Emily is the only lead the prosecution has and the only way they would have any chance of winning. Stanton had no priors, not even a blip on the radar, and he has a family that Lucien has helped him provide for. He has plead not guilty and by the look of him the last time I saw him, is not doing well behind bars.
Everyone is hoping he will give his brother up, but I can't imagine he would. The only thing the guy had going against him in his life is his relation to Lucien and the fact that he worked a job at a legitimate company that just so happened to be one of Lucien's. He was loyal, yes, but I had the feeling he really didn't get involved with his older brother's more 'questionable' businesses. He wouldn't know anything big enough for us to use.
My opinion didn't really matter, though. My questions didn't matter. The whole thing didn't sit right with me, but the evidence said otherwise.
Emily said otherwise.
The conversation moved back and forth between her and Gus while we ate. He asked the questions I already knew, what she did for a living, where she used to live, but hearing her answer them was more informative than a piece of paper. The way she lit up when she spoke about teaching was beautiful. I genuinely hoped she would be able to go back to it after this was all over.
"Conall, why don't you show Emily to the room she will be staying in," Dad suggested as he started cleaning up the food. He turned to Emily and smiled warmly, "I'm sure you are worn out from your trip. Make yourself at home."
Emily smiled back shyly as she stood. "Thank you."
I stood with her and turned to the doorway, anxious to get some distance. Her voice, her eyes… all of it was making my head spin.
Dad made his way to the table and started clearing the dishes while Gus kept shoveling it all into his mouth, "No thanks necessary, my dear. You're going to be family after all."
I froze mid-step and Gus started coughing loudly, obviously choking on the food he had been inhaling. Liam Brannock was my hero and I respected the hell out of him, but what the hell?
Emily didn't seem to be focusing on his comment and instead was looking worriedly at Gus who was still coughing. "Are you okay?" she asked and moved toward him quickly, ready to perform the Heimlich maneuver if necessary, but he raised a hand and shooed her away.
"Yeah, I'm good," his voice strained from coughing and he started to laugh. "Wow, Dad. Subtle much?"
Dad shrugged innocently, but I saw the small grin he was trying so hard to rein in. "What? She's supposed to be his girlfriend."
I decided to just walk away before Gus got the chance to call him out. Emily shrugged and followed after me. Once in the doorway, I stopped and let her move passed me while I sent glares at my brother and Dad. Dad didn't look like he felt guilty at all as he started rinsing dishes and whistling, but Gus looked like he was in more shock than I was. His eyes were the widest I had ever seen them as he gestured with his thumb towards Dad as if saying, Did he seriously just say that?
I shook my head and sighed. I had to keep this professional and already it was too personal. My dad obviously liked her which was a problem because anyone he liked was definitely worth liking. Gus liked her, but he was leaving soon so I only had to deal with him for a few more days. Ash had looked like she was about to make a new best friend, which only left Luke and God knows he would do whatever the hell Ash wanted him to do.
"Thank you, Conall, for bringing me to your home. I know it isn't really the most convenient thing and I really hope it doesn't put your family in danger…"
She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, ringing her hands together and looking at everything but me and I couldn't help but be a little bitter about it. I wanted those green eyes looking at me. Only me. I had no right wanting that.
I cleared my throat and kept my expression impassive, "We won't be here long. I'll give you a couple hours to settle, then we need to talk."
Her lips pursed and her green eyes narrowed, then she nodded and that was enough. I stretched my arm toward the stairs to let her go first. "Ladies first."
I knew in my gut it was a big mistake, but hell if I could do any different. I had manners, especially when those manners got me a view I would clearly never forget.
God, I'm a perv.
The jeans she was wearing had to be made specifically for her and the way her hips swayed back and forth as she climbed the steps made me dizzy. I had to get a hold on this shit. I wouldn't last otherwise.
I got lost in my head for a moment and wondered how long it had been since I'd been with anyone. A couple months at least, but I couldn't even remember what the last girl looked like.
Hey, don't judge me. I never claimed to be a monk. I'm a gentleman, sure; Mom hammered that way of life into our heads at a very young age and Dad never let us forget it. I just don't have the time to do more than… what I do. I shouldn't have gone so long without it, though.
At the top of the stairs, I moved ahead of her quickly, putting that sweet view out of sight, and led her into Ash's old room. The mess from a couple weeks ago was cleaned up and the carpet had been replaced, but it was still a girl's room. I don't think Dad would ever change it either. I watched Emily as she took in the walls and bedspread and visibly relaxed.
"This is wonderful," she whispered. It was quiet enough that I'm almost positive I wasn't supposed to hear it.
"This is Ash's old room. If you find that you aren't comfortable in here, we have a few others that you are welcome to. Like I said, we won't be here long." I had already set her bags on the bed earlier, so I turned away and started to exit the room and leave her be.
"Why would I feel uncomfortable here?" she asked cautiously before I could get passed the door.
I turned back to her, but she wasn't looking at me, thank God. She was still looking around the room and I felt like a complete dick when I opened my mouth, but I couldn't stop the train wreck if I wanted to. I needed her focused, otherwise, focus was out of the question for me. She didn't need to get comfortable, anywhere. The moment she did would put her at risk.
"My dad was shot recently and the carpet had been stained. Also, Ash was kidnapped a few weeks back. Taken from this room. That's why she has the sling. She got beat up pretty badly, shoulder ligaments tore." I pointed toward the closet feeling the twinges of anger at what happened to my little sister all over again. She finally saw that the doors had been removed and there was a new section of drywall that we had recently installed.
I had to hand it to Ash and Dad for keeping that little spot a secret for all these years. I'd never been more grateful for a secret I had no part in. Explained why our little sister had been so bomb at hide and seek when we were little.
Her eyes widened more with each word that left my stupid mouth, but when she saw the evidence, I wanted to take it all back. I knew exactly what I had been doing and by the looks of it, she was going to do exactly what I wanted her to do in the first place.
"Holy shit!" she exclaimed and took a step back from the closet. I wanted to smile at her cuss word because it sounded strange coming from her lips. "Am I in danger here? Do I need to find somewhere else to-"
I held my hand up to stop her. "No. All that is over and done with. You're safe here."
She let out a breath but didn't really relax.
Good.
"Like I said, we won't be here long."
Then I turned and walked away, leaving her alone in that room.
Yeah, I know. I'm an asshole.
***
I was sitting in my father's office going over the details of the Ripley case so far. Captain Miller informed me that the prosecution had offered another plea deal if Stanton gave them anything they could use against his brother. This apparently happened early that morning and they were waiting on Stanton. I knew he wouldn't give them anything. He had plead not guilty and knew what he was facing when he did. A guy who does that isn't going to jump at the chance to make a deal.
Plus, they'd offered it to him before and he didn't take it.
I don't normally give a shit about a woman's past. In fact, the less I know about her, the better. This is how I've lived my life for several years now. I've had my share of drinks in the face and slaps to the cheek. Didn't mean I changed my ways even though everyone tried to convince me otherwise.
Once. I got to know a woman once. Really well. In fact, I had thought I was in love with her and was in the process of taking a leap into sharing my life with someone. I was young, Sarah was young, I was unsure of what to do with my life and she had given me a purpose. Or so I thought. Then, she cheated on me with the one man I thought I could trust outside of my brothers. Yes, I consider Luke my brother. We had been through too much together not to be brothers in every way except blood.
He had been the one to help me kick the shit out of my ex-roommate who I thought was my friend. In fact, Luke was the one who found them out. Stopped by her work to deliver a package for her birthday from me since I had been in the middle of training that afternoon, but I'd had huge plans that night to celebrate with her. Luke found Sarah in the break room kneeling in front of that douche and doing things I would rather not think about.
I'll never forget the look on his face when he came back to me that day still holding her gift. I literally felt the doom seeping out of him.
This is one of the many reasons I trusted him with my sister. He would never hurt her, never be disloyal to her, and he would never be dishonest with me about her or anyone. He would give it to me straight no matter what the issue and the issue was that I was feeling like giving a shit about this woman's past instead of just doing my job. It had to be because something was off about her, I could at least tell that much. But I was going to be living with her for the next few months and the thrill I was getting at the thought of that was dangerous.
That's why I called Luke the minute I felt the urge to go find her. Gus and Dad were out back in the shed looking for some extra chairs for his 'surprise' retirement party and there was no way in hell I was going to Gus about it. Not yet.
"Shade."
"Hey, man. You got a minute?"
There was a pause, probably of disbelief and uncertainty that I just called to chat. I rarely spoke to him on the phone at all. I wasn't a talker, not to anyone but Ash, but that's because she was too talkative and no one could help not joining in the conversation when she was so damn adorable all the time. Luke loved it about her and so did the rest of us. Reminded me of Mom.
"Yeah, Con. I got a few. What's happening? Is everything alright?"
I grinned, "If you are asking if anything is up with Ash that I am warning you about, you can rest easy. She's packing and happy as a sunrise."
"Damn it! I told her to wait for me, she's gonna tear apart all the work those doctors did," he growled in my ear.
Like I said, he was good to my sister. Hence, the reason I proceeded to embarrass myself.
"Yeah, good luck with that. I have a problem and I need you to give it to me straight, like always."
"Shoot."
I raked a hand through my hair, feeling how long it had gotten over the last few months. I usually kept it short and spiked, but long before the shit that went down with Ash and my dad, I hadn't cared enough to get a cut. It hadn't been in my schedule either, but it was really starting to bug me.
Right. Keep thinking about your hair. That won't make it any worse.
"Alright, well you know that assignment I got, with the witness?"
"Yeah?"
"She's here this morning."
"Yeah?" When I didn't say more, he pressed a little. "And?"
God, this was pathetic. "Shit, Luke."
I heard his laugh and dropped my head in my hands. I was going to catch some major hell with this. No way he wasn't going to tell Gus and then make my life miserable over the next several weeks.
"Con, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"
I groaned and leaned back in my father's desk chair and stared up at the ceiling. "I have no clue, but I can almost guarantee that Ash has already talked to you in the last hour so I can also guarantee that you know exactly what I'm trying to tell you."
"I haven't talked to Ash yet, but she did tell me you were nervous about the assignment this morning and from what Gus told me, I can understand why."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
He laughed again, leaving me to wonder why the hell I called him in the first place.
"Holy shit, Con! You've got a crush on her already and you said Ash and I moved too fast? Put that out of your mind because you've got a job to do, Con."
"Yeah, so did you," I growled.
Silence.
He sighed and I felt a little guilty about what I said, but not enough to let him off the hook. I needed some advice and if he was feeling all warm and fuzzy about me, he wouldn't be completely honest about it.
"That was different and you know it," he muttered.
He was right. It was different. Ash and Luke had been in love with each other for years without the other knowing about it. After all that wasted time apart, nothing could stop them from being together, even the job.
"Luke, there is something about this girl. In just the short time I've been with her… I don't know what to do about it. Maybe I should just tell Miller to find someone else."
"That's not possible from what I understand about this assignment. The marshals don't even know where she is, am I right?"
I nodded even though he couldn't see me, but he got his answer anyway.
"Do your job. You haven't messed around in a long time, man. Don't go back to it now. Otherwise, it can get messy, you already know that."
"I'm going to be living with her," I argued.
"You don't get attached, Con." He didn't have to say what we both were thinking.
And now isn't the time to start.
No matter how much I wanted differently, I couldn't get close to Emily. Especially not when doing so could be detrimental to my career and her life. I had to separate myself completely and go with my gut. She was off limits.
Off. Limits.
"How's it feel, man?" I heard Luke ask slowly.
"What?"
He sighed, "Listen, I don't know this girl, but I know you. You're probably thinking how absolutely ludicrous the whole thing is. You like her already and there's something about her that you just can't stop yourself from wanting to dive into. You're telling yourself how this kind of shit doesn't happen in real life. I've got news for you, though. It does happen and the harder you fight it, the more it fights you back."
I listened intently and knew with certainty that everything he was saying he truly believed. "Is that how it was with Ash?"
He sighed again, but I could hear the smile in his voice. "Every God damned day."
"Not helping, man."
"Maybe not," he said casually, "but it helps to know that if it is anywhere close to how it was with Ash, and I'm talking about years ago, it won't go away. Women have that kind of power and don't even realize it. Isabelle had that over Liam, Ash has it over me, and one day you and Gus are going to experience it firsthand. When it happens, I'll be laughing in the background because payback's a bitch, but it won't matter to you. Nothing will."
Well, shit.
"I don't even know her, Luke."
"When's the trial?"
"Few months."
"That's time enough to get to know her and you are going to get to know her whether you want to or not because you'll have to spend every day with her. Just remember that you have a job to do. Your career is on the line, so be careful."
"Then I guess I know what I gotta do."
"Let me guess," he said wr
yly, "be an asshole to keep her away."
Not what I wanted. "Exactly."
"Three month's worth. Good luck with that."
The sound of Gus and Dad coming inside the house sent a wave of panic through my chest. If Gus found out about this, I would have to shoot him in the leg to stop the teasing. That or he would dig and dig until I finally admitted that this girl had knocked me on my ass.
"You repeat any of this, Luke, and I swear to God…"
"Noted."
"I'm hanging up now. This whole conversation is making me feel…"
"Exactly. The 'other f-word'," he chuckled.
"Later."
I ended the call before he could say anything, but I knew he wouldn't say anything. The conversation was over. My decision was made, no matter how stupid that decision was and no matter how much I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. It made me feel better to have a plan, at least. This was my job. I couldn't put that on the line because this girl made me feel something different when I barely knew her. I don't have the time or the patience for it.
The door opened and Gus smirked when he saw me sitting at the desk. "Emily's in the kitchen," he said with his infamous eyebrow wiggle that turned into triumph when I shot out of my chair too quickly. "Excited much?"
"Shut the fuck up," I growled and punched him in the shoulder as I pushed passed him.
I had to do my job. So, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever met and the most intriguing. So what? Do. Your. Job.
When I walked into the kitchen, Dad was sitting there with her at the island and telling her about his upcoming trip to Ireland and from the look on her face, she was fascinated by it. I felt a pang of jealousy that Dad could talk to her so easily, that he didn't have the problem I had. He could get to know her without worrying about liking her too much or having it interfere with his priorities. Gus could make her laugh and make her feel comfortable while I tried to ignore his intentional flirting. Ash could relate with her and be a friend already. I wasn't like that and I hadn't ever needed to be.
But I wanted it.
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