by S L Davies
She could see it, there wasn’t an ugly man that worked for the Murphy family, it wasn’t by design. It just turned out that way. Maybe it was just something in the Northern Irish water. By the time Branwen was ready to claw the tubes from her arms out of her veins and demand that Karney take her home, the door opened, and Carter strutted in, with a slight frown on his brow.
“Fuckin’ hell Little Raven, this is a fuckin’ mess,” he growled as he came towards the bed.
“What is the mess exactly? The fact that the Ricci family launched a fucking attack on my family, or that I’m like a sitting fucking duck in a hospital bed,” she snapped.
Carter shook his head and raised his hand, “the whole lot is a mess. Look, you had to know that Frank Ricci wasn’t going to go away, he was going to want retaliation, I never thought it would be to your home, but that’s what he did. The good news is, that the Ricci family is completely leaderless, and more than eighty percent of their employees are dead. The family is in shock. I went to see Frank’s wife - she didn’t even know that they were a crime family.”
Karney snorted, “how the fuck didn’t she know they were a fucking crime family, where did she think their money came from?”
Carter shrugged his shoulders and lifted his palms, “I’ve no idea, but she seemed genuine. The point is, that I don’t think anyone is going to be taking Frank’s place as the head of the Ricci family.”
Branwen didn’t think that Carter could be sure of that. Even if Frank’s wife didn’t know that the Ricci family operated above the law, it didn’t mean that Frank wouldn’t have had someone to take over should he die early.
“Well we will face it when the time comes, what were the results of the DNA test?” she asked.
Carter nodded and pulled out a sheet of folded paper, he handed it over to Branwen, “you are the baby that was abducted from Australia,” he explained.
Branwen felt the air rush from her as she looked down at the results that confirmed that she was the biological daughter of Audrey and Benjamin Tomlinson. Tears welled up in her eyes as the page blurred and she felt the moisture fall down her cheeks. She had wondered over the past couple of weeks, what her life would have been like had she never been taken from that hospital. She would have never had Da and Uncle Dyfed in her life, Mam she wouldn’t have known. Not to mention never having the opportunity to know Karney, Finnbarr and Kodiak. In a sense she wished that she had never been taken, but at the same time, she was glad that fate had stepped in. She didn’t remember the early years, before her da and Uncle Dyfed found her, so she couldn’t find regret in that. Her life with her da and mam was about as perfect as it could get.
Kodiak put his arm gently across her shoulders and pulled her in, just as a sob escaped her lips. Branwen crushed the sheet of paper to Kodiak’s chest as she sobbed into his shirt.
Chapter Twenty
Branwen had sobbed into Kodiak’s shirt until her eyes were red and puffy. She had drifted off to sleep, with Kodiak still holding onto her, and the piece of paper with the DNA proof clutched in her hand. She didn’t know why it was so important for her to hold onto that bit of evidence, but she couldn’t bring herself to let it go.
Once Branwen woke up she looked around and saw that Finnbarr was sitting in the seat watching her sleep, she gave him a lazy smile, which he returned with one of his dazzling smiles that lit up his entire face.
“Hey there sweetheart, how you doin’?” he asked.
“I’m okay, I want to go home,” Branwen complained.
Finnbarr nodded his head and leaned forward taking her hand in his, “you will, in a couple of days,” he said as he ran his thumb along the underside of her wrist in a soothing motion.
Branwen nodded and sighed, she looked down in her lap, where the paper with the DNA results on it laid. Finnbarr noticed her look and squeezed her hand, “what do you want to do about it?” he asked.
Branwen shook her head before giving a shrug, “I don’t know. These people, they might not want to meet me, not when they find out the life, I’ve grown up in. I mean I don’t know anything about them.”
“Kodiak is investigating them, he has been over the last two weeks, I think he didn’t want to give you the information until we knew for sure whether they were you parents,” Finnbarr explained.
“They aren’t my parents. My parents were Da and Mam, these people yeah, biologically speaking I came from them, but they aren’t my parents,” she growled.
Finnbarr clutched her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips, kissing them gently. “I’m glad, I was worried,” he said.
Branwen frowned and looked at Finnbarr, “worried? About what?” she asked.
Finnbarr sat back in the chair and sighed, as he ran his hand up over his face, “I was worried that you would want to go back to those people and would forget about us, forget about the Murphy family.”
Branwen shook her head, “no, that will never happen. I admit that I’m curious about these people and I wouldn’t mind meeting them, but I am a Murphy, no DNA test is going to stop that. I’m proud of my family, and I’m not leaving until I’m in a pine box being buried.”
Finnbarr smiled and nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with her answer. She had spoken the truth. Her curiosity was piqued, Branwen wanted to meet Audrey and Benjamin, she wanted to meet her younger brothers and sister, she wanted to understand where her roots started. However, nothing they could say or do would convince her to walk away from Karney, Finnbarr and Kodiak or the Murphy and Isakov families. They were her life and they were the ones that meant the world to her. As she was lost in thought the door swung open and Kodiak came into the room.
“Little Raven,” he said with a smile as he leaned forward and kissed her gently.
“Finnbarr told me that you had been investigating Audrey and Benjamin Tomlinson, will you tell me about them?” she asked.
Kodiak shot Finnbarr a glare that told Branwen, that he wasn’t supposed to tell her what Kodiak had been up to. Kodiak sat in the chair on the other side of the bed and took her other hand in his with a nod.
“Well Audrey is forty-seven, and Benjamin is fifty. You have three younger brothers, Harley, Ryan and Colton. As well as a younger sister called Adaline. Harley is eighteen, Ryan is seventeen, Colton is fifteen and Adaline is twelve,” Kodiak explained, there was two years between her and her next youngest sibling. “According to the birth announcement they put in the paper your name was Chloe Emily, and you’re actually twenty-three years old.”
Branwen’s eyes widened, she was three years older than she realised. She knew that her da and Uncle Dyfed just estimated her age. They said she was small and malnourished. She must have been tiny for them to underestimate her age by three years. That meant she was five when they found her, not two like they assumed.
“Jesus,” she whispered, Finnbarr squeezed her hand. “That makes me the same age as Karney.”
She looked between Finnbarr and Kodiak with wide eyes. Kodiak gave her a small smile and nodded his head. “What else do you know about them?” she asked.
Kodiak reached into his back pocket, pulling out a photo of a family, her heart started to beat erratically in her chest, as she looked down into the face of her biological family. Looking at Audrey, Branwen was stunned, she could have easily passed as being Branwen’s older sister. She had the same black hair that Branwen had, the dark chocolate eyes. They were virtually identical. Benjamin’s hair was brown, but they didn’t really look alike. The one thing that she noticed about Benjamin was that he looked tired. Not like he was overworked, but weary to the soul. It was a look that many people wore that held a guilty conscience. She wondered what he felt guilty about.
Kodiak pointed to each person in the picture, none of the kids looked a like. Where Branwen was identical to Audrey, all the boys were vastly different. Harley had blonde hair and startling blue eyes, he could have been Karney’s brother, rather than belonging to Audrey and Benjamin. Ryan had red hair and Co
lton, who was the closest to Branwen in looks had black hair, but he had dark skin, compared to Branwen and Audrey’s alabaster skin. Adaline had strawberry blonde hair and green eyes.
“Something isn’t sitting right with this,” she said with a frown.
Kodiak and Finnbarr looked at her and shook their heads, “what do you mean?” Kodiak asked.
“Benjamin,” she said pointing to his photo, “when I look at his face, it’s a face I recognise, it’s the face of the guilty. And Harley, look how angry he is, I don’t know maybe this photo just gives off a weird vibe, but I think there is more to them and my story than we know. But also, the kids they all look so different, like they aren’t really their biological children. Is there anything about them having adopted?”
Kodiak shook his head, “no, but I agree with you, it was something that I noticed too. Colton, there is no way he belongs to either Audrey or Benjamin biologically. He is too dark skinned for that.”
“Yeah, but if he isn’t theirs, then there should be some kind of record about the Tomlinson’s adopting or fostering children.”
“You’re right. I’ll research it more, but for now, do you want to meet them?” Kodiak asked.
Branwen bit her lip and sighed, before nodding her head, “yeah, I think I do.”
Kodiak and Finnbarr both nodded, “then we will organise to meet them,” Finnbarr said, squeezing her hand again.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I can’t believe I never knew that your father had a private fucking jet. How did we not know this?” Karney said for the fifteenth time since they had boarded onto the Isakov jet in an unmarked hanger.
Kodiak shrugged his shoulder and gave a small smile, it was the same smile he always gave, as he gently ran a soothing thumb over Branwen’s palm. “Are you comfortable?” Kodiak asked her.
She looked over and smiled, nodding her head. She was glad when Andre suggested that they fly on a private jet rather than commercial, it meant she had more room to rest her leg. Branwen had spent the last week in the hospital which just about killed her with boredom. Once Kodiak had reached a point where he couldn’t find anything else about the Tomlinson’s, they decided that they would fly to Melbourne, Australia to meet Branwen’s biological family.
Branwen hadn’t spoken with the family yet, all the communication had been handled by Carter. He said that he hadn’t told the Tomlinson’s who Branwen was and the family she had grown up in. She hoped that she would be able to hide that little fact for as long as possible. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of the Murphy family, quite the opposite, but the last thing she wanted was to terrify these people. Especially considering Carter said they were excited about meeting her.
Speaking of the detective who was currently white knuckling the edges of the seat, his jaw tense and his eyes closed. “Carter, you don’t like flying?” she asked quietly.
Carter didn’t open his eyes, instead just shaking his head. Karney chuckled, as he flagged the flight attendant down, “could we have a whiskey for the good detective?” he asked, when she came towards Karney.
“Of course, sir,” she said with a smile that was slightly too flirty and wide for Branwen’s liking. Karney nodded his head and turned back to Branwen with a grin that said she hadn’t been able to school her face fast enough and he had noticed the spike of jealousy that ran through her eyes.
They had been in the air for only two hours, that meant eighteen more hours, of Ms too smiley flight attendant. Branwen ground her teeth together and closed her eyes. If Carter didn’t die of a heart attack from his anxiety first, Branwen thought that he might end up covering up the flight attendants murder, by the time they reached Australia. Kodiak ran his fingers along her arm, drawing her attention to him.
“Ignore her, she is nothing,” he whispered quietly in her ear.
Branwen gave a small head nod and smile, before blowing out a breath. Eighteen hours, she only had to make it through the next eighteen hours.
***
“Please, Miss Murphy, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that all these men belonged to you,” the flight attendant said with wide eyes and her hands raised.
Branwen sat in her chair, with the barrel of her gun pointed at the flight attendant, who she had just caught sitting in Finnbarr’s lap, offering sexual favours with flirty whispers in Finnbarr’s ear. “Little Raven,” Finnbarr said.
Branwen spun the barrel in his direction and raised an eyebrow at him, “you were gonna sit there and let that whore wriggle all over your lap?” Branwen asked incredulously.
Finnbarr’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “oh Jesus, no, she literally sat in my lap, as you came into the room, I was about to push her off when you shouted. Baby, never, ever am I interested any other woman, you are my only girl, I promise you that.”
“Just as fucking well,” Branwen growled as she turned the gun back towards the flight attendant, who was sat on the floor of the cabin between the chairs. She had leaped off Finnbarr’s lap when Branwen roared and pulled her gun.
“How about you don’t shoot the flight attendant Little Raven, especially in front of a fucking cop, and why the fuck do you have a gun on the plane anyway?” Carter said from the seat he hadn’t moved from the whole flight.
“I’m always armed,” Branwen answered before turning back to the flight attendant who was visibly shaking and pale, “you, you are lucky that I love Andre as if he were my own da, just remember that is the only reason you allowed to live today. But remember this, you touch one of my men, again, you even look at one of my men, even fucking think about them and you will wish I only shot you.”
The flight attendant nodded her head emphatically, before she stood on shaking legs and ran for the back of the plane where the kitchen was situated. Branwen looked over her shoulder and watched the flight attendant flee.
“Seriously girl, you are more unhinged than your fuckin’ Uncle Dyfed, I swear I sometimes wonder how you weren’t actually both blood related,” Carter groaned.
Branwen shrugged her shoulder and gave a small smile, “he taught me well.”
Carter snorted and shook his head before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes.
“Little Raven, why is the flight attendant a sobbing mess in the kitchen?” Kodiak asked from behind her as he walked down the aisle of the plane.
Branwen looked over her shoulder at the beautiful dark haired, dark eyed, Russian man coming down the aisle. She flashed him a small smile of innocence before looking back at Finnbarr and glaring. Branwen stood with her crutches wedged under her arms and turned towards the bedroom.
“I don’t know, maybe ask your lover,” she said as she passed Kodiak towards the bedroom where Karney was still sleeping.
As she passed the kitchen, she could hear the inconsolable sobs from the flight attendant. The sound should make Branwen feel guilty, but she couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her lips.
“What did you do?” Karney asked watching her with his hands up behind his head, as she hopped her way into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
“What makes you think I did anything?” Branwen asked.
Karney snorted and shook his head, “there is a woman wailing, a woman who has been hitting on your men since we got on this plane, I dunno Little Raven, why would I think you did something?”
Branwen laughed and sat on the edge of the bed, lifting her leg onto the pillow that was laid out for her cast. “I caught her sitting on Finnbarr’s lap, so I pulled a gun on her.”
“Jesus, and you let Finnbarr live?” Karney barked out a laugh.
“I’m not completely heartless, but I did point the gun at him too,” she said with a slight smirk.
Karney chuckled before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Branwen moaned into his mouth, as she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. Karney pressed open mouthed kisses down over her cheeks and chin, nuzzling on the sensitive skin under her ear and her throat. The guys had been so gentle
with her, not wanting to hurt her further. To say she was rampantly horny was an understatement.
“Karney?” Branwen asked looking up at him.
Karney frowned and looked down at her, his blue eyes almost glowing in the low light of the cabin. “Did I hurt you?” he asked.
Branwen smiled and shook her head, “no, I was just going to ask that you don’t stop until we both had our fill.”
Karney chuckled and kissed her forehead, “it will be my pleasure,” he said as he continued his onslaught of kisses on her neck.
Slowly Karney kissed down over Branwen’s chest, her nipples peaked behind the lace of her bra. She arched her back, encouraging him to run his hands over her aching breasts and bring some relief. Karney didn’t disappoint as he gently squeezed her breasts, running his thumbs over her pebbled nipples. He reached down and lifted the hem of her shirt, so that he could remove it from her body, before swiftly discarding her bra. Karney moaned as he looked down at her naked breasts before taking one of Branwen’s nipples between his lips and running his tongue over the hardened nub.
Branwen threw her head back and let out a long moan at the feel of his mouth around her nipple. Karney moved his hand down over her stomach, reaching into the yoga pants she was wearing. She hated them, but they were the only pants that fit easily over her plaster cast. Slowly Karney slid his hand down under the waistband and into her panties that were soaked with her desire. Karney’s fingers easily slid through her bare folds, slipping inside her, while his thumb caressed over her sensitive clit. Branwen’s body was on fire with want, as she moaned and writhed with pleasure on the bed.
It didn’t take long before she was seeing stars. Her moans echoed throughout the small chamber of the bedroom- her breathing was nothing more than heavy pants as her orgasm took over. Slowly she came back to reality and looked up at Karney who was watching her with a smug smile, causing Branwen to giggle.