Leverage (The Brannock Siblings) (9 page)

They both hopped into Rains' car and drove off to go find
something to eat and pump themselves full of coffee.

"You hear from Brannock's kids yet? Are they headed in
already?"

"Yeah, I spoke with Con and Gus. They're coming to help
out with all the arrangements," Lucas replied.

"That's good. Give them my regards, would ya?"

Lucas nodded.

"What about Aislinn?"

Lucas hadn't been paying much attention in the first place,
he was too busy thinking about what they had found in her locket, but the
mention of Aislinn made his head snap up.

"What about her?"

Rains glanced at him warily before turning his eyes back to
the road. "Is she on her way in, too? Figured she show up with her
brothers."

"Oh, yeah… yeah, I'm sure she is. Didn't really talk to
her."

"Hmmm. Well you'll get the chance in a few days. You
think it's going to be weird to see her after so long? Wonder if she's changed
at all."

Lucas felt his fists close and tighten, stretching the skin
of his knuckles until they turned white. He didn't want Rains or anyone else
thinking about Aislinn or how much she had changed over the years. She was even
more beautiful than before and everyone would see it. He had never been a
really possessive man, but it was different with Ash. They had already had
enough obstacles to climb over in their lives, he wasn't about to welcome more.

"Did you see her a lot before she left?" he asked
his partner, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn't want to talk about her,
but he needed to keep up the pretense that she wasn't in town yet.

"Here and there. I had only been working here for a
couple years before she left, so I only ever saw her when she would come in to
visit her dad or show up to an event. She was something else, though. No wonder
you're in love with her."

Lucas felt like his teeth were going to crack with how tight
his jaw was clamping down. He had thought it was safe for the man to know his
feelings about Ash, but he was realizing it was going to cause a problem in
more ways than one.

"Hey, man. I'm just trying to get a rise out of you.
You are probably nervous to see her. I should be more sensitive, I guess,"
Justin said with a hint of mockery.

Lucas took a deep breath and looked out of his window,
keeping his eye on the diner they were just pulling into. "Nah, I'm
nervous, but that's just because I feel bad about the captain. They were pretty
much my family growing up. I don't have time for a relationship anyway, buts se
won't want anything to do with me even if I did."

"Well, if she finds out you were doing the hanky panky
this morning, probably not," he laughed.

Lucas needed to change the subject and fast. "Hanky
panky? What are you, 80? Who says that anymore? You're paying by the way."
Then he climbed out of the car and strolled to the front door of the diner.

He checked his phone to see if he had any messages from Con
or Gus. They should be getting in at any time. It was late afternoon and they
each had early flights. He decided that he was going to head home after he and
Rains ate. They both needed to sleep anyway or they would be completely
worthless.

They ate in silence and didn't discuss the case or the
Brannock's anymore.

Fortunately, Justin agreed with his plan to head home and
dropped him off at his car when they got back to the station.

"See you tomorrow, Shade."

He waved and climbed into his car. He shouldn't have gotten
so upset when Justin had asked about Ash. He needed to get that under control,
otherwise, it would be too obvious to whoever was watching. His feelings for
her could put her in real danger.

His phone beeped and he struggled to pull it out of his
pocket.

Con: Just got to the house, had to wait for Gus to land.

He typed a quick reply and started his car. They would be
wanting to come over to see Ash, but wouldn't be able to until he got back.

He needed just a minute with her alone first, though. He
didn't know what she was planning on telling her brothers about the two of
them, and if she wanted to tell them the truth, he needed to be ready for the
ass kicking that was coming his way.

***

Ash was waiting anxiously for him in the living room when he
walked in and jumped off the couch when he looked her way.

"Conall texted that you were on your way so they could
come over."

"Good. They are anxious to see you I'm sure."

She nodded and nervously glanced to the door before licking
her lips and hesitating. "Do you think we should…"

"That's up to you, baby," he said and pulled her
in for a hug. "I'm ready when you are."

"Oh God, they are going to beat the shit out of you, I
just know it."

He chuckled into her hair and kissed the top of her head
before pulling back to look in her eyes, "It'll be worth it. I've been
anticipating it for a long time anyway."

Before she could argue with him, someone started pounding on
the door and shouting.

"Hey, asshat, get your ass over here and open the God
damn door before we kick it in. I know you've got your hands on my sister and I
can't wait to break them off."

Fergus.

Lucas stepped away from her and she stiffened.

"Yeah, we can see you. You need some better curtains if
you are going to sneak around behind our back, Shady!"

"They still call you that?" Ash chuckled.

Lucas shook his head and sighed, "Just Fergus. He can't
think of anything better."

He took a fortifying breath and yanked the door open,
immediately putting his hands out in front of him to stop any kind of frontal
assault. Fergus pushed through and wrapped his fists in his jacket to shove him
against the wall behind him.

"Did I seriously just see you hug my sister?" he
demanded quietly. He looked bigger than Lucas remembered, like he had been
working out more frequently, and his clean shaven face was formed into the most
menacing look he had ever seen.

Conall was right behind him, but he at least had the frame
of mind to look Ash's way first. "Is that true, Ash?" he asked her.

She looked like she was trying to decide whether to hug her
oldest brother or rip the other one apart. Lucas watched her, hoping she would
leave the room while her brothers did what he expected and broke his face.
Instead, she got a fire in her stormy grey eyes. The same fire that made his
heart beat faster and his pants tighten. She was exquisite when she was mad,
especially when she was mad at her brothers.

"Fergus Sharon Brannock! You get your hands off of him
right now or I swear to God I will smother you in your sleep and
this time
I'll succeed."

Lucas looked back at Gus, meeting his eyes courageously,
trying to hide both the fact that he was truly scared of him and the growing
hardness that Ash was causing him down below.

Gus' lips twitched with amusement and he slowly released his
hold on Lucas. "So, you finally stopped being a pussy, eh Luke? Finally
admitted the truth that we all knew?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked nervously,
wondering if this was a test.

Con stepped beside his brother and helped him smooth out his
jacket. "We know you've always had a thing for our sister. We just didn't
realize you were in love with her until you threatened us with our lives to get
her flight. Looks like you finally gave up the act. Took you long enough,
dumbass."

He stared at both of them incredulously. He knew he had been
a head case that day, but didn't think they knew it was because he was in
love
with her. He told them he just wanted to tell her goodbye and smooth things
over with her. Told them he didn't want them all to part ways with her being so
upset about what had happened.

"You think we believed that you just wanted to make
sure she didn't leave town mad at us?" Fergus asked him with a smile.
"She can't stay mad at us no matter what we do. Right, little
sister?"

Lucas was still trying to process the fact that he was just
terrible at hiding things from them. All of them, except Ash.

"In your dreams,
Share Bear
," Ash replied.

Gus growled and stalked toward her. "How many times do
I have to tell you to stop calling me that? It's not
my
fault Dad took
the meaning literally. You can at least be sympathetic about it." He
pulled her into a hug and lifted her off the ground.

"You are right. You were an accident. Mom didn't
realize how fertile she actually was. Sharon means 'fertile plain', so what?
None of us blame you, Gus Gus, it's just the only thing I've got on you."

"Holy shit, I missed you, Ash," he said and
squeezed her tighter as she wrapped her arms around him in return.

"I missed you, too, but keep your hands off of
Lucas."

He only guffawed in response, but Lucas knew her brothers
would do anything for her right now.

He turned his eyes back to Conall who was still staring him
down, but looking slightly amused. You could never tell with him. He was always
so stoic and serious, one of the things Lucas picked up himself. Con always
looked rough, like he had just had one hell of a night. He was rarely clean
shaven like his younger brother, always sporting some kind of scruff that made
the ladies go wild for him. He looked the most like his father and his blue
eyes held the slightest hint of mischief that always contradicted with his
serious expression.

"Conall."

"Luke."

"Go ahead and take your turn. I've been waiting for
it."

Instead of doing something to hurt him, Conall threw his
arms around his friend and slapped his back in a brotherly hug. "Glad she
has you. Thanks for taking care of her."

Lucas hugged him back almost sagging to the floor in relief.
"I'll always take care of her."

Conall pulled away with one hand squeezing his shoulder and
nodded. "That's why we haven't killed you."

Lucas laughed weakly and watched the oldest Brannock sibling
pick up his little sister in his signature bear hug and kiss her on the cheek.

"How you doing, kid?"

Ash wiped at her eyes, unable to hold back the emotion of
reuniting with her brothers. "I'm okay. Just miss him."

"We'll find these guys, Ash. We won't leave until we
do."

"You got that right," Fergus chimed in, already
heading to the kitchen to raid the fridge. "Hey Luke, you got a bottle? I
think we all need to lift a glass to the old man."

"Shelf above the fridge, Gus. The captain's
favorite."

"Tullamore Dew. Damn it's been a while since I've had
that," Con chuckled.

Ash was watching Lucas with watery eyes and a sad smile on
her face. "Why do you have that?"

He walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her
shoulders, flinching when Conall raised his hand to smack him, but pulled back
at the last second… reluctantly.

"Sorry, Luke. Habit."

Ash shook her head and rolled her eyes, but focused on
Lucas. He looked down at her wondering if he had ever seen her look more
beautiful.

If
the guys knew I was thinking like a total
pussy…

"Your dad brought it over last week. Said it was a
thank you for keeping an eye on you." He didn't realize it until now that
it was to prepare them all for what he knew would happen.

The tears that she had been trying to hold back spilled over
and he pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, baby."

Conall was watching them closely and Lucas wondered if he
was still trying to decide whether or not to pummel him. Then he nodded to
Lucas and walked into the kitchen.

He leaned down and softly wiped her tears away with his
fingertips. "Let's have a drink. Your dad is probably waiting for it and I
know it will make all of you feel better."

She nodded and let him lead her into the kitchen where
Fergus had already poured four glasses of the only whiskey their father ever
drank.

It was a tradition in the Brannock family to 'lift a glass
to the fallen one', as William Brannock always said. He remembered the first
taste of liquor he ever had was the night Isabelle Brannock died. The captain
didn't worry about the legality of it, he just poured each of his children a
glass, then handed one over to Lucas. They spent the rest of the night
remembering the woman who had loved them all to her dying breath. They had
laughed, cried, argued… doing the things that Isabelle would have wanted them
to do, together.

When the night had faded and the next day arrived, they
started planning the funeral together as a family. Ash had the hardest time
with losing her mother, but being a Brannock meant having the world's greatest
support system. They loved each other like a family should and Lucas had always
wanted that for himself. Even though they had accepted him as one of their own,
it hadn't replace his mother's ignorance toward him.

Fergus raised his glass and stared into the golden liquid
with a smile. "You remember the day Aunt Neddy passed away, Con? Dad tried
to sneak us a drink with him and Uncle Trick, but Mark told on him and Mom came
bursting into the room like a bull on steroids," he chuckled. "The
look on Dad's face was priceless."

"Priceless!" We all repeated and each tipped our
glasses and drank.

Ash started coughing from the burn and Con and Gus laughed
while I pounded on her back.

"I'm okay," she gasped and started giggling.
"It's been a while and I don't remember that."

"You were 7, Ash," Fergus stated. "Mom kept
you away because I'm pretty sure she suspected Dad would do that. Didn't want
her sweet little angel to get drunk."

Lucas laughed and kissed the top of her head, this time
flinching when Fergus moved to climb over the counter to smack him. Thankfully,
Conall held him back.