Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

Chapter 87

Chapter 87

I should hand over the file.

K 91% #

Liam is watching me. Waiting. His fingers tap an impatient rhythm against his desk, but he doesn't say anything. Doesn't push. He's giving me a chance to do the right thing, or the wrong thing-depends on which side of the moral fence you're

1. on.

It's just a file. It's just information. It's just words on a goddamn page.

Except it isn't.

I feel it in my gut, twisting, gnawing at the edges of my resolve like a starving animal.

If I hand this over, I get access to the Imperial Archives. A golden fucking ticket to everything I've been searching for. Every answer. Every secret buried under years of corruption and power struggles. My parents. My pack. The truth about what happened to them.

But when my fingers tighten around the file, I don't see words or pages. I see Enoch's hands. The way they held my face like I was something breakable. The way they pinned me down, firm, steady, unshakable. I hear his laugh-low, unguarded, meant only for me.

Maldives. The way he looked at me under the moonlight, his gaze soft, almost fragile, like he was terrified of losing me.

That same fucker left me.

I swallow hard and rip myself from the memory. Not the time, Taryn.

I need to decide. Now.

Liam exhales sharply, the sound pulling me back into his office. His brows lift, but he still doesn't say anything. He's waiting for me to crack first. Smart man.

I force my shoulders to straighten and meet his gaze. "I'll think about it."

Liam's expression doesn't change. His fingers stop drumming against the desk. Just for a second. Barely noticeable. But I see it. A flicker of something-suspicion, calculation, patience wearing thin.

Then, just as quickly, his mouth twitches into something that resembles a smirk but doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Think fast," he says. "Opportunities don't wait forever."

No shit.'

I nod, gripping the file tighter before turning toward the door. But before I can step

out, Liam's voice cuts through the space between us.

"Taryn."

I pause. Don't turn around.

"You remember what you came here for, right?" His voice is smooth. Controlled. Deadly.

My throat tightens.

Yeah. I remember.

I just don't know if I can do it.

12:43 Thu, 3 Apr

Chapter 87

Not yet

Not like this.

throwing her stuff into her bag when I make it back to our desks. Her long, manicured nails clack against her phone screen as she types furiously, probably

me guess," I say, dropping into my chair. "You're either abandoning me for another Italian,

fuck, barely speaks English but knows how to say bellissima like a goddamn poet?" She fans herself dramatically, eyes gleaming with pure, unrepentant thirst. "Tonight's the night, T. He's getting it.

fucking God, if Zoe talks about one more Italian

shake my head, laughing.

a beat. "What, still caught up on the mystery Lycan? Or maybe- she leans in, waggling

on my water. "Liam? Fuck

twirls a pen between her fingers, practically vibrating in her chair as she leans closer. "So... did he scold

Liam. The grumpy, soul-sucking boss from hell. The one who acts like my very existence is a personal inconvenience to him. If I had a dollar for every time he sighed in my direction, I'd be rich enough to

I shrug. "Nope."

squints. "No way. Liam Calloway didn't get on your ass for once? That's gotta be

in my sleep," I say dryly,

I have

Here we go.

pulls her chair closer, eyes gleaming with excitement. "So, I kinda-okay, no, I totally-need you to

a hand. "Fine, I'll

She blinks. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah."

again. "You never volunteer for

Go have

shit. “Uh-huh. That's why

I

shoulder, clearly unconvinced but too busy thinking about her bellissimo one-night stand to press further. "You're a saint for covering me,

die

2/4

91%

Chapter 87

via sex-induced cardiac arrest."

put me

a kiss before disappearing out

And then I'm alone.

until the last coworker waves goodbye.

I smile. "I won't."

Liar.

the occasional creak of the old building settling. A few more final goodbyes echo in the hallway, followed by the sound of the elevator doors

Then silence.

from my desk and

This is it.

slip out of my heels and move quietly,

to the secretary's desk. My pulse ticks faster. My hands already know what to

Liam's office keys.

drawers, flipping through files, searching for the one thing that could

under lock and key, which is fucking annoying. But I've done this before-with Enoch's office. This? This is child's

fingers brush against a

Bingo.

them, take a breath, and head

Almost

a deep breath, steady my nerves, and slowly push

scent of ink, coffee, and something uniquely Liam-probably

like him. Sharp, clean, something expensive and

better-Liam's not the kind of man who leaves things