Conned (5 page)

Poetic, Con.

"I knew what you meant," I croaked then cleared my
throat before continuing. "Let's go to the living room."

I already had her file printed and sitting on the coffee
table and I picked it up and started flipping through the pages absently while
she took a seat on the couch across from me. I didn't need to read it again. I
pretty much had it memorized since I spent most of the night with it in my
hands. Aside from her picture, it was her file that had stolen my attention.
She was a good person, never got into any trouble, kept her head down. If it
hadn't been for her being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she would still
be in Denver happily teaching teenagers whatever the hell they are learning
these days.

"What do we need to go over if you have everything
there?" she pointed to the papers in my hands.

I glanced up at her quickly to catch the discomfort in her
posture. She was guarded like she had been when I first saw her at the airport
with Jules, but this was different. She was nervous and I couldn't understand
why. I mean, besides the fact that some lunatic wanted her dead so his brother
could stay out of prison.

But she had no reason to be nervous around me and it was
irritating.

That or I'm just an asshole on the edge right now.

"I've only got reports, statements, and a background.
What I don't have is the reason you are testifying in the first place besides
being a witness to murder, of course."

Yep, an asshole on the edge. I hadn't meant to sound so
cruel but my mouth was ahead of my brain right now and her wall was up. I
didn't have time to break through that. She needed to trust me.

She flinched as if my words had been a slap in the face
which is pretty much the only way she could take them. Perhaps she just wanted
to do the right thing, but experience had shown me that wasn't always the case
and by the look of the shadow that crossed over her eyes, that wasn't the case
here.

"I-I… Why
wouldn't
I testify?"

I set her file back down on the table between us and leaned
forward, my elbows resting on my thighs. I held her green gaze for a few
moments before she started to squirm. "Because doing so puts your life in
danger and you don't seem to care for that danger too much seeing how you've stayed
away from your brother for so long. You have a good life from what I read and
have every reason to keep it that way."

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" she
snapped and looked away as if the tone of her voice was unexpected to her.

"Not when someone's life is on the line," I
replied.

Her eyes snapped back to me and she was obviously angry and
a little hurt. "The man took a life. Why should he deserve his own?"

"I'm not talking about Stanton Ripley. I was talking
about you, Emily.
Your
life is on the line."

Her eyes widened and her face drained of color. "Oh,
right. I'm sorry, I just…" She dropped her head into her hands and buried
her fingers in her hair. I wanted to go to her, to comfort her and apologize
for not being more compassionate, but this was the job I had to do. "I
didn't stay away from my brother to avoid trouble, he stayed away to avoid
me
."

"And why is that?"

She sighed and picked at a tiny hole in the knee of her
jeans, "It doesn't matter why. Do you honestly think I'm not having a hard
time with this?"

I waited for her to look at me again before I could respond,
when she did, the mask she hadn't been wearing so well was gone completely. She
looked vulnerable. "I know it isn't easy to give up your life just so you
can say a few words in court."

Her lips thinned and her eyes shined with moisture. Yeah,
she was having a hard time.

"That's not what I meant."

We stared at each other for a few minutes, the tension
growing taut and her meaning becoming more and more clear to me. I could see
the guilt she was feeling and my chest tightened when I realized there was no
way I could fix it for her.

And why the hell did I want to fix it in the first place?

I stood and moved over to the couch, sitting down next to
her and speaking as softly as I could so she wouldn't feel like I was pushing
her too hard. "Tell me what you
did
mean."

This wasn't a part of my job. I didn't need to know why she
was testifying and I didn't need to know the details about her that would only
make me want to dive in deeper. I was only here to watch out for her; babysit
her really. I wasn't supposed to ask questions, but something about her forced
them out. She didn't belong in a world like the one she was living in. She
didn't deserve to be neck deep in Ripley's bullshit with a 50/50 chance of
coming out of it alive and well or dead and gone. And even if she did come out
of it alive, the rest of her life? Well that was just a big fat question mark
now, wasn't it?

"Have you ever testified against a murderer,
Conall?" she asked, her voice broken with emotion and the moisture in her
eyes brimming on the edges.

I wanted to reach out and wipe those tears away, tell her
that everything would work out. But that wasn't part of my job either. I was
here to protect her at all costs, not comfort her and hold her.

Period.

"I have. It's a part of my job."

She shook her head, "No, not as a detective or a cop.
Have you ever been in my position? The only key to putting someone in prison
for the rest of their life?"

I shook my head.

"Then you don't know what it's like to be responsible
for destroying someone's life, even if they deserve it…" she trailed off
and her eyes glazed over as if she was recalling a distant memory before they
cleared and she looked down at her hands. "I've had more than enough
experience with that."

I didn't know what to say to her. She was right, I had no
idea what it was like. Even if the guy killed someone, he still had a family
and a life. I wanted to tell her that I get it. It isn't easy and I understand
that, but I didn't think that's what she wanted to hear.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to look at
the screen.

Ash: Need some girl advice. Bring Emily over for a while
when you can.

I sighed in relief. We had only been talking for a few
minutes, but I needed some distance again.

"We'll talk later. Ash needs you." I stood from
the couch and gathered her file.

"What?"

I gestured for her to follow me, which she did immediately
and it made my chest tighten all over again. She did trust me and damn if that
didn't make me feel like puffing out my chest. "I'm taking you down the
street to Ash. She needs help with something. Maybe it will help to take your
mind off of things."

I dropped the file off in the office then led her to the
front door and out onto the porch.

"Are you staying with me?" she asked.

I turned back to her and thought about that. I shouldn't
have to think about it because if I didn't stay with her, then I wasn't doing
my job. The job that was actually a favor to my boss, but was still my job. I
shouldn't have to think about it at all, but being close to her was driving me
crazy and I needed a minute.

"I won't leave you there, but I'll keep my distance. I
promise you will be safe, I'm just not big on girl stuff." We made our way
to the sidewalk and headed toward Luke's house, now Ash's house.

Emily chuckled when she caught up to me, "Girl
stuff?"

I nodded and shoved my hands in my pockets so I wouldn't
reach out and grab one of hers like I wanted.
What the hell is going on with
me?
"She said she needs advice so yeah… girl stuff."

It was silent for the rest of the short walk to Ash and when
I glanced over at her, her cheeks were flushed pink and she looked like she was
smiling and deep in thought.

She grew up with a douche for a brother and imbeciles for
parents. I don't know what her social life was like, but from the looks of it,
she didn't have many girl friends either. Ash and her would get along just
fine.

We climbed up the porch and the door swung open before we
could even knock. I'd have to talk to Luke about that shit. Ash should be more
careful in the future, especially with Emily around.

"Yes! Come in, I need your help," my sister all
but shouted and dragged Emily through the door and down the hall to her
bedroom.

Luke's bedroom.

Ugh, just what I needed to think about.

I went straight to the kitchen and started rooting around
for junk food that I knew I wouldn't find.

Dad had originally said he didn't want Ash involved in this
whole situation. Didn't want her to have to stress about me and what I had to
do for the next few months after what she'd been through. When she was the one
who came up with the plan for Emily to act as my girlfriend so no one would
suspect anything about her real identity, it was a moot point. We needed her.
Dad hadn't been happy about it, but Ash was smart and Luke wouldn't allow
anything bad to happen to her; so now they were all involved. Part of me wished
they weren't, but seeing Ash's face at the idea of having a girl to hang out
with was enough to get me to stop arguing about it.

When I opened the fridge and saw the banana cream pie on the
shelf, I knew I would feel much better in a few minutes.

"Con!" Ash shouted from the bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"Dinner tonight at Dad's. Don't touch the pie, it's for
dessert."

Damn!

Emily

Ten minutes after arriving at Ash's house, Emily's stomach
was hurting from laughing so hard. Ash needed advice on which bathing suit to
take with her on her vacation with Lucas and what lingerie to bring along as
well. She only felt uncomfortable about it for a moment, then realized that Ash
was honestly the most genuine person she had ever met. Plus, she had a really
dirty mind.

"Thank you so much for your help, Emily. Lucas is going
to shit his pants when he sees me in this."

"Well, I hope not."

Ash laughed and shook her head, "Yeah, I guess not, but
still. I wanted something sexy enough to overshadow this ugly sling and it's
been a pain in the ass to keep him from seeing all of this. I'm not a very good
liar so he always knows when I'm hiding something. It's those damn dimples that
get me every time."

Emily just watched as Ash carefully folded the lingerie she
had picked out and put it in a small bag.

"So you're going to be at dinner tonight right?"

Emily shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well, I'm inviting you. Plus, it's at Dad's so you're
going to be there anyway. I want you to meet Lucas."

From what Emily could tell, Lucas Shade and Ash Brannock
were soul mates and very much in love. She had only gotten a tiny version of
their story in the short amount of time she had been with Ash, but it was
enough to paint a good picture.

"Con wouldn't make you miss out on my lasagna
anyway," Ash continued.

"Conall and Fergus are good men. Good brothers.
Trustworthy."

Ash stopped what she was doing and studied her for a moment.
"They are. Always have been even when I thought they were complete
assholes. But I know they love me and I love them. I trust them with my life.
They've taken care of me for forever so why wouldn't I?"

Emily nodded and felt a lump form in her throat. She had no
idea if Rayce loved her, but she knew without a doubt she loved him. If she
didn't, she wouldn't be risking her life to help him. And trusting him? Well,
she hoped the fact that they were family was enough reason to trust him.

"Do you have any siblings, Emily?"

"A younger brother."

Ash waited for more, but Emily wasn't quite sure how to give
more. That was the only thing she could say that wouldn't bring down the happy
mood they had been sitting in.

"Do you see him often?" Ash asked and plopped down
on the edge of the bed next to Emily.

She shook her head, then shrugged. "Not really. The
last few years we had lost touch."

"And now?"

 Now? The last time she saw him was the night her life
basically ended. How many months had it been? She didn't count. Her mind
drifted to their last conversation.

"Emily, the man was coming to arrest me. If you
don't do this, I'll end up being the primary suspect and with a record, no way
I'll get out of it. Evidence or no evidence."

She raked a hand through her hair and tried to push back
the tears. "Rayce, I can't lie."

He clutched her shoulders and shook her gently,
"It's not lying. I saw him do it. He shot him right in the head without a
second thought. His prints will be all over that gun."

"
Then
you
go to the police," she
objected.

He shook her again, harder this time and his grip
tightened on her shoulders, making her whimper. "You know damn well I
can't do that. I'm the one he was arresting. Trust me, they'll just think I'm
trying to get out of it. Plus, I work for Lucien Ripley's enemy. I'll be killed
within the first week, Em."

"I'm your
sister
! You don't think they will
suspect something?" she pleaded with him.

"They'll have no choice."

It took another five minutes of arguing back and forth,
but Emily gave in. Rayce looked frantic and he had come to
her
. Proof
enough that he was desperate.

She was the only one who could protect him.

She didn't forget that he was involved with dangerous
people, but he was her brother. She had failed him enough. It was time to make
up for all of it.

"And what about his brother? He'll kill
me
,
Rayce."

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "I won't
let him. As long as I'm on the outside, I can protect you. You'll be fine,
Em."

"Emily?"

She shut her eyes and chased the memory away. She had to
forget that night altogether. Everything except the fact that she saw the
officer's body lying in a pool of his own blood in the same hotel room that
Stanton Ripley had been staying in.

"You okay, Emily?"

She turned back to Ash who was looking at her worriedly.

"Sorry, I um, what was the question?"

Ash hesitated, but gave her head a shake and repeated the
question. "You said you
had
lost touch with your brother. And now?
Have you spoken to him since this whole thing went down?"

She stood from the bed and started around the room,
pretending to study the pictures on the dresser and Ash's knick knacks.
"No, they haven't let me contact anyone. It's too risky."

"That makes sense, I guess."

Emily shrugged and folded her arms across her chest, not
wanting to delve any deeper because she had already lied enough.

Ash got up and moved beside her, "Hey, I know this
isn't easy, but are you going to be alright?"

She nodded and blinked quickly, not letting the tears that
had formed fall down her face.

"You miss your brother," Ash stated quietly.

Emily wasn't sure what was wrong with her. Yeah, she missed
her brother, had for years. That wasn't it, though. She was terrified that he
would never come back to her, that she would never make up for failing him. For
being so selfish and doing whatever it took to keep him out of the system that
it ended up destroying the little boy she had loved so deeply.

"He's all I've got, Ash. Our parents died when I was 18
and he was 13. It was a miracle that they even let me take him. He should have
been put in foster care, but I couldn't stand the thought of letting him grow
up with strangers."

Ash listened intently and looked like she wanted to pull her
in for a hug. Emily would kill for that kind of connection. Someone to actually
take care of her like family should.

She knew she should stop talking, but couldn't. It was all
too much for her and the gates had been opened. "I'd do
anything
for
that boy. He's a jerk and makes all the wrong decisions, but I love him. I'd do
anything," she ended on a whisper.

It was then that Ash wrapped her arms around her and Emily
sobbed into her shoulder, letting out all the hurt and desperation she had been
feeling over the last several months since her brother persuaded her to act as
a witness to murder in his place. Since he convinced her to put a big red
target on her forehead for Lucien Ripley to take his aim at. He promised her
that his people would keep her from getting killed, but after what happened
with Deputy Ross, she wasn't so sure that was possible.

"Shhh, it will be okay. I would do the same, Emily.
It's family. I would kill for Fergus and Conall, no doubt about it."

Truth. The Brannocks would do whatever it took to keep each
other safe and happy. It was just their way. Emily had only spent minutes with
them, but it was obvious. Conall Brannock was the one protecting her now and
she had the feeling he was the only one that could at this point.

As if the thought of Conall could conjure him up, he
appeared at the door looking dark and dangerous.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Ash immediately released her and whirled on him. "Don't
take that tone of voice with me Conall William Brannock! This is a girl thing
and you don't get to march in here and make us feel bad for being gentle
creatures."

"Pfft, gentle. Yeah, Ash, you're gentle alright."

"Don't make me cut you!" she snapped.

He took a step back from her and Emily wondered who was the
real dangerous one in the room. Surely Conall could take his sister and she had
the feeling Ash was very much aware of that, but was determined to stand up to
him even if he'd never lay a finger on her.

Instead of arguing with his sister, he ignored her and his
gaze landed on Emily. The hardness in his eyes immediately went soft when he
saw the tears she was eagerly trying to wipe away and he started to push passed
Ash to get to her. When he did, his hands landed on her shoulders, the same way
her brother's had so long ago, but this time the touch was more than gentle. It
was caring.

"You okay?"

She nodded and tried to smile at him, but the warmth of his
touch was making her head spin. "Yeah, we were just talking."

His eyes narrowed and looked between her and Ash a few times
before he shook his head and sighed, clearly exasperated. "Women," he
muttered.

Ash smiled widely, but covered it and turned away from them.
"I'm going to shower before Luke gets home. See you two later." Then
she was gone.

Conall was still staring down at her and the air thickened
when she took a step back to get a little distance. "I'm invited to
dinner," she blurted out, hoping to fill the silence with something other
than the sizzle between them.

He grinned at her and her heart skipped a beat. She didn't
think he smiled often enough and wanted to make the effort to cause it more
often. "Of course you are. Ash is making lasagna. I wouldn't let you miss
that. Come on, let's go."

He placed his hand at the small of her back and led her to
the front door. The second they were outside, he stopped her and with a serious
look on his face, proceeded to send her nerves into a frenzy. "I suggest
we come up with a good story together. Something to tell people when they ask
about our… um, relationship."

Right. She was supposed to be his girlfriend. His
pretend
girlfriend.

"Alright."

"My family might have some ideas and some of them may
be inappropriate. Just, don't take it too seriously with them. They're just
having fun."

She wasn't sure why he was so nervous, but figured she
should listen to him. She had taken everything so seriously for so long, it
would be nice to have a little fun for once.

He started toward the sidewalk and she followed closely
behind. Then he stopped again, abruptly enough that she nearly collided with
his solid back, and turned to look at her. The expression on his face was one
of apprehension and she couldn't help but think it was an adorable look on him.
"And don't listen much to what Gus has to say."

"Okay."

"And if anything comes up that makes you uncomfortable,
just let me know."

"What would come up to make me feel
uncomfortable?"

He raked a hand through his hair and tugged on it before
dropping his arm back to his side. It brushed against hers, sending a wave of
acute awareness through her body. "Your brother or the case. I'm sure they
won't bring it up, but I'll do my best to steer them away from it."

He faced forward once more, but this time kept his pace
slower so she could walk beside him. She felt a warmth wash through her at his
concern and found herself looking forward to whatever it was that came up in
conversation.

Especially if it was about him.

***

Emily opened her eyes to sunlight pouring in the window and
the sound of a lawnmower. Something she hadn't heard in a long, long time. For
once, she woke up rested. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good
night's sleep. She hadn't truly felt safe in the last several months and had an
extremely difficult time getting the thought of what she was doing out of her
head, so she spent most of her nights tossing and turning. She had been so
exhausted after dinner, however, that the moment her head hit the pillow, she
was dead to the world and didn't wake up once.

She sat up and stretched, taking in the room around her. The
bed had been really comfortable and she promised herself to make that a
priority whenever she got back to her old life in Denver, if she ever did. She
never splurged on anything - her apartment was proof of that - but she was
going to spend whatever money she had on a new bed and some comfortable sheets.
It had obviously made a huge difference since her muscles weren't sore anywhere
and she didn't need to immediately pop a few Tylenol before starting the day.

The sound of the lawn mower got louder as it passed under
the window in her room. She wondered if it was Conall that was taking care of
the lawn and hurried out of bed to dress for the day.

The Brannocks weren't the most unusual family she had ever
come across, but they certainly were the funniest. The banter between the
siblings and Lucas had Emily almost falling out of her chair with laughter, and
the stories they told her had been unforgettable.

It started out extremely awkward. Emily wasn't sure if Ash
would be uncomfortable around her after her short emotional episode that
afternoon and Conall had been acting strangely ever since they returned to the
house. Well, maybe he was acting completely normal. She had no idea since he
barely spoke to her.

When Lucas Shade had walked into the kitchen, Emily understood
exactly why Ash got that faraway look in her eyes whenever his name came up. He
was extremely handsome and his piercing blue eyes were definitely something to
gawk at. He was tall and even though he wore loose slacks and a dress shirt,
you could see the strength in his shoulders and chest. It was when he smiled
that Emily finally understood what Ash had been saying to her. Those dimples
could do some serious damage and the ice had been broken the second she opened
her mouth and blurted, "What the hell is in the water here? You all are
freaking gorgeous!"