Celtic Dragon

by Amy Cecil

  “Caden, there’s more,” Conner says.

  What the fuck now? What else could he tell me to add to this chaotic mess? “Do I want to know?” I ask.

  “I doubt it, but I think you need to know,” he replies. “Damon and Patrick have known about you for a while now. They also know about Ace’s other children, Mark Grayson and Joe Russo.”

  “Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?”

  “I understand you’ve recently had some trouble with your brother?”

  “How do you know that?” I ask.

  “Because the day we were arrested, I had a confrontation with Damon. He inadvertently told me that he had been in contact with Mark for years and that Mark had something planned for you and your girl. He didn’t go into details but alluded to the fact that neither of you was going to come out of it alive. He was pleased with his part in all of it.”

  “And what was his part?” I ask.

  “Damon was the one who told Grayson that Ace was his father. It was Damon who sought out your brother and planted the seed that started the whole ball rolling.”

  Holy fucking shit! It just keeps getting worse. “What the fuck did I ever do to either of them? I didn’t even fucking know any of them existed.”

  “They knew you existed and they were threatened by you, I guess,” he says.

  “Do you know what I did to Grayson? Do you know what I’m capable of?” I ask.

  “No, but I understand that whatever you did, you did because you had to.”

  “Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty and we won’t be hearing from him again.” Conner nods solemnly. I continue, “I think it is important that you know that if I ever cross paths with your two sons, they will meet the same end as Grayson. In my world, we don’t tolerate disloyalty.” Again, Conner nods and neither he nor Aillise say a word. They know what has to be done. I’m a bit surprised that they give no words of protest, but I guess loyalty is a pretty big part of being involved in the IRA shit. They know the rules.

  I’m done talking. I’ve heard more than I care to know and I’m fucking tired. Emma has already fallen asleep on my shoulder. I look down at her and it warms my heart that she is sleeping so peacefully and even more so knowing that she’s safe. I kiss the top of her head, then lay my head back and close my eyes. Hopefully, I can get some sleep too.

  Chapter 22

  Emma

  A jolt and a screeching noise wake me up. Getting my bearings straight, I look around and realize that I’m still on the plane. From what I gather, we’ve just landed.

  I nudge Cade and whisper, “Babe, I think we’re home.”

  He groggily moans, opens his eyes, and looks around. “You ok?” he asks.

  “Of course. You?”

  “Stiff.”

  “Well, you are an old man,” I tease.

  “Watch it,” he says. “I’m still agile enough to spank your ass.”

  “Promise?” I whisper. He always threatens but never follows through. He just laughs at my response.

  He gets up from his seat and walks over to Ari and Rebel. “Hey brother, how ya feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been shot. How the fuck do you think I’m feeling?” he says grumpily.

  “Nice to see that you took your happy drugs today,” Caden says as Rebel scowls at him.

  “So, you’re Caden’s girl?” I hear from the woman sitting across the aisle from me.

  “I am,” I reply.

  “I’m his aunt, Aillise, Balefire’s mam.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say. I’m really not sure what to make of her. But I have a feeling that she’s going to be around for a while and that I should probably get to know her.

  When the plane finally stops moving and the doors open, Caden and Ryder help Rebel out. He seems to be doing a little better, but I can tell that the pain medicine that Doc gave him is still leaving him groggy.

  There are two SUVs waiting for us next to where the plane parked. Hawk is standing next to one, eagerly waiting for us to get to him. When he spots Caden and Ryder with Rebel, he rushes up to them and offers assistance.

  “Welcome home!” he says sarcastically.

  Caden says, “Call Brewer. He needs to meet us at the house.”

  “Already have,” Hawk replies. It appears that they both know who this Brewer is, but I have no idea. The guys get Rebel situated in one of the vehicles, then return to the plane to get the bags out. One SUV has Rebel, Ari, and all the bags. The rest of us cram into the other one. Before we know it we are on the road back to Edinboro.

  I never thought I would be able to consider Caden’s home my home, but as we pull up into the driveway my first thought is that it’s good to be home. Caden and the guys get out of the car and leave Honey and me to deal with Conner and Aillise.

  “The boys are going to get Rebel,” I say to them, pulling my keys from my bag. “Come inside with me and you all can get situated. I am sure you are both tired.”

  “We are, thank you,” Aillise says. They follow me to the front steps and as we approach the door I notice a piece of paper pinned to the center. Scrawled in the same handwriting as the threatening notes I had received before I left for Ireland are the words, “Welcome Home.”

  I think that I was the only one to see the note, so I quickly pull it down before the others approach the door. I’ll show this to Caden when Rebel is settled.

  I unlock and open the door and walk in as Honey and the O’Byrnes follow me inside. Seconds later, the boys come in with Rebel. They take him straight to Ari’s room and lay him on the bed. I’m surprised to see that he’s still awake. He doesn’t look well; he has a pale and ashen look to his face.

  Caden turns toward Doc and Ryder and says, “You boys look beat. We’ve done all we can here and you need to get some rest. There’s shit we have to deal with tomorrow and I want everyone fresh.” They nod in unison, say goodnight to everyone, and leave.

  Hawk looks at his watch and says, “Brewer should be here in ten minutes.” Caden nods and they both go out to get the rest of the bags. Ari remains with Rebel and I’m surprised to see Aillise coming into the room to check on her son. It’s the first I’ve seen her pay him any attention—I’m not sure if she’s just been giving Ari and him some space, or if she’s so removed from her children that the fact that he’s been shot doesn’t faze her.

  “How is he?” I hear her ask Ari.

  “Mam, I am right here. I’m gonna be ok,” Rebel replies. “You don’t need to talk as if I am not here.”

  “I know,” she says, “but I thought you were in a lot of pain and I didn’t want to hurt you by making you talk.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to talk.” Rebel says. “Have you met Ari?”

  “No, I haven’t, but I am assuming by the way she has not left your side that she’s your girl?”

  “She is.” He looks over to Ari with adoration in his eyes. “She’s my world.”

  “I can see that,” she says with a smile. “I’m Aillise. Nice to meet you, Ari.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “And, do I understand correctly, you’re Caden’s sister?” Ari nods then Aillise looks over to Rebel. “Don’t you find that odd?” she asks.

  “We’re not related, Mam,” Rebel says defensively.

  “I know, but it still seems a little odd.”

  “Not to us.”

  “You don’t have to get so defensive, Balefire. I was only just saying.”

  “Well, I don’t like people criticizing my relationship. I love Ari and she loves me. We’re not related and her brother has given us his blessing on the relationship.”

  “Why would Caden need to approve your relationship?” she asks him.

  “Ari’s father is deceased. Out of respect for her older brother and respect for my prez, I got his blessing.”

  “Well, aren’t you a good boy.” Something in her tone sounds sarcastic; instead of her feeling proud that her son was respectful, it seems to me that she is takin
g it as a slight of some sort.

  “Well, I think I’ll let you get some rest, Rebel. Aillise, why don’t we go back into the living room and relax. Rebel needs his rest,” I say.

  She looks annoyed but agrees and follows me out of the room. Caden is at the door and a tall, rather handsome man is coming into the house. This must be Brewer, I think. He’s carrying a medical bag and now I know why he had to be called. He’s a doctor.

  Honey is in the kitchen rustling about when I walk in. I ask, “Whatcha doing?”

  “Oh, just making some coffee and getting some snacks together. It wasn’t like we flew commercial and were fed on the plane. I’m sure everyone is probably famished.”

  “Good idea. Can I help?”

  “Yeah, why don’t you get coffee cups, cream, and sugar? I’ll cut up some cheese and we can make a cold cut plate for folks to snack on.”

  “Sounds good.” As we’re working on getting things together, Ari walks into the kitchen.

  “How’s Rebel?” Honey asks.

  “He’ll be ok, I think. The doctor is with him now.” She pauses and I clearly see the exhaustion on her face. It’s easy to see that she didn’t get any sleep on the flight. “Brewer says he’s really lucky. From what he can tell, the bullet exited through Rebel’s abdomen cleanly without hitting any major organs. He’s concerned about the blood loss, but says that it is manageable. He said he’ll give me a more accurate update once he fully examines him.”

  She plops herself down onto one of the bar stools. “Is that coffee done yet?”

  “Almost, sweetie,” Honey replies. Ari lays her head down on the counter.

  “Ari, you really should go get some sleep,” I say.

  “I know, I will. I just want to wait until Brewer is done examining Rebel. I won’t be able to sleep until I know for sure that he’s going to be ok.”

  Well, I can’t argue with her there. I’d feel the same way if it were Caden.

  Once the coffee is done and Ari gets her cup, Honey and I bring the serving pot, cups, and snacks into the family room. Aillise and Connor appear grateful as they both pour themselves a cup. I’m still not sure how I feel about those two. There is something about them that makes me leery. But I guess that time will tell. I’m sure we will be spending a lot of time with them in the near future.

  Chapter 23

  Caden

  “Now that my sister is out of earshot, give it to me straight, Brewer. How is he, really?” I ask.

  “Ice, he’s been shot. He’s in pain and he’s lost some blood. From what I can tell from the exit wound and the bleeding, it doesn’t appear that the bullet hit any vital organs. But, and I know that you’re not gonna like this, I’d really like to get him over to the hospital to make sure he doesn’t have any internal bleeding, just to make sure.”

  “Damn it, you know how I feel about hospitals. It’s a gunshot wound. They’ll have to report it and there’s no way they can know that he was in Ireland when it happened.”

  He thinks for a moment and then says, “If I promise to keep it under the radar, will you bring him in?”

  “Can you guarantee no police report?”

  After thinking about it, he replies, “Not 100%, but 95%?”

  “I don’t know if I can risk that 5%, Brewer.”

  “So you’re willing to risk his life instead,” he replies dryly.

  “You’re not playing fucking fair!”

  “I’m just telling you like it is. I would rather see you be safe than sorry. I know how important he is to you, hell, how important all your brothers are. So, are you willing to take that 5% risk or are you gonna risk his life?”

  “Well, if you put it that way, I guess I really don’t have much of a choice, now do I?” Fucker. I know he’s right, but it really pisses me off when someone makes you think you have a choice in a matter when in reality you have no choice at all.

  “Let me make the arrangements and you can bring him in tomorrow.” He pauses and starts putting things back into his bag. “I think my work here is done for now. Doc did a great job getting the bleeding to stop, so I’m not too concerned there. He’s a little pale, but I don’t think the blood loss is dangerous. I gave him some pretty potent pain meds, he’ll sleep the rest of the night. But someone should keep an eye on him.”

  “I think that is covered. I don’t see Ari leaving his side tonight.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate you coming over here this late.”

  “You’ll get my bill!” he says, laughing. He starts to walk out of the room and I follow behind him. He says, “I’ll call you and let you know when to bring him to the hospital for that MRI.”

  Walking him to the door, I reply, “You got it.” I open the door for him and thank him again as he leaves.

  “What did he say?” Ari asks.

  “Is he going to be alright?” Aillise asks.

  “He said that he didn’t see any internal injuries, but he wants him over at the hospital in the morning for an MRI just to make sure.”

  “Hospital?” Hawk asks. He walks over to me and lowers his voice. “Are you sure about this?”

  “I know what you’re thinking. But we don’t have a choice. Brewer knows how we feel about hospitals and gunshot wounds, but he insisted. And frankly, I don’t want to take any fucking chances with Rebel’s life.”

  Hawk nods. “I agree, but are you ready to face the consequences of this?”

  “Brewer assures me that he’ll do everything he can to keep Rebel’s visit under the radar. I’ve gotta trust him.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  We walk back over to the rest of the group. Where the fuck am I going to put everyone? I think to myself. Looking around the room at everyone, I realize I’ve totally forgotten that we have guests.

  I walk over to Emma and put my arm around her, whispering in her ear, “Do we have room for everyone?”

  She smiles and nods. “Honey and I have already taken care of that.”

  “You have?” I ask, surprised.

  “Of course we have, silly. But I’m not sure you are gonna like what we came up with.”

  “Oh yeah, and what’s that?” I ask hesitantly.

  “You’ll see,” she says smugly, as if she has a big secret that she’s keeping from me.

  I really hate it when she does that. I don’t like secrets. But I let it go. I say, “As long as I’m bunking with you, I’ll be happy with whatever you and Honey have come up with.”

  “Remember you said that,” she says and then doesn’t speak another word about it.

  What the fuck is up with that? Now I’m worried.

  We hang out for a little while before it becomes clear that everyone is running out of steam. Turning to Emma, I say, “Babe, do you want to let everyone know where they’ll be sleeping tonight?”

  “Sure,” she replies sweetly. She says, “Aillise and Conner, you will take the first room on the left. Honey, you will keep your room, and Ari, since Rebel is already in your room, I am assuming that you will want to stay with him.”

  “Yes, thanks, Emma,” Ari replies.

  “Hold on one minute,” I say firmly. “Ari is not sleeping with Rebel.”

  Emma turns toward me and says, “Babe, remember what you said earlier about being happy with whatever plan I had come up with?”

  I know she’s right, but she’s talking about my kid sister. “But …” I grumble, but she quickly interrupts.

  “She’ll be fine. I don’t think her virtue is in any danger tonight. Remember, he’s in there because he’s recovering from a gunshot wound.”

  I grumble again and clear my throat. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess it’s ok,” I say reluctantly. I back down because I know she’s right, but shit, that’s my kid sister. Suddenly, I feel the need to change the subject and get my mind off of Ari and Rebel. I look around the room and realize that my aunt and uncle have nothing as far as bags, clothing, etc. Looking at t
hem, I say, “Do you need anything?”

  “No, Caden, your lovely girl here has taken care of all of that. She got us what we needed for tonight, as long as you don’t mind Connor wearing your clothes. The rest we can get in the morning.”

  “Good. We’ll take you out tomorrow to pick up whatever you may need.” Turning toward Emma, I say, “Thanks, babe.” She smiles and starts to clean up the plates and coffee cups from the family room. Honey and Ari get up and began to help her.

  “Well, if you all will excuse us, I think we’re going to call it a night,” Connor says.

  “Sleep well—and if I didn’t say it before, I’m glad you both are safe.

  I know I got a little defensive with you on the flight. I guess we have a lot to talk about,” I say.

  “Yeah, I guess we do,” Aillise says.

  “We’ll talk more about where we go from here in the morning.”

  They nod and Aillise says, “Goodnight, Caden.”

  “Goodnight.”

  I go into the kitchen to see if the girls need any help. My timing is perfect; they’ve just finished. “You ladies are fantastic.”

  “I think I am going to turn in,” Ari says.

  “Goodnight, sweetheart. Let us know if Rebel needs anything,” I say, kissing the top of her head.

  “I will.”

  “Me too,” Honey says. “I’m beat.”

  “Emma, you ready?” I ask.

  “Yep, I just need to get something from my jacket pocket and I’ll be right up,” she replies.

  “Ok babe, I’ll meet you up there.”

  Chapter 24

  Emma

  I grab the note from my jacket pocket and proceed upstairs. The last thing I want to do is bother Cade with this now; I know it’s been a long day for him and he’s really tired, but I also know that he will be pissed if I wait to tell him about this.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he says as I walk into the bedroom. Then he adds, “What’s wrong?” Apparently, I don’t have a poker face. He can read me better than anyone.