Brother's Keeper I: Declan

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  “It’s perfect. We’ll follow you out there when we’re done here,” Liam said, gesturing to his brothers.

  “Alright, I think that’s everything then?” Blake asked.

  When Declan nodded, Blake nodded his head at his new recruit who had family ties and a military background. “Logan, I want you on Colton and Meg. They’re your new assignment. You go where they go.”

  “Morgan and Dawson, I think you are the least at risk here. Your involvement was minimal, and you didn’t shoot anyone. We’re assigning rotating units to cover your houses, but I trust you’re armed and ready anyway.” Both nodded at Blake’s question.

  Blake then looked to Jessie who was also very much involved, having been instrumental in taking out part of Esteban’s regime, though not so much involved in Tom’s case other than eyewitness testimony. He looked at her, as if it pained him to say it, but did anyway. “I’ll watch this one.”

  “Great, a babysitter,” she replied with an eye roll.

  “I’m his number one target,” Declan said. “He’ll try to get me where it hurts first, long before he tries to take me out. I’ll be Lydia’s.”

  There was no loss in translation; everyone heard him loud and clear. Lydia was still his to protect and his to love. If Tom wanted to hurt him, Lydia became the target because when he left McKenzie, his heart stayed behind.

  “I don’t need a live in bodyguard,” Lydia protested. “Been there, done that. Logan will be next door and Colton…”

  Meg knew her sister needed Declan but was afraid to let him in. She needed to stop fighting it, and let him protect her. “Lydee, it’s safer if…”

  “If what?” Lydia interrupted, feeling a little betrayed by her sister.

  “I have to agree with Dec on this one. You remember last time – next door is not close enough.” Meg’s voice cracked a bit, laying on the guilt.

  After a long pause, Lydia conceded, “Fine.”

  “We have a plan then. Go about your lives, watch your surroundings, and everyone stay in touch. We’ll be watching and following every lead. We’ll deal with him and put him away, once and for all,” Dec said as a final pep talk point.

  “Perfect!” Lydia looked directly at Declan. “Then you can leave again…once and for all.”

  Lydia left the room and found herself outside, standing in front of the Lake, which was frozen over. It didn’t surprise her when she heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind, crunching against the frozen ground.

  “Why did you follow me? Is he hiding in the frozen lake?” She knew she was being a bitch, but that was the point.

  “I followed you because you’re upset, and I know it’s my doing.”

  “Hmmm, now you’re concerned,” she chided.

  Trying to keep calm, despite her relentless push back, he attempted to justify their past. “Lydia, I had to leave to protect you and Jax.”

  “Yep, that’s what you keep saying, but yet, here we are…surrounded by danger.” It was a low blow, but there was truth to it, and it weakened his point.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I told you I had to clean up messes…”

  Before he could finish, she struck again, tearing what she thought were excuses apart. “Took you long enough.”

  “Will you let me finish?” He was frustrated, which meant she was winning. Getting her to understand was starting to look like a losing battle. “I had stuff to sort out and deal with so it couldn’t come back to haunt me or anyone I love. I can look over my shoulder; it’s the life I signed up for…initially. But I didn’t want that anymore…I didn’t want it for you. It took longer than I wanted, but it had to be done if I was going to have any kind of future…with you.”

  “Hmph.” That was almost believable, she thought. His story was good, thorough, and well-rehearsed. If he knew her at all, he knew she would have helped him bear that burden, even from afar. But he didn’t give her that chance. He just left and never said a word.

  When Declan put his hands on her shoulders, she went rigid, which pained him more than her words of disbelief. He turned her around, made her face him so she would have to see the truth in his words.

  “I retired. I came back. This is the last loose end, Lydee.”

  “Until the next one, right?” She wasn’t about to fall for that chiseled jaw or be charmed by his dreamy emerald eyes. Not this time.

  “Not a day went by that I didn’t think of you, miss you, or need you. Everything I did, was for you – for us. I’ve been here all along, watching from afar, keeping tabs, making sure you were still safe. It pained me to see you and not be able to talk to you. I left McKenzie Ridge, but I never left you”

  Lydia wasn’t a crier, but somehow, when it came to Declan O’Reilly, she was. As much as she wanted to push him away, she wanted to pull him closer. She believed him, every word, but that didn’t mend a broken heart. It couldn’t be that easy for him. She couldn’t just let him in like no time had passed, even if that was what she wanted more than anything.

  “So you’ve been stalking me?” she teased, lightening the weighted mood. “No wonder I feel like I’m being watched and constantly looking over my shoulder. That’s really creepy, Declan.”

  Though light hearted and joking, her words struck a chord and brought instant worry. He didn’t like what she just said, not one bit. “What do you mean?”

  “It was you watching me – especially at night – I notice it most then,” She admitted, not realizing she was revealing something sinister had already begun. “Do you know how many hours of sleep you owe me?”

  He smiled, and pulled her into his embrace. There was no reason to point out that it most likely wasn’t him she was sensing, especially at night. “That part’s over now. I’m not leaving you again. You don’t have to worry anymore, baby.”

  Relaxing into him, she let him hold her. It felt good to be in his arms and like the world was no longer on her shoulders. She wasn’t ready to let him in, not entirely, but he made it really easy for her to let him hold her.

  Declan thought about her words. Feeling watched, followed, especially at night. That sense of worry that he had been carrying around just got heavier. Declan wasn’t a worrier, except where Lydia was concerned, and right now, he feared that the danger had been here for a while, lurking in the shadows.

  He would fix it – he would bring Tom Boyd down so he could finally be where he was meant to be. Right where he stood, with Lydia in his arms. Home.

  AFTER THEIR MEETING, the group went straight to eating and shenanigans as they often did together. Despite a looming threat, they made time for each other and enjoyed the company, catching up like no time had passed at all.

  Jax was outside playing with Colton’s latest rescue as the crowd thinned and began to leave. The remaining guests were standing on the porch, watching Jax play with the awkward dog.

  “Mama, I really want a dog,” he said.

  “That’s too much dog for such a little boy bud. How about we start with a fish?”

  Disappointment crossed the little boy’s face as he continued to play. The dog was eager to chase and return whatever Jax threw for him, but not without tripping over his own feet a few times, and rolling in an awkward somersault before he’d take off running again like nothing happened. He ran into a snow berm left from the last heavy snow, then went head first into a tree, but he kept on playing.

  Declan watched the dog with a confused furrowed brow, and his head cocked to one side. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Nothing. He’s just…clumsy,” Colton replied with a shrug, leaning against the porch pillar.

  “Clumsy? He just ran straight for a tree and ran into it. Didn’t slow down, try to swerve, just…hit it,” Wylie noted.

  Colton nodded, and sighed. “Yeah, he does that sometimes.”

  “Sometimes?” Dace interrupted. “As in, more than once; this wasn’t the first time…sometimes?”

  Colton nodded again, hands in his pockets. He felt a little
bad for the pooch. “He’s just, different, I guess.”

  “And you’re sure nothing’s wrong with him?” Dace questioned again because the dog chased a stick but came back with a boot that he grabbed from the porch at some point. “He has my fucking boot!”

  “Yeah, he does that, too. He’ll bring it back.”

  “Nothing wrong with him, my ass,” Luke laughed, watching the dog trip over the boot.

  “Well he did flunk obedience class,” Colton recalled.

  Declan kept his eyes on the dog; something about him had him interested. “Ehh, that just could’ve been the instructor.”

  “Umm, eight…eight times.” Colton had to clear his throat to get the truth out. If this dog was going to find a forever home, the potential owner needed to know it all.

  “Oh,” Declan said with disappointment but still watching him.

  “He’s really sweet, great with kids, and with other animals. He just has a hard time…listening,” Colton added.

  Declan took a few steps down the porch where the dog stood with Dace’s boot, which he tossed his way. Then the dog went back to playing with the boy.

  “What kind of dog is he? Besides huge?” Dec asked.

  “No clue.” Colton admitted. “He’s the size of my Great Dane but looks like a curly haired Dalmatian…kind of a homely fella.”

  “Homely…right.” Declan stood by Jax and watched the dog and how he interacted with the boy. There was a connection there. He didn’t understand it, but that dog was Jax’s and vice versa.

  “Mama, can I come play with him tomorrow?” the boy asked with a sullen tone.

  Lydia tilted her head and frowned at the sad face Jax was making. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

  “Mama? Can he play at my house?”

  She chuckled at the big pout and sad eyes Jax was working. “Not a chance, but nice try.”

  Jax told the dog to sit, and he did on command. Sitting, the dog was still a good six inches taller than Jax was standing. Jax wrapped his little arms around the dog, giving him a hug while the dog just panted, completely content. When Logan walked by and tussled the little boy’s hair, the dog growled and snapped at the man’s hand, causing him to pull it away.

  Logan kept walking, telling the dog to go easy and sit, to which the dog stood and followed Logan slowly, still growling.

  Declan stood in front of the dog and told him to sit, to which he listened and went back to his happy panting. “Ya know, I’ve been wanting a dog.”

  Wylie laughed at the idea, and questioned the thought. “You? A dog? Where are you going to keep a dog that size?”

  “Uh, you’re staying at my house, and the dog is not,” Lydia interrupted before the idea got any further.

  “I don’t know…he seems to be pretty protective of Jax. That’s actually to our benefit.”

  Lydia guffawed at the reference to protecting her son. It was a ploy to win her over, and she wasn’t falling for it. “Awesome. Still a no – not happening.”

  “Man, he would tear your apartment in Portland up. He’s too big for that kind of living space,” Liam added, always the voice of reason.

  Declan never took his eyes off the dog and Jax, completely taken aback by how this dog operated and only listened to him and a four-year-old. “Ehhh, there’s a dog park across the street from the building and grass on the roof top deck. He’d be fine. Maybe it’s time I buy a house if that doesn’t work.”

  “Seriously man, the dog has a real hard time minding – not sure he’s cut out for a dog park,” Colton interjected.

  Declan put the dog to the test, giving him several common commands, all of which he responded perfectly to. Jax was laughing when he too gave the same commands and the dog followed through on each the first time.

  “Looks like you’re getting a dog,” Luke said to Lydia, laughter coursing through the group.

  “Oh, hell no! This isn’t happening.”

  “He seems to mind me and Jax just fine.”

  “Isn’t he wonderful, Buddy?” Jax said, looking straight up into Declan’s eyes before grabbing his hand.

  Declan smiled at the reference. He called him his buddy, and it caused his heart to do a little flip. “He sure is something, kid.”

  “Oh crap. I’m getting a dog, aren’t I?”

  “Affirmative,” one of the brothers answered.

  Lydia slapped her hand over her face when Declan turned to Colton and said, “We’ll take him.”

  “Can you name him real quick,” she asked, “so I know what to yell when he does….all the stuff he’s not supposed to do?”

  Dec laughed at her attempt at playing hardball, but the grin she was wearing told a different story. “He needs a tough name, like Tank or Gunner!”

  Jax gave Declan an odd look, as if he had two heads and both had green hair. “Dick! He’s a Dick!”

  Laughs and surprised gasps didn’t miss anyone. Nobody saw that one coming. The burden was on Declan to fix this because that was who Jax was directing the argument, and he knew better than to make a big fuss out of Dick, or that’s all they would be hearing from young Jax.

  “Uh, how about something more tough, like Fang or Bullet?”

  “But he’s a Dick! Uncle Colton calls him that all da time!”

  All eye’s and snickers turned to Colton who turned a nice shade of crimson and had an oh shit look on his face. “Well, uh that’s not really a name it’s a…”

  Lydia’s eyes grew when she realized where Colton was about to take the conversation. “Name!” she said. “It’s a great name – thanks Uncle Colton for picking a great name.”

  Declan went from laughing to straight faced and bewildered. “I can’t go around calling Dick! I’ll get banned from like…every park that has a kid in it when I’m chasing a dog yelling Dick come.”

  Wylie, the brother with the wild sense of humor found this especially funny. “Sure you can, big brother! Take your Dick for a walk; feed your dick; don’t forget to play with your…”

  “Whoa, we get it. Let’s not make this a thing,” Lydia interrupted, tipping her head at Jax, which only sent him into fits of laughter.

  “This…this is not okay. People won’t like the name Dick. They might get mad at me for…that name. We should give him a name all people will like, something like Trigger,” Declan tried to reason, without any luck.

  Feeling a bit redeemed, Lydia smiled and shrugged. “You pick the dog…I pick the name. Err, well, Jax did. Remember Jax, this is Declan’s dog. When Declan goes home, the dog will go with him. You understand that, right?”

  “Yep!” the boy replied, clapping his hands and jumping up and down. “Can he sleep in my room?”

  Declan shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

  “Jax? He’s Declan’s dog,” she said one more time.

  Jax looked up at Declan, grabbed his hand, then looked at his mom as they walked away to drive home the point that he understood. “Let’s go, Buddy. We need to take your Dick home!”

  LATE IN THE evening, Jax had fallen asleep on the dog while watching a movie. Declan scooped him up, taking him to his room for the night. Dick the dog followed and cozied up on the large rug next to Jax’s bed and went to sleep himself. So much for being his dog. Dick clearly chose Jax.

  He closed the door part way and walked across the hall, leaning against the spare room doorway where Lydia was making up the bed with fresh linens for him. He offered to take the couch again, but she insisted that he take the bed in the spare room, following up with something about it only being because she didn’t want sleep sweat all over her nice couch. She was opening up to him but still remained guarded, hence following a nice gesture with a jab. It was to be expected.

  “You’ve become very domestic,” he said, startling her while she was bent over the bed, tucking in blankets.

  “I like having a simple life. It comes much easier. It’s good for Jax too – he gets a normal life. So different from how I grew up.” The idea of nannies and bo
arding school, like she had as a child, for Jax was like a knife to the heart.

  “Well, it suits you,” he concluded.

  She leaned against the wall next to the bed with her arms and ankles both crossed. “I’m happy. This is not the life I ever dreamed of having, but dreams change, sometimes for the better.”

  Nodding his head in agreement, he could relate. He never dreamt of a family of his own until Lydia. He wondered what she wanted. “What’s your dream now?”

  A long pause and blushed, red cheeks later, she pushed off the wall and said, “My dream is for you to go to bed and stop trying to get into my head.”

  She started to walk away, angry that her body betrayed her by telling at least part of her dream, her desire. He may have apologized and was trying to make things right, but she wasn’t ready to go there. She wanted to trust him again but didn’t, not with her heart.

  He grabbed her arm as she tried to pass him and leave the room. Pulling her close, he kissed her. At first she gave in, taking all he was offering, but abruptly stopped and pushed him away.

  “Just catch the bad guy, O’Reilly, so you can leave again.” She walked away, leaving her words to sting and closed her door behind her at the end of the hall.

  Declan wandered around the house, checking all of the windows and doors one more time, but more than that, he was stuck on her words. He thought they had made progress earlier in the day by the lake, but when things got serious, she pushed back. It was understandable, to a point; she was afraid to let him in and risk another broken heart. She said it herself without really realizing it. Lydia was afraid that he would take out Tom and bail again.

  He stood there in the dark, staring out the front window, daring anything or anyone to make a move. The memory of leaving McKenzie Ridge the last time raced through his head. The vision of her in his rearview mirror, crushed. No wonder she was reluctant to let him back in.

  His heart never changed for her, and he spent every moment, for two years, fighting for her. The problem was, during those two years, she just lived in the pain, unaware of how hard he worked for her, loved her. A silent vow was made in that moment to fix it all and win her back and love her like she deserved to be loved.