Leverage (The Brannock Siblings) (6 page)

This can't be happening
, I thought. I couldn't lose
my Dad. Desperation coursed through me and my hands shook harder. If anyone
walked in right now, there was no way I would be able to hold the shotgun long
enough to take care of it.

"Not… yet…" he choked out. "Go… to Lucas…
he'll know… what you need… Lucas… first."

His eyes shut and his body went limp in my arms.

"Daddy!" I cried, hot tears streaming down my
face. "Daddy… wake up!"

He didn't move and something told me I needed to hurry.

I tried to pull him, tried to lift him, tried to take him
with me, but I wasn't strong enough. I barely moved him a few inches. I stared
at my phone, wondering if I should call the police like I had always been
taught or listen to my father's last words to me while he might have been
delirious from the loss of blood.

I didn't have time to decide.

There were voices coming from the bottom of the stairs and
my body went on autopilot.

I took one last look at my dad and bent down to pick up the
gun. If it was the guys who shot him, they would know I was here if they saw
it.

I quietly opened my closet door and pressed the invisible
button to open my secret hiding place. The one that Daddy made sure no one else
knew about the entire time he had been making it. The memory forced more tears
out.

I dragged my body inside then reached out to shut the main
door to my closet. The voices were close now, probably at my father's room
several feet away. I shut the small door quickly and silently just as the
voices arrived in my bedroom.

I wanted to scream, but I covered my mouth and shut my eyes
tightly, praying they didn't suspect that I was anywhere close. A single
thought went through my mind that seemed so incredibly important at the time. I
couldn't remember if I had made my bed. If I hadn't, would they notice and
suspect someone else was living with my dad? Would they wait for me to come
out?

"He's out. Damn it! I told you to tie him up, not shoot
him."

"Sorry, Boss. He wasn't going to let me. He came after
me and I had no choice. He's huge, man."

"He's 63 years old you fucknut! Now what the hell are
we gonna do? We don't have a clue what he knows or who he has told."

"He hasn't told anyone anything. I've been following
him all day and I took care of the shit in his office."

"Doesn't matter. We still can't move forward until we
know that I'm clear, otherwise, the whole plan goes to shit."

There was something familiar about that voice. Whoever this
guy was, I had heard him before and I knew in my gut it was someone who worked
with Dad. It had been so long since I had been around the station, though. It
could be anyone.

I leaned against the wall to try and hear his voice better,
but he was already leaving the room and the sound was too muffled, I couldn't
make out his words.

I waited, wondering if they were leaving for good or if they
would stick around before I could get my dad the help he needed.

My grip on the shotgun tightened until my knuckles were
white and I felt anger rise up in my gut. I couldn't wait much longer or he
would die. I had to get to Lucas.

The shrill ringing of a phone made me jump and my heart
stopped, hoping they didn't hear me from where they were standing.

"Yeah?"

It was the other voice, the fucknut.

"Yeah, he's pretty pissed, but there is nothing we can
do now… no, I took care of it… yeah, the old man will bleed out before anyone
realizes something happened to him. He hasn't been going in until late
afternoon so we have time… no, dumbass, there was nothing else I could do…
yeah, okay. Later."

His footsteps faded and I heard the other voice yelling
before the sound of car doors reached my ears and an engine turned over. I was
shocked I could hear
anything
, but my window was still opened from
earlier.

I waited a few more minutes and when I didn't hear anything
else, I opened the tiny door and crawled out slowly, straining my ears to hear
anything that sounded out of place. I pushed open my closet door and saw my
dad's pale face and his unconscious body.

I wanted to hold him again, check his pulse, do CPR, but I
kept hearing his voice,
"Lucas first",
and my body kept
telling me not to. I didn't have time to wonder why.

My hands had stopped shaking as I found my resolve and I
pointed the shotgun out in front of me as I made my way down the hall to the
stairs. I couldn't hear anybody, but I was still silent with each step I took.
When I reached the front door, I didn't care anymore.

I darted out into the night and sprinted down the sidewalk
towards the only person that could help me.

Lucas

Nothing felt right for Lucas tonight.

Everything put him on edge and ever since he walked out of
the Brannock's front door, he felt hollow, like he was missing something
important. He hated leaving Ash every night. She was safe with her dad, but
still… when it wasn't him protecting her, it didn't feel right.

He was sure grateful she didn't want to run tonight. It was
too much of a strain on his body running next to her, not only because he
stayed alert constantly, but watching her beautiful breasts bounce with each
step made it difficult. He always ended up with a hard on that could cut
through stone and he needed a break since he had refused to take care of it
himself and would jump into a cold shower the second he got home.

It never took away the need completely.

Tonight carried a different ache, though. Instead of falling
asleep right away like he usually did when his head hit the pillow, he laid
awake thinking about Ash. Worrying about her and hoping that she didn't get
herself into any trouble.

The captain didn't look good tonight and Lucas was curious
to find out what had him suddenly so paranoid when for the last few days he
seemed as calm as anyone could be in this situation.

He had been walking out the door when the captain muttered
his name quietly so Ash wouldn't hear them.

"Luke?"

"Yes, sir?"

He hesitated then sighed and stared so deeply into his eyes
that Lucas was sure all of his secrets had been revealed to him. All of his
fantasies about Ash, all the trouble he got into before joining the force. He
held his breath and waited for the scolding that was coming.

"Take care of her for me, son. Don't let her out of
your sight."

At first, he didn't know what to think, expect that the man
was just worried about his only daughter, but after he nodded and walked out
the door, his mind wouldn't stop remembering the look on Liam's face.

It wasn't… right.

He spent the next few minutes trying to relax and when his
eyes finally started to drift, the sound of someone pounding on his front door
jolted him out of bed. He grabbed his gun from the nightstand and pulled on his
sweat pants since he didn't want to be completely naked when he found out who
the hell that was.

He hurried out of his bedroom and down the hall to the front
door, grateful that his home was only one level. Stairs would just be a
hindrance at this point.

"Please, Lucas, open the door!"

Aislinn.

Her small voice was sobbing from the other side, making his
stomach drop. He tore open the door without another thought, going against all
his training to worry about his own safety and she fell into his arms. He heard
something drop to the floor and realized she had dropped her father's shotgun
at his feet, then he sank to the floor with her as his eyes darted outside.
When he didn't see anyone behind her, he pushed the door shut and reached up to
deadbolt it, keeping her protected in the circle of his arms.

Her tears had already drenched his bare chest and her hold
on him was so tight, he thought he might break in half if she was any stronger.
She shook violently and his panic spiked up several more notches.

"Aislinn, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked
softly, dreading her answer.

She sniffed and sobbed louder, but didn't look up at him. He
moved his hands to her head and pressed her away from his chest so he could
look at her. His thumbs automatically wiped her tears and her stormy grey eyes,
now darkened with fear, pleaded with him for something he couldn't figure out.
Fury pushed to the surface and he wanted to tear apart whoever made her this
unhappy.

"Ash! You need to talk to me, baby."

Her eyes focused on his for a moment before her trembling
lips parted. "Th-they sh-shot him. They sh-sh-shot my dad. Left him
l-lying there. I need to… I need to help him."

His already erratic heart pounded against his chest and that
horrid sick ache he had been feeling since he left her earlier was about to
make him black out.

"Did you call the police already?"

She shook her head and he cursed as he pulled her up to
stand, her hands still clinging to his shoulders. "You need to call them,
now! I'm going to go check things-"

"No! He told me not to. He told me to go to
you
."

"What?"

She took a deep breath and tried to control the sobs that
were tearing her apart. "He told me to go to you first, said you would
help me."

He was shocked and extremely confused. Liam would never tell
her not to call the police. 'Call first, always'. The mantra had been
deep-rooted into his skull since he was a kid.

"Ash, baby, I need you to tell me exactly what he
said," he demanded, keeping his voice calm so she wouldn't panic. He
couldn't have controlled the endearment if he tried. She was his at the moment
and his mind refused to think otherwise.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember her father's
words, pressing her fingers to her forehead. He couldn't help but catch his
breath at how beautiful she was even when she was crying her eyes out. He
mentally slapped himself, now was not the time.

"I had my phone out to call and h-he grabbed my wrist
to stop me," she said wearily. It was then that he noticed the blood on
her hands and arms, on her tank top. "H-he s-said, 'Not yet. Go to Lucas,
he'll know what you need. Lucas first.' Then he passed out. I couldn't do
anything
,
though, because they came back."

His entire body tightened at her words. She had been in
danger and he had been lying in bed trying to ignore the horrible feelings he
had.

"Did they see you?" he choked out.

She shook her head. "I hid in my closet. I heard them
talking, then they left. I came over as soon as I could."

"Where is he?" he all but barked out. He took a
deep breath to stay calm, but was losing it fast.

"In my room. I found him in my room right beside my
closet. There was so much blood, Lucas. I think… I think he's…"

"No, Ash. Don't. Wait here. Call the police. I'll be
back as soon as I can." He grabbed his gun off of the table by the door
where he had placed it when she fell into his arms, then tore open his door.

"What if they come back, Lucas?"

He turned back to her and saw the concern in her eyes. She
was terrified. Afraid that he would get hurt, worried that she was never going
to see her dad again.

He bent down and lifted the shotgun off the floor, thrusting
it into her hands. "Keep this with you. I have extra shells in the garage,
go get them. Call the police from my landline. Don't tell them who you are, Ash."

She nodded and her tears immediately started to subside. She
was stronger than anyone could imagine. "Okay. Be careful."

He didn't give her a response, just walked out his door and
sprinted toward Liam Brannock's house, hoping against hope that he would find
him alive.

Hoping he wouldn't have to break her heart all over again.

***

He watched as the paramedics lifted the stretcher into the
back of the ambulance. Ash's cousin, Mark, nodded his way as he climbed into
the back and shut the door. Thankfully, he had been with the first team to
respond to the call. He had been the one to check the captain first and would
be meticulous in taking care of things from here. Mark had made sure no one
else had entered the room as they assessed the captain while Lucas had been
doing his best to give a straight story to the responding officers while
leaving Ash out of the scenario.

There was chaos all around him. Lights flashing from all of
the police cruisers, people shuffling in and out of the house, and neighbors
dressed in robes and slippers hoping to catch a glimpse of what happened. So
far, no media had made it out to the house and he hoped it stayed that way.

Ash was still at his house and hadn't come out. He was
desperate to get to her, but he had to take care of things here first.

One of the officers handed him a leather jacket since he was
in nothing but a pair of grey sweats and his feet still stung from the sprint
he made to get to the house. When he had arrived, he went through the main
level of the house, making sure no one had decided to come back. By the time he
made it up the stairs, police sirens had sounded in the distance. He had walked
into Ash's room and… he didn't want to think about it. Not yet. Everything had
been so surreal and he hadn't been able to truly focus until Mark pushed him
aside. After that, things had moved quickly.

Rains stepped beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You okay, man?"

His partner had arrived shortly after the first officers
showed up and had been walking through the house and perimeter ever since,
double checking everything.

Lucas nodded, but didn't look at him. He kept his eyes on
the tail lights of the ambulance as it turned the corner, lights flashing and
siren blaring.

"Did you call this in?" Justin asked as he took in
Lucas' appearance.

He didn't respond, just kept watching the darkness left
behind by the one thing holding the last of Ash's happiness. He prayed to God
that they hadn't been too late.

"Guess we have to hand this over to Gibbs and
Montgomery."

That captured Lucas' attention. "Why?" he snapped.

Justin startled and his eyes widened at the angry response.
"The Banetti case. Tell me you aren't thinking that you can do both,
Shade."

"They're both connected. This was Banetti. I don't
trust anyone else to handle the captain's anyway."

"But-"

"No! We were first in line. You know the rules. Plus,
I'm not about to let someone else get the satisfaction of finding out who did
this and taking him down."

Justin sighed then nodded in agreement.

Good
, Lucas thought.
I don't have the energy or
the desire to try and convince you anyway.

"Tell me what you want to do and let's destroy this
mother fucker," Justin stated.

Lucas nodded like he always did to acknowledge that he heard
him, then turned and strode toward the front door. If Justin was as determined
to find out who did this and how it was connected to Banetti, it was one less
person he would have to worry about.

"Hold up, Shade!"

He looked up to the night sky and growled.
Not now
.

Detective Jonathan Gibbs and his partner Ray Montgomery
sidled up to Rains with sneers on their faces. "We're taking this
one," Gibbs spit out. "You need to focus on Banetti and the
information that just came in today. We can't have you trying to handle
both."

"I've got it," he bit out.

"No, you don't got it. The captain pulled in a new lead
today. Surprised he didn't tell you already since you two were chums. DEA wants
this shut tight before anyone else is taken out."

The fury that Lucas had tamped down when he had first saw
Ash crying, rose up again. "Taken out?! Is that how you want to treat
this? Like another fucking pawn has been tossed out of the game? The man has
kids you bastard. A daughter who-"

He stopped himself before he revealed the one thing that had
continued to go right tonight. No one knew about Ash and he needed to keep it
that way, otherwise, they could lose their position in this whole mess of an
investigation. He didn't know
who
to trust anymore, but he sure as hell
knew who
not
to trust.

Justin stepped between them with his hands up and Ray
Montgomery had the nerve to look just as resolved as his partner, but like much
less of a complete asshole. "Alright guys, let's take a breath. We're all
upset about the captain, but that's no reason to get out of control when the very
family you are talking about needs us to find the bastards who did this."

Lucas met his partner's gaze and nodded. Justin raised an
eyebrow in question, obviously wanting to know what had gotten Lucas so on edge
tonight.

Didn't matter how much he trusted the man. No one could know
about Ash.

Gibbs was watching the exchange curiously and muttered
something under his breath to Montgomery.

"Seems like that to me, too," Montgomery replied,
loud enough for him to hear.

The two of them had always been quite a pair, both with
dirty blonde hair, both balding, both stocky and short. The only difference was
Montgomery was normally a nice guy and tolerable in situations like this, but
Gibbs made you want to shove his head up his ass. Something Lucas was having a
hard time
not
doing.

"Alright. Fuck protocol tonight," Rains stated.
"Let's all go in. More eyes means more clues we don't miss."

Lucas could agree to that. He didn't want to miss a damn
thing. He wouldn't.

He glanced back over toward his house as the men walked
passed him, then took a deep breath and followed. He needed to get to her
before she lost it completely, but he had to get to her closet first. He
couldn't go back without the two boxes he knew were still there. She would be
desperate for them.

He knew her well enough to know it was what she needed right
now.

He thought back to what Ash had told him her father had said
last.
"He'll know what you need.”

He was smart enough to know that there was a reason the
captain had said those words.

He just had to figure out what that reason was.

***

It was after six in the morning by the time Lucas walked in
his front door. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so completely
exhausted. He could barely walk up his front steps without collapsing.

Thirty minutes after the ambulance had disappeared, Lucas
had gotten the call from Mark. The call that had torn his heart right out of
his chest from what he was going to have to tell Ash.