Liam turned and walked toward the restaurant, so quickly and firmly she couldn’t have grabbed his hand again if she’d wanted to.

Kelly followed him up the stairs and across the deck, the empty deck with its picnic tables inches deep in snow. He reached for the door, found it unlocked and pushed it open. They stepped into the restaurant. It was empty and dark. Chairs were stacked upside down on empty tables.

As the door clicked shut between them, a young man in a thick beard stepped out from behind it and pressed the barrel of a gun into the side of Liam’s head.

“Down on your knees.” The voice was low and mean. His face was lost in shadows and the click of the gun was unmistakable. “You’re about to learn what happens to someone who tries to lie to Bill Leckie, and it ain’t going to be pretty.”