Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included!

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  He smiled weakly before nodding in agreement. Sliding an arm under her, he lifted her body onto his, and held her, kissing her head while they lay there in silence.

  “Yes,” she said.

  With a furrowed brow, he asked, “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I’ll marry you, Luke O’Reilly.”

  18

  It required a few more updates and features to be added, the new security software Brother’s Keeper was developing for their government contract, but it was coming along nicely. Since it wasn’t ready to implement just yet, and only being used in a test mode that didn’t cross over all government servers, the demonstration meeting to see it in full action was held at Watermark.

  Head committee members were present, specifically FBI Director, Francis Waterman, and General William Grover, along with a few of their ass kissing alternate members from branches of defense and even congress. Liam went live, using a real case to show how the software was able to collect important intel that led to an arrest with double the clues in half the time.

  The members were impressed when the principals of this program were applied to bigger thinking, such as international affairs. Technology of this magnitude would spare American soldiers’ lives while fighting wars remotely, almost entirely through virtual means. It was state of the art, as was the tactical implementation Luke devised to compliment the system – soldiers would be safer; bad guys didn’t stand a chance.

  “We apologize for Carter Landry’s absence, gentlemen,” Liam began. “We assure you, however, we have been seeking his counsel to confirm certain legalities, and we’re in the clear.”

  With Carter still in McKenzie Ridge recovering, it was important to keep up appearances without drawing negative attention from the wrong people. At the very best, the men in that room were allies and nonthreatening. At the very worst, they had a hand in everything from Carter’s abduction all the way up to the senator’s murder and everything in between.

  “The case he’s working…” Luke added, continuing to cover for Carter, “should be over by the time we go live at the Pentagon. We fully anticipate his presence in DC.”

  “Or right now,” Carter said, walking through the door to the lair, battered and still swollen, but smiling for the crowd. “Sorry I’m late. I’ve had my hands full.”

  “Dear God, son,” General Grover chimed in, startled by the sight of Carter’s injuries. “What on earth happened to you?”

  “Huh? Oh, this?” Carter grinned, pointing to his face. “Car accident. Looks worse than it is.”

  “Nice to see you…Carter.” Luke crossed his arms and sent a sharp look Carter’s way. “We weren’t expecting you.”

  “Yeah, I wasn’t supposed to be here – I was a little tied up. Managed to get away last minute and make it in time, after all.” Carter leaned back in a chair at the end of the conference room table and matched Luke’s position with crossed arms. “What’d I miss?”

  “Well, it’s always good to see you, Landry.” Declan nodded with a look that said we’ll talk later. “Hopefully you can stick around and catch up over a beer.”

  Liam shrugged and gave a brief overview of what had been discussed, then jumped right back in where he left off before Carter’s rogue appearance. It was important that the brothers seemed surprised to see Carter, and surprised they were. If anyone in that room was a threat, they couldn’t know the brothers were involved with the senator’s case, Carter’s involvement, or that Daisy was in the very building they were meeting in.

  It seemed they were convincing. Watermark’s guests from Washington DC were none the wiser. When the meeting ended, Liam escorted them to the lobby and handled any small talk questions and suggestions from the group as they waited for the black government vehicles to line the curb and escort them to their waiting plane.

  The next meeting would be in DC. It was the final, which included implementing the program completely on government servers. They were scheduled to meet at the Pentagon because the software was to be used to heighten national security and the Pentagon housed agencies that would use and benefit from it. Even agencies not known by the public.

  There was only one way Carter could have left the hospital and made it to Portland, and it wasn’t on his own. When the elevator opened, it was confirmed. Blake Cooper.

  Blake was a close family friend who had a long history with the O’Reillys. They’d served together, on all levels. When Blake retired from the military, the O’Reillys offered him a position with Brother’s Keeper, but he declined, opting for a life as Police Chief in a town Declan had introduced him to a decade or more before. That didn’t mean he didn’t get his hands dirty from time to time and work a case with the boys. They all had each other’s back – always.

  It didn’t go unnoticed by Liam and his brothers who were keeping the committee members entertained that Luke and Carter were with Blake. They were up to something. The three men stood off from the small crowd to finish whatever they were discussing before they joined the sendoff. It was overheard that Carter was staying in his apartment at Watermark. Interesting.

  The three men rejoined the collective group, and Luke extended his hand to Director Waterman and General Grove. “It was nice to see you again. We’ll be seeing soon in DC.”

  Carter followed suit with a handshake. “You know where to reach me if you have any questions for me. I’ll actually be staying in Portland for a while, just to oversee things in person.”

  “Yes, yes we do,” Director Waterman said, suspicion laced in his words. As the highest ranking official in the land’s largest enforcement agency, he should have been better at masking his wary demeanor. “We’ll certainly…stay in touch.”

  The committee members filed out the door and filled the waiting SUVs, but the general stopped and turned to the men. “Blake Cooper.”

  “Yes, General. Good memory,” Blake said with a nod.

  “I knew it. It is you.” The general smiled. “It’s great to see you. How’ve you been, son?”

  “Pleasure’s all mine, sir. And I’m doing well. Can’t complain.”

  “That’s great to hear.” The general scanned the group, nodding his head with a pleased look. “I’ve served with all of you at one time or another. It’s good to see you’re all still together and so…well.”

  With a final exchange of nods and friendly smiles, the general made his way to the final vehicle and left.

  When the lobby was clear, Declan was the first to start in on Carter. “What the hell, man? What are you doing here?”

  “We had a meeting,” Carter fired back with a wink and mega-watt smile.

  “I’d ask how you got here, but that’s obvious.” Declan turned his attention to Blake.

  With his hands up, Blake defended his part, “He was coming with or without me. So I thought it best to bring him myself in case he ran into trouble.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you on your feet, but you need to take it easy and lay low. You’re still a target,” Declan scolded.

  “We’ve already established whoever is behind what happened to you is probably connected to the senator’s murder, which links you to Daisy,” Dace reminded the group, as if they didn’t already see that for themselves.

  Carter nodded, turning his attention to Liam. “Have you heard anything else – any threats?”

  “Not a word. Just a few minor hack attempts. but I can’t see where they’re coming from. Then some small stuff like security cameras inside the building and crap.” Liam went down a list of minor encounters that didn’t turn into anything but his frustration. “What has me is everything coming our way is small, but untraceable. Why go to all the trouble to stay anonymous, then just do stupid small shit?”

  “Someone sending you a message? Maybe they’re showing you they can hide from you?” Luke questioned.

  “Maybe, but why? The government contract is off the radar, so nobody would come looking for that, and as far as our other big case…no one knows about Daisy or t
hat we have her.”

  “You’ll figure it out – you always do,” Luke reassured his brother.

  “Maybe it’s just some internet peeper,” Wylie added.

  “No. The cover is too good. I’ll figure it out. I’m using the new program to trace it, but it isn’t catching it, so if anything, this asshole revealed a flaw in the system. I’ll find it, fix it, figure out who’s behind this, and send them a warning by way of computer virus.”

  Luke patted his brother’s shoulder. “You figured out who had Landry by tracing his phone and the text, you’ll figure this out too.”

  “Damn straight – back to this guy, though,” Liam said, shoving his hands in his pockets while nodding to Carter. “What are you doing here?”

  “I needed to be here – they need to see me. I was close to answers and know we are dealing with someone big, maybe even all the way up to the White House. These jackasses go back to Washington and mention seeing me, it might get to whoever we are looking for.”

  “You’re drawing them out,” Declan confirmed.

  “Is that smart? Do we want them here?” Dace questioned, his concern legitimate since this wasn’t planned, but a blindside for the brothers. “We don’t even know who it is, how many there are…how will we see it coming?”

  Carter grinned. “They won’t come here. This is how they figure out you were the team they texted, and ultimately, the team responsible for my rescue. They’ll be watching you, and there are a lot of you to watch.”

  “A distraction,” Luke added.

  “Absolutely. Daisy is safe here. They don’t know who she is, or where to begin looking, and with me in the building, they won’t suspect it’s here.”

  “Why wouldn’t they? She’s your only witness,” Liam asked.

  “What agent would hide their witness so close? They know that we know better. It’ll send them looking farther away.”

  Declan agreed. “Good point. Let’s see how this plays out. Noses up, ears to the ground. That means we’re looking for anything coming this way.”

  “You know you have my help if you need it,” Blake offered.

  Luke slapped Blake’s back, especially pleased with him stepping up to help. “Appreciate that, brother.”

  “Anytime – you know that. It wouldn’t take me any time to get a team rounded up and mission ready. Just say the word.”

  The electronic security locks disengaging revealed Ronan and Ryker’s arrival.

  “I believe we have a plane to catch,” Ronan said, addressing Blake.

  Dace tilted his head in confusion. “Where you guys going?”

  “Just a quick trip to Iowa,” Ryker laughed. “Seems my brother and I left something there. Landry here is sending us back to pick it up.”

  “Iowa? What’s in Iowa?” The brothers looked at each other in confusion. Iowa hadn’t been any part of this case.

  Luke flashed a smile like they hadn’t seen in years. “Daisy’s grandmother.”

  19

  “Where are we going?” Daisy asked as Luke guided her through Watermark.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Her face lit up. “Are we leaving the building?”

  “No, we can’t. I’m sorry.” Especially now, he thought.

  “So, a surprise in the building.”

  “She’s catching on, folks.”

  Daisy swatted his arm for teasing her. “Stop it. I hate surprises. What could it be?”

  “You’ll never guess. This one is really good.”

  “How good? Jump up and down and squeal good, or you’re going to ruin my makeup with an ugly cry good?”

  “One, what’s an ugly cry? Two, you don’t wear makeup.”

  “Good point.”

  The elevator doors opened to a floor she didn’t recognize. There didn’t seem to be anything out of ordinary. It looked like any other floor. Luke stopped them in front of an apartment two doors down from the elevator. Again, nothing remarkable about it. It looked like any other apartment in Watermark. Luke tapped a button on his smart watch, and the electronic lock disengaged, allowing him to open the door.

  Luke held the door, gesturing for Daisy to enter first. “Where are we? Why are we…here?”

  They stepped into a furnished apartment, much like all the others in the building – same floor plan even. A perky blonde woman walked out of what Daisy assumed was a bedroom wearing a big smile.

  “Oh, hey, Luke. You must be Daisy.” Daisy stopped in her tracks and gave Luke a surprised look. The woman knew her name.

  “Daisy, this is Carly. She’s a family friend from McKenzie Ridge. She got in last night and will be staying on for a while.”

  Staying on for what? Daisy wondered, a hint of jealousy spiking. “Oh. Okay?”

  Luke smiled, enjoying the curiosity brewing within Daisy. Carly must have seen it too because she let out a bouncy giggle that matched her seemingly bubbly personality.

  “I don’t understand. What’s the surprise?” Daisy whispered.

  “This. This is the surprise. It’s all for you.” Luke snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “A…cute blonde? In a…private apartment?” Daisy looked between Luke and Carly, waiting for the punchline.

  “Yes. Well, and what she has in that bedroom.”

  Shocked by Luke’s statement, Daisy tossed her hands up in the air. “Whoa, I think we’ve had a misunderstanding somewhere. She…this – it isn’t…happening.” Turning on her heels quickly, she addressed Carly. “No offense, I’m sure you’re a really nice person, and you’re super pretty, but—”

  Carly shook her head and laughed. “None taken.”

  “The real surprise is in the bedroom,” Luke added, still trying to convince Daisy this was all for her. “Why don’t you go take a peek?”

  “I’m okay right here. Really, I don’t need to go to her…bedroom. This is feeling a little weird. I mean, I am surprised, but…”

  “Daisy, just go look.” Though amused, Luke let out an exasperated sigh, extending his hand toward the bedroom.

  Luke and Carly didn’t do a very good job at containing their laughter. They were thoroughly amused by Daisy’s response.

  Hesitant at first, Daisy made her way to the bedroom and stood frozen in the entry.

  She looked at Luke over her shoulder, let out a breathy sob, and grabbed her chest before turning her attention back to the room.

  Choking on her words, she cried, “You…you did this? You did this for me?”

  Standing behind her, Luke wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. “I’d do anything for you. Anything.”

  Taking a step back, he let her go. “Go. Go be with her.”

  Standing in the doorway, Luke watched as Daisy pulled up a chair to her grandmother’s bedside and held her hand.

  “I’m going to grab a coffee and pastry at Wired so you all can have some privacy. Can I bring anything back for you?” a misty-eyed Carly asked as she stood next to Luke.

  “No. I’m fine, thank you. Daisy?”

  Wiping the tears from her face, and in a broken voice, Daisy answered, “I’m fine, thank you. And I’m so, so sorry, Carly. I feel like such an idiot.”

  “It’s fine, hon. Luke did make it a little weird,” she laughed. “I’ll be back in a bit, but should you need me, Luke has my number. She’s been napping, but she was talking about you all the way here on the plane and even this morning.”

  Daisy’s head whipped around with surprise. “The plane?”

  “Luke went to some trouble to get her here,” Carly laughed.

  “Thank you, Carly.”

  “My pleasure. See ya soon.” Carly patted Luke on the shoulder and gave an approving look as she stepped away.

  Luke kissed Daisy’s shoulder as he sat in the chair he had pulled up next to her.

  “I can’t believe you did this, Luke. You brought her here.”

  “You said you missed her. I figured being cooped
up might not be as bad if you have your Gran around.”

  “You figured right. Is this okay, though? Is it safe for her? She needs around the clock care and—”

  “I took care of it. She’s safer here than anywhere. Especially if whoever is looking for you finds her. There’s no telling what they’d do given what they did to Carter. We can protect her here better.” Luke wrapped an arm around Daisy’s shoulders as he tried to put her mind at ease. “And Carly is a nurse – one we can trust. She lives in McKenzie Ridge and had a bad heartbreak, so she took a leave of absence to hang out here for a while with your Gran.”

  “Does Carly know…why I’m here?”

  “Carly knows what we do, yes. She was in the middle of a scandal in McKenzie that we helped…neutralize. She probably has a pretty good idea as to the nature of your being here. If you’re worried about her talking, she won’t.”

  “That’s too bad she’s going through a hard time. She seems sweet. Maybe the ladies and I can have some girl time with her,” Daisy said, never looking away from her Gran.

  “I bet she’d like that.” Luke smiled, impressed Daisy was already thinking of someone else, a total stranger, and wanting her to feel welcome. But that was Daisy.

  “This is just so…so…unexpected. I can hardly believe it.”

  “I know you worry about her, and her health. Who knows how long this case will take. I thought it was best if there wasn’t any more time lost between you.”

  “So you grab a plane and fly off to get her?”

  “It helps to have friends with planes. And friends who are doctors who live next to friends with planes.”

  “Huh?”

  Luke chuckled. He really was bad at explaining things. “The first apartment we passed is set up for Doc Charles, another friend—”

  Daisy held up a hand to interrupt him. “Let me guess, from McKenzie Ridge?”

  With his shoulders back, Luke sat a bit taller and lifted his nose in the air. “Of course. If we need him, he’s just a helicopter ride away. Carly will be staying here, in the apartment with your Gran. Then my sister Carigan and a couple other friends in McKenzie, Sam and Everly, volunteered to come in and help so Carly can take a little time off when she needs it. It’s all covered.”