Leverage (The Brannock Siblings) (16 page)

"Yeah," Conall laughed, "we know. You just
stay silent. She's always hated that."

He laughed with them, but it was weak and forced. She
trusted him with her life and he had promised to never throw that trust in her
face. He couldn't think about what she would do if she found out he lied to her
or it would make him change his mind and then they would be back to square one.
He would just have to deal with the consequences when they came.

"Well, whatever you do, just keep your balls covered
when this is all over. She's got a good aim," Fergus said with a frown and
shifted in his seat remembering the many kicks he had taken over the years.
"That girl never misses."

***

"I know you are hiding something from me, Lucas. I wish
you would trust me enough to tell me. Who am I going to go and blab it to when
I can't even leave the house? Huh?"

She was mad no longer than five minutes after Lucas had
gotten back and she had asked him for details. He had been extremely vague and
he felt like an asshole for putting her through that.

It was now late afternoon and he had just gotten out of the
shower when she rounded on him. He had tried to keep his distance from her,
knowing she would win out in the end if he wasn't careful. He had convinced her
to make an early dinner and quickly showered while she was busy, renewing his
efforts at keeping his trap shut. He had wanted her in there with him, but he
knew seeing her naked would make him weak and she was still looking for ways to
get him to talk. She would have used it against him.

"I told you, baby. It's going to be fine. We are just
going to follow a few of the detectives tomorrow night and Gibbs is going to
take the lead, that's all." He turned his back on her because looking into
her eyes made him weak, too.

"Honestly?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, forcing
himself to stay strong. It was all for her. Plus, he was technically telling
her the truth, he was just leaving out the part that would make her frantic. He
turned and looked directly into her stormy grey eyes, eyes that could bring him
to his knees in an instant and keep him there for the rest of his life if they
wanted. "Honestly. I won't be home until very late tomorrow. Your brothers
are coming with me and we are pretty much just going to be sitting in cars
watching people all night."

"Okay," she said softly. "Okay, I believe
you. Just please, be careful."

He sighed in relief that she wasn't going to push it any
longer and gathered her in his arms. "I'm always careful, Ash, but now
that I have you to come home to, I'll do whatever it takes."

She nodded against his chest and wrapped her arms around his
waist and nestled into his hold. He refused to think about the consequences of
lying to her and had to keep reminding himself to just deal with it when the
time came and her brothers had promised to back him up.

"Dinner is ready. Let's eat and then go to bed,"
she said and smiled at him, making his heart race. "You need to catch up
on all the sleep you missed last night."

He smiled back at her, trying to push out the dimples that
she loved so much to make her feel better and followed her down the hall.

She was quiet as they ate, but smiled at him whenever he
glanced her way. As they were cleaning up, he noticed her shaking hands and the
wildly beating pulse at the base of her neck. He understood her apprehension
because he was feeling the same way about leaving her alone.

When they finally climbed into bed, she clung to him and his
guilt continued to eat away at his willpower. When this was over, he was
prepared to fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness if he had to.

"Lucas?" her voice was tired but still wary.

"Yeah, baby?"

She sighed and lifted her head. He felt her eyes on his even
though he couldn't see them in the dark. "I forgive you for lying to me
and I understand. I won't pressure you anymore, just promise you'll set things
straight when this is over."

He bent down and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose,
and finally her soft lips as the heavy weight he had been carrying lifted off
of him. He didn't think it was possible to love her more, but apparently it
was.

"I promise and thank you."

"You're welcome, just remember that you owe me one
now," she said and he could hear the smile in her voice.

He kissed her again, "I owe you a lot more than one,
Aislinn."

***

He sat at his desk, not even trying to work, thinking about
last night and all the other sleep he missed out on because he couldn't keep
his hands off of Ash.

She kept telling him to sleep, but the second their skin
touched, her words were silenced and she gave up the fight. She had woke him up
this morning in the best way, too, straddling his knees and sliding her perfect
lips over him. He could still feel her skin beneath his fingers, still taste
her on his lips, and he wanted desperately to blow this joint and go home to
her.

But he didn't. There was too much on the line to change his
mind about tonight.

Conall and Fergus were waiting for his call, ready to hop in
their car and go wherever he told them to go. They all had an assignment.

Justin had come in late that morning, telling him about all
the paperwork he had done the night before trying to help Theresa out with the
filing she had to do in preparation for the new captain.

Captain Jonathan Gibbs.

He had been furious about it at the time, but today, he
couldn't let anything get to him. He didn't fully trust the man and Gibbs
didn't fully trust Lucas, but what could he do? They had to work together on
this. There was no other way.

Gibbs had told him the day before that he had been completely
surprised by the promotion which was unusual in this job. You usually knew when
you were next in line. That in itself made it hard for Lucas to really trust
him. Gibbs wasn't going to start his new position until the Deputy Chief
cleared him, though. Another unusual tidbit.

"Anyway, I'll be helping her out again tonight, then
I'm taking her out to a late dinner."

Lucas hadn't been listening to his partner the entire time,
but that was something that perked his ears. Theresa was in her early forties
and Justin was in his early thirties.

"Really?" Lucas asked, a little confused since he
had never seen Justin really interact with
any
women. He was a shy
person most of the time and claimed he was just 'waiting for the right one'.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I mean, why not? She's
funny and really quite pretty. Especially when you get to know her a little
bit. Brannock always told me that she was just too busy to date."

"Hmmm, well, that's good I guess. Hope you guys have a
good time." That was one less person he had to worry about tonight.

Lucas had never really spoken with Theresa much. Like Rains
had said, she was always too busy and he had never spoken to her about anything
other than work. He didn't even realize she was interested in Justin at all.

"You ready for some lunch?" he asked his partner
and stood. He was jittery and nervous, but his words were steady.

Justin stood and followed him out the door. They made their
way to the diner and ordered while Justin filled him in on his plans with
Theresa. Lucas could hardly concentrate and when the food arrived, his appetite
was non-existent.

"You alright, man? You look a little strung out
today," Justin asked while shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just… just a little frustrated."

"About?"

Lucas took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, then
looked up at his partner. "I think I'm in trouble."

Justin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why?"

"Gibbs and Montgomery want me out. Apparently, they
have a shit ton of reason to throw me out. Something about red flags. Things
I've done lately that put me under suspicion."

"Suspicion of what?"

"What happened to the captain, the Banetti case, pretty
much everything."

Justin slammed the table with his fist, making the dishes
clatter. "It doesn't matter, Shade. I can vouch for you. I'm working on
the case
with
you. I know you are innocent. Just because you don't have
a solid alibi the night of Brannock's murder and you were the first one on the
scene doesn't mean you killed the man. He was practically a father to
you."

"Doesn't matter. I talked them down already,
straightened some things out… at least, I thought I did. Won't know for sure
until they stop riding my ass about it." The truth was, he wasn't going to
know for sure until they caught the guy who did it. Something he was hoping to
do tonight.

Justin was quiet for a long moment, studying Lucas.
"What are you going to do, man? You look like you want to strangle
someone."

"That's because I do!" Lucas snapped. He raked a
hand through his hair and sighed. "I just want this to all be over with
and what I want to do… I can't do as a cop. I need to step back."

Justin's eyes widened, but Lucas knew the man understood
what he was trying to tell him.

They finished up their lunch and headed back to Justin's
car. The drive back to the station was quick, but Lucas didn't move when they
parked, he just sat there staring at the badge in his hand. He didn't want to
give it up, but knew he had to. It was the only way he could pull this off. The
men would ask, Justin would tell them, and whoever the leak was would get
comfortable.

He opened Lucas' glove box, tossed his badge, and slammed it
shut. Justin just watched him, unsure of what to say or what to do.

"You have fun with Theresa tonight. I'm going to grab
some files and take off. I need to think."

Justin just nodded and followed Lucas up to the office. He
sat down and started rifling through some papers while Lucas sat and waited
until the time was right.

"Hey, Shade!"

Justin looked up and watched Lucas roll his eyes and spin
around in his chair. "Yeah, Gibbs? What have you got for me now?"

Gibbs strolled up to him with a shit eating grin on his
face, "You're under arrest."

"Excuse me?" His eyes widened and everyone in the
room went silent.

"You heard me," Gibbs snapped and dragged Lucas up
by his arm, spinning him around and clamping a pair of cuffs over his wrists.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Justin was watching, wide eyed and sweating and Lucas felt
guilty for putting him through this.

"You are under arrest of suspicion of the murder of
Captain William Brannock…" he continued to read him his rights while Lucas
practically exploded.

"The fuck I am! I didn't do anything! I already told
you this. I thought we had this all straightened out."

Justin had jumped up at that point and stopped Gibbs from
hauling Lucas away. "Hold on a second," he said calmly, but looked
like he was nervous as hell. "What evidence do you guys have? This is
completely ridiculous."

"Back away, Rains, or we'll arrest you for obstruction
of justice," Montgomery stated just as calmly.

Lucas struggled against his restraints, but stopped when
Gibbs pulled his arms up, straining his shoulders and making him grunt in pain.
The bastard didn't care how he hauled Lucas away as long as he did it.

"You can't do this, he's innocent!"

Montgomery stepped in front of him and kept him in place.
"Evidence says otherwise, Rains. You'll be brought in for questioning as
well since you work so closely with him, so I suggest you worry about
yourself."

Lucas didn't look back as he was dragged down the hall to
the elevators. Rains called after him saying something about making things
right, but he didn't pay attention. The only thing on his mind was Ash and what
she was going to do if she found out about this.

The elevator doors closed on the three of them and Lucas
looked over at Gibbs. "Did you really have to be so rough? My shoulder is
killing me."

He chuckled and pushed the button for the underground
parking garage instead of the floor where the cells were. "Had to make it
look realistic, right? No one would have believed it if I treated you like a
kitten."

Lucas shook his head and smiled, "I don't think anyone
would be able to
picture
you with a kitten, Gibbs."

The man chuckled again, "True. Justin seemed sincere,
eh?"

Lucas nodded solemnly, "Yeah, I think the guy just
wants to help me, but I can't let him. He may be older than me and more
experienced, but he's still a kid."

"Well, he's there if we get desperate. Theresa is going
to be here most of the night with all the shit I got her doing. She's going to
give me hell when I start."

"Don't be so sure. Justin's company will probably make
it worth it for her." He lifted his arms behind him, gesturing at the
cuffs around his wrists, and quirked an eyebrow. "Let's get this over
with."

Gibbs unlocked his cuffs and Lucas pulled out his phone to
dial Con and Gus. It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, they only had a few hours
to set everything up before the rest of the detectives took off. He wondered
briefly what Ash was doing and felt the urge to call her and check in, but he
wouldn't.

"You ready, Luke?" Gus answered.

"More than ever."

Ash

All day, I had been feeling nervous. On edge.

From the second Lucas left for work, my heart had thumped
loudly in my chest, my head had pounded, and I couldn't focus on anything. The
night before had been unforgettable. He had made love to me throughout the
night despite my arguments for him to get some rest.

"I can't
not
touch you, Ash," he had said.

I smiled, remembering how I woke him up this morning. His
alarm had sounded, but I quickly shut it off before it could wake him
completely. It always took him a few seconds to actually hear his alarm every
morning. He stirred and turned onto his back and the sheet had been kicked down
his body until it was just covering his hips and tenting from his morning
erection.

I stifled a giggle then slid down the bed until I was
straddling his knees. He didn't even move when I reached out and caressed him
with my fingers, but when I slid my lips over him and pulled him into my mouth,
he groaned in his sleep and lifted his hips, pushing further. I never thought
it would be such a turn on to do something like that for him, but it was. I
wasn't completely sure what I was doing, but I think I got it right because he
woke up and raked his fingers through my hair before tugging on it to lift me
off of him and telling me he was already close to coming.

I ignored him and took him into my mouth again while using
one hand to work him enough for him to finish. He tried to pull me off him once
more, but it wasn't a very valiant effort and I wasn't planning on moving. When
he came with a roar, I found myself panting from my own arousal and he pulled
me over his body and kissed me fiercely before rolling us so he was stretched
over me, grinding against me. I hadn't been planning on taking anything for
myself and I told him that.

"Get ready for work, Lucas, then come back and take
care of me tonight."

He smiled widely before kissing his way down my body.
"Why not take care of you now, then again when I get home. If you are half
as desperate for
me
as I am for
you
all day, it would be cruel to
leave you like this."

I stopped protesting when he swiped his tongue over my
entrance, taking my breath away. He knew exactly how to touch me, how to make
me frantic for him. He slid his fingers inside of me and found a rhythm that
brought me to the edge faster than ever before and when his lips wrapped around
my clit, my body detonated with my release and he didn't let up until after the
last wave coursed through me.

I didn't move from the bed while he got ready for work, but
I watched him and ached all over again at the sight of his muscles flexing and
releasing when he dressed. He had always had a beautiful body, took care of
himself and worked out, but his body had become near perfect in the last seven
years. He kissed me long and slow once more before telling me he loved me, then
walked out the door.

Now, the very thought of what happened this morning was
making me feel like I was about to lose it. I knew exactly how desperate he was
for me all day because that is how I had felt for most of my life, but today
was different. I was desperate to see him just to know he was alright.

It had been five hours since my brothers stopped by and told
me to stay put. They didn't have to really tell me to do
anything
because, seriously, what else was I going to do? But the way they said it was
strange and made me feel like a caged lion.

Obviously, they were serious about me staying out of sight,
but this time they had a look on each of their faces that said they were hiding
something from me. It was the same look they had given my mom time and time
again and never got away with it, but I wasn't my mother and I didn't
want
to know what they were hiding. Knowing would only make it worse. Right?

The niggling fear in the back of my mind forced me to keep
my mouth shut, so I let them go without another word, but I hadn't heard from
anyone and Lucas said he wouldn't be home until late, but he also said he would
check in from time to time.

I hadn't heard a word.

I was pacing his bedroom floor, back and forth, tugging on
my hair, clutching the locket hanging just above my heart, and trying to think
of a way to take my mind off of it. TV didn't work, reading didn't work, I had
cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, done the laundry… I still couldn't
sit still. I wanted to see him. To know he was safe, then he could take off
again and do his thing and I would be able to relax a little bit.

I picked up his landline one more time and dialed his cell.

No answer.

I had called a few times since my brother's left, hoping he
wouldn't be too annoyed with me. I wasn't trying to be clingy, I was just
worried out of my mind. I had left a voicemail with the first call, thinking he
would call me when he had a moment and hoping that not hearing from him yet
meant he was just too busy to call.

"How the hell did Mom do this all the time?" I
asked myself and slammed the phone down in its cradle when it went to voicemail
once again.

Another hour. Nothing. It was now 9 o'clock and my heart was
racing. One of them would have checked in by now if everything was okay. They
wouldn't leave me to wonder and worry.

Right?

"Something's wrong," I whispered to no one.

I picked up the phone again and dialed another number. He
had given me his desk number the first day I had seen him since coming home.
Told me to only use it in emergencies, that he would
always
answer his
cell, but in the off chance he didn't, and I needed him, to call that number.

This was an emergency to
me
. If I didn't get
confirmation that he and my brothers were safe, I was going to have a freaking
heart attack.

It rang several times before someone picked up, but it
wasn't Lucas.

"Rains."

I hesitated. His voice over the phone sounded familiar, but
I couldn't place it and I felt anxious from the moment I heard it. Lucas hadn't
told his partner that I was in town, but not because he didn't trust
him
.
It was because he couldn't take the risk of trusting
anyone
with my
safety.

"I'm looking for Lucas Shade."

"Oh, umm, right. I guess this is his phone. He isn't in
right now, though, can I take a message for him?"

"Umm, no. Yes. I…" Shit! I was totally screwing
this up. I shouldn't have called at all, I should have just waited to hear from
someone.

"Ms. Brannock? Is that you?"

Double shit!

"Umm, I just need to speak with Lucas Shade, please.
Can you-?"

"Aislinn, if that's you, I need to know. We got a
problem."

My heart stuttered and I clutched the phone tighter, my
knuckles going white.

"It's me. What's happened?"

"Lucas was arrested this afternoon."

"What?! Why?"

"He is being accused of your father's murder and
leaking vital information about the Banetti case. He doesn't have any kind of
alibi and there is some suspicious evidence against him. I don't think he is
going to be able to get out of this."

Lucas was going to kill me, but I couldn't let him continue
to hide me when I was the only one who could prove them wrong. I told him what
I would do if his career was put in jeopardy. "No, he is innocent and I
can prove it."

"How?"

"It wasn't safe to tell anyone, but I've been here for
weeks now. I was there the night my father was killed. Lucas was just trying to
protect me ever since my father got that threat. They said I could be used as
leverage and they didn't want to risk me leaving town alone. I've been staying
with Lucas for a while now."

"Wait. You are still in town?"

"Yes. I am. I can vouch for him. My brothers can, too.
Let me get a hold of them."

"No! They… they are here," he stuttered.
"They've been trying to help him, but they weren't here that night. We are
going to need you to come in. We gotta help Lucas or his whole career will be
destroyed."

"Okay."

"I'll send your brothers over to your father's house,
can you make it over there safely?"

"Yes, I can."

"Okay, Aislinn. Head over there and sit tight. They
will be there shortly. And… thanks for your help. I know it's a risk to you,
but Lucas is a good man. He doesn't deserve this."

I nodded, knowing he couldn't see it, but not caring whether
or not he knew I agreed with him. Lucas was in trouble, because of
me
.
If I would have just stood up to everyone and done what I knew I needed to do,
none of this would have happened.

I changed into some jeans and a sweater and hurried over to
my father's house, locking the door behind me and keeping all the lights off. I
sat on the couch for several minutes, waiting. I was terrified for Lucas, but I
was also furious at my brothers and the Brannock in me didn't want to let that
fury go until I had screamed at one of them, which I needed to do right now.

I ran up to my room and grabbed my cell phone off of my
dresser. It had been off for weeks, but now that I was certain me staying
invisible didn't matter anymore, I needed it to take my anger out on one of my
brothers.

If they knew that Lucas had been arrested… and didn't tell
me…

I turned it on and scrolled through the names, finding
Conall first. I hit SEND just as a knock came to the door and startled me. The
phone almost slipped out of my hands, but I caught it, accidently ending the
call.

I didn't think before I made it to the stairs, assuming it
was my brothers at the door, ready to get an earful and take me to Lucas. The
second I hit the first step and another knock sounded, I froze.

They wouldn't be knocking.

"Aislinn, it's Justin Rains," the shout came from
the other side of the door. "Don't be afraid of me. Your brothers sent me.
They wanted to hang back and stay with Lucas."

My brow furrowed with confusion.
Not true.

My brothers wouldn't have sent someone else to get me. They
were too protective of me to do that and Lucas wouldn't have let them stay
behind.

Something wasn't right.

I backed up and stood at the top of the steps.

"You can trust me, Aislinn. I just want to help."

I realized he must have been able to see me through the
window on the side of the door. Lucas had watched me descend the stairs the
night I snuck out. I could see his shadow in the window since all the lights
inside were still off.

"Aislinn, open the door!" he shouted and pounded
on it again.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

My brothers' words that afternoon ran through my head again.

"If it's not one of us, don't trust them."

How could I have been so stupid?

"Open the God damn door, Aislinn!"

I started to back away from the stairs. That's when the
front door crashed open, the sound of splintering wood deafening in the silence
of the house.

I screamed and bolted to my bedroom, my cell phone still
clutched tightly in my hands. I needed to get to my closet, then call.

I shut the closet door as soon as I crawled in and pressed
the small button to unlatch the small door that would protect me. I crawled
through and clicked it shut, trying to steady my breathing as quietly as I
could. I stayed crouched on the floor knowing my legs wouldn't hold me up. I
would just wait him out. He would have to leave from fear of being discovered
before he ever found me.

"We could have done this the easy way, Aislinn,"
Justin shouted from the stairs. His footsteps were getting closer and I
unlocked my phone and dialed Conall once more, praying he would answer before
the bastard made it to my room.

It rang twice before Justin's voice boomed from my bedroom
door.

"You little bitch! I knew I should have taken you out
at the airport. You Brannocks are clever. I didn't even think to check whether
or not you got on that plane. Just sent one of my guys to Ohio to get you, but
low and behold, you weren't at your old apartment. You've been here the whole
time."

The call went to voicemail, but I couldn't speak. My mind
screamed at me to say, "Justin Rains is the leak. He killed Dad," but
my mouth wouldn't form the words because I finally realized why his voice
sounded so familiar.

It was the same voice I heard the night my father was
killed. The same voice I heard from this same spot.

My fingers shook and I nearly dropped the phone.
He won't
find me
, I thought frantically. I opened my mouth to say the words that
would fix
everything
, but my closet door crashed open and a foot came
through the wall above my head. The phone fell from my hands as I screamed and
a hand shot through the hole and came down on my head, pulling my hair before
slamming my head against the wall.

"Still choosing the hard way I see," he sneered.

I clawed at his hand, trying to force it to release my hair,
but it was pointless. There was no way to get away from him if he let go
anyway. I was trapped and now my head was spinning from the blow.

"Open it, bitch, or I'll do more than smack you
around."

My body stilled and icy fear slid through my veins as
terrifying images ran through my mind. I open the small door a moment later and
when he yanked me out of my hiding spot, there was only one thought going
through my head.

Lucas
.

***

Lucas

"This is bullshit!" Gus shouted as we stepped into
the elevator at the station. "This is going to take us months, Luke."

They had been following the other detectives for hours now
and every single one of them had pretty much gone straight home to their wives
or girlfriends and gone to bed. They had spent the afternoon setting up cameras
and wire taps throughout a few of their houses and still had a couple to do,
but it was getting late and they had decided to head back to the station and
regroup.