For Love & Bourbon (41 page)

He smiled the instant his hands touched her shoulders. He squeezed them gently, much like her other father used to always do, and she had to bite her tongue until it bled to keep from striking out at him for having the nerve.

A gunshot rang out, echoing through the mist. A split second later Ned jolted and cursed in pain. He dragged her to the ground and covered her protectively with his body, releasing a pistol from his belt. He aimed it at the house, and Ava raised her head to see her grandfather standing on the porch, long rifle at the ready.

When Ned fired, she screamed.

“WE HAVE
Killian in custody. Time to go, boys.
”

Cooper leapt out of his seat, pulling Marco with him. “Thanks, Boss. We’re on our way over there right now.”

“
The team is ahead of you. Hang back and move in only if needed until Ned’s been apprehended.
”

“Got it.” Cooper hung up the phone and was out the door of the hotel room at breakneck speed. Marco was a breath behind him, stuffing half a bagel into his mouth. They all but flew down the stairs and were outside the main entrance within seconds.

Across the street, Cooper spotted an unmarked cruiser with lights flashing in the windshield and an agent placing Killian under arrest. Another agent stood by, talking on the phone.

Cooper waved to them before hopping into his own car. Marco slid in beside him and they hit the road, headed to Lucky Fox and Ava.

Cooper didn’t take a breath until they reached the distillery. A group of unmarked FBI cruisers out of Louisville were blocking the road, preventing them from getting closer. When Cooper parked and got out, one of the agents jogged to meet him. He was a few years older than Cooper and already bald, his lean, pale face strained and serious.

“We have shots fired,” the agent said breathlessly, pointing in the direction of the house. It was somewhere beyond the trees, out of sight and lost in the mist.

Cooper’s insides twisted. “Any idea who did the shooting?”

“Seems the old man shot first,” the agent explained, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “Our men are moving in. From what we can tell, Ned was hit, but not fatally.”

Marco cursed under his breath. “Where are Adam and Ty Brannon?”

“They’re inside the helicopter. The older son is armed with an assault rifle and is holding them hostage.”

“And Ava?” Cooper asked, unsure he even wanted to know.

The agent nodded. “She’s with Ned halfway between the copter and the house.”

“Christ.” Cooper looked toward the house, an uneasy feeling washing over him. “She’s right in the line of fire.”

Another agent trotted over to them, holding a radio in his hand. “We have a ceasefire. Suspect is now speaking with the old man, who no longer has his weapon. Not sure what’s happening, but this could get ugly, fast.”

Cooper knew exactly what Joe was up to. “He’s having a long overdue conversation with his enemy.”

“How do you think that’s gonna end?” Marco asked dryly, shaking his head.

“They’re Irish. The only way to end a conversation like that is a fight.”

AVA COULDN’T
take her eyes off the bloodied mess her grandfather had made of Ned’s shoulder. A couple inches to her left and the bullet would have hit her instead. Despite the close call, there was no one else in the world she would’ve trusted to make that shot.

Ned kept pressure on the wound, blood leaking between his fingers. His other hand held his pistol, aimed temporarily at the ground. He stood tall and faced Joe man-to-man as her grandfather came, unarmed, to speak to him. Ned held Ava back, keeping her out of Joe’s reach.

“’Tis mighty brave of ye to come face me like this, traitor,” Ned snarled, his breath coming out in tight, strained gasps between his teeth.

Ava noted how pale he looked, and had the stark realization that he might simply bleed to death.

Joe’s eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Though he was nearly a foot shorter than Ned, he stared at the man fearlessly.

“Don’t speak on matters ye don’t understand, boyo,” Joe growled. “That was between yer grandfather, father, and meself. And it wasn’t about violence and hate. It was business.”

“Ye spit in the face of the entire family. I’d call that personal.”

“I set out to make me own way in this world. Never harmed nobody. But look at ye. Yer nothin’ but an evil, murderin’ sonofabitch yer ma would be deathly ashamed of. Lord, if she could see ye now. Takin’ yer own blood as hostages, tryin’ to kidnap yer own kids.”

Ned’s free hand tightened over his pistol, but he didn’t raise it. “So ye admit they’re mine.”

Joe waved off the statement. “They’re as much yers as a colt to a stallion. I can see the resemblance, to be sure, but it wasn’t ye who raised them. Me son did that, and a fine job he did. Ye won’t be takin’ em, not if I have anythin’ to do with it.”

“Ye can’t stop me, Joe. No one can,” Ned replied, a mad smile twisting his lips. “What ye fail to understand is I always get what I want. Call it the luck of the Irish.” At last he lifted his pistol, pointed it between Joe’s eyes. Despite his injured arm, his hand barely trembled. “Yer luck ran out the day ye left Ireland.”

To Ava, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Ned raising the gun, her grandfather’s eyes growing wide with awareness of his own peril, the breeze sending a cold shiver down her spine. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted men in black descending upon the helicopter. A second later, a strangled shout cut through the air.

Ned hesitated but one brief flickering moment, and that was all the agents needed.

A shot came from out of nowhere and struck Ned in the chest. He doubled over, falling to the ground and crying out in rage and agony. Within moments two agents were on top of him. He cursed violently as they pinned him to the ground, cuffing his wrists and ignoring his screams of pain as they pushed his wounded shoulder into the mud.

Ava stumbled backward, finding herself in her grandfather’s arms. She hugged him, delirious with relief.

“Did that just happen?” she asked, a shaky laugh escaping her throat.

Joe nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Ye did good, dearie.”

“Lord, you were brave.” She clung to him, unwilling to let go just yet. She needed to reassure herself that he was unharmed, that this wasn’t a daydream. It was really over.

She heard someone shouting her name. Cooper raced toward her across the field, fear and relief lining his face.

Her grandfather let go seconds before Cooper reached her, scanning her body for any injury. He grabbed her shoulders, then let his hands rise up into her hair, then around to cup her face.

“How are you not shot?” he asked, shaking his head even as his mouth twitched into a grateful smile. “I mean, I’m glad. But Christ, Ava, you were right in the middle of all this.”

She shrugged, then turned to watch the Feds haul Ned away. He tried to wrestle his way free, but the pain and loss of blood seemed to get the best of him. His eyes met hers, and she couldn’t resist slipping on a sly smile and waving to him.

Ned scowled but said nothing. Ava stared after him, then faced Cooper again. “Took y’all long enough to show up. I was startin’ to lose hope. Thought I might end up goin’ to Ireland after all.”

“You know I wasn’t going to let that happen,” Cooper told her.

“I know.” She smiled, then looked back at the helicopter. “Thank God they’re okay.”

Cooper followed her gaze, saw Adam and Ty being helped out of the helicopter by one of the agents and freed of their bonds. He gave Ava a gentle nudge, sensing her urgency. “Go. Be with them.”

Ava started off at a run toward her brother and father, her eyes blurring with tears. When she reached them, she threw her arms around her father first.

“Daddy.” She let out a shuddering breath, a sob caught in her throat.

Ty squeezed her tight, nearly breaking down himself. “Hi, baby.”

She felt him tense up from the pain, and eased back to examine him. His face was bruised and bloodied, one of his eyes swollen shut. She reached up to gently touch it, horrified. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Adam placed a hand on her shoulder, his eyes on their father. “You took one hell of a beatin’, Dad.”

Ty’s lips pressed together in a firm line as he regarded them both. “If y’all don’t want to call me that anymore, I’ll understand. There’s been far too many secrets I’ve been keepin’ from you. Secrets you deserved to know the truth about.”

Ava and Adam glanced at each other, then back at him.

“You did what you felt you had to do,” Ava said. “We don’t blame you for that.”

“If anything, we’re sorry we doubted you,” Adam added. “We didn’t realize you were working with the Feds all along.”

Ty nodded, then attempted a tired smile. “I’d like to clean up and rest a bit, then I promise I’ll tell y’all everything. Deal?”

With the two of them at his sides, they held each other and made their way to the house, Joe joining them along the way. The Feds were swarming the property, and Ava spotted Cooper with Marco, speaking with a few of the other agents. An ambulance drove up to the house, ready to take Ned to the hospital. His son Rhys was being loaded into the back of one of the cruisers alongside his brother.

Cooper caught her eye and when he smiled, an ache blossomed within her chest. Once things settled down they would talk, she thought. First she had to see to the comfort of her family.

As they approached the house, Brandy flew out the front door and straight into Adam’s arms. He went weak in the knees, both exhausted and sick with relief. Simply holding her, breathing in the vanilla scent of her perfume, made everything right again.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, her hands fluttering over his shoulders and chest and arms. Her fingertips traced over the cut on his lip. “What did they do to you?”

Adam managed a smile. “I’m just fine, darlin’.”

Brandy cupped his face, then stood on her toes to gently kiss him. He pulled her in close, deepening the kiss, ignoring the pain and welcoming the warmth she gave.

He closed his eyes and nuzzled her cheek, feeling like he could finally breathe. His father was home, his sister and grandfather were safe, Ned and his sons were in custody. They could move on with their lives and leave the nightmare behind.

He eased back and admired the soft beauty of Brandy’s face. A slow, rich burn spread throughout his body, a sensation he welcomed with ravenous delight. “There was a time there when I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again. It tore me up inside.”

She smiled, warm and sweet, even as tears pooled in her eyes. “You probably say that to all the girls.”

He shook his head, needing her to understand. “No. I told you I loved you that night before they took me. I’ve never said that before. Never felt strongly enough about anybody to say it.”

“And I felt too vulnerable to say it back to you,” Brandy replied sadly. “I hated myself for that. Especially when I realized I may never have the chance to.”

“Well, now you do.” He angled his head with a teasing smile.

She laughed. “You’re right. I do.” She took a deep breath, then released it. Her eyes raised to his. “I’m in love with you. Always have been. It hasn’t been easy, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And I’ve only ever wanted you.”