Free Liam: Branded Brothers by Raen Smith Page A

closed her eyes, fighting back the tears. After her
step-father’s funeral, her mother fell into a deeper state of addiction and was
admitted to a rehab facility for three months. Charla moved in with her aunt
for the remainder of high school even though her mother finally emerged sober
and stayed that way for the next two years. Charla was eighteen when her mother
went back to hitting the bottle again.
    “I just wonder if things would have been different,” Charla
said. “If she wouldn’t have gone back to it. Maybe she’d be in a better place
now.”
    “If that better place is six feet under,” Jill said. “That
man would have killed her, Charla. You know that. Even worse, you might not be
sitting here. And what the hell would I do without you?”
    “Find a better best friend who doesn’t complain when she
whips you into shape,” Charla said, making some small circles with her arms.
“My arms are still sore from all those curls.”
    “Beauty hurts, Charla,” Jill replied with a smile. “Get out
your list.”
    “I’m fine, Jill. Jesus, I’ve just had a lot on my mind with
Jack and everything else.”
    “Get out the list. Not only am I your personal trainer, I am
your counselor since you refuse to go see anyone.”
    “Fine,” Charla said, pulling a sheet of paper from her
purse. She obliged because Jill was a damn good friend.
    “Read it,” Jill said.
    Charla looked down at the paper and recited the lines, “One,
I am beautiful, strong, intelligent, and the most giving person I have ever
met. Two, I deserve a man who is willing to treat me as the woman stated in
number one. Three, I will, no matter the circumstance, pick myself up and be
open to falling in love again.”
    Charla looked up to see Jill nodding her head with her eyes
closed.
    “Happy?” Charla asked, folding the piece of paper and shoving
it in her purse. Before Jill could reply, Charla’s cell phone rang on the
table. She glanced down to see Liam Murphy’s name appear on the screen. She
looked back up at Jill, letting the phone ring.
    “Well, are you going to answer it?” Jill asked, leaning
forward to look at the screen. “Who’s Liam Murphy?”
    Charla snagged the phone off the table and held it in her
lap. She didn’t want to get into everything with Jill here. In fact, she wasn’t
sure what she was supposed to say about Liam Murphy other than he’s a hot Irish
bartender and Jack’s secret son. That would take some explaining. “No one.”
    Jill raised her eyebrows and shot her an accusing look. “Who
is Liam Murphy?”
    Charla hit the green button and put the phone up to her ear.
“Hello?”
    “Charla?” Liam’s voice was even sexier over the phone than
in person.
    A surge of warmth sparked through Charla’s veins. “I didn’t
think I’d hear from you so soon.” Her voice dripped with a surprisingly flirty
tone.
    Jill mouthed a big “WHAT?” She held her mouth agape as she
leaned forward. Charla waved her off as she felt her cheeks flush.
    “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Liam asked.
    “I don’t know.” Charla laughed nervously. “Just is, I
guess.”
    “What the hell is going on?” Jill whispered with wide eyes.
    “I need your help,” Liam said. “You open the rest of the
day?”
    “Well, I just sat down for lunch with a friend…”
    “Meet me at Dirty Leprechaun in an hour. I got a lead on my
brother.”
    “Sure, I …uh…” Charla licked her lips and tried to cover the
stutter in her voice.
    “See you then. Oh yeah, and bring my clothes.”
    Click.
    Charla pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at
Jill.
    “Who the hell was that?” Jill asked. “Did you forget to tell
me something? I talked to you yesterday and the day before that and the day before
that. What the hell did I miss?”
    “Liam Murphy,” Charla said, sliding the phone into her
purse. “And there’s nothing to tell other than he’s a gorgeous, tattooed Irish
bartender/bounty hunter who also happens to be