Kathleen Kelly
Spark of Deception
MacKenny Brothers Book 4
Kathleen Kelly
Copyright © 2021 Kathleen Kelly
All Rights Reserved
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Kathleen Kelly is in no way affiliated with any brands, songs, musicians, or artists mentioned in this book. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
All efforts have been made to ensure the correct grammar and punctuation in the book. If you do find any errors, please e-mail Kathleen Kelly [email protected]
Thank you.
Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.
Editing by Swish Design & Editing
Proofreading by Swish Design & Editing
Book design by Swish Design & Editing
Cover design by Clarise Tan at CT Cover Creations
Cover Image Copyright 2021
First Edition 2021
All Rights Reserved
Angus, younger brother to Kyle MacKenny, President of the Loyal Rebels MC, is a computer hacker. There’s almost no system built that he can’t infiltrate. His skills have been used on more than one occasion to help the MC and his family members.
Angus is smart, handsome, and not interested in love.
But when a friend from the dark web reaches out, he can’t say no.
Tula has been online friends with Angus for a couple of years. He has always been there to help her and she him. They have never met. But when she stumbles into a deadly world of bioweapons and murder, he’s the first one she turns to.
Will they be able to work together and stop a terrorist attack?
Or will they both be blindsided by the deception that surrounds them?
From USA Today Bestselling Author Kathleen Kelly comes book four in her MacKenny Brothers series.
It’s been over twelve months since you’ve been gone.
I miss you every day.
This one’s for you, Grace.
“∞ + 1”
Blurb
Dedication
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Connect With Me Online
About the Author
There are six MacKenny Brothers.
I’m Angus, computer hacker extraordinaire. There’s not a firewall built I can’t take down. But I’ve upset someone, someone important, and I do not know who.
My only course in life is to keep my family safe. They are all that matter to me, and we’ve all been through so much.
Together, we can overcome anything that crosses our paths, and if I’d known what was going to happen by meeting an online acquaintance, I probably would have run a mile. With my brothers’ help, I know we’ll be okay. We all run in different circles but have managed to stay close and in contact.
There’s Kyle, President of the Loyal Rebels MC, Sean, who’s VP in the Loyal Rebels MC, Maddock an accountant, Jamie a farmer, and Lochlan, a male model and real estate mogul, and with a lot of luck, we just might get out of this alive, but we’ll never be together again...
Angus
It’s late as I sit on the park bench waiting for Landru to arrive. To say she’s cautious is an understatement. Kyle, my brother, said this meet sounded like a bad romance movie. Landru asked to meet in this park at night. She said I’d know her as she’d wear a scarf and have a flower in her hair.
Jesus, Kyle is right. It is a bad romance movie.
Landru left specific instructions to meet her here on this particular bench and she’d find me. We’ve been online chatting back and forth for over two years. I don’t know her real name, nor does she know mine. It was our hacker handles that drew us together.
I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and on the dark web, I go by Archon. Landru is from the original series, a computer program that was left on a planet, and Archon was the race that left it there. We were destined for each other. I smile to myself.
I’ve spoken to her on the phone a few times, but she’s never wanted to meet. Kyle needed information, and I knew Landru could get it for us. Usually, we trade information, but this time she said she wanted a date.
The danger of meeting a fellow hacker is that they could be a fifty-year-old man with a penchant for younger men. Even though we’ve spoken, she could’ve used a voice changer, which is easily available, believe me.
I don’t date. Sometimes I hook up with the Loyal Rebels MC’s women if they aren’t spoken for. Most of the club girls are readily available, and the fact I’m the president’s brother makes it more than easy for me to find a willing partner.
My blood brothers are the only people I’m close to. I live a solitary existence. More than once, I’ve asked to join the MC, but Kyle always says no, even though I’ve proven myself useful to them. Kyle doesn’t want his family hurt, but not being in the MC hurts me more than his desire to keep me safe. I need to belong. I need more than my brothers and my computers.
In my world, I risk-assess everything. All I do is well thought out and calculated down to the last detail. My family thinks I’m the town clown, but out in the real world, nothing much gets past me. This last year I’ve taken self-defense classes and weapons training, mostly in handguns. I’m a pretty good shot, and the training has bulked me up. I’m not like my brother, Sean, who’s muscly. I’m leaner but wiry with muscle definition. The classes were more for Kyle than myself. I wanted him to know I’ll do whatever it takes to become part of the MC. He’s had a lot going on of late, so I haven’t pushed the issue, but I will try again soon.
An older woman walks toward me. She’s pushing a shopping cart, no scarf or flower in her hair, and if this is Landru, she’s taken the disguise to a whole new level. I can smell her from twenty feet away.
The woman stops. “You got any money?” I shake my head. “It’
s not safe in here at night. You never know who’s around. You sure you don’t got no change?”
I pull my pockets out of my black jeans and shake my head. “Nothing.”
The woman harrumphs at me and continues to push her cart further into the park. I watch her until I can’t see her anymore, then stand and tuck my pockets back in. I’m dressed from head to toe in black. Pulling up my hoodie, I cover my head and sit back on the bench.
Landru is late.
Movement to my left catches my eye. There’s a woman, and from this distance, she appears petite, maybe five foot two. There’s a scarf around her neck, and as she gets closer, she has a beanie on with a blue flower on the side of it. I stand, and she frowns at me. Glancing down, I make sure I look presentable and my zipper isn’t undone.
When I look back up, she’s in front of me. “I thought you’d be shorter.”
“I thought you’d be taller.”
“Archon?”
I nod. “Landru?”
She smiles, and her entire face radiates with joy. Landru has short black hair, and I can see hints of blue from under the beanie. Her face is white with way too much black makeup. It’s funny with all our conversations, I didn’t picture her as a goth.
Extending my arm toward the bench, I say, “Please sit.”
Landru has a backpack on. She takes it off and sits next to it. I sit next to her with my leg bent and resting on the bench, so I can face her.
“So, we finally meet.”
Landru smiles again. “Yeah. Did everything work out for your brother?”
“I didn’t say it was for my brother.”
Landru smiles and nods. “No, I guess you didn’t.” She fiddles with a ring on her thumb, the only sign she’s nervous. “It worked out, though, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, it did.” I pull my hoodie down. “Why’d you want to meet?”
Landru laughs. “Don’t you think it’s about time?”
I raise both eyebrows and shake my head. “You know how this works. We don’t meet. We have a mutual appreciation for the things we do, and we help each other out once in a while.” I shake my head. “But a real-world meet? We don’t do that unless we have to. So, are you just hard up for a date, or is there a problem we need to discuss?”
The smile falls from her face, and she looks down at her hands. Landru takes a deep breath and reaches into her backpack. “Archon, you better be the good guy I think you are. I need your help. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with this.” She hands me a flash drive.
Angus
A noise like a loud mosquito buzzes past me, and Landru jerks, her hand flying up to her neck. Blood pours down her front, and her face contorts in pain, but she makes no sound. I pick her up and throw her to the ground as a bullet splinters the bench where I was sitting, sending wooden fragments into the air.
“Keep the pressure on your neck,” I growl as I try to ascertain where the shots are coming from.
Do I run?
Am I the target?
I can’t stay here.
My only choice is to get the hell out of this park. Scooping Landru up in my arms, I run. The ground is uneven, and I stumble my way through the park, trying to keep to the trees and cover. The impact of bullets around me makes me run even faster. Glancing down at Landru’s face, I see fear in her pretty blue eyes.
“We’re almost there. Hang on.”
If I keep going, I’ll be out in the open. Glancing down at the woman in my arms, she has her hands around her throat, and blood oozes between her fingers. There’s no choice but to keep running. Quickly glancing at my surroundings, there doesn’t appear to be anyone on the street, and at this point, I have no choice. Landru needs to get to a hospital. Bolting for the back of my van, I prop Landru up against it while I open one of the back doors. She weighs next to nothing as I pick her up again. I slam the door open and lay her on the mattress in the back of it. There’s an old hoodie of mine on the floor, so I hold it to her neck.
“Keep the pressure on, or you’ll bleed out.”
Her eyes are wide with fear.
“You’ll be fine,” I offer to keep her calm.
Landru opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. A tear slides down the side of her face. Not knowing what to say or do, I nod at her and climb into the front of my van.
With blood on my hands and covering the front of me, I start the engine. Giving little thought to my direction, I zig-zag through the city. No headlights follow me, but my paranoia is in overdrive, so I pull up in an alley and check my mirrors. No one approaches the van. Everything is quiet except for the blood pumping in my veins and my internal narrative.
Am I safe?
What the fuck did she get me into?
Will Landru live long enough to tell me?
I’m about two blocks from the nearest hospital, but I need to make sure Landru is still alive.
Climbing into the back of the van, I check on her. Her hands are at her throat, but her eyes are closed. My hands tremble as I check for a pulse.
“Thank God,” I whisper as I find a steady beat.
There is a lot of blood on my mattress, and the hoodie feels like it is soaked through. Climbing back into the driver’s seat, I continue to the hospital. Not knowing who is after us, I don’t park in the emergency parking bay. Instead, I choose to park on the street.
Killing the engine, I climb back to Landru and open the back doors. Her eyes flutter, so I know she’s still with me. Her white makeup is smeared with blood making her look like a barely breathing corpse. The urge to wipe it all away and reveal the woman beneath sweeps over me, but there’s no time. Quickly, I pick her up, putting an arm under her head and her knees, hoping I’m not doing any more damage to her body than has already been done.
Awkwardly, I exit the van, kick the doors shut, and carry her into the hospital. The nurse behind the counter takes one look at me and comes running.
“I need help!” she yells, and another man rushes over with a gurney.
“I found her in the park.” I tenderly lay her on the makeshift bed.
“Wait here,” orders the nurse as she and the man take Landru away.
Angus
With blood on my hands, I stumble toward the desk and wait for someone to talk to me. The emergency room is filled with people. The nurses behind their glass wall all either look frazzled or tired. A few glance my way, but most ignore me.
I rest my bloody hands on the counter and take a deep breath.
I got lucky.
Any one of those bullets could have taken me out.
Looking up toward the ceiling, my eyes land on a corner mirror. It shows the entrance to the emergency room. Two men are standing there, and they look as though they’re methodically searching the room. Both are in black suits with a bulge under their left arms, so I know they are armed. My guess—Feds.
The nurse who whisked Landru away approaches me from behind the glass. “The woman you brought in was shot.”
“Oh my God, really?” Staring down at my blood-covered hands, I gag. “Is there a bathroom close by?”
She points to the left. “Follow the hall. You’ll see it on the left. Make sure you come back here.”
I nod and keep my hands over my mouth as I walk quickly toward the bathroom. Once I’m out of the nurse’s sight and the men in black, I increase my speed until I’m outside in the fresh air, then run back to my van.
My only thought is to get to safety.
Safety for me is my family.
Keeping to the backstreets and ensuring I’m not being followed, I eventually pull into the MC compound. It’s late, so no one is around. Climbing into the back of my van, blood is everywhere. Reaching into my jeans pocket, I pull out the flash drive. The sound of a Harley parking next to my van causes me to open the back doors an inch.
“Burning the midnight oil?” asks Cutter with a grin.
“Cutter, I-I need your help.”
Opening the door wide, the inside light
comes on. Cutter’s face goes hard, the grin replaced with concern.
“What the fuck?”
“It’s not mine.”
A grin sweeps across his face. If it weren’t for Kyle vouching for him, I’d have serious concerns. Cutter has a vicious streak, but it’s more than that. His moral compass is broken. He’d do anything for Kyle and the MC, but if he had to go through a person, a family, hell, a group of elderly women to protect us, he would.
“Who’s is it?”
“Remember the date I had to go on?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“It’s hers.”
Cutter looks inside the van, his lips turning down. “Where is she?”
“I dropped her at the emergency room at Saint Michael’s.”
Cutter stares at me with a grin and an evil glint in his eyes. “Did you do it?” He looks almost gleeful.
“Of course I didn’t do it.”
Cutter shrugs as though my answer doesn’t matter to him. “Good. Give me the keys.” I stare at him dumbfounded. Cutter clicks his fingers in front of my face. “The keys, now,” he growls.
Moving to the front of the van, I pull them out of the ignition and toss them to him.
“Okay, good. Now, take off all your clothes and leave them in the van.”
“Why?”
Cutter grins. “I’m going to take care of this. I need to torch your van.”
Dammit! I love my van. It’s the perfect place to sleep, conduct business, and unlike a permanent home, I can pick up and leave at the drop of a hat.
“What?”
“My only priority is you. So, do as I say and take off your clothes.”
Stripping off all my clothing, I slip the flash drive into the palm of my hand. Right at this moment, I don’t want to share it with anyone. When I’m done, I get out of the van and put my hands over my genitals.
Cutter laughs. “Go inside and take a long hot shower. Pour a whole bottle of bleach down the drain when you’re done. Scrub with bleach under your fingernails. We don’t want any DNA to come back and bite you on the ass.” I nod at him. “You got your laptop?”
Spark of Deception: MacKenny Brothers Series Book 4: An MC/Band of Brothers Romance Page 1