For Love & Bourbon (39 page)

THERE WAS
no sleeping that night. Ava sat on the front porch with her grandfather as the clouds gave way to an explosion of stars, a half-empty bottle of bourbon between them. They each took occasional swigs of it to ease the burden on their minds.

Her cell phone lay in her right hand, silent and dark. She stared at it, praying for it to ring. The sooner Ned contacted her, the sooner she could confront him. She itched for it the way a boxer longs to enter the ring, gloves up and poised for battle against his opponent. Until she had her chance to fight, she was left feeling helpless.

Cooper and Marco were back at their hotel, waiting on word from her while they did their best to gather reinforcements and plan things on their end. She wished Cooper hadn’t been so distant with her, but in the end it was probably for the best. From the very beginning their relationship had been headed for a dead end. Maybe this was the very thing to bring them back to reality. They couldn’t be together and it had been foolish to even humor the idea. Now they both were suffering, on top of everything else that was happening around them.

It was nothing but a distraction, she thought bitterly. Then she remembered the look he often gave her right before they kissed, that kind of quiet, intense sort of wonder that came into his eyes, and her heart ached with longing and regret.

Joe absently patted the long rifle laying across his lap while Remy sprawled out at their feet, emitting quiet doggie snores. Ava rubbed his belly with her foot as she took another drink of bourbon straight from the bottle.

Off somewhere in the distance, a mournful train blew its whistle.

“There’s no sense in it,” Joe said suddenly, pursing his lips in an angry pout. “No sense at all.”

Ava laid her hand upon his, knowing he was referring to the bombshell she had delivered to him earlier that night. “I don’t know what to make of it either.”

“Yer ma was raised outside Dallas. Ty met her at the university. She’s never been to Ireland.” Joe’s face creased with doubt and a vile hatred. “Ned’s a goddamn liar. I won’t believe a word of it.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to believe it either,” Ava replied, eyeing her phone again. “If it is true and I’m Ned’s daughter, then my entire life has been a lie.”

“No.” Joe grunted, turning to face her angrily. “Ye mustn’t say that. I won’t have it.”

Her brows rose as she stared out into the darkness. Silent tears welled in her eyes. “God, I miss Daddy and Adam. Without them here I feel so empty.”

Joe squeezed her hand, his voice softening. “I know, dearie. I know it hurts.”

She laid her head upon his shoulder and breathed in the familiar scent of earthy oak and whiskey. It smoothed the sharp edges of her anxiety, giving her some measure of comfort. At least she still had her grandfather. Even if, by Ned’s account, Joe Brannon may actually not be her grandfather after all.

A
va didn’t remember falling asleep, but woke up tucked into her own bed. Immediately her hand went to the cell phone on her night stand, panicked she may have slept through a phone call. Seeing nothing on the screen, she let out a long breath and fell back against the pillows.

The events of the previous night rolled over her like a toxic fog. Bit by bit it filled her mind with fear and anxiety until she thought of nothing else. What was going to happen to her family? What if they were wrong and Ned didn’t want her and was already on his way back to Ireland with her father and brother held captive? How would she ever forgive herself for not trying harder to save them?

She didn’t want to feel so hopeless, but it was hard not to. She felt like she was losing. Every decision seemed to take her even further away from getting justice for her mother. And being at odds with Cooper and Marco only made it worse. She knew all they wanted to do was help. But it was her life to risk as she chose, and in the end if it meant certain death she would still pursue Ned.

She may not be winning, but she wasn’t a quitter. Until the game was over, she would make sure she remained an active player in it.

Sitting up, she noticed a steady rain falling outside. A heavy mist hung in the air, casting everything in an ominous gray haze. What she wouldn’t give for just an ounce of happy sunlight. Something to brighten her spirits, even if only for a moment.

After taking a quick shower and slipping into jeans and a comfortable knit sweater, Ava left her room in search of coffee. In the kitchen, she found her grandfather seated at the island with Brandy at his side.

They both turned as she entered, and Ava’s heart broke at the sight of her good friend.

“Oh, Brandy,” she managed, seeing the strain in her friend’s eyes.

Brandy rose to her feet and met her halfway through the living room, pulling her into a tight hug. “Adam. Oh God, Ava. Adam.”

“I know.” Ava released her, both their eyes filled with tears. “I’ll get him back. I promise.”

Brandy nodded, her lower lip trembling. “I didn’t want him to do this at all. But he was so brave. He wouldn’t listen to me.”

Regret crept in on Ava and she wished she had gone in her brother’s place. “He knew the risk. We all did. Now we have to fix it.”

“What are we going to do?” Brandy asked, leading Ava over to the island and ushering her into the seat beside Joe. She then set about preparing a cup of coffee for her.

“I’m waiting for Ned to contact me,” Ava told her. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and laid it on the tile counter. “When he does, I’ll know what to do.”

Brandy brought over the steaming mug, filled to the brim with black coffee, and set it in front of Ava. “How do you know he will?”

Ava gave her a brief rundown about the possibility of Ned being her father, finally sipping her coffee after she finished.

Brandy was stunned. “Are you sure he’s your father? What about Ty?”

“I’m not positive, no.” Ava stared at her coffee, feeling sick again. “And no matter what the truth is, I only have one father. And it’s not Ned.”

Joe rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. “Damn straight, dearie. We won’t let this bastard do more damage than he has already done.”

Ava offered him a grateful smile, then turned to Brandy. “How’re you holding up, honey?”

Brandy chewed on her lower lip, her hands toying with her own cup of coffee. “I didn’t sleep. But then y’all probably didn’t either. I can’t stop thinkin’ about them hurtin’ Adam.” A sob escaped her throat and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She shook her head when Ava started to get up to comfort her. She let out an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry, that ain’t helpin’ none. I’m fine.”

Pity washed over Ava. “Adam will be okay. He’s tougher than he looks. And besides, he’s got you to live for now.”

Brandy burst into tears and this time didn’t stop Ava from soothing her. Ava wrapped her in a warm embrace, needing comfort just as badly as she wanted to give it.

“It’ll be okay, honey. I promise. I’ll make this right.”

Brandy pulled away and wiped at her tears. “I know. Oh, y’all are so strong. I’m just a mess.”

Ava smiled fondly. “I’d say. But falling in love with my idiot brother will do that to you.”

“More like him finally fallin’ in love with me,” Brandy corrected, her lips curving. “I’ve always loved him.”

“Thank God he saw the light at last,” Ava mused, though the happy thought was brief. She glanced over at her phone, wishing desperately that it would ring.

Seconds later it exploded to life, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Joe and Brandy stared at her anxiously as she grabbed it off the counter. A cold shock hit her as she read the caller-ID.

“It’s from Mama’s phone,” she managed, fear and grief lodged inside her throat. She swallowed it back and answered, letting her anger take over. “Hello?”

“
Is this Ava Brannon?
” the voice asked, rough and rich with the lilt of Ireland.

“Yes. Is this Ned?”

“
Aye. I believe I have somethin’ of some importance to ye.
”

“Just tell me where to meet you, asshole. Let’s not waste any time on niceties.” Her jaw clenched around the words and it took all she had to not rip into him.

Ned chuckled. “
I suspect ye know everythin’, then?
”

“I know you want to see me. So tell me where to go.”

“
Actually, I believe this’ll work best if I come to ye instead. Just stay where ye are, love. I’ll be there shortly.
” He paused, and when he spoke again his voice had taken on a firmer, more serious tone. “
Me men are watchin’ yer home and the Feds in their hotel. If ye raise the alarm or send for them, I will not come and Ty Brannon dies. Do we have an agreement?
”

Ava pursed her lips. “Yes. I’ll be waiting.”

She hung up the phone and tossed it aside. Releasing a heavy, drawn out breath, she faced Brandy and her grandfather. “Ned’s coming here. Right now. He’s watching the house, so I want both of you to go into one of the back bedrooms and keep out of this. This is between me and Ned.”

Joe looked offended and Brandy frightened.

“We face this together, dearie, or we don’t face it at all,” Joe insisted, getting to his feet with a fierce look in his eyes.

Ava knew she wouldn’t be able to convince him. “All right. Fine. But don’t expect me to save your sorry ass if you get into trouble. I already got two men I gotta rescue. I don’t need to worry about a third.”

Brandy wrung her hands together. “Shouldn’t you call Cooper and Marco?”

Ava shook her head. “Ned says he’s got men watching them. If they make a move to head on over here, he won’t come. Besides, I don’t need to. They already heard all of it.”

“How?” Brandy asked, her brows drawing together in confusion.

A sharp smile lifted the corners of Ava’s mouth. “They tapped my cell phone. Not sure what their plan is, but at least they know what’s goin’ down. As for me, I’m gonna go wait out on the porch. I got a date with a madman.”

COOPER ROSE
from his chair in Marco’s hotel room, working over the situation in his mind. He paced the floor, rubbing the stubble on his chin.

Marco glanced up at him from his seat at the desk. His laptop lay open in front of him where they’d just listened to Ava’s conversation with Ned. “We have reinforcements on standby. Should I call them in?”

Cooper frowned, continuing to pace. “Not yet. Ned’s expecting that.”

“Well, so what, then? We just leave Ava out there to defend herself against this psychopath?”

Cooper shot him a testy look. “Don’t forget this was your idea. I was against this plan from the beginning.”

Marco waved off the comment. “It was the only way to get Ned and you know it. We just gotta figure out how to get in there undetected and nab him before he escapes. Maybe set up a road block on the highway out of town?”

“Maybe. I need to call Horvath. Give him the update,” Cooper decided, reaching for his phone. He dialed the number and waited impatiently for his boss to answer.

“
You get word from Ned?
” Horvath asked in lieu of a greeting.