The Spark Ignites (MacKenny Brothers #1)

by Kathleen Kelly

  I take his glass off him, seductively walk him to the couch, he sits down and I take the bowl out of his hands, placing it on the coffee table. Lamond grabs me, pulls me to him and then passes out cold.

  “Thank God, that stuff worked as quick as you said it would! I’m on my way to the front door.”

  I walk back through his home and find Angus and Sean waiting for me as I open the door.

  “Did you have to kiss him?” asks Sean angrily.

  “He thought he was going to get lucky. You think I wanted his hands on me, let alone his mouth?” I shoot back.

  Sean glares at me and pushes his way into the house. Angus shrugs at his brother and follows him

  “How long will he be out for?” I ask.

  “An hour maybe a little longer,” replies Angus.

  The two of them go from room to room, putting bugs in all the phones and go through his home computer.

  Angus is sitting in front of Lamond’s laptop when he gets excited.

  “What’s up?” I ask moving in to look over his shoulder.

  “I need a pen.”

  Opening my evening bag, I give Angus a pen. He rips off a sheet of notepaper from the pad on the desk and writes something down.

  “What is it?” I ask impatiently.

  “It’s a list of his contacts overseas that he’s selling parts to.”

  “Why don’t you just copy the data?”

  “I have, but this name here, is in DC, I want to do a drive-by on the way home.” Angus is smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.

  “Okay, can we go now?” I ask impatiently.

  “I’m with Cherie, can we roll?” chimes in Sean.

  “Yeah, we’ve planted all the bugs and I have a treasure trove to sift through,” answers Angus as he holds up a flash drive.

  Both me and Sean grin at him and we head out of the house.

  “Will he remember anything?” I ask.

  “Nah, he’ll have no memory after the drink, that’s why Sean stripped him and put him to bed.” Angus winks at me. “He’ll think you were amazing.”

  I giggle as we walk down the sidewalk toward Angus’s car. Sean’s bike is parked behind it.

  “You know you could ride with me?” Sean makes it a question and I know if I get on it’ll mean so much more than a ride home.

  “Not in this dress, I can’t,” I pause and look him in the eye. “And I don’t think Maddock would like it very much.”

  Sean nods, quirks an eyebrow at me and climbs on. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

  I smile at him and get into the car.

  Maddock

  IT’S BEEN A WEEK SINCE Cherie and my brothers pulled their stunt and bugged Lamond’s house. The pain in my shoulders and legs has decreased, and I can move around, slowly. Cherie has been by my side the whole time, proving what a good woman she is.

  Today she’s sitting with the club whores, laughing as one of them tells her something in a hushed voice. I can’t hear what’s being said, but Cherie’s face is one of amusement and shock. She catches me watching her, smiles at the ladies and makes her way toward me.

  “Hey, handsome, how are you feeling?”

  “Better. What was so funny?”

  Cherie’s face goes bright red. “Maybe another time. What did you want to do today?”

  I raise my eyebrows at her seductively, and her blush deepens. The only time we’ve been intimate was at my cabin back in Breckenridge and try as I might, apart from kissing, she’s been unwilling to go any further for fear of hurting me.

  I give her my best lazy smile. “Hmmm, I could think of a few things…but how about we ring your granddaddy?”

  Cherie smiles back at me, kisses me on the lips and whispers, “That sounds good.”

  “Tease.”

  “You have no idea. Come on, which phone can I use?”

  I hand her the prepaid cellphone Angus gave me and move away to let her have some privacy.

  Kyle catches my eye, and I hobble toward him out the front of the clubhouse. “Good to see you up and moving, brother.”

  “Getting stronger every day. How’s Angus doing with the surveillance?”

  “I don’t understand half of what he says, but the gist of it is, he’s compiled enough evidence to put Lamond away for a long time.”

  “Good.” I look down at my feet. Conversations with my brothers have been stilted. Not on their part, but mine, the guilt within me is all consuming.

  “We don’t blame you, you know.” I look into his eyes. “Heather is on Lamond. You did what you thought was right; it’s all Da would have wanted. Heather wouldn’t want you blaming yourself; she’d want you back with us. I’ve missed you Mad.”

  “I’ve missed you all too. It’s been hell not being able to see all of you and knowing you all thought I was dead.”

  “Angus never believed it. He’s waged his own personal war with the feds, trying to find you. You know he has mad skills, yeah?”

  I grin. “Yeah, they showed me some photos of you all recently, in fact, one of them had you hooked up with a Lola?”

  “Did they now?” Kyle shakes his head. “She’s a hell of a woman, a real ball-breaker. The only woman who comes in here who won’t let me get away with my bullshit. You’ll like her, Lola’s a straight shooter.”

  “So where is she?” I ask.

  “Her mother is sick. She went home to take care of her. It’s a long story, Mad, but that woman is lucky to have Lola, only she doesn’t know it.”

  “Family can be complicated,” I state.

  “Doesn’t have to be. Like I said no one blames you.” Kyle lightly punches me in the arm which causes me to grimace. “Pussy.”

  “How about I stab you then punch you in the arm and see how you like it?”

  “Pussy.” Kyle chuckles. “What are you going to do when this is all over?”

  “I don’t know; I haven’t allowed myself to think too far into the future.”

  “Well, brother, now you have a future.”

  He’s right, I do. I seek out Cherie, knowing she is part of that. Her face is a mask of seriousness; she’s nodding her head vigorously while talking on the phone. When her eyes meet mine, I know something is wrong. I walk toward her, placing an arm around her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Grandaddy is being discharged, but he can’t take care of the farm on his own. I need to go home.” Her beautiful face is sad and anxious at the same time.

  “I’ll go with.”

  “No you won’t,” states Kyle from behind me.

  I turn and scowl at him. “I wasn’t asking for permission.”

  “Tough. Lamond knows where you were living. You can’t go back.”

  Cherie places a hand on my arm. “Kyle’s right and do you really want to have to sit in a plane or a bus for hours? I’ll be fine.”

  At the same time Kyle and I say, “Bus?”

  “I’m not sure I have enough money to fly back so yes, bus,” responds Cherie.

  Kyle laughs and slaps my back. “Fuck! She doesn’t know about you, does she? This ones a keeper!”

  Kyle walks away shaking his head and laughing, I look at Cherie and all she looks is confused.

  “What don’t I know now?”

  “I have money, lots of it. I’ll fly you back home.”

  “Like fuck you will,” states Cherie.

  “Babe, it’s not big deal.”

  “Ahh, yes, it is! I am no ones whore.”

  Her language takes me by surprise, I hold up both hands and take a step back. “Cherie, you are no one’s whore. We got you here, and I am going to get you home. I will tell you what you are.” I reach up and touch her face. “You are beautiful, head strong and mine.”

  Cherie’s face goes all soft and she puts her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest.

  “Okay,” she whispers.

  “Okay?” I ask.

  Cherie leans back and looks up at me. “Yeah
, okay.”

  “You’re letting me off easy. Why?”

  “Because you are right. Your family did get me here, I am headstrong and I am yours.” Now, its my turn to feel a rush of emotion. I tilt her head up and kiss her lips softly. Cherie breaks away. “But you are staying here.”

  I shake my head slightly.

  “Your woman is right,” chides Sean.

  When I turn to look at him he’s staring at Cherie.

  “How so?”

  “You’re in no fit state to travel and it’s too dangerous. One of the MC could go with her or I could go.” Sean’s eyes come back to me.

  “Not you,” I reply.

  Sean grins and nods. “What about a prospect?”

  “That I can live with.”

  “Hello! I’m in the room! You know I can take care of myself, right? Like who didn’t get kidnapped? Hmmm? Oh, that would be me.” With one had on her hip and the other one pointing at herself, she’s as cute as hell.

  I hold up my hands and take another step back which causes Sean to laugh. I shoot him a disapproving look then look back at Cherie.

  “Good point. But I am paying for your flight back. No arguments.”

  Cherie smiles and nods. “Deal.”

  Maddock

  “MAD, COME ON IT’S TIME to go,” orders Loch.

  “Her plane hasn’t left yet.”

  Loch sighs. “Dude, she can’t see you, come on. Besides, I want to buy you breakfast, and you can tell me about Boringridge.”

  “Breckenridge.”

  “Whatever.”

  I know he’s right and that I’m behaving like a lovesick teenager. I nod, take one last look at her plane and walk to the exit.

  Loch is driving, and I take no notice of where we are headed until he stops the car. We’re parked out front of our grandfather’s favorite diner.

  “I haven’t been here in years.”

  Loch smiles and gets out then leans on the roof of the car. “Neither have I. The others are waiting inside at Da’s booth.”

  I don’t wait for Loch to catch up, I walk inside. Sitting in a booth in the back of the

  restaurant are my brothers, and they all have a plate of food in front of them.

  “You lot couldn’t wait for us to get here?” I ask.

  “We did wait. What took you so fucking long?” asks Kyle as he pours more maple syrup over his pancakes.

  “Loverboy here had to wait till her plane left before he could leave,” teases Loch.

  I shake my head at them and sit down next to Jamie. “What’s good here?”

  “Everything,” they all reply in unison.

  The waitress comes over; she must be in her nineties, still spritely and all business.

  “What can I get you, young man?”

  “Pancakes with a side of bacon,” I reply.

  She looks at Loch over her glasses. “And you?”

  “The same please.”

  “Coffee?”

  “Yes,” I reply and Loch nods.

  She turns to go, stops and turns back around. “Sure is nice to have the MacKenny men back in here.” She points to a photo on the wall. “I miss Kyle.” Then she looks back at us and winks. “He was a good tipper.”

  I look around the table and we are all grinning at her. Loch walks over to the photo, pulls it off the wall and brings it back to us. It’s a picture of Da sitting in this booth, he’s smiling into the camera.

  When the waitress comes back with coffee, I ask, “How come you have our Da up on the wall?”

  “That man came in here every Sunday for breakfast and then again for lunch after church. When my Harry died, he would call on me from time to time to make sure I was okay. Your granddaddy was good people. I miss him.” She pats Kyle’s shoulder. “And don’t be late on Sunday.”

  I wait till she walks away then ask, “What was that about?”

  Kyle squirms in his seat and looks embarrassed. “Da had a soft spot for Annie. Near the end, he made me promise I’d look out for her, so, every week I or one of the boys takes her to church. We pick her up from home, ask if she needs anything fixed while we are there, go to church with her then bring her here. It’s on a roster system. She was important to him, so she’s important to the club.”

  “Damn, Kyle, why didn’t you ever say anything?” asks Jamie.

  Kyle shrugs. “I don’t know. It felt like it was personal, Da didn’t want anyone to know, he’d been seeing Annie for a while, I think he felt like he was betraying Gran or rather we’d think that.” Kyle shrugs again. “Da was sweet on her.”

  Annie comes back with our food, Loch gets up and takes it off her. “Annie, please sit down with us.”

  “I have work to do, son.”

  “Only for a minute,” I interject.

  Annie smiles at us, her blue eyes sparkling. “My break isn’t for another hour. I’m no slacker. You boys will be back; we can chat another time.”

  “How long has she worked here?” asks Loch as she walks away.

  “Annie owns the place. She’s only missed two days work in her life,” says a woman near the door. It’s obvious she’s related, same sparkling blue eyes. She walks over and holds out her hand to Loch.

  “I’m Annette, Annie’s my grandmother.”

  Loch rises and takes her hand. “Lochlan MacKenny and this unruly bunch are my brothers.”

  Annette laughs. “I know who you are. Your Da showed me pictures, never seen you all in together though.” She looks at Kyle. “Don’t be late on Sunday.”

  Loch leans into her. “Actually, I’m taking her on Sunday.”

  “Well, don’t be late. Enjoy your breakfasts.” Annette smiles at us and moves away.

  “You are going to take Annie to church? When was the last time you were in a church?” asks Jamie.

  “You’ll probably burst into flames as soon as you cross the threshold,” teases Angus.

  “Don’t fuck with Annette,” orders Kyle.

  “Trust me when I tell you, brother, Annette is not a woman you fuck with,” says Sean.

  Loch raises an eyebrow. “So you’ve tried and she shut you down?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “Enough! Eat your food. And Loch, leave Annette alone. You don’t need another notch on your bedpost. If Da was alive, he’d tan your hide for even thinking about her that way, she is Annie’s granddaughter,” says Kyle.

  “Jesus! Leave Loch alone. All he’s doing is taking Annie to church. Don’t overreact,” I say defensively.

  Sean begins to laugh; Kyle is grinning and shaking his head.

  “What?” I demand.

  “You haven’t changed. Still sticking up for your little brother, who by the way, can look after himself,” jokes Angus.

  I pick up my knife and fork and cut into my breakfast. “Whatever.”

  This causes all of them, including Loch to laugh at me.

  It’s good to be with family.

  Maddock

  IT’S EARLY, LIGHT IS STARTING to trickle in from behind the curtains. My body is sore, but healing. Cherie has been gone for three days. I spoke to her yesterday morning, and her grandfather is out of hospital but not well. I’ve decided that I’m going to hire someone to help look after his farm. If Cherie and Mr. Lake will let me.

  Slowly, I roll onto my side and sit up. I test my muscles in my arms and legs to see how they are feeling. Not as sore as yesterday and the doctor is happy with the rate I’m progressing, but if you ask me, it’s all taking too long.

  Angus has enough information on Lamond to bury him, and he managed to record a conversation between him and an FBI agent. Special Agent Stephen Jamieson is as dirty as they come. Which is good for us, if we don’t turn him over, Kyle can use him to find out what they have on the club and hopefully get him to work for them.

  I’m stretching my arms above my head when the door to my room bursts open.

  “We’ve got a problem,” states Angus, f
ear etched all over his face.

  “Who?” I ask.

  “Cherie.”

  My whole world spins out of control. I stand up and feel like I’m about to throw up or worse.

  I frown at him. “She’s back home, she’s safe,” I state.

  “No. Lamond called last night, he has her.”

  “Last fucking night? And you didn’t wake me? How?” I demand to know.

  “We don’t know.”

  “But you’re sure she’s been taken?”

  “Yeah, like I said, Lamond called, he put her on the phone.” Angus looks stricken with fear and anger.

  “What are the demands?” I ask quietly as my anger begins to rage inside of me.

  “You, and the evidence you have on Lamond.”

  I look down at the floor concentrating on breathing. In and out, slowly. I can’t let Lamond win but I can’t let him hurt another person I love.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  “Mad, you can’t give him what he wants.”

  “What choice do we have?”

  “Sean has a plan.”

  “How long has Lamond had Cherie?” I demand to know as I imagine the horrors he’s putting her through.

  “Seven hours.” I charge toward Angus, grabbing his shirt and pushing him up against the wall out in the hallway. “We didn’t tell you because we knew this is what you’d do! The only way to keep you safe and get Cherie back to us, is your fucking family! Don’t shut us out again!”

  I let go of his shirt and he slides back down the wall. Looking to my left, I see Kyle, Sean, Lochlan and Jamie staring at me.

  “We have a plan, brother and it’s a good one. Trust us,” states Kyle.

  I place my hand at the back of Angus’s neck, staring into his eyes. I nod and all the tension in his body drains away.

  “The FBI agent is our way in. Trust me,” states Angus.

  “I do, brother, I do, but she’s important.”

  “We know.”

  I feel helpless. My instinct is to go to Lamond and bargain for Cherie but I know they are right, they’ll kill both of us.

  “I’ve called the agent. He’s setting up a meet with you, Lamond and Cherie. We’ve picked the place, it’s all worked out. You just need to show up—” he points to our family and continues, “—we’ll do the rest.”