Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4)

by Jessica Wilde

  "Christopher Hampton. I need to know what room he's in," Liam demanded.

  Hannah hesitated a moment too long for his liking.

  "Now!"

  His father's hand landed on his shoulder, attempting to calm him any way he could. Liam didn't want to be calm. He wanted his Isabelle in his arms and he was going to do whatever he had to in order to get her there. Then he was going to beat Christopher to within an inch of his life.

  "Mind yourself, son. We don't want to give the guard a reason to take you as well."

  Liam closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly to get his wits back.

  "Please, Hannah. I need it now."

  She nodded and started flipping through the ledger. "He umm... what was the name again?"

  "Christopher Hampton."

  "Right, here it is. Room seven, upstairs."

  He didn't even give her a chance to look up. Liam all but ran to the stairs with his brother and father on his heels.

  I'm coming, Izzy.

  ***

  Izzy

  Izzy pressed the ice pack against her cheek, wincing when the massive bruise smarted. Christopher was furious and she didn't think marrying him would be her biggest problem anymore. Surviving the next few hours would be.

  It only took him twenty minutes to tear her away from that house. Once again, Maggie proved she was a force to be reckoned with, but after her ten minutes of stalling and arguing with Christopher any way she could, he'd finally had it.

  Izzy had never known fear like that before. Not only for herself, but for the people she'd come to love so deeply.

  Maggie seemed determined to stand her ground and not let Christopher take her away, but Izzy couldn't stand to see something happen to her friend because of her.

  "Please, Maggie. You need to leave," she'd begged her.

  "I'll not let this manky bastard scare me, Izzy."

  But Maggie must have seen the fear on Isabelle's face because she stopped fighting and spread her arms wide. She didn't hesitate walking straight into the hug.

  "I'll go, child," Maggie whispered in her ear, "But I'm not the one that will be back."

  It gave her hope at the time. But now, lying there dreading the next few hours, Izzy was sure there was none.

  He'd taken his anger out on her without saying a word. The blow to her face had knocked her out cold and when she woke a few hours later, she found herself alone in the hotel room.

  She only had enough time to find some ice for her cheek before Christopher walked in.

  "Your mother has made a complete mess of things," he sneered. "I should have killed her when I had the chance."

  The only relief she felt was knowing that her parents were safe and they were finally setting things right.

  It was a little late, but it was something.

  She straightened her shoulders and stood her ground. "It's over, Christopher. You have nowhere to run and I won't make it easy for you to take me with you."

  "You won't have to make it easy, Isabelle," he stated snidely. "I'm not taking you anywhere, but I'm not going to make your last breaths easy either."

  A part of her already knew that Christopher was going to kill her. In fact, she realized that same part of her always knew she would have never made it out alive. Not on her own.

  "Do you realize how much money your parents have made me lose? I've spent years in this business. I'm not the kind of person you want to fuck with, Isabelle. Your father should know that by now."

  "Go fuck yourself!" she screamed.

  He quickly strode toward her, an evil glower on his face, but Izzy didn't flinch. She had nothing left to fear and with or without her, Christopher would no longer have power over anyone else. He would spend the rest of his life running or behind bars.

  In a flash, his hand was wrapped around her throat and he slammed her against the wall. Her head cracked against it and stars danced in front of her eyes.

  "I won't need to, you filthy whore."

  She clawed at his hand as her vision started to fade. But the pain of feeling her air being cut off was nothing compared to the pain she would feel if he did what he already threatened to do.

  She smelled the alcohol on his breath and saw the cloudiness in his eyes. She needed to stay conscious. She needed to fight.

  But even drunk, he was too strong.

  Her arms weakened and her eyes rolled back. This was it. This was the end.

  Liam.

  It was the last thought running through her mind before everything went dark.

  ***

  Izzy's eyes slid open painfully.

  Her entire body felt like she'd been hit by a train. Her face was pressed to the carpet and her arm was bent awkwardly beneath her.

  Silence greeted her, but she stayed as still as she could until she was sure she was still alone. Taking stock of her injuries, her relief was palpable when the pain was only in the places she could actually remember getting hurt. Her throat was on fire and her cheek throbbed. She pushed herself up on to her hands and felt her head spin.

  Christopher had released her throat the moment she passed out and he'd waited for her to wake up only to make her wish she never could. Not once did she stop fighting and it only made him more and more furious.

  "I refuse to fuck you while you're unconscious, Isabelle," he'd spit out. "I want you to remember everything."

  But he'd wrapped his hand around her throat again and she couldn't remember anything after that.

  Her eyes moved around the room. There was an empty glass on the table by the window and an empty bottle next to it.

  She assumed he'd returned to the bar for another and would be back any moment.

  It took a while for her to finally stand and catch her breath. She needed to get out of there. Go anywhere.

  She started searching for anything that could act as a weapon, but all she could find was a letter opener inside the desk drawer. It would have to be enough.

  Someone started pounding on the door and the letter opener clattered to the floor. She groaned in pain as she bent to retrieve it then froze when someone started calling out her name. Not even taking a moment to think, she ran for the door and ripped it open.

  "Liam?"

  His blue eyes moved up and down her body, checking to make sure she was okay. When his gaze landed on the bruise covering her cheek, his entire face twisted with devastation.

  "I'm okay," she said quickly, tears running down her cheeks. Her voice came out as a whisper and she winced with pain and gently touched her throat.

  He slowly reached out and pulled her hand away. No doubt there were red marks on her throat where Christopher had choked her and when Liam saw the damage, he let out a harsh breath. Then she was pressed against his chest with his strong arms around her. "Isabelle."

  "How did you find me?" she sobbed into his shirt.

  Pulling back slightly, he cupped her face and kissed her hard, being mindful of her injury. She went limp in his arms and immersed herself in that kiss. A kiss she never thought she would feel again. When they were both breathless, he dropped his forehead to hers. "I've come to make sure ye stay, love. I won't let him take ye away from me. I promised to protect ye and I've failed once. I won't fail again."

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, supporting herself on her wobbly knees. His eyes did a slow burn over her face and she opened her mouth to tell him she was sorry, but his thumb drifted over the bruise on her cheek, making her suck in a breath.

  Those blue eyes, always bright with mischief and desire when he looked at her, darkened. She felt his shaking hands drop to her neck. "I'll kill the bastard."

  That's when she noticed Liam's father and brother in the hallway behind him. They nodded their heads at her and kept their eyes on the room behind her.

  "He's not here. I think he went down to the bar."

  "He left ye here alone?"

  She nodded and tears ran down her cheeks. "I-I woke up on the floor. I was getting ready to run when y
ou came."

  Liam grasped her hand and turned towards his father.

  "We'll take care of things here, son. Take Isabelle somewhere safe," his father instructed and moved aside to let them pass.

  Liam wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her into the hallway. "Let's go, love."

  "You aren't taking her anywhere."

  Liam immediately tucked Isabelle behind him, guarding her with his body. Brian stepped up beside him and William came to his other side. They all faced a swaying Christopher who looked like he was about to fall over more than he was about to fight.

  "He's shlossed," Brian said with a mirthless laugh.

  Isabelle clung to the back of Liam's shirt, all the bravery she had a few moments before nowhere to be found. But she had nothing to be afraid of.

  Christopher was nothing up against three Brannocks when he was sober. She had no doubt he was high as a kite as well as - in Brian's words - shlossed.

  She peeked over Liam's shoulder and felt his hand reach back and gently land on her hip, keeping her steady.

  Christopher stumbled up to them and for every inch he got closer, Liam's fingers gripped her tighter. He swayed to a stop directly in front of Liam. Brian and William closed ranks, making an effective barrier between her and the man that wanted to kill her.

  "I have business to settle with that tight little -"

  Without warning, Liam's fist crashed into Christopher's face, effectively shutting the man up. He caught himself on the wall and shook his head.

  Isabelle saw William tense, but he did nothing to stop what happened next.

  Christopher lunged at Liam.

  She screamed as they were both knocked to the floor. Liam rolled before his body crushed her and Brian swiftly pulled her away from the two men now swinging at each other on the ground.

  Liam ended up on top, his fists connecting with Christopher's face, one after the other. The sound of flesh pounding flesh made her stomach roll, and the dizziness she was already feeling from the pain of her injuries, sky rocketed. Brian supported her weight at his side and watched Liam deliver blow after blow.

  Christopher shoved Liam away, knocking him to the floor. It only took a split second for him to get back up, but that was enough time for Izzy to zero in on the shine of the gun in Christopher's hand.

  "No!" she yelled and tried to pull out of Brian's hold.

  The deafening sound of a gunshot made everyone freeze. It echoed off the walls like thunder and Isabelle's stomach dropped. She watched Liam's shoulders rise and fall from his labored breaths, but it was the sound of Christopher's cry that made her legs give out.

  William stood off to the side, his gun raised and pointed at Christopher who was clutching his leg. Blood seeped out between his fingers.

  "You shot me!" he screamed at William.

  "And I'll shoot ye again if ye move another muscle."

  "Ye'll never touch her again, ye son of a bitch!" Liam took the opportunity to throw one last punch. Christopher's head snapped to the side and his eyes rolled back in his head.

  "That's enough, son! I think a bullet to the leg should keep him down," William reassured with a smirk on his lips.

  Liam turned around and searched for Izzy. When he saw Brian helping her to her feet, he instantly reached out for her. She fell against him with a gut wrenching sob.

  "I'm sorry, Izzy. He won't hurt ye anymore, love. It's over."

  She could barely hear him through the buzzing in her head, but it didn't matter. She knew she was safe.

  Every moment she had spent in her life wondering whether or not it was even worth it. She finally knew. This right here... it was worth anything.

  Liam lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hallway as a line of men in guard uniforms rushed by them. She dropped her head to his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  "So, Maggie told me ye decided to wait for me," he whispered against her hair.

  Her head was too heavy to respond with anything more than, "Mmhmm."

  Liam chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I was ready to beg, love. What will I do now?"

  She looked up at him, lifting her hand to touch his bearded cheek. "Love me."

  Chapter 13

  Liam

  Present day...

  Driving through the cemetery always made Liam's heart race. He spent a lot of time here in the early days after Izzy passed. The feeling he got when her headstone came into view... it could only be described as peace.

  Peace that he could talk to her for a few moments and feel the warm breeze caress his cheeks, knowing it was really her touching him again.

  After that dreadful night, when he brought Izzy back to Maggie's house, there was no letting her go. He stumbled over his proposal, hashing it up pretty good until she put him out of his misery.

  "Yes," she'd whispered. "Whatever you're asking me, Liam. The answer is yes."

  They flew to the states together a couple of weeks later and Izzy's Aunt Neddy picked them up at the airport. They stayed with her for a couple months until Liam received his fiancé visa. A week later, they were married and all the money in the world couldn't have possibly bought that kind of happiness.

  Isabelle struggled for a while and often found herself worrying about what was to come. Her injuries weren't serious and the bruises faded quickly, but the memory of Christopher and those few hours she spent with him, often kept her up at night. Her father was in prison for the connection he had with Christopher. The judge didn't care how unwilling he was when Christopher threatened him, he needed to suffer the consequences.

  Isabelle agreed, but it was still difficult.

  The only good thing was Christopher's sentence. He would spend several years in prison before he had a chance to get out. His short stay in jail back in Ireland didn't do much to deter him from his anger at the loss of his so called business. Once he was sent back to the states, things changed. He was being charged for a lot more than shipping a few drugs and Izzy had been grateful for the freedom to live her life without looking over her shoulder.

  He was eventually released, but by then, his goals had changed.

  A year or so after he left, he was right back in. This time for putting a young woman into a coma as well as drug use and intent to sell. The woman's family buried him and Liam had learned enough by then to know that he wasn't going to be getting out anytime soon.

  Lucien Ripley made sure that ended up being never.

  Those first few months in the states, Liam learned a lot about Isabelle and her parents. The life she had lived as a child wasn't typical, and she continued to struggle with accepting that. It was also difficult to watch her mother's heartbreak.

  The house was taken and pretty much everything else, too, once the trial was over. She listened to her parents' confessions to her and how they realized that what they were doing wasn't worth losing their only daughter over. It wasn't worth any of it. They told her they didn't think Christopher was a violent man, but when her mother just couldn't take not hearing from Izzy anymore, she had approached Christopher and found out for herself.

  Her regret showed in everything she did and Marjorie spent those first two months that Izzy was back, begging for her forgiveness and trying to make up for everything. It was impossible, but she tried. And Isabelle, being the kind of woman she always was, eventually forgave both of her parents.

  "They taught me the things a parent shouldn't do, Liam. I'll use that to show our children what love and family really is," she'd told him one night when he asked her why it was so easy to forgive them. "Plus, I never would have met you if they were good parents. In a way, their ignorance brought me to you. That's something I'll never be ashamed of."

  It took Liam longer to allow Marjorie and Nicholas into his good graces, but once Izzy married him, he promised himself he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize their happiness. Izzy wanted a relationship with her parents no matter how bumpy it was and Liam would support that for the rest of her life.


  They kept their distance, but family was family and the kids knew their grandparents loved them. That's all that mattered.

  The car rolled to a stop on the path leading up to Izzy's grave. The flowers surrounding the area reminded him of the morning he made love to her in Maggie's garden the day before they left Ireland together.

  When Isabelle was diagnosed with breast cancer, she made him promise to take her back to Rathnew before it was too late. No amount of denial would stop the cancer from spreading, so before too long, Liam bought the tickets.

  They'd stayed with his parents for a couple weeks before he took her all over southern Ireland. He showed her everything there was to see and they even extended their stay by another week so they could be there for the birth of Finny's youngest daughter.

  His family was still there. The distance may have made it harder to keep in touch, but Isabelle looked forward to the times she could see his family. She always adored the love his brothers and sisters shared, the love they still shared. It reminded him of his own children.

  They had met their aunts and uncles which made Liam wonder if Colin got to Gus a lot sooner than he thought.

  "Did you bring the bottle, Gus?" Conall asked when Gus and Aiden pulled up next to them.

  "Last one I could find," Gus replied with a forced smile, holding up the bottle of Tullamore Dew.

  They did this every year up until Ash moved away, and even then, Gus or Con would find their way back home and spend the afternoon sipping on Tullamore with Liam, remembering their amazing mother.

  Liam watched Luke walk around his car and open the door for Aislinn.

  His daughter never complained that the day her mother passed was on her birthday. Luke helped remind her that it was still a celebration and Aislinn agreed. A day to share with her mother was no sacrifice at all.

  Luke reached in the back of the car and emerged with Isabelle in his arms.

  She was only a few weeks old, but she was already showing signs of being just like her mother. Ash had all the help in the world and still, it was draining to have a baby. The smile on her face, however, was enough to tell Liam that she loved every moment of sleep lost.