Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4) (17 page)

The matter of fact way Conall spoke made
Liam
even
wonder what was going on back there. Luke's eyes bugged out and his face
reddened before he spun around and sprinted back down the hall.

"You both are so mean," Aiden sniggered.

"It's good for him," Gus replied and winked her
way.

Those two just loved to cause trouble.

Emily looked at Liam and shook her head. "They're
hopeless."

"Thank God your doctor is a woman," Conall said to
Emily, kissing her on the forehead.

Twenty minutes later, a nurse walked into the waiting room
and informed them that Mrs. Shade wanted all of them to come meet her daughter.
Gus smirked when Con asked the nurse why
Mr
. Shade didn't just come tell
them himself.

The nurse shrugged and shook her head, "He kept saying
something about her phone number and not leaving her alone in the room with the
doctor."

Aiden snorted while Emily smacked a laughing Conall on the
shoulder.

"That seems a little overprotective, don't you
think?" Gus asked the confused nurse.

Liam just couldn't understand how Luke and his boys stayed
such good friends over the years. They constantly tortured each other. He decided
there must have been a lot of fights he just didn't know about.

Aislinn and Luke were both sitting on the hospital bed
hovering over a tiny bundle when they all walked in.

Emily and Aiden rushed forward to get a better look and
Aislinn immediately started to cry. "Thank you all for coming. This is
Isabelle and she wanted to meet you all."

She turned the little pile of blankets and Liam felt a giant
lump form in his throat when he got a good look at that tiny little face
peeking out.

"Isabelle, meet the family. They're going to take such
good care of you," Aislinn whispered.

Luke looked like he was about to fall over from happiness
and Ash looked exhausted and purely happy all at once. They had waited so long
for this beautiful little girl to arrive.

"She's beautiful!" Emily and Aiden both gasped.

They were itching to hold her, but Ash was looking at her
father with a bright smile. "Grandpa, you ready to meet your Izzy?"

Liam had only cried a handful of times in his long life, but
never had he done so without a care as to who was watching him. Until now. The
tears streamed down his cheeks as he reached for that tiny child. He held her
carefully in the crook of his arm and stared down at her, blinking past the
blurriness from those tears.

"Hello, my love," he whispered and those big round
eyes opened and looked up at him. Isabelle's cheeks were chubby and pink, her
lips were in the shape of a bow and her dark hair looked like tiny feathers.
Those big blue eyes stared up at him and her mouth opened, letting out a small
cry.

"Aye, my love. It's me. Izzy must have told you about your
grandfather, but make no mistake, there's plenty of room in this old heart of
mine for you to find a home." He bent forward to kiss her fuzzy head and her
tiny hand yanked out of the blankets and grabbed onto his chin.

Message received, Izzy.

***

Once Aislinn was ready to sleep and little Isabelle had been
passed back and forth too many times to count, they all said their goodbyes and
piled into Conall's car.

The sun was just starting to climb over the horizon and they
were all exhausted, but the excitement of welcoming their new family member
kept them awake and ready to face the day. Liam, Gus and Aiden sat in the back
seat, all of their eagerness palpable in the small car. Con and Emily quietly
sat up front, relaxed and smiling.

"Do you think by the time our baby is ready to come,
they'll have a way to sedate you and pull it out of you with no pain?"
Conall asked suddenly. He glanced over at Emily, squeezing her leg before he turned
his eyes back to the road.

"Yeah, it's called a cesarean," she replied with a
sweet smile. "They cut you open and pull the baby out."

Conall shivered and shook his head. "No. Not
happening."

Emily threw her head back and laughed. "I think by
then, both of us will be ready for this baby and we'll accept whatever method
is available. Don't worry, Babe. I'll be fine."

Liam watched her grab Conall's hand and lift it to her lips.
His son glanced at his fiancé with all the love a man could possibly have and gently
pinched her chin.

"Love you," Con whispered.

"I love you, too," Emily mouthed.

Gus sighed loudly from in between Liam and Aiden. "You
two make me sick, you know that? You're almost as bad as Ash and Luke."

Aiden smacked him on the shoulder making him cringe.
"Excuse me, who was the one that just said to me the other day that he
loved me the second he laid eyes on me and wished he could say it a hundred
times a day?"

There was a snort from the front of the car and Liam watched
both Emily and Con avoid looking in the back seat.

"Baby, I was being honest, but if I tell you I love you
in front of other people, I end up with blue balls. And I hear you laughing up
there, Con, but you know it's true."

"How is that possible? You seriously get turned on just
telling me you love me?" Aiden asked skeptically.

"Do we need to have this conversation here?" Gus
asked her, wrapping his arm around Aiden's shoulders and whispering something
in her ear that made her blush.

"Hey now! None of that until we're not all confined to
a small space," Con said, reaching back to smack Gus on the leg.

They pulled up to the house a few minutes later to find a
black SUV parked in the driveway. The tension in the car rose a few notches,
but it was Conall that told everyone not to worry.

"It's a friend," he said, looking anxious.
"You girls better go inside, just to be safe. We'll be in shortly."

They all climbed out of the car and Liam watched the
passenger door of the SUV open to reveal a giant of a man in a black suit and
sunglasses, looking like he was part of the secret service.

"Holy shit!" Aiden gasped. "Is the president
here?"

The giant opened the back door of the SUV and Con smiled
when he saw the man inside. "I'd say this is a pleasant surprise, but I
have the feeling you aren't here to catch up," his son said.

Another giant of a man climbed out of the SUV, but he wasn't
near as wide as his bodyguard. His tanned skin and black hair were familiar,
but Liam couldn't figure out who it could be. When the man removed his
sunglasses and those dark eyes looked his way, it clicked. Liam wondered just
what his oldest son was into.

"Conall, I've come with some good news and my
congratulations to your sister."

Lucien Ripley shook Conall's hand affectionately and looked
toward the front door of the house where Emily and Aiden were slowly making
their way inside. Lucien looked back at Conall and said, "I'd love to see
your fiancé and give her my regards."

"I'm sure you would, but she's still of limits," Con
chuckled, slapping the mob boss on the back.

"Damn!" Lucien said with a smile.

Conall turned to Liam. "Do you mind if he comes inside,
Dad? I trust him with my life."

Liam hesitated before nodding his approval then led the way
into the house with a scowling Gus bringing up the rear. Lucien's goons stayed
outside at his command.

"I am sorry to barge in on you like this. I would have
called, but I knew you were preoccupied through the night," Lucien said
politely.

"And how the hell would you have known that?" Gus
bit out, crossing his arms over his chest.

They were all standing in the foyer and Liam gestured for
the man to take a seat in the living room.

His almost black eyes darkened impossibly more, but he kept
his expression polite. This was not a man you wanted to piss off. "After
what happened with Emily, and once I was informed of the circumstances with
your fiancé," he spoke directly to Gus, "I wanted to make sure you
were all safe. I owe Conall a debt and I am a man of my word when I promise to
pay a debt."

"So this makes you both even, then? Spying on our
family?"

Liam shook his head at Gus. "Calm yourself, son. Conall
trusts this man and so should we. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't
important."

Gus nodded respectfully and relaxed his expression, but his
shoulders stayed tensed. "I apologize."

"Please," Lucien said, reaching his hand out to
Gus. "No apologies, I understand your concerns and I assure you that I
will never bring any trouble to your family's door."

Gus looked down at the offered hand and back up into Lucien's
sincere eyes. He must have seen something in the man's expression that calmed
his worries because he shook Lucien's hand and mumbled, "Thank you."

"What's this news you have?" Con asked.

Lucien finally sat down and folded his hands together,
looking Liam's way. "Mr. Brannock, I have information regarding a certain
person that was being held at the Ohio State Penitentiary."

Liam felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and his stomach
rolled. "
Was
?"

"I'll cut to the chase because I don't want you to
worry. Christopher Hampton is dead."

It took only a couple of seconds for the words to process in
Liam's mind. Then, complete and utter relief swept through him.
"Dead."

Lucien nodded, a terrifying look in his eyes. He knew enough
about the dangerous mob boss to understand that this was no accident. Liam knew
exactly why
he
was the one bringing this news.

"I assume you know this because..."

"Because I ordered it." Lucien stated nonchalantly.
That alone told Liam and his boys how very dangerous he was. "I have connections
everywhere, but Ohio was never really on my radar, until I met Conall," he
gestured to Con.

"And why would meeting my brother change that?"
Gus asked curiously, his animosity toward the man completely absent. He almost
looked like he was impressed.

"I make it a point to know everyone I come into
significant contact with."

Conall shook his head, but his mouth twitched with a grin.
Liam knew his boys well enough to understand what was happening. They were glad
the man that hurt their mother so long ago was finally gone. Their anger about
what happened would never completely fade, but the weight would be lighter.

He found
himself
feeling the same way.

Lucien directed his next statement toward Liam. "Once I
discovered what happened to your late wife, I wouldn't stand for it."

"I never would have asked you-"

"I know that, Mr. Brannock. That's why I didn't tell
you beforehand and I probably shouldn't be telling you now, but I imagine it
comes as a relief to know that the man who haunted your wife's younger years is
now gone forever. I also imagine that you would have wanted him to suffer in
prison, but I think we all know that doesn't necessarily happen to a man like
him. He was climbing the ranks and it was only a matter of time before he was
out, one way or the other." Lucien shrugged, "I chose to take the
other way."

Silence.

Liam didn't know what to say. He would freely admit that he
wanted Christopher dead from the very beginning, but he would have never put
that into action himself. So many years had gone by with little thought to the
man and Liam was content to keep it that way. His memories of Izzy weren't
tainted by the bastard, but the anger for what he tried to do to her would
always be there.

"I want you to know that this was not done with the expectation
of a return," Lucien said quietly. "I take care of my friends and
family and Conall has become a part of that very small collection of people. So
that extends to you and the rest of yours. Like I said, I will never bring
trouble to your door willingly. I can't imagine my life would weave in with
yours at all in the future with the exception of my connection to Conall, but
that is beside the point."

"What exactly
is
your connection to my
son?"

Lucien smirked and looked over at Conall. "Your son is
helping me with some legal issues at the moment so I have been in frequent
contact with him. But he is a good man and I need a friend like him. Someone
who understands the sacrifices a man must make to get out of a bad situation.
I'm not a good man, yet, but I'm trying. I don't want to do this shit much
longer and if I could walk away from it now, I would in a heartbeat."

Liam heard movement from over by the stairs and he quickly
glanced over to find Emily and Aiden standing at the top, peeking through the
banister.

Lucien saw them and grinned before looking back and forth
between the three Brannock men. "I wish I would have done things
differently in my life, but the means just wasn't there. I took the path I did
in order to survive and now I must suffer the consequences."

"I imagine the consequences are a bitch," Gus
smirked.

Lucien burst out laughing. "Believe me, you can't
imagine."

That seemed to make Gus happy, but Lucien didn't take it
personally.

"However, there are people that rely on me, and finding
the right opportunity to remove myself from this world I've been running for so
long is not easy." He looked back to Liam and nodded respectfully. "I
figured I would take advantage of my position to help someone I admire and
trust with my life."

Liam didn't know what to say. He valued himself for doing
what was right most of the time and teaching his children right from wrong.
Izzy valued it. But then there were times where they both took a darker path
when it came to the people they loved.

Liam understood sacrifice and he understood that sometimes a
man has to do what a man has to do and let the pieces fall where they may. To
protect his family, Liam knew exactly what he would be willing to do. Anything
and everything.