Chapter 113: First Light
The early morning light slipped through the curtains in thin, pale lines.
Grace was still wrapped around him, her face pressed against his chest, one leg thrown over his.
Even in sleep her fingers stayed curled lightly against his skin, as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. Liam lay still for a long while, listening to her soft, even breathing, feeling the warmth of her body against his.
The room still carried the quiet scent of the night before skin, faint perfume, and the lingering heat of everything they had done.
When he finally shifted, the movement woke her.
Grace’s eyes opened slowly. For a second she looked confused, still caught between sleep and waking. Then she realized exactly where she was and who she was holding.
A deep shy flush rose from her chest all the way to her cheeks. She tried to pull back, embarrassed by how tightly she had been clinging to him, but Liam kept one arm firmly around her waist.
After a brief, hesitant struggle she settled again, hiding her face against his chest instead of looking at him.
They stayed like that for a long time.
Grace’s hand moved in small, hesitant strokes across his skin, tracing slow patterns over his ribs and the muscles of his chest.
She still couldn’t hold his gaze for more than a second at a time, but she made no real effort to leave the bed.
Every now and then she would press her face closer against him, breathing him in, before going still again. The silence between them was soft and heavy with everything the long night had held.
Liam brushed her hair back from her face with careful fingers. Grace’s eyes fluttered shut at the touch."I have to go," he said quietly.
Her fingers tightened on him for a moment, gripping harder than before. Then, slowly, they loosened. She nodded against his chest without speaking.
When he finally sat up and began gathering his clothes from the floor, she pulled the blanket higher around her bare shoulders and watched him from the bed.
Her eyes were quiet and full of emotion she didn’t try to hide. She followed every movement he made the way he pulled on his pants, the way he buttoned his shirt as if memorizing it.
At the bedroom door she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper."Will you... come back?"
Liam stopped and looked at her. Soft, flushed, still marked by the night, holding the blanket around herself with both hands. The morning light caught the faint marks he had left on her neck and the upper curve of her breasts.
"Yes," he said.
A small, genuine smile touched her lips before she looked down again, shy once more.
He left the house quietly. Outside, the matte-black Challenger sat in the driveway, its surface catching the early sunlight.
Liam glanced at it once, then walked away.By the time he returned to the villa, the sun was fully up.
The gates opened for him without a sound. stepped out, and walked inside. The house felt larger and quieter after the soft warmth of Grace’s bedroom.
He moved through the main rooms out of habit, checking the security feeds on the wall panel. Everything was green. No alerts.
No unexpected movement along the perimeter. He continued into the kitchen, set his phone on the counter, and poured a glass of cold water.
A soft chime sounded in his mind.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Qualified MILF Expenditure Confirmed
Amount: $750,000
Cashback Rate: 5x
Returned: $3,750,000
New Balance Updated
Liam read the notification once and dismissed it. The System had already deposited the full return into his account. The Challenger had cost him nothing in the end.
In fact, it had left him with a significant profit. He took a slow drink of water and set the glass down.
He had only been back a few minutes when the phone vibrated against the counter.
Dexter.Liam answered on the second ring.
"You’re a hard man to reach in the mornings," Dexter said. His voice was the same calm, measured tone as always the voice of a man who rarely needed to raise it.
"What is it?" We have a lead on Ben. Liam stayed silent, waiting.
"One of my people picked up movement two nights ago. He’s not as far as we thought. Still inside the state. Moving carefully, changing locations, but not carefully enough."
Dexter paused for a moment. "I would appreciate your help on this. You have a personal stake in keeping Claire clear of the whole mess. I respect that. This stays between us." No one else?
"No one else," Dexter confirmed. "You and me. And the few men I trust to keep their mouths shut. No wider circles. No outside players."
Liam turned and looked out through the long glass wall at the private grounds. The grass was still damp with morning dew.
Ben had been a loose end since the night in the parking garage the original reason Claire had been targeted in the first place.
As long as he remained free, there would always be a chance the trouble could circle back to her. Dexter offering a direct lead, and keeping the entire matter tightly controlled, was the cleanest path available.
"Send me the details," Liam said.Already did.The line went dead without another word.
Liam set the phone down and opened the message that had arrived during the call. A location. A narrow window of time.
A short note that Ben was expected to move again within the next forty-eight hours. The information was precise and limited exactly the way Dexter preferred to work.
He closed the message and stood there for a moment longer, the quiet of the villa settling around him again.
Grace’s soft warmth was still on his skin. The Challenger sat in her driveway across the city.
The System had already returned three million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars on the car.
Sandra was running the logistics company without needing his constant attention. His mother’s security detail was active and unremarkable.
And now Ben had finally resurfaced, close enough to reach.Liam turned away from the glass wall and walked toward the stairs.
The next move was already clear.