's you."

I inhaled through my nose. "How do I get him to talk?"

"Easy." He downed whiskey in one mouthful. "Don't shield him from the truth."

His response was ambiguously enigmatic. "What does that even mean?" I asked, and he chose not to answer. "How would you handle this situation? Would you rough him up for some harsh truths?"

His eyes were scarily dark and Rhadamanthine. "No, I'd simply eliminate the problem."

Cold shivers slithered up my spine. "By throwing the rule book out of the window."

"I am not a law-abiding citizen," he reminded me, refiling the glass. "If guardians abuse their power to oppress and mistreat the young and vulnerable, they warrant far more than incarceration."

I wilted under his unsmiling watchfulness. "Do you suggest I kill his parents? Free him from their contemptible sins?"

"I would never encourage my wife to commit murder." The neanderthal yanked me in by the elbow, caged me in a tight, inescapable hug and peppered kisses along my jawline. "I am, however, offering my services for a small price."

"What does his lordship require?" My arms enveloped his broad shoulders. "I thought you were above bribery?"

"One kiss from you," he whispered against my lips, and I could almost taste the whiskey on his tongue, "and they'll be dead before sunrise."

"No, Liam." His seriousness caused my heart to stutter. "We cannot murder his parents. It's unforgivable." If we killed them, Logan may uncover the truth and hate me. "Leave them unscathed. Meanwhile, I'll do whatever I can to earn his trust."

For an extended period, we stared at each other, both silent, wordless. He broke eye contact first, turning his head away from mine to reach for the whiskey glass. "What's the lad's name?" he asked casually, sipping a generous amount of alcohol. "Presuming he has one."