Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 326 - 64

Chapter 326: Chapter 64

Rayne waited for Liam to come pick her up as he’d promised, but even though it was well past the time he’d given her, there was no sign of him at the hotel.

She paced around the living room, glancing at the time every now and then. Ethan had fallen asleep waiting for his father to come tell him a bedtime story, and she’d even changed out of the dress she’d worn in preparation for their date night, which had obviously been ruined now.

As she continued to pace around the living room, a sharp knock on the door made her stop and turn towards the door. But before she could make any attempt to answer it, Dante had gotten up from his sitting position and headed for it first.

She followed on his heels, expecting to find Liam standing at the entrance, but was taken aback to see Will Parker and his assistant Ivan standing there with grim expressions on their faces.

Their mere presence sent a jolt of panic down her spine and made her stomach knot.

"Did something happen?" she cried out in panic, remembering when the detective had brought her bad news about Ethan’s kidnapping.

"Jason Wallace has fallen into a coma, and Max Everett is in the hospital with broken ribs and a damaged left eye, along with a dangling arm," Will said, peering around her into the room. "May we come in?"

"Yes, of course you can," Rayne said quickly.

"Where’s Mr. Thompson, Miss Wallace?" Parker questioned the moment he was allowed inside.

Rayne knew before he finished the question what he was getting at, and her mind went into overdrive, thinking of ways to protect Liam from any involvement with Jason and Max’s condition.

"Did any of them say Liam did it?" she asked, trying to sound very scornful.

"Mr. Everett didn’t see who assaulted him and Mr. Wallace can’t tell us because he’s in a coma after receiving a beating that almost cost his life."

"They both work out at a gym; they could protect themselves," Rayne said, stalling for time, trying to think of an alibi for Liam when the inevitable question was asked.

"Where is Mr. Thompson?" Will repeated more firmly.

"I don’t understand why you’re looking for Liam—um—Did you find any evidence that it was him?"

"The assailant was wearing yellow rubber gloves—like the kind your restaurant kitchen workers use."

"Oh, well, then there’s your proof it wasn’t Liam. He’s been in the hotel all day. Furthermore, he’s never been to my restaurant kitchen before."

"A waiter said he stopped in your restaurant this evening asking for a glass of water in the kitchen."

Unable to think clearly with Will’s eyes boring holes through her, Rayne said, "Would you excuse me for just a minute? This is very upsetting, I need to use the restroom in a hurry."

She turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom hallway, and to her alarm, she heard Will’s footsteps on the carpet, following her far enough to note where she was going.

Inside her bedroom, Rayne leaned against the closed door trying to think of a believable excuse to help Liam from this.

She glanced at the big king-sized bed and had a sudden idea. She rushed over, pulled the covers loose, and tilted the mattress off the box springs so it was angled to the floor.

She quickly adjusted two paintings behind the headboard to make them crooked and overturned the lamp on the nightstand so the shade was hanging off.

Satisfied with the scene, she ran into the bathroom, soaked a washcloth in water, and hurried back to the living room, dabbing at her face as if she felt sick.

"I’m so sorry," she said. "I just can’t handle any more violence these days. I get ill just thinking about someone getting hurt, especially my poor brother. Anyway, it couldn’t have been Liam because he was here with me until just a few minutes ago."

"Where is he now?" Will asked.

"He left a minute ago for an urgent meeting."

"The authorities took Milo Thompson into custody this afternoon."

Rayne widened her eyes in fake surprise. "Oh, really? We didn’t know. Why didn’t you call us to inform us?"

"You didn’t know?" Will said dryly. "Then would you mind if Ivan had a look inside the rooms down that hallway?"

"Not at all," Rayne replied, dabbing at her face in earnest and trailing nervously behind Ivan. "Don’t wake up my son," she warned. "He’s in the bedroom on the left."

Intensely serious about his job as Ethan’s bodyguard, Dante followed right behind Ivan, scowling at him from the doorway as the detective quietly explored Ethan’s closet and bathroom.

"What’s this room?" Ivan said, already reaching for the doorknob.

"My bedroom."

"May I?" he asked, his hand on the doorknob already.

Rayne started to say, "Of course!" then she changed her mind and said, "But I really hope you wouldn’t."

She waited until Ivan gave her an ’I can get a search warrant’ look, before she said in feigned embarrassment, "Oh, go ahead,"

Ivan opened the door, turned on the lights, and froze. Dante crowded next to him to see what he was looking at and gave a bark of laughter, which enabled Rayne to blush furiously and in earnest when she looked at Will.

"What’s wrong?" he asked mildly, looking from Rayne to Ivan to Dante, who wasn’t even trying to control his grin.

Twisting the washcloth in her hands, Rayne said shyly, "Liam and I—we—um—spent the day and night in bed."

Will cleared his throat and then put on a professional expression, "Then when Mr. Thompson gets back, tell him to give us a call."

"And then you’ll do what to him?" Rayne inquired, her voice tinged with suspicion, fear, and anger that they dared accuse Liam of beating up two criminals who in her mind, deserved what they got.

"We’ll have a look at his knuckles. If they aren’t bruised or swollen, we’ll know he’s not the assailant."

"Oh, good. Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Yes, but it’s also evidence that can’t be hidden or disguised."

"Why are you involved in such a small matter, Mr. Parker?" she demanded.

He gave her a little grin. "Because it’s my job to bring justice to every individual. And also because I’m trying to help Mr. Thompson," he said, turning to leave with Ivan following.

"My men will stand outside the hotel to keep watch for when he’d be back," Will called out on his way out.

After she was sure the detectives had left the suite, Rayne struggled with her heavy mattress, trying to shove it back into place, but her mind was on Liam and she was worried. She was worried for him, and worried for herself, too.

In the kitchen, Dante listened to the instructions he was being given by his boss.

When he hung up, he took several large plastic trash bags into Ethan’s room and began quietly filling them with clothing and favorite toys.

Finished, he stepped into the hallway, made certain that Rayne was still in her bedroom, and then he carried the trash bags down the elevator and out a back entrance into the alley behind the hotel away from where the authorities were keeping watch.

He left them there, walked back inside the building while making a call to Neil’s driver who had been driving them around.

By eleven In the night, Rayne was literally wringing her hands over her worries for Liam.

She couldn’t think of any reason for Liam to have disappeared without a call unless he was Max and Jason’s ’assailant.’ Or—and this was a possibility—Liam made a habit of dropping out of women’s lives when things got too complicated or feelings got involved.

"Liam wants to say goodbye to you and Ethan. He’s at the airport, and he has to leave on an urgent business trip. I’m supposed to take you to him."

Rayne whirled around in shock at the sound of Dante speaking English with only a trace of a charming accent, but her mind was focused on the painful realization that Liam was leaving.

In the long run, she told herself firmly, it would be easier on her emotionally if he went away and stayed away.

Trying to have a relationship with him was clearly impossible. At least this time, he was saying an official goodbye for Ethan’s sake.

Keeping that firmly in mind, she looked at Dante and said in an offhand voice, "Are you leaving with him?"

"Yes."

"We’ll miss you," she said. "I’ll wake Ethan up."

"I’ll bring the car around in back," Dante said, already heading for the door with his suitcase in hand.

"There were a couple of reporters hanging around out in front," he lied.

---

The limo drove at a steady speed through the city of Zen, heading to the airport. Rayne looked out the car window, trying to distract herself with the view of the night city instead of thinking about her impending goodbye to Liam.

Ethan was fast asleep, his head on her lap, and her fingers kept automatically searching for his curls whenever she laid her hand on his shaved and styled hair. She didn’t know which airport they were going to because her heart was too heavy for her to bring herself to ask any questions.

She felt like if she opened her mouth to speak, she might end up crying instead, so she remained silent.

Before long, they arrived at a private hangar, and the car turned towards the large, brightly lit hangar. In front of it, a sleek jet with swept-back wings was waiting on the tarmac, its boarding steps down and its interior lights on.

"I will carry Ethan," Dante volunteered, reaching into the backseat and scooping the sleeping boy up as if he were weightless.

Partway up the steps, something interfered with the light spilling over the steps from the doorway, and Rayne lifted her head. Liam was standing there, his tall, broad-shouldered frame filling the opening.

This is goodbye, she thought, and the knowledge was suddenly so excruciating that she could barely breathe.

He stepped forward and held out his hand to her. "I missed you," he said, smiling tenderly into her eyes. "Are you ready for our trip?"

"Our trip? Where are we going?" she asked, confused and astonished.

Instead of answering, he took his son from Dante’s arms and went back inside the plane, where he sat down on a long, black leather sofa and drew Rayne down beside him.

Rayne forgot that he hadn’t answered her question as she watched him carefully place his sleeping son across his lap and gently lay his big hand on Ethan’s cheek. His big hand...

With light bruises on the knuckles!

He lifted his left arm and put it around Rayne’s shoulders. "We’re going to Mirage Mesa," he said without explaining what they were going to do there.

Dante said something in Mandarin, and Liam leaned forward, peering out the plane’s window opposite him, and picked up a telephone, talking in some language to the pilots, Rayne assumed, since the phone had no dial or buttons.

A moment later, she heard an odd loud sound from the rear of the plane; then Dante came walking forward, smiling.

He continued walking past her and settled into a big leather sofa at the back of their seat. The plane lurched slightly; she glanced out the window and realized it was starting to move.

Rayne had arrangements to make if she was traveling to Mirage Mesa, but they could wait until tomorrow.

Right now, all that really mattered was that Liam wanted Ethan and her with him, which meant he had told her the truth last night about how he felt.

The plane hurtled forward on a surge of power and speed and was airborne within seconds.

"Why are we going to Mirage Mesa? Are we going to Mia’s and Neil’s place?" she asked.

"Yes, we are going to them, and they are making grand arrangements for our wedding tomorrow."

Rayne was at a loss for words and stared at him as if she’d misheard him.

He remembered a flight he’d made from the island to Zen when he’d thought she was lost to him. Then he slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and retrieved a little white box, flipping it open to reveal a glimmering diamond ring.

To Rayne’s astonishment, he picked up the ring and looked her in the eyes with tenderness and affection in his dark orbs, leaving no mistaking his intentions as he said, "Will you be my wife?"

Rayne’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing with a symphony of love and hope. She felt like the world had stopped, with only Liam’s eyes anchoring her in the moment. She was overwhelmed with emotions, her thoughts a whirlwind of memories and dreams. Every beat of her heart seemed to whisper his name, and she could feel the love she’d harbored for him all these years swelling within her, ready to burst.

When Rayne didn’t move and was still staring at him, Liam felt anxious for the first time about a woman’s feelings. He then added, "Rayne," he called her name, almost sounding desperate. "I’m madly in love with you."

A tear slipped down her cheek. In response, Rayne lifted his hand and pressed his bruised knuckles to her cheek as she nodded, too happy to even open her mouth to say yes. Every beat of her heart felt like a symphony of love, joy, and the promise of a future she had always dreamed of but never thought possible.