Welcome to the Family

by Nancy S. Reece

  For the first time in years, Cassie looked at Kevin through objective eyes. Now she could clearly see the things that Sean saw and knew, she had to break this chain of dependency they created so long ago, the first time he rescued her from Greg. “Kevin,” her tone quieter than before, “you have to let me go. Staying close means making a target of everyone who knows where I’d be. If they come after me one at a time, a smaller elite guard will be easier to move quickly. Think about it without letting emotions cloud your judgment.”

  “I can’t. I swore that night I would never leave you in danger again. That’s a promise I will keep until the day I die.” His silence showed his defeat. “How are we going to resolve this, because I am not about to walk out that door and not know when or where we can see each other again.” Kevin was crushed, trying to keep it from the family’s notice. But Sean saw it, and swallowed the anger he felt toward most of the family at that moment. Kevin was trying, hard, to accept his sister’s needs and Sean felt he deserved a better answer.

  He knew because of their long friendship what info to give. “Kevin, you are partially right. A family compound would be easier to guard, but the Blairsville property is too public for adequate protection. Plus, I don’t want to bring any trouble into the county there. One run-in with the local police in a lifetime is enough for Cassie. There is another location, one that is available and secluded and above all not owned by the Devlyn family or company. It is already equipped with night vision motion detector cameras and other high tech security options. We intend to leave as soon as we can, but it would be helpful for the rest of you to carry on she is still recuperating here at the hospital for a few extra days. That gives us time to gather her things and get away before anyone notices.”

  “Why?” Matthew piped in from the corner where, silent throughout the entire conversation he and his computer searched endlessly, still working on Cassie’s problem. “Why not let them come and use our contacts with the government to take care of them for us? They want the bad guys caught too don’t they? Besides, we know every inch of that property. We’ve played war games there since we were children. There are built in areas we can utilize for ourselves. The victor goes to those with the best ground.”

  Cassie smiled at his innocence. She hoped Kevin remembered his promise to look after Matthew if she wasn’t around, work on separating him from Greg permanently. It would make leaving him behind so much easier.

  “Quiet Matthew!” Martin ordered roughly. “The government can’t provide Cassie with round the clock protection on the chance that someone is going to come after her. We can’t ask them to. Using Ferguson is brilliant. His company provides the manpower. Sean is a professional and as Cassie is a member of the Board of Directors and my daughter, the company can certainly afford to carry the expense. Once things are resolved, through legal or illegal channels, when it is safe for Cassie to return then we re-evaluate the situation.”

  Cassie frowned. “I’m sorry Martin, but I don’t intend to ever return to this house, or this family. Sean and I are making our own family, together. I don’t claim you, or Greg, as part of my life anymore. Kevin, Matthew, and I will work out our own relationship, but I feel nothing for the rest of you.”

  Martin glared at her with a strange mixture of pride and contempt. “You think you know so much, but let me tell you something missy, I didn’t rise this far without learning a thing or two about people, and I know you. You’re weak-minded, like your mother, and you want someone to solve your problems for you while you run away. Ferguson has you wound around his hand like a rope, and poisoned you against me.”

  “No Martin, you managed that one all by yourself,” Sean broke in, as if aware she held on only by the strength she was drawing through the iron grip on his hand.

  Addressing Sean, even Cassie could hear the icy edge of Martin’s voice. “Ferguson, Tsichevna was right about one thing, the best way to break a man is to take something precious from him and then return it broken. Unfortunately, Cassie was already slightly broken before he ever met her. That is my fault and someday when she wants to talk about it, we will. Until then I hand her into your care. Do not return her to me more broken than she is currently, unless you want to face the consequences. This isn’t over.”

  “I understand sir. But, this mission became personal the moment that son of a bitch blew up a building with us still inside. No one else will get through our guards. That includes you or any other Devlyn. As of now, it’s her and me.” Sean squeezed Cassie’s hand in a protective, fierce manner. Her breath caught in her throat as the magnitude of the situation began to sink in. They were going to be running for their lives. And neither knew for how long that would be.

  Chapter Seven

  Saturday, 7:00 a.m.—Atlanta

  Cassie left the hospital early, before the press had time to gather for another feeding frenzy. She dressed in new sweat pants from Wal-Mart and a Georgia Tech sweatshirt from her office, which Joe Callahan retrieved along with notes, flash drives, and other things she needed while in hiding. Easing her still battered body into the backseat of the Mercedes Benz she closed her eyes as soon as the car hit the highway.

  The eyes were still bruised black from the surgery but her swelling was beginning to retreat. Her head was wrapped in bandages until she resembled a twentieth century mummy. All she wanted was a good hot shower and a long sleep in a soft bed, but a cat nap would have to suffice. Soon they arrived at the hotel they would stay in until the coast was clear for them to depart for a safe house. The Ritz was too public for what they needed, though Joe and Sean had both spent the previous night there planning and regrouping. Sean wanted the company airplane on standby to leave as soon as possible, but Cassie’s hair was still a mess of blood, cement dust, and ash, not to mention neither was sure a plane trip so soon would be a good idea. They needed a time out to recuperate for a while, even though both of them felt every click of the second hand as time crawled away.

  Located near the commuter airport where the Gulfstream was fueling, the hotel had a large suite with an amazing bathroom. Sean watched her face as Cassie began to strip for a long soak in the jetted tub, oblivious to his presence and moaning or hissing with every movement of her body. When he cleared his throat to remind her he was there, Cassie paused. Standing before him clad in only dark pink boy shorts trimmed in black, her face swollen, hair disheveled, she stuck out her right hip. Head cocked with one hand on the hip she stuck out her tongue in his direction.

  “Did you forget I was here?” the question came quietly but there was a smothered laugh under his words.

  Shaking her head Cassie answered, “No but might was well catch up on old times. It’s not like this is the first time either of us has seen the other naked.”

  He heard the pain and mistrust under her words. When he moved closer to place one hand on her hip, the flinch she gave was noticeable to them both. Bending over, Sean picked up the towel and covered her breasts while placing a small kiss on her cheek. “I have no intention of making any claims on you today darlin’. We’ve both been through a lot the past two days, and anything we might do wouldn’t be the reunion I have in mind. So don’t worry about a thing. When I decide it’s time to take you, we’ll both know it’s the right thing to do.” His hot breath in her ear tickled, but also brought every nerve in her body to scalding.

  ****

  Confusion clouded her eyes. The men in her family seemed to make her the focus of their dysfunction, owing in part to the conflict among them over their mother, Katheryn, and what happened that afternoon when the children weren’t at home. It was a pity Cassie looked so similar to her. That accounted for the majority of her issues. Smiling through her confusion, Cassie pushed Sean out of the room then eased into the tub.

  While soaking she began to think about the men in her life. Her father was obsessed with the woman she happened to resemble. Kevin, she thought to herself, had ended up becoming a true, protective big brother, despite his mistreatment of her
when they were younger. After Sarah died in the car crash, and the resulting fallout, Kevin realized the error of his ways and became her only acknowledged brother. A protector, a sounding board for all her major decisions, the keeper of her deepest secrets, he knew all the corners of her heart. Kevin and Cassie had each other’s back and took joint responsibility for keeping Matthew away from Greg. Difficult was the only way to describe the emotions she felt for him. He was the only brother she loved without any frustrations or reservations.

  Then, there were Matthew and Greg. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. Her true feelings could only be described as cordial. When either one pushed too hard, she tended to run away, for entirely different reasons. Matthew did things because Greg told him to, Greg did them because that’s who he was. While Matthew might be able to forge a relationship with her if Greg were removed from his life, he was too bound to his younger brother to ever leave willingly. The last time she was home, more than a year past and for the first time since Sean left on this assignment, Greg actually laid hands on her, in front of their father and still no punishment was forthcoming. If, as Tsichevna said, her father loved her so much, why hadn’t he come to her defense?

  What power did Greg hold over him?

  Matthew made her uneasy because she never knew where he stood. When they spoke in terms of engineering or computers, it was easier; Matthew related to these subjects and knew them well. But there was a distinct lack of social skills which brought about more than one uncomfortable situation between them.

  When the water was cool, she rinsed off, let the water drain, and toweled off. There was no bathrobe hanging, so she opened the bedroom door to discover Sean preparing for his shower. Stark naked. And suddenly her brain shut down. He still made her heart sing, just by smiling that goofy Irish grin, and there was no man alive who turned her legs to gelatin the way he did. Suddenly, her injuries caught up with her and she winced in pain.

  Once the door opened, he turned and smiled. Not wickedly, not even seductively. Sean smiled at her with a warmth that spoke of the true happiness he felt at seeing her alive and with him. It gave her hope that maybe, somehow, everything might really end up okay.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. “It’s probably time for your pain meds again. Do you want my help getting to bed or am I smothering you with attention?”

  Laughing, Cassie held out her hand for him to guide her to the bed. “One question at a time, and then you can smother away. But only after you have a shower yourself. All I can smell on you is dust and soot.”

  Throwing her some pajamas, Sean kissed the top of her hair, grabbed a towel, and headed toward the still steaming bathroom. “Are you good for a few minutes? I’m headed for that shower, if you left any hot water.” His easy Irish brogue sent chills up her spine, and flooded her body with a flush from the top of her head down to her chest, stomach, and lower.

  Taking her silence for yes, he pushed past and closed the bathroom door, just as she had. Damn, she mused, that man was made of chiseled muscles and maleness. Maybe this recovery and down time would be good for both of them in the long run. She missed the closeness they had before; it was time to move forward. Together.

  ****

  Sean stood in the shower, debating whether or not to beat his head against the tiled walls. Damn it, he fumed to himself. Standing there in nothing but her skin, mottled, bruised, and cut, his vision flashed black and the blood in his body all rushed to his head and to his groin. It was only an excellent command on his feelings honed from years of special ops training that enabled him to walk out of the room. That wasn’t how he wanted things to go. He’d wanted to find that son of a bitch Tsichevna and feed his balls to him for lunch, then gut him slowly.

  He’d felt the flinch when he first touched her. The flinch was her first symptom he’d learned about all those years ago. Cassie was used to the heavy handed punishment and pain of her asshole brother Greg, who tortured her in various ways and then left her alone to deal with the emotional baggage. Like her claustrophobia, rooted in the hours spent locked inside sheds or closets playing prisoner of war or some other sick form of abuse game the bastard could create, she endured periods when the mere touch of a man’s hand might feel unbearable, a holdover from years of physical hell. Cassie’s life was filled with moments of pure torment, her pain so loud it screamed at him in waves. Now that he saw the entire family dynamic during this crisis, he realized why Kevin called him in.

  Kevin recognized when the kidnapper released Cassie her emotional trauma would leap forward and set all her progress back. Kevin also knew Sean was the one person Cassie wanted to be healed for. In his own way, the eldest Devlyn brother was atoning for his part in their lives. Sean appreciated Kevin’s approval and assistance. He was there the times Cassie needed him and Sean couldn’t make it home, for which Sean was eternally grateful.

  All Sean wanted was her safe, from family and strangers. He wanted to protect her, wanted to kill the son of a bitch who dared touched any portion of her. It was an unfamiliar sensation and it unnerved the veteran solider. While Sean had never been much of a sexist, he categorized Cassie as his woman. Having someone attack his woman brought a visceral gut reaction to the mercenary. He had felt emotional pain when others betrayed him, and physical pain when shot. This beat either of those situations. Until he had restitution from Tsichevna his blood was on simmer, only hidden behind concern for her.

  But, looking down he realized that didn’t solve his immediate physical problem. Sean leaned against the smooth wall of the shower. Well, if she wondered why he took so long it might serve her right to know. Cassie needed to take back some of her power, stolen through the echoes of her childhood. Sean thought about the questions in those magic eyes when he touched her, and the jolt of lust ran through him again. She wanted healing too. And by the time Sean finally claimed his woman even she would acknowledge that. With his love she would stand up to her family and move on at last. Or crumble into a heap like her mother, speechless and retreated far from where he could reach her.

  After finishing Sean turned off the shower only to find Cassie sitting on the counter staring at him. She wore an oversized t-shirt and silky pants with pictures of baby ducks in pastels. Her skin emitted the seductive lavender rose, sandalwood aroma that was all Cassie. The warm aroma pulled him closer, trapping him within its cloying vapor.

  “What’s the plan now?” she asked quietly.

  “Rest, then leave when you feel up to it, for the mountains.” Sean rubbed the towel across his back, contemplating the curve of her hips.

  “Right,” she snorted. “I mean, about us. I flinched.”

  He grinned. “Two times for flinchers.”

  “Tá mo chroí istigh ionat.”

  Sean chewed on his lower lip, wondering how to answer her without sending the frightened child inside running away. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he moved over to the counter. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her close while holding his hand on her waist. The silk of her pajamas only enhanced the curves underneath. He leaned close, inhaling of her light essence. Could feel her tighten in response.

  “I’m not going to deny how much we both would love it if I threw you down on the bed in there and screwed your brains out. But that is secondary to what we need to do, which is keep alive long enough to find out who wants to kill you next. So I’m going to give you one warning. I’m only a man, and I’ll try to stay back until you are truly ready. Tá mo chroí istigh ionat.”

  “Please, don’t make me smile, it hurts my new face.” She tried to slip past him, but his hands held her in a vise. With nothing under the silk top, he could feel her trembling, but this time it wasn’t from memory or fear but an honest reaction to her desires. It reminded him of how things were between them in the beginning, before the nightmares and repressed memories drove a wedge into their bed.

  Knowing how much he was affecting her, Sean went in for the score. “Don’t carry this flirtation too far little one. I’m o
nly human. You keep waving your ass under my nose, eventually I won’t turn it down. So don’t act all self-righteous with me,” he knew that would toast her, “because you started all this business years ago. I intend to give you what you’ve been asking for. Just not today, or tomorrow, but soon.”

  Then he pressed his lips against her neck, lightly biting down on the tendon then rubbing his tongue against her smooth skin. He smiled in triumph at the sharp intake of air, the instant crinkle of her nipples under the thin silk, against his chest. Kissing along her jawline, he hovered above her lips, chuckling as they reached out for his. After a frustrating moment, he pushed against her mouth. When her lips parted in expectation, he pulled away.

  “Good night Cassie,” he breathed into her ear. Then he walked away and slid naked into his side of the king size bed. It took quite a few minutes before she joined him. He could sense her frustration and smiled to himself. Phase one had gone well. Now, phase two.

  ****

  Joe Callahan arrived after lunch. Sean was up and reading his email but Cassie was still sound asleep. The pain medications finally took hold and he figured she would be out at least three more hours. Joe sat down at the table and placed a file in front of Sean. He glanced up from his laptop and raised one eyebrow in question.

  “Everything the Feds have on MM Air, Greg, and Martin Devlyn. They have us in there, for two sanctioned operations and one off the books. Luckily, we’re the smallest pawn in this show. Old man Devlyn has been working for some very naughty men. When they lower the hammer on Martin and Greg, the fallout will be world-wide and spread through many governments. The industry is going to be volatile for a long time to come after they spring this trap. The right person with the right information will be able to make lot on bets.”