Stand By Me (4 page)

“What are my options at this point?” He had options if he wanted to open his life to that world. That life wasn't for him or his family.

Hines rolled his pen back and forth between his fingers, before tapping it to his lip. He said, “Kenya may not have been the target. They had her, why stick around and chance getting caught? That made no sense unless they were waiting for you.” Hines jotted on his pad of paper.“I know it was dark, but did you recognize anything about the men you shot?

Jonathan nodded. “Three of them were former employees of the estate. The forth...no.”

Hines shot him a quick excited glance. “Did they quit or were they relieved of their duties?”

“Stable surveillance video caught them beating Max, my horse.” His prized Max, to be exact and he’d wanted to beat them the way they had Max. “Any man that can beat a horse needs to be beaten.”

Hines scooted in closer taking notes on his pad. “Do you still have the tape? This is evidence in your defense, possibly a revenge attack on you Jonathan, and we can use all the help we can scrape together.”

Jonathan inclined his head as a line of fire moved through him as the memories filled his mind. Nobody beats his animals. “All animal abuse is reported to the Animal Cruelty Society, they'll have copies,” he said rolling his neck. His lawyer gave him wide eyes. “Surprised I abide by the law, Hines? I'm not all bad.”

“Aye, not surprised, happy. The fact you reported it I can use toward your character. As far as the tape on the cave when Seamus was shot, I had my computer guy try and unscramble the feed...” The lawyer shook his head. This wasn't good. “One of Brian's men must have sabotaged the footage. It shows your mountain construction crew working on the tunnels you’re blasting for the campers lodging, but not much more.”

Who could Brian know smart enough to sabotage the video? “So we have no evidence of Brian shooting Seamus?” He slammed his hand against the table making the guard grab the handle of his pistol. His lawyer held up a hand signaling everything’s okay to the guard. The guard stepped back releasing his grip on the weapon returning to his spot along the wall.

“Without the tape on the outside, we have to disclose the earlier fight that initiated the attack and the location of the entrance you want kept secret. The judge will need to see the camera's footage you have positioned on the inside covering the hidden entrance to the vault.”

Like hell.

“That'll give Brian access to the private family vault that he knows nothing about. Brian only knows of the tasting room and some of the valuable inventory. He has no idea of the secret vault the McGhee's and Blakemore's set up behind the private room. The contents are worth millions.”

Hines looked up. “Referring to the contract setup that says the surrounding Whiskey refinery is half owned by the McGhee's? That refinery has use of the water off the river to produce their liquor, and all the McGhee family required was the first bottles every year go to the Blakemore's.”

Jonathan nodded and dropped back in his chair and took a deep breath. He blew it on his words, “One, those bottles are worth thousands, and two, Brian's greed would put that family out of business. He'd take over and run the company into the ground.”

Hines sat up straight. “We could use them as a business character witness as to why Seamus chose you over Brian. This adds to Brian's need to have Seamus out of the way.”

“I don't want that family's name tainted in all this,” Jonathan stated as a nonnegotiable stipulation.

Chapter Three

“What the fuck was that?” Brian couldn't believe how bad that was botched. “I said bring her to me. What do you do? Get two of my men killed and two injured.”

“Boss, some of us donna understand what, donna mess with the American, means.” The tall lean man said pacing the airport hotel suite. “I did me part getting her into the car,” he said indicating with his chin raised at the man in the corner. “That prick was watching over the others who couldn't keep their hands off the woman.”

“You cost me the only thing me son protects more than the vault.” Brian crossed his hands behind his back shaking his head. He clasped the doorknob twisting it then pulled it open until the hazy yellow lights of the hall glowed around his feet. “Men, I need to speak to our friend--alone.” Stepping out of the doorway, Brian scrubbed a thumb into the palm of his hand and walked into the room. Two men got up grabbing their coats, hurrying out the room; the dirty cream door slammed behind them. The sound echoed around the room.

“Do you have any idea how much money he cost me because you couldn't keep him in check? Do you? No you don't because you’re an asshole. The pissy ten grand you would've been paid is snot compared to the millions you just cost me.”

“Aye, I dinna hurt her, he did. She was sweet. He was only gonna...play with her a little.”

Play with her and cost him a fortune he's waited thirty years to claim. Brian said, “Ye screwed up the only other job I gave ye. Get rid of Graham and ye could nae do that.”

The man trembled in his clothes shaking so hard. “I dinna know he’d bump his gums getting himself beat to death out in the alley.”

“You had one job. Get Graham on the plane on time to get to Nigeria when me son got there.” Brian cracked his knuckles then pushed up off the foot of the bed to walk to the window. He shoved the curtain back. Down in the parking lot, his men stood with their backs to the building. The heavy plastic backed curtain dropped against the radiator as he walked back over to his employee. Brian pulled on a leather glove wiggling his fingers as he walked closer to the man. Dan stepped back the closer he got until his back hit the wall. The man blinked as blood spurted from his lips to spray across the television on the wall. Brian had no idea when the man lost consciousness, but when he left his men were washing down the wall and Dan was escorted out down the back stairs.

In the sedan, Brian reclined in the back seat an elbow propped on the door; he peered up at the planes taking off. “Did she lose the baby?”

“The American?” the man asked.

Where did he find these stupid men? Brian closed his eyes, absently reaching into his breast pocket to pull out the silver flask full of whiskey to keep from smacking the man across the face. He let his legs fall open stretching them out over the floor. Unscrewing the silver cap, he turned the flask up to take a long drink and let the fire burn down his throat. He wiped his mouth. Screwing on the cap, he put it back in his pocket.

“Yes, I’m talking about the American. Jonathan's girlfriend, is she still pregnant?”

“Her hospital room is heavily guarded, but no, she has nae lost the bairn. There's too many people in and out of that room, we'll never get another shot at her.”

“Not in the hospital. Eventually she'll be released. And Jonathan will still be in jail. I've seen to that. He's got too many charges against him.” Brian lit a cigar and pressed the remote for the window to ease down. The car slipped through the quiet city and he was ready to go meet Morgan on the yacht. A night at sea would clear his head and give him a moment to decide his next move. He tapped the ash out the window. There will be another opportunity and he would be ready this time. Ms. Kenya would have to be alone eventually.

He turned toward Lean and Mean speaking from the front motoring the car through the light traffic.

“Yer father, Seamus. You were right. He loves the American and having the nurse tell him she'd lost the bairn sent him into cardiac arrest.”

“Too bad she had guards around her the entire time; no one could get close to her.” Her time was coming. That vaults worth millions and they think he doesn't know what the McGhee's share truly is...they'll be sorry they tried to strip him of his inheritance. Very sorry.

As they came up on the marina he caught a glimpse of Morgan walking from the other end escorted by one of his men toward him, her hips swaying in the moonlight.

He let her walk into his arms. Closing his fingers around her throat he pushed her chin up to see her face. Bruising a kiss across her lips, he shoved his tongue into her mouth pissed he'd become addicted to her taste. Pushing her away he hated she was beginning to affect him the same way Kenya was effecting his son. He was no punk and no woman would take his balls right from between his legs.

He frowned eyeing her empty hands. “Where are your things? I told you to be ready.”

Morgan pressed into his chest, her swollen breasts crushing his chest through his suit, making his cock jerk, anxious to get deep between her thighs. He couldn't wait to get her naked and taste her breasts down in the cabin sprawled out on the bed. “My things are on the boat already. What happened?”

Hooking his arm around her waist, Brian ushered her toward the side of the yacht. The night was perfect to slip away from the police swarming for information. “No concern of yours. Get on the yacht and I'll join you in a minute. Put on something pretty for me,” he said smacking her thick hips and watched one of his men help her onto the deck.

Brian slid a wad of bills to one of his men for his informant inside the castle. He had to stay informed when Kenya becomes released and Fiona was no longer helpful.

In the luxury cabin, appointed with every convenience he could think of from a wet bar to a steam shower to a round bed, Brian pulled at the knot in his tie, the silk floating to the floor and grabbed a bottle of his favorite, Connemara Whiskey, pouring a knucklefull to toss back. Closing his eyes, he savored the rich peat flavor washing around in his mouth before swallowing the gold treasure. There were none better.

The glass made a clunking noise as he set it on the dresser. Following the soft splashing sounds of water coming from the bathroom, he shucked his trousers down his legs, until they pooled around his feet, and his trunks followed seeing Morgan's dark skin already in the shower. Standing in front of the glass he waited.

The door swung open. Thick and hard his swollen length thumped against his stomach seeing Morgan slick with soap and pregnant with his child. Stepping over the lip of the shower he pinned her to the wall pushing into her in one stroke until her leg lifted up his thigh. He shoved in to the hilt, pumping his hips without mercy, making her cry out clawing at his back.

“Take it...shit,” he grunted, his balls tight up under his body. Morgan's mouth went slack head thrown back under the stream of water running between her breasts bouncing behind each thrust. A hand full of her hips he pushed her up until one thick breast filled his mouth. He fought not to bite too hard and closed his teeth around her firm nipple. Her back arched and he plunged deeper.

Minutes passed.He held Morgan against his chest, arms around her shoulders as his ragged breathing settled and her legs stopped shaking. Sated, yet still hard, he pulled from her body letting her feet hit the floor. Turning Morgan away from him, Brian, kissed the bend of her neck licking the water from her hot skin, sliding a hand down over her round belly listening to her pant, her forehead pressed to the tiles.

He spoke in her wet hair, “I started to get rid of ye after yer sister sent the money back.”

“Why didn't you?” Morgan asked turning her face to the wall.

He licked his tongue along her earlobe, biting the tender shell of her ear, frustrated by how good she tastes…everywhere. “Ye hate her as much if not more than I hate Jonathan. If yer still worth the trouble after me child is born, I'll get rid of the other women.”

“What other women,” she stuttered looking back over her shoulder.

He brought his hand down on her hip in a loud smack.The crack echoed in the shower. “Don't be naive, Morgan. One woman's never been enough for me,” licking the column of her throat, becoming addicted to her taste, he told her, “Stay and I'll make it worth yer while to give me another child.”

An hour later he lay on his back, his hand massaging Morgan's bare ass as she slept on her side beside him. Squeezing, letting his fingers run through the soft crease, he blew out a frustrated breath. She had become too important to him, too damn important.

Chapter Four

“What did the doctor say?” Kenya asked, Sophie padding through the threshold rubbing the back of her neck. Her hair limp and hanging loose down her back.

“Aye, nothing suggests why Seamus went into arrest, but the nurses were standing in his room speaking of you being brought in. You never know what he can hear. It may have upset him. They just don't know. A nurse is in the room with him massaging his leg helping the circulation, which helps his kidneys functioning, and she's talking to him. Doctor's warned the staff about mentioning your condition to him.”

“Don't they know if he can hear it'll upset him? What could they have been thinking?”

“I would think they'd be more careful.”

That was unprofessional. “How's Gretchen? How's she doing?”

“A rock as always,” Sophie said.

“I shouldn't expect anything less.” Digging through her tote, Kenya looked, pulling out her notepad and gave a gentle smirk. “That appears to be a requirement for Blakemore women. You need to hand out questionnaires. Before you take on one of our men, can you run, jump, leap mountains, and handle alpha males with a wicked libido?”

Sophie gave her serious eyes, then slowly grinned. “You did and it appears your libidos are pretty well matched if my unborn grandchild is any indication.”

“I can't argue your son's a lot of man behind that serious face,” and one amazing lover, she thought. She shook the quiver that admission sent up her spine. Adjusting herself on the bed she said, “Until he's out I can’t afford to be distracted so let's focus on the estate meeting at the end of the week. You need to get back to your mother in the States right; to be back in time for the meeting. Don't worry about me. Jamie's sitting in on the meeting with me.”

“I'll be back in two days. I promised your Julia I'd let Detective Diaz know she was coming in a few days so they'd have everything ready,” Sophie said.

“That's perfect.”

“Jonathan's funded over a hundred kids for camp with the money he charges those men soliciting the prostitutes. Some of the offenders know his service is there and requests his drivers to take them home. They could never live down the shame of being with a prostitute, and I suspect it's cheaper than a divorce.”