Conned (12 page)

I stepped out into the hall and shut the office door behind
me. She took a small step back to make room for me, but she was still close and
I could still feel the warmth radiating from her.

I was too close. Too close to all of it, but damn it if I
could step away.

"You look like you've been having a good time," I
teased and without realizing it, my hand was brushing a lock of her hair back
behind her ear. I couldn't stop there, I smoothed the back of my knuckles down
her flushed cheek and watched her eyes slowly close, that perfect smile still
taunting me.

She opened her eyes, the green in them darkened and heated.
I could get lost in those eyes.

What am I doing?

I cleared my throat and dropped my arm. "Let's go get
you a phone, then."

Her smile faltered and her eyes flickered with caution, but
she turned away from me and started toward the front door. "Sounds
good."

I followed after her as Luke's words stayed on repeat in my
head.

"Because it's good to doubt every once in a
while."

Conall

"I still don't understand why they felt the need to end
it like that! I mean, it's the one thing that the audience is waiting for the
whole movie and they just cut it off right when he's going to fight the
wolf?"

We had just watched The Grey, finished it about ten minutes
ago and she was still fired up about the ending. She had been so intrigued
during the whole thing and anytime I asked her if she wanted anything from the
kitchen, she shushed me and never took her eyes from the screen. It gave me the
opportunity to watch her seeing as how I'd already seen the movie a few times.
As soon as the credits rolled, her jaw dropped open and her emerald eyes darted
back and forth between me - who was trying hard not to laugh - and the TV. If I
hadn't been sitting clear on the other side of the couch, I would have kissed
the surprise right off of her face.

"I think they have an alternate ending that shows the
fight, but this one didn't have it."

She tossed the now empty bag of popcorn on the coffee table
and threw her hands in the air. "Well, why the hell didn't they just use
that
ending?"

I laughed as I stood and started to clean up all the junk
food bags and our drinks. "You should write a letter."

"Maybe I will!"

Her tone was serious, but I caught the smile on her face out
of the corner of my eye. I walked into the kitchen, tossed the garbage, and
rinsed out our cups. When I turned around, she was sitting at the table resting
her chin in her hand. She had a peaceful shine in her eyes that surprised me.
The constant emotion and stress that was always on her face was gone and for a
moment, I wished it could stay that way. Here with me.

"Other than the ending, did you like the movie?" I
asked and took the seat across from her.

"Yes! It was great. I love those kinds of movies. No
freaky murderers or ridiculous monsters. It was exactly what I needed."

"Good."

"Thank you, Con. Everything has been so crazy lately,
it was nice to just relax for a couple hours."

I nodded in acknowledgement of her gratitude, but kept my
eyes on hers. I had told Luke I was going to ask her about the night she found
Ripley in that hotel, but I was planning to wait until she brought it up
somehow. Now, I just felt the need to get it over with. She would most likely
shut me down, but I'd take what I could get.

"I apologize ahead of time, but there are a few things
we should probably talk about."

She tensed and dropped her hands into her lap,
"Okay."

"I need you to know that I've been in contact with my
captain and he's been sending me everything he has on the Ripley case."

Her brow furrowed and she blinked a few times before she
again said, "Okay."

"What were you doing at that hotel, Emily?"

She looked down at her hands, but the blush that covered her
cheeks was hard to miss. She spoke slowly and kept her eyes pointed downward.
"It's all in my statement. I don't think I need to rehash what happened
that night."

"True. I just find it hard to-"

"I don't want to repeat everything I said that night,
okay?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing on me. Those emeralds flickered
with anxiety before she pulled them away from me once more. "It was
something I had never done before and something I won't be doing again. I'll
have to tell it all over again at the trial, but not here. Not with you."

Not with me.

I knew she trusted me, knew it in my soul and I didn't want
to give her any reason to lose that trust, but I was supposed to keep her safe.
At first, my confidence in keeping the situation under control was staggering.
Then I got to know her better and nothing made sense. If the constant niggling
in the back of my mind wasn't telling me that we were missing something
important, I would have left it at that.

"And your brother?" I added, feeling guilty for
putting that look in her eyes but needing to press on. "How has he handled
it?"

She stared at me with wide eyes before standing from the
table, "I wouldn't know. I haven't talked to him since the police told me
to say goodbye and threw me into some safe house that was hardly safe."

She turned to walk out of the kitchen, but I reached out and
circled my fingers around her wrist, effectively stopping her from walking away
from me. "He isn't doing anything? Nothing to try to protect his
sister?"

She didn't turn back to look at me for a long moment, but
when I heard her sniff, I tugged on her wrist and she stumbled back to me as I
stood. I turned her to face me and laid my hands on her slumped shoulders.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I just wanted to know what's going on in your head.
You've been so close mouthed about it and I didn't want it to build and build
until you couldn't take it anymore."

Lies for the most part, but in a sense, truth. I didn't want
her to crack under the pressure, but I was almost certain she wouldn't. She was
too strong and too loyal.

"My brother has more important things to worry
about."

I put my finger under her chin and lifted her beautiful face
so I could see it completely. Her nose was red and her plump lips had turned
down into a frown that didn't belong on that face beautiful face. A tear fell
down her cheek and without realizing what I was doing, I caught it with my
thumb and cupped her cheek. "More important than you?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she gazed
up at me pleadingly. "We didn't grow up in a loving home like you did,
Con. He's trying okay? He said he would do whatever he could to help me."

"And what's that?"

"I don't know. He has people. I just hope it's not
anything that pulls him deeper into that world. I couldn't stand it if I was
the reason-"

"Emily. He makes his own choices. There's nothing you
can do about that."

"That's easy for you to say. Your family is still in
one piece."

She sniffed again as her fingers wrapped around my wrist and
moved my hand away from her face. She stepped away from me, her green eyes
still locked with mine. I had no idea what to say to her, what to do to comfort
her.

For the first time since I met her, I had no clue what I was
doing.

She turned and thankfully walked out of the kitchen before I
could make myself look like even more of an asshole.

I'm not sure how long I stood there and stared at the
doorway she had disappeared through, but it was long enough to prove that what
I was feeling for her wasn't just about protecting her or doing my job.

Not anymore.

***

"So where is he now?" Gus asked with his arms
firmly crossed over his chest.

Emily and I had arrived back at my father's the next night
for dinner. She'd been at the school all day, only addressing me when I dropped
her off and when she met me at the truck at the end of the day. She was in the
kitchen with Ash avoiding me and I was in my father's office with Gus and Luke…
avoiding her.

"I don't know. Miller said he'd see what he could do
about having Dawson followed, but with no legal precedence besides being her
brother, I'm not holding my breath."

"I still find it strange that being as involved as he
is with Ripley's shit, he has just gone on with his life. I mean, his sister is
in hiding. Being Lucien's enemy, he should be freaking the fuck out, even if he
isn't close to Emily. It reflects on him, doesn't it?"

I shrugged and settled into the leather couch against the
wall. Luke was sitting in one of the chairs in front of Dad's desk and Gus was
leaning against the door. We had been hashing out the details of the case for
the last twenty minutes and always came circling back to the fact that the
whole thing was a huge pile of shit.

"Not everyone lives the way we do, Gus. Remember what your
mom told us when we were kids? We're lucky to be this close. Lucky to have a
sense of loyalty toward family," Luke said solemnly.

"Emily is loyal and she wants her family that close.
It's her brother that keeps it from happening," I protested. My mood had
gone back and forth all day, at its worst when I wasn't near Emily. I'd
apologized first thing this morning when we sat at the table for breakfast.
She'd accepted my apology, but that was it. She'd been closed off and
thoughtful ever since.

Every conversation with Emily convinced me more and more
that she loved her family. Even her loser parents. She fought her whole life to
keep them together, to show her brother the kind of love that Ash, Gus, and I
have. She blamed herself even though she knew it was senseless.

"After everything Rayce did to her, she still loves
him. I just hope he's doing what we can't and finding a way to get her out of
this mess."

"I doubt that," Gus mumbled.

So do I.

I turned to Luke who hadn't asked many questions, but I knew
his mind was mulling over every detail. "Luke?"

He raked a hand through his hair and slouched back in the
chair. "I don't know, Con. It could go either way. Dawson's already on
Ripley's shit list. It's smart of Emily to not expect much from him, but the whole
thing feels too cut and dry."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"Yeah, I know, but it's not the 'why she was there'
that you should be asking. It's the 'why is she testifying' that would get you
more answers."

I sighed and dropped my head back against the couch.
"Already asked, the first day. She's a good person, not testifying would
go against her nature."

Luke grunted and shook his head. "Her brother knows
what Ripley is capable of. If anything, he should be trying to talk her out of
the whole thing. He's more at risk if she goes
through
with it, being
her brother and all. He's got a big fat target on his head, same as her, and a
guy like that? He looks out for himself, so what's he doing about it?"

"You think it's a good idea to keep tabs on him
then?"

He nodded, "If you are serious about investigating
this, it's the only idea. What have you got to lose?"

I was going to have to have another conversation with the
captain before the night was over. There may be no legal precedence, but Miller
wouldn't hesitate if I pressed.

The loud knock on the door told us that our little
discussion was over, "Boys!" a muffled giggle sounded on the other
side. "Dinner's ready, get your asses out here."

"Shit, she's been drinking," Luke muttered in
response to Ash's demand.

We filed out of the room and made our way to the kitchen
where Dad was chatting with the girls about the wedding. All three of them held
a glass of Tullamore in their hand and the half empty bottle was an indication
that all three of them were good and relaxed.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing with that?" Gus
asked with a smile.

My father turned and narrowed his now bright blue eyes on
the three of us. "Ye may have a lovin' parent who doesna feel hurt if ye
rarely come to visit, but mine are different. Even at 63, I'm terrified of my
mum. The closer I get to leaving, the more I feel like a wee lad all over
again."

Ash wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind,
careful not to spill her drink, "Don't worry, Daddy. They'll forgive you
eventually. I did. That's saying something."

I heard Luke mumble under his breath behind me before he
pushed passed and made his way to Ash. She rarely called him 'Daddy'. She'd had
enough to drink for the night.

My eyes found Emily who was just as bright eyed and smiling
as she watched all of us interact. When her gaze locked with mine, the room
felt like it heated up about fifteen degrees. I know she felt it, because she
downed the rest of her glass and turned away from me with a frown. I hated to
admit it, but it hurt. I wanted those eyes on me. I wanted her smile to be for
me.

"Baby, you know I love you no matter how drunk you
are," Luke said quietly to Ash, "but you remember the last time you
drank this stuff?"

"I do!" She glared at me and Gus, clearly remembering
the lie we had gone along with weeks ago.

"And do you remember what happened the next
morning?"

There was a pause before a slow smile stretched across her
face, "I do."

Luke grinned at her tenderly and Gus groaned in frustration.
"Fuck, don't remind me."

That was a difficult morning for all of us. It had been the
morning that the seriousness of Luke and Ash together was firmly planted in our
lives and beyond anything my brother or I had been prepared to deal with.

"Mouth, Fergus," Dad scowled.

"Aislinn, I remember that too, love, but I'm talking
about the massive hangover that made you swear on your first born child that
you would never drink again."

"I did not swear on my first born child," Ash
chuckled.

"You did. You just hadn't been completely awake when
you did."

"But Emily and I were having fun. She's been upset
about her brother and Con hating him."

"Whoa!" I tried to interrupt, but she kept on
going.

"I'm upset about Daddy and Gus leaving and Daddy is
upset about Grams and Pappy being mad at him."

"You're upset about
me
leaving?" Gus chimed
in with a frown.

Ash didn't hear him either.

"It's a night to celebrate our family and to have one
last good time before we're all separated once more," she slurred.

"Baby," Luke started, but she was on a roll.

"I may think my brothers are assholes most of the time,
but I love them and I love my dad and I'll miss them and if three glass of this
crap can help us feel better, then damn it, we're going to drink it and feel
better!"

Silence.

"Holy shit," Gus mumbled under his breath.

We all waited for Luke to press on and try to convince her
to take it easy, but the silence went on and my mind raced with the fact that I
had hurt Emily more than I thought. I looked over at her, standing there so
stoic even though the color in her face had drained a little and she was
avoiding my gaze with obvious effort.