by Dale Mayer
When he ended the call, Flynn turned to study the area. The cops were all over the place. Then again, this guy had been in several cop chases, and was a suspect of a drive-by shooting and murder. There should be a lot of attention to this property, the vehicle, and Brendan himself. Flynn wanted to go down to the police station and beat the shit out of Brendan to get some answers. But Flynn knew that wouldn’t go down well. He walked over to a cop and asked, “Do you need me here?”
The cop studied him. “I want your statement. Give me a brief version now, and you can go down to the station later.”
It took a little bit, but when he finally got through it all, the cop with his notepad said, “Okay, see you at the station tomorrow morning. We’ll go through this place with a finetooth comb. We need proof he’s the one who killed Jonas, and it would be nice to have proof he’s the one responsible for the drive-by shooting and the attack on Anna.”
That set up several more questions in Flynn’s mind. By the time he was done and free to go, another half hour had passed. A half hour that really didn’t matter because now he knew Brendan was caught and life could return to normal. They needed as much evidence as they could possibly get to pin it all on Brendan. Flynn didn’t want to see the asshole get out for thirty plus years.
A part of him wanted to see Brendan go out in a blaze of gunfire so Flynn wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. But now that he was in police custody, Flynn was pretty sure they were in for a long-drawn-out court case. As long as Brendan didn’t get a chance to be released on bail, then Flynn was good with that.
Speaking of which, he called Levi. “I guess there is no way we can stop Brendan from getting released on bail, is there? Not with murder charges against him, right?”
“Only if they can pin it on him,” Levi said. “If he’s cooperative and agrees to stay around, they may release him without bail. If they have evidence worth charging him with murder or attempted murder, they could still release him if he posts bail. Otherwise, they can hold him for twenty-four hours without charging him.”
“We can’t let him get bail,” Flynn said. “I know his brother is local, but Brendan is a newcomer to this area, unemployed.”
“Good point. I’ll make a phone call to the DA. He owes us after last time. Maybe he can use his clout to influence bail.”
Flynn had forgotten about Rhodes’s problem with Sienna and the DA. Rhodes had saved the DA’s life. It was always good to have friends in high places, especially to have them in cases like this. It was pretty major. It wasn’t as if Flynn wanted anything illegal done, but if there were doors that could be closed, he didn’t want Brendan getting out. If he came back after Flynn, it would be bad. But it was Anna who kept getting hurt. And that could not be allowed to continue.
By the time he made it to his truck and back out to the main road, driving toward Anna’s place, he could feel some of his adrenaline draining away. It was amazing how good it was, keeping you going when everything was busy. But once that adrenaline shot drained out, it left you pretty empty.
He hoped some pizza was still left. He’d have some of that when he got there. But he knew the animals might be feeling the stress of these events too. Maybe tonight they all could finally get a good night’s sleep for the first time in days.
As he pulled up into the driveway, Anna’s car was already there. Which was a good thing. He hopped out, locked up the truck and walked to the front door. The security system was set. He punched in the code to let himself in the front door and called out, “Anna, you home?”
He closed the door, reset the alarm and turned to see Logan standing in the living room. A finger to his lips.
“She’s just fallen asleep on the couch.”
Flynn took a look. Sure enough, she was curled up with a pillow under her head and a blanket across her shoulders. Sleeping. But her face was pale, waxy. He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently and whispered, “I’m sorry. But it’s all over now. You’re safe.”
She didn’t shift, and he realized that, between the pain medication and stress, she was out cold. He turned back toward Logan. “You probably should have taken her to her bed before she crashed.”
“I tried,” Logan said. “But she was a mite too stubborn. She wanted to be down here when you came back.”
“Like that’ll help. Now I have to carry her upstairs,” he joked.
“And you won’t have a problem doing that,” Logan said comfortably. “Chances are you’ll stay in the bedroom beside her.”
Flynn glanced back at her and said in a low voice, “I’d like nothing better.”
“I’m damn glad they caught Brendan.” Logan shook his head. “I wondered what it would take to bring down that asshole.”
“And I’m still not sure he’ll stay down. There’s just too many ways he could get off. What if they don’t have enough evidence to pin the murder on him? We can’t prove it was a drive-by shooting if there are no eyewitness reports seeing the truck or him. It would be my word against his. There’s just so much circumstantial evidence. And the fact that he has a brother close and he’s ex-military too, a soft judge could let him go while they collect more evidence.”
“What? Surely not.”
Flynn shrugged. He turned a tired face toward Logan and said, “You and Levi both know it can happen. You’ve seen all kinds things occur in the courts. Honestly, I’d rather the guy was dead. But that’s out of my hands.”
“Make sure it’s not by your hands,” Logan warned. “It’s tough in our business. We’ve had to kill. But we can’t make it a choice to do so.”
“I hear you. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” He cast one more look at Anna. “I’d pound the shit right out of him if I could get my hands on him for what he did to Anna alone.” He walked into the kitchen. “Any pizza left?”
“God, I hope so. I know there’s beer.”
Within minutes the two men sat down to warmed-up pizza and cold beer. Flynn stretched out his legs with a happy sigh after three pieces. He took a long swig of beer and said, “Goddamn, am I glad it’s over with.”
Logan nodded. “Do you think it’s safe to leave you two alone tonight?”
Flynn gave his buddy a lopsided grin. “If she wasn’t injured, I’d say get the hell out of here, but with her sleeping like she is, injured the way she was…” He shook his head. “It’ll be sleep tonight.”
Logan gave a good-natured laugh. “Understood. I’m really surprised, though I shouldn’t be, as I’d heard about the two of you. But now that I see you together, I’m happy for you. You’re really well-matched.”
Flynn shrugged. “I’m not sure what that means anymore. But I know I found someone very special, and I want to hang on to her.”
“Good. Then you won’t do anything stupid. I doubt she’ll be rushed into anything she’s not ready for.”
“No, but it’s time for a change for her. She’s contemplating selling and moving a little out of town. She’s hoping she’ll get more land for the animals. Then go bigger for the rescues. But that depends on all kinds of things, including money.” He reached out with his beer bottle and tapped Logan’s. “Your dad did a good thing with that check.”
Logan’s eyebrows shot up. “He sent one?”
Flynn nodded. “I saw the company name on it. She needed that money.”
“Well, the old man’s got it, and he donates hundreds of thousands a year to charities. There’s no reason some of it can’t filter here.”
“That’s a great way to look at it.”
As Flynn finished his beer, he stood up and put his empty back into the case, grabbing another. As he did so, he heard an odd sound. He froze, turned and looked out to the backyard. The two dogs were in the pen; they needed to be brought into their cages. And it was already damn late. But he knew how Anna would worry. Yet he couldn’t see what caused that sound. Still suspicious, he knew how easily normal night noises could be scary. “There are four cats and two dogs left to look after. I better
get out there.”
“Let me give you a hand.”
Leaving the beer behind, the two walked out the back door. He led Jimbo and Duggy inside to their cages, gave them fresh water and food and both got a hug. They walked to the cats, made short work of the litter box, and with Logan’s help, dumped out a couple cans of cat food and gave them fresh water. He looked down the long rows of cages and said, “It’s the least animals she’s ever had.”
“Well, there’s certainly a need for her to do more. But after this crap…” Logan shook his head. “You’re right. Maybe moving would be better.”
“It’ll be hard to recover from it here. I can’t imagine too many charities will want to donate with all the bad publicity that’ll hit the papers. I’d like to be wrong, bu …”
“I could ask my dad to give a hand. Not so much with donating more money because I don’t know what he’s doing with that, but he could surely put out a good word. Also, she’s got prime real estate here. Maybe she should move. If she can afford to, this is the best time because she doesn’t have many animals. We can get the whole gang to give her a hand one day, get it done fast and simple.”
“Do you think the guys would mind?”
Logan snorted. “You know how they love to be over the top, do it all at once and better than anyone else. They’d die for her, particularly if she’s to be your ladylove.” Logan waggled his eyebrows.
Flynn smiled. “I guess that’s what families are all about.”
Logan slapped him on the shoulder. “Remember you’re part of the team now. You’re one of us again. You are not out in the cold anymore.”
Flynn glanced at Logan once more and smiled. “With you, buddy, I never have been. Thanks for always being there.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
Chapter 16
Anna woke to a silence that was deep and unnerving. It took a long moment to figure out exactly where she was and why she was on her couch with a blanket over her. As soon as she jolted to a sitting position, she remembered. The pain in her arm kicked in. She leaned back and took several deep breaths, waiting for the throbbing to calm down. Her arm was in a sling, but some of that support had shifted. The bandage was solid and should do for the night. It was definitely dark out. And it sounded like she was alone. She got to her feet, made her way to the downstairs bathroom, used the facilities and washed her hands. She stared at her face in the mirror and saw drops of dried blood, her ashen complexion, and the great big bags under her eyes. “Wow, a beauty you are not.”
With her left hand she awkwardly grabbed a washcloth, wet it and did a half-assed effort to wipe her face clean. She wasn’t sure how the blood got up there. No way could she manage a shower tonight. She wasn’t sure why she had awakened. That was one of the reasons she hated drugs as much as they did her. They never worked as well or as long as they should.
She opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Lights were on in the kitchen, but no sound came from there. As she walked into the brightly lit room, she noticed that half a pizza was gone, and several more beer bottles, opened and emptied, were on the table. So the guys were either out front at the vehicles or in back with the animals.
Dear God, she hadn’t brought the dogs in. She opened the door and listened. But she couldn’t hear anything. She wanted to call the dogs, but she’d been through enough scary shit lately and didn’t want to bring any attention to herself. Then she heard voices, laughter and a door shutting. She sank back against the doorjamb, relieved, closing her eyelids as she realized Flynn and Logan were in with the cats. Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and got her second good news of the day. The reptile center had room for her snake. She would contact them to arrange for the transfer.
She beamed at the guys as they walked toward her. “Thank you for looking after the animals. The snake has a new home as soon as I can make it happen.”
“That’s great news,” Logan said.
“What the hell are you doing up and outside?” Flynn snapped. “You’re injured. You should be back in bed—your own, not on the couch.”
“Thank you, Flynn. How are you, Flynn? It’s so nice of you to be concerned about my condition, Flynn. But please take it upon yourself to be anything but an asshole.”
Logan howled with laughter. “Oh, my God, you two are so perfect for each other.”
Both Flynn and Anna turned to glare at Logan. He snickered, but it subsided. Flynn motioned to her. She turned around and went back into the house. She decided she would follow his silent command because she felt tired enough that she needed to go sit down again, not because he told her to. She found a chair she assumed they hadn’t been using at the kitchen table and collapsed into it. She eyed the pizza, wondering if she wanted a piece.
“You want some?” Logan asked, his gaze following hers.
She smiled. “Would you mind putting it in the microwave for a few seconds for me?”
“Not at all.” He picked up two slices from the two different boxes, plunked them on a plate and popped it in the microwave.
She sat back as the aroma of pizza filled the room.
Flynn asked, “You want a beer? Although it’s probably not a good idea with the painkillers.”
“I’m not much of a beer drinker anyway. Thanks. Now if there was tea …”
Logan hit the button on the teakettle as he brought her the pizza. “Hot water coming up.”
She stared down at the pizza, smiled brightly and said, “Thank you. Nice to know you’re housetrained.”
He chuckled. “I am. I don’t know about this guy though.”
She turned sideways, glancing at Flynn. “He’s got more of the junkyard dog thing going on.”
Logan howled again.
Flynn glared at him. “Enough already. Shut the hell up.”
Logan subsided slightly, but his eyes twinkled as he looked from one to the other. “I guess now that you’re safe, I can go home to my own house?”
“Do you have your own?” Anna asked in interest. “I thought you lived at the compound.”
“I do. And my father is close by. He has a huge house with my own suite of rooms in it.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Seems silly to buy my own when he’s got an apartment for me, plus, I do live at the compound.”
“Nice, no bills anywhere.” She shook her head. “Damn nice.”
He laughed. “There is just my father and me,” he said. “I don’t really want to move out and lose the relationship we have.”
“I wouldn’t either,” she said softly. “If you have any relationship that you care about, you do what you need to nurture it.”
“My thoughts exactly. Besides, I’m never around to look after a place, so thankfully people at both locations take care of things for me.” He grinned. “And I’m a lousy cook.”
“But you have Alfred. I would love to have an Alfred of my own,” she said in a wistful tone. “My God, he’s perfect. He does all the organizing, looking after the house. He cooks. He cleans…” She shook her head. “We should all have an Alfred.”
“No argument there.”
Flynn looked over at Logan. “Your dad has several Alfreds. And our counterpart in Africa, Bullard, has Dave, who’s damn near a clone of Alfred. And in England, one of our friends we stay with, Charles, has a second Alfred clone. There’s just something about that type of gentleman.”
“Gentleman. Yes, Alfred’s very much that. He’s almost like an old butler.”
“The compound does have staff members who come and handle things. It’s well over 25,000 square feet. Way too big for any one person to clean.”
“That’s gotta be a nightmare,” she said. “I understand the compound is high-security conscious.”
“Absolutely.”
Flynn’s phone rang just then. He pulled it from his pocket, looked at the number and sighed. “Levi never sleeps.”
*
“She’s fine. She has stitches in her bicep, and the arm’s in a sling. Still looking a lit
tle pale and chalky, but she’s got antibiotics and painkillers. We’re at her place. A good night’s sleep and she’ll be that much better tomorrow,” Flynn said. “Any update on what the police found?”
“Not yet. We will touch base in the morning. Just wanted to hear Anna was safe. Katina’s beside herself here.”
“Tell her Anna is fine.”
“She’s gone to bed. I’ll knock and let her know. They can touch base in the morning too.”
After that Levi hung up.
Flynn turned back to Anna, who was looking for her purse.
Logan said, “I wonder if I left it in the car.” He grabbed the keys and headed out to the car, returning a moment later with her purse.
She gave a cry of thanks. Opening it, she pulled out her phone. “Of course, it’s been turned off.” She turned it on and found messages and dozens of missed calls. “You know I’m really sad to have missed all these. But it does my heart good to think people were actually checking that I was okay.”
“Just like Flynn here, you have a family you aren’t even aware of. And over time, it’ll just get bigger and stronger,” Logan said. He pulled his long length to an upright position. “If you guys think you’re good for the night, I’ll head home and crash.”
Anna got up and ran over, throwing her good arm around him.
Gently he hugged her back, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “Now you be good. I don’t want to see you back in the hospital anytime soon.”
She beamed up at him. “I plan to never go back. Of course I might end up having to send Flynn so he knows what it feels like.”
Flynn spoke from behind her. “As if.”
She stepped back and said to Logan, “Thanks for looking after me so well.”
They followed him to the front door and stood on the porch until he got into the truck and drove away.
Flynn closed the door, reset the alarm and said, “Come on. Let’s get you upstairs to bed.”
She looked around her. “What about this mess?”
“Tomorrow’s another day. I can do the dishes in the morning. Right now, you’re ready to crash, and I can’t say I’m very far away from that myself.”