by Sheila Kell
“Hell yeah!” Cowboy shoved his binoculars in his backpack, lifted it, and slid it over his shoulders like it weighed nothing.
He’d called a cleaning service to have the house readied for Declan, so he had nothing else to do except wait for them to arrive.
Danny’s distracted mind had nothing to do with the day at work and his boss requesting time off for family time. It had everything to do with the phone call he’d received while he’d neared the airport to pick up his guests. Declan’s voice had been strained, and the fear in it blasted through the call. Danny had offered to meet them in Boston, but Declan declined.
Danny tossed the biography of Steve McQueen on the side table as he stood from his couch. Worry for his friends kept him from focusing on reading. There’d been no further communication from Declan. The status of Diana and their unborn child was unknown and that ate at him.
When the phone rang, he glanced down at his watch as he picked up the cell. Ten. Not too late to fly since it took less than an hour and a half from Boston.
Danny swiped a finger on the phone screen and asked, “How is she?” before Declan could speak.
“She and the baby are okay. But Diana and I are going to stay in Boston for a bit so she can rest.”
He didn’t see a problem with that as the couple had just needed to leave Ireland and find a place to hide. However, his mind ran through former colleagues in the area that might provide protection should Declan decide they needed it. “Do you need me there?”
“No. We’ll be fine for a while.”
“What about Moira?” The kid had to be frightened with everything happening. Kid, he silently scoffed. She had to be—what? Twenty-seven or twenty-eight? Still….
“I’m sending her to you.”
Considering the protectiveness Declan demonstrated for his baby sister, the idea they’d split up shocked Danny. “Alone? Are you mad?”
“She’ll continue on the private jet, and she’s not alone.” Before Danny could ask who accompanied her, Declan hurried on. “Look, I need to go. Pick her up at midnight. Her escort won’t be staying long. He works for Boyle, but trust him. He’s on our side. At least in this endeavor.” A brief hesitation told Danny there was more. “Oh, and Danny—”
The hackles rose on the back of Danny’s neck. This didn’t sound promising.
“I’m sorry.” Declan disconnected the call before Danny could speak.
What the fuck?
One word kept playing in his mind. Boyle.
Throughout the evening, that name and Declan’s “I’m sorry” ate at Danny. It’d worsened as the Gulfstream taxied at midnight. Normally, he’d admire the smooth operation on the ground with the crews working together in perfection, but his eyes remained glued to the cabin door.
It could mean nothing that Declan didn’t mention the guard’s name—he assumed a man, but knowing some badass women as he did with HIS, it could be a woman. It could easily be someone Danny didn’t know. Yet, a niggling feeling that he’d missed something in the planning of the lovers’ escape stuck with him. And, why was Declan sorry?
The cabin door popped up and slowly slid to the side. As stairs were lowered, Danny’s eyes locked on the man guarding the door. His gut clenched and wanted to heave. His hope was that his eyes were deceiving him.
Justin—who he hadn’t seen since their father’s funeral—was Moira’s guard. Declan’s words came back to him— “He works for Boyle, but trust him.”
It’d never come up, so Danny had never asked Declan who Diana’s father was, nor had Declan shared it. He hadn’t caught that slip before, but now that he had….
Son of a bitch. All this time, Danny had allowed guilt to eat at him for accusing his brother of being dirty and working for the criminal Danny suspected of targeting their father. Danny had been distraught because he’d been elsewhere with the DEA when his brother and father were involved in the deadly bust. Before then, he’d heard rumors that his brother was playing both sides but had ignored them. Until the day of their father’s funeral when it all came to a boil in his mind.
After the mourners left, Danny had lit into Justin and all but accused him of murdering their father. His brother had disappeared after that, and Danny hadn’t looked for him.
Watching the closeness of the Hamilton family had broken something in him, and he’d wanted to patch things up with his brother. Only, he’d never made the first move.
Yet, here Justin was—proving the agents right that he’d been playing both sides. With a fierce anger surging through him, Danny stepped forward and prepared to greet his guests.
One would be met with a hug while the other might be met with the end of his fist.
Just then a leggy brunette stepped into view and his anger took a step back. Gone was the scrawny teenager he remembered. This woman…. Wow. Little Moira had grown up. Then she smiled and her face brightened. She was an absolute stunner. Having her live with him didn’t sound as easy as he’d originally thought. That buffer of her brother also residing with them was now gone. At least temporarily.
“Danny,” she said, as she descended the few steps.
He pushed himself forward and when he reached her, he pulled her into a hug. Damn, she smelled good. Quickly, before his body reacted, he pushed her back. “Moira, you’ve grown up.” What a stupid thing to say. Of course she had. “I meant,” he corrected, “you look beautiful.”
Even in the shadowy moonlight, he caught the red creep up her neck and the blush that stole across her face endeared her to him. Damn, oh damn. Distance, he reminded himself.
Then his gaze landed on his brother, once again. He itched to reach out and sock the man, but he had escorted Moira safely into Danny’s arms. “Justin,” he said with a curtness he meant.
“Danny. I won’t be staying but overnight, so the pilots can get some rest. I can stay at a hotel if you prefer.”
Would he? He was royally pissed at his brother, but did he want him out of sight? No, he wanted answers and that meant keeping his brother close. He deserved answers. And he planned to get them. “No, I have room. Besides, we need to talk.”
Justin appeared uncomfortable, but Danny didn’t give a shit. If his brother was on the take and it caused their father’s death, he’d kill him with his bare hands.
Chapter Eight
After an uncomfortable ride to his home and situating Moira and Justin in his spare rooms, Danny grabbed himself a much-deserved Natty Boh. Justin’s appearance had been unexpected. So many nights he’d wanted to speak with his brother, to clear the air. Now that he was here, Danny wasn’t sure what to say.
Even at the late hour, all three returned to the living room. With Moira and Justin on the couch—sitting too close for his liking—and Danny in his La-Z-Boy, he jumped right in. “What happened to move up the timeline?” He had no problem with his guests arriving early, well, except he had to work and couldn’t entertain them. He just wanted to know what happened.
Moira responded, “Boyle found out about Declan and Diana. He found out she’s pregnant.”
Danny whistled at the implication, then a thought occurred to him, and he didn’t like that his mind expected deviousness from his brother. “Did you tell your boss?” he asked Justin.
His brother winced. He must not have known Declan had revealed his employer. “No. I’ve worked hard to keep it secret. I’ll have hell to pay for not telling Boyle about the relationship.”
“You’re going back?” Danny asked. Even though Declan had informed him Justin wasn’t staying, he didn’t expect him to go back to the asshole responsible for their father’s death. “Why?”
“I have to.”
“He has to kill us off,” Moira offered, rather nonchalantly for the topic.
Justin shrugged. “I need to make it appear I killed them so they can all live freely without worrying about who might be
after them. That’ll also make up for me not telling the boss about the relationship.”
“I can’t believe you work for that asshole. You know he’s responsible for our father’s death. Sure, it was the US connection that actually did it, but he’s their backer.” Danny bolted from his seat, righteous anger building inside him, ready to blow. He walked to the end of the living room then back, before Justin spoke.
“And when I can prove it, I’ll stop working for him.”
That stopped Danny in his tracks. He turned on his brother. “You mean that you’re only working for him to connect the dots to our dad’s murder? What about the rumors you were playing both sides of the fence?”
“Rumors. That was until Dad died.” His voice broke speaking their father’s name, and Danny wasn’t sure how to react and respond.
Could he believe his brother after all this time? Was his brother really on the straight and narrow?
“Look, I was there when Dad was gunned down and couldn’t do shit about it. The agency wouldn’t let me do shit about it afterwards. So I chose my own route to find out the truth. It’s just taking longer than I’d planned.”
Moira reached out and clasped Justin’s hand, and something inside Danny rebelled at the thought of the two of them together, an odd sensation for sure.
“There’s something else going on. Someone is pulling strings to seize control of more than a drug pipeline. I just can’t figure out who or what exactly is happening, but Boyle’s been acting squirrely.”
Danny dropped back down in his seat. He’d always been jealous that his older, perfect brother got to go on ops with their dad while Danny still did grunt work in the agency. The day their father had been murdered had been a day from hell. First, he’d lost his snitch, then he and his brother had argued about Danny’s helicopter training, then the murder. And he hadn’t been there to stop it.
Sure, they’d captured those who’d killed their dad, but deep down, Danny and his fellow agents knew the men weren’t acting alone. Their father had been leading an op that had ties to Ireland. Yet, he hadn’t been able to prove it.
Now, maybe his brother could prove it and bring the mastermind behind the death to justice. Ironically, Justin had been named for justice. Their old man’s play on what was important. When Danny came around, they just went with a name his mom liked.
“What can I do to help?” Really, there was no other appropriate answer. He couldn’t hold on to all of the pain and anger at his brother after learning the truth. It surprised him how easy it was to let most of it go and how much lighter he felt.
Justin raised his and Moira’s clasped hands and kissed the back of hers. “You can take care of the family. They mean everything to me.”
Danny understood. Moira was off-limits. Damn if that didn’t wrinkle his mood further. It shouldn’t have, but he felt a connection with Moira since they were kids. He figured since a woman had been all but dropped into his waiting arms, then she had to be worth pursuing. So much for fate.
“Listen,” Justin said and stood, bringing Moira up with him, “we need sleep, and Moira needs to adapt to your time zone.”
“We’ll finish talking in the morning.” Danny watched Justin lead Moira up the stairs to the bedrooms. Why did they have separate rooms? Were they trying to fool him or something? He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He needed sleep as well, so he trudged up the stairs to his own room. Tomorrow he’d show Moira the third floor and where she could put her studio. Anticipation flowed through him at how excited she’d be and thankful to him for the gift.
That eagerness dimmed somewhat since he couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that if his brother loved her so much, he wouldn’t leave her. Then again, he was leaving her in the capable hands of his brother. No pressure.
* * * * *
Danny spent the last few hours of the night tossing and turning and was up before dawn. As he dressed, he smelled coffee and figured his brother had beat him to the punch. All night he’d thought on his brother and the situation. For so long, he’d been angry at Justin, thinking he’d been playing both sides and being a part of what got their father killed.
Finding out it wasn’t true released most of the anger, but not all. The fact Justin hadn’t confided in him set his blood to boiling. Then again, he’d given his brother a blistering at their father’s funeral. Still. Justin had disappeared. Their mother would—
Their mother, she had to know Justin had reappeared, but she couldn’t know what he was doing. She’d never been so happy as to see him and Justin leave the DEA. The fact Danny held a job with more risk didn’t matter. It’d just been the heartbreak of losing her husband to the DEA; she didn’t want to lose her children to them also.
When he joined his brother downstairs, Danny decided to tackle what was most important. “You have to see Mom. She’s been worried about you.”
“I can’t,” Justin said. “Not until I settle this.”
“No. You have to see her. She’s dying inside, losing you like she has. It’s bad enough she blames me.”
“She does?”
“Well, she hasn’t said so, but I know she does. I mean, I go off on you at the funeral. Next thing we know, you’ve resigned and disappeared. What else is she to think?”
Justin rubbed his hand through his short hair. “All right. I’ll go see her. But, Danny, first I have to go back. If for no other reason than to make Boyle think the three of them are dead. They don’t deserve having to look over their shoulders.”
“Fair enough. Admirable, actually. What else do you plan?”
“I’m going to keep digging until I can find proof the US pipeline originates with Boyle. I want a confession out of him admitting to having our father killed, but I’ll go with finally connecting him. We know the leader had our dad killed. Those idiots who got arrested are loyal soldiers and nothing more. They’d never kill someone—especially a DEA agent—without orders.”
Danny poured himself a cup of coffee, already knowing what his brother had said about the actual killer and his accomplishments and, like the DEA, suspected Boyle, yet no one had been able to definitively connect him. That’d be pretty awesome if his brother could do it. But also extremely dangerous.
“Aren’t things going to be dangerous for you? I mean, you didn’t tell Boyle about Diana and Declan.”
They sat at the table.
“Yeah, that’s going to be a tough one, but I think I can win him over by providing proof they’re dead.”
Danny took a sip of coffee and almost burned his tongue. “And how are you going to do that?”
Justin looked aggrieved. “Jane and John Doe’s from the morgue. Unfortunately, they have plenty, so if a few disappear, no alarm will sound.”
Danny inwardly cringed at the idea but knew something had to be done. “Did he really want Moira too? She’s just the sister. Is the man as bloodthirsty as that?”
After a sip, Justin set his cup down. “It’s because she overheard something she shouldn’t have. Here”—he reached in his pocket and removed his phone— “listen to this.”
As the recording played, Danny’s mind spun as to how this could be used. While it wasn’t the connection they’d been seeking, this could bury the man. Based on those Moira identified in the room, partnering with a minister would be high-profile.
After the recording ended, Danny asked, “Last night you mentioned something bigger. Was this it?”
“No. This may sound odd considering my task, but I’m beginning to wonder if Boyle is actually in charge.”
“You think someone else might be pulling the strings?”
“This”—Justin pointed to his phone— “struck me as odd. Someone had to have set that up and it wasn’t Boyle. I’d have known about it.”
“Maybe he doesn’t trust you as much as you’d like to think. Did he even ask you who Diana was see
ing?”
Justin exhaled loudly. “No. That should’ve been a kicker since I was her assigned bodyguard.”
“So maybe it’s not safe for you to return. If he suspects you kept Diana’s relationship secret, he might take it out on you.”
“No. He called me to take them out. Granted, I’d already figured out there was a problem and had Diana at Declan’s and ready to go when I received the call.”
Danny took another sip of coffee contemplating. “I’ll say it again. It might be too dangerous for you to return. You can lay false trails from here for their death.”
“Yeah, but they’d never believe me if I disappear too. No, I have to chance it and return.”
Danny had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut. His brother’s life wasn’t worth getting the man responsible for their father’s death. But his brother was determined. “What can I do to help? At HIS, we’ve got a great group who can research your leads. We can also be there if you need us.” He didn’t have authorization to approve any of that, but he believed once he explained the situation to the brothers, they’d help.
Justin took a sip of coffee. “Like I said, take care of the family. Or at least Moira until Declan and Diana arrive.” He palmed his mug and stared down in the murky liquid. “I spoke with Declan this morning. Diana’s been admitted for observation.” He looked up. “She might lose the baby.”
Danny performed the sign of the cross and said a silent prayer for Diana, Declan, and the baby. He may not always make it to mass on Sundays, but he kept prayer close to his heart.
“Make sure to pray for me, not only when I go back, but for when I see Mom,” Justin said.
Danny chuckled. “Yeah, you’re going to need it when you see her. After she cries like a baby with happy tears, she’ll probably light into you.” Knowing the joy his mom would feel for seeing her other son made all the crazy plans melt away. Today would be about celebrating.