Celtic Dragon

by Amy Cecil

  I look over at Honey and Ari. “That went well,” I say and we all bust out laughing as we proceed to board our plane.

  Chapter 15

  Caden

  We spent the last two days interrogating people for intel on my aunt and uncle. Rebel and his brothers lined up several possible informants. At first, I didn’t think much about it, but as we got deeper into our interrogations, I found it odd that the contacts we’d received from Damon and Patrick always appeared scared, unnerved, and wary of what to say to us. The last one I talked to even had the balls to try to kill me. Obviously, that didn’t go too well for him. It almost seems like Damon and Patrick are purposely trying to sabotage our efforts; especially since the leads that Rebel provided were all solid.

  So now we have a Mr. Liam Collins in the basement of Rebel’s family home. We have a table and chairs set up in the center of the room. Liam sits at the table with Rebel and his brothers flanking him. After the last incident, we’ve decided to be on the safe side; his hands and feet are bound to the chair.

  “So, Mr. Collins,” I say, “tell me what you do for a living.”

  He says shakily, “I’m a prison guard.”

  “I see. And what prison do you currently work at?” I ask.

  “I’m without work at the moment.”

  “And why is that?” Rebel asks as he steps up next to me. Surprisingly, his brothers stay back and keep their traps shut. During the first couple of interrogations, they tried to get more involved. I’d had to set them straight and remind them who was in charge. Since then, they have pretty much remained in the background, which suits me just fine. They haven’t contributed anything of value and I don’t expect them to.

  It took them a while to come to terms with the fact that I know what I’m doing. I’m sure that Rebel telling them the story of how we avenged Ace’s death or how I dealt with Grayson contributed to their change of opinion. I’m sure they’ve seen a lot of shit and violence connected with their cause, but they have never seen the Iceman at his worst. Very few have and have lived to tell about it. Rebel is one of them.

  “I helped a friend escape,” Liam replies.

  “You did? And was the escape successful, or did he eventually get caught again?”

  “He’s free,” he says proudly.

  “And they didn’t arrest you for aiding and abetting?”

  “No, they suspected that I was involved but they couldn’t prove it. So they fired me instead.”

  “And where did this great escape happen?”

  “Maghaberry.”

  Now we’re getting somewhere! That is what I wanted to hear! For the first time in two days, I begin to hope that this mess is coming to an end. I look over at Rebel and nod, indicating that we’re in the home stretch now.

  “What if I told you that I want to break someone out of Maghaberry prison? Could you help me?”

  “It that why you have me?” I look over at Rebel and Liam’s eyes follow my gaze. Rebel nods. “That’s why I’m here tied to your fucking chair? To help you break someone out of jail?” he asks incredulously.

  “It could be. Answer the question.”

  “Did you really have to tie me to the chair?”

  “Let’s just say we’re taking precautions. Now answer the fucking question!” I say impatiently.

  “Yes, yes! I can help you,” he replies. He then asks, “Who’re you busting out?”

  “Aillise and Conner O’Byrne.” A look of dread crosses his face at the mention of my aunt and uncle. “Do you know them?” I ask.

  “Not personally, but I know of them. How do you know they’re at Maghaberry?”

  “We don’t. You’re gonna help us figure that out as well.”

  “I told you, I was fired. I don’t work there anymore; I have no idea who their prisoners are now.”

  I move close to his face, and as I untie his hands, I say with forced calmness, “Look, Liam. May I call you Liam?” He nods. “Ok, Liam. I’m not sure that you understand me. I don’t care what you may or may not know. I don’t even care what you may or may not be able to do. The important thing that you need to understand is that I need to get the O’Byrnes out of Maghaberry prison and you’re gonna to help me do it. It’s that simple.”

  He nods in agreement and as he does this I can see fear in his eyes. Good! I want him scared. I want him so scared of me that he’ll do anything I ask him to do.

  “So, this is what you’re gonna do. First off, you’re gonna contact one of your friends at the prison and confirm that the O’Byrnes are being held there.” I hand him a burner and say, “Do it!”

  He thinks for a few seconds and then begins to dial. He holds the phone to his ear and I can hear the distant sound of a phone ringing. Eventually he says, “Colum, it’s Liam.”

  There’s a pause and then he says, “I need some information on a couple of prisoners. Can you help me out?” Another pause and then Liam says, “I know, I know.” He adds, “It’s really important, Colum. IRA, life and death shit, if you know what I mean.” I had no intention of killing him, but it was nice to know that was afraid that death just might be his fate. Another pause and then he says, “The O’Byrnes.” He listens again and then says, “I know who the fuck they are, just tell me, are they there or not?”

  The other person says something and Liam makes several affirmative grunts. He then says, “Ok, Colum. I owe you. Thanks.” He closes the phone and hands it back to me.

  “Well?” I ask.

  “They’re there.” Rebel breathes a sigh of relief that I can hear from across the room. Liam continues, “They’re being held in the new accommodation blocks that were built in ’99. The security is higher in that part of the prison ‘cause it is only used for prisoners that they don’t want anyone else to know are there.”

  “Excellent. And now that you know that they’re there and where they’re being held, can you get ‘em out?” I ask.

  He’s quiet for a moment and then says, “The prison was built in 1976. It’s not old, but it has one of the traits that an older prison would have: tunnels.”

  “Tunnels?” I ask incredulously. That seems like an odd feature for a prison that was built in the 20th century.

  “Yeah, tunnels. For some reason, when the prison was constructed the British wanted a means to come and go without being detected. Very few know about these tunnels and therefore they provide the perfect means of escape.”

  “If the British know about these tunnels, won’t they be guarded in some way?”

  “You would think,” he says, “but I have proof that they’re not.”

  “That’s how you broke your friends out?”

  “Yep,” he replies proudly.

  I smile slightly; Liam is definitely proving to be very valuable. “So what do we do to get ’em out?” I ask. I’m so ready to be done with all of this shit. I want to go home so bad. I miss my girl.

  “Let me make some contacts. It should take a day or two. I’ll be in touch.”

  I shake my head. “Hell no. That’s not gonna work, Liam. How do I know that you won’t bolt?” I pause. “Nope, can’t take that chance. I’ll provide you with whatever you need to make contact with your people, but you’re not leaving this house. I need them out and you seem to be the man who can do it. You’ve just become my new best friend.”

  “But …”

  “Did I mention that I’m in control here? Don’t even try, Liam. You’re staying put.” He looks disappointed, but nods his head in agreement. “I’ll get you a phone. What else do you need?” I ask him.

  “Phone is good. Paper, something to write with, a computer of some sort, and internet access,” he says.

  “Done,” I reply. I look over at Damon and Patrick, who suddenly remind me of Dumb and Dumber, and say, “Can you boys make up a room for Liam? I’ll secure the items he needs.”

  Damon nods. “Sure, Ice. Whatever you need.”

  Dumb fucks. The minute they made comments about Rebel not knowing his shit
was the minute I stopped liking them. I don’t give a fuck if they’re family. I learned a long time ago that the family that we’re born into isn’t always the family that means the most.

  Rebel

  We’re making real progress in our search; our meeting with Liam finally got us some answers. Having him work on a plan to get my mam and da out brings us one step closer to actually achieving it. Then we can go home!

  I miss Ari. I haven’t called her since I left. It’s been really difficult with the time difference; whenever I finally do get a chance to call, I know that she is either sleeping or in class. I don’t even think that Ice has called Emma except on the day we arrived.

  I’m restless and anxious. Things are finally moving along, but not as quickly as I’d like. I want to do something, but everyone has already gone to bed. I try reading, but I can’t focus. I text Ari, but I don’t get a response. She’s probably busy doing homework or something, I think to myself. Getting out of bed, I decide that maybe something to eat will help me sleep. There was some leftover apple pie from earlier today that sounds really good right now. I sure as hell hope we have cream, then it will really feel like I am at home.

  Walking down the stairs to the kitchen, I flip on the switch and began to dig through the fridge. A few minutes later I hear someone coming down the stairs. Assuming it’s Ice or one of my brothers, I turn and say, “Want some …” I never finish what I was going to say, because I find myself face to face with Ciara, who is standing in my kitchen in nothing but her panties. “What the fuck, Ciara?”

  “I’d love some of whatever you’re offering, Balefire,” she says. She saunters over to me and stands real close. She’s still beautiful and although taking her on the kitchen table is tempting, I think about Ari. The last thing I want to do is hurt her. I take a step back.

  “Get back upstairs and put some fucking clothes on!” I demand, trying to be forceful and not soften to her. If she knows I mean it, she won’t push. If she pushes, I’m afraid I’ll give in.

  “But Balefire, you used to love it when I would hang out around the house like this,” she says.

  “That was a long time ago, Ciara. And yes, I did. I’m not denying that you look hot as hell. Shit, I’m not even denying that I’m tempted. But I’ve told you over and over again, I’m with someone. I’m not interested in rekindling anything between us.”

  “But Balefire, don’t you miss me?” she coos.

  “Fuck, Ciara, I missed you for years. And looking at you right now, I can honestly say I’m tempted. But I will not indulge my temptations. I will not hurt Ari. We had fun times, but it wasn’t real love. I’ve got that now and I won’t do anything to fuck it up.”

  When she doesn’t say anything, I add angrily, “What about Damon? Does he know that you’re down here, practically naked and putting the moves on me? I don’t think he’d like it very much. And more importantly, where is your fucking self-respect?”

  “I could care less about Damon. I only agreed to date him to make you jealous. And as for my self-respect … well, shit, we parted company a long time ago.” She waits for some type of response from me, but when I say nothing, she continues, “You’re the one I’ve always wanted. You, Balefire.” She inches up closer and tries to kiss me, but I dodge her attack and move away.

  “It ain’t gonna happen, Ciara. So why don’t you turn around and march back upstairs to my brother’s bed, where you belong?” Our conversation is interrupted by a knock on the front door. What the fuck? We both look at each other curiously. “Get your ass upstairs. Now!” I walk into the living room and head for the door. I turn and motion for Ciara to go back upstairs. When she turns to head up the steps I turn back and open the door.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Standing in the doorway in utter shock are Emma, Ari, and Honey. I can tell by their expressions that Ciara is still standing naked in the foyer behind me. I’m totally screwed!

  Chapter 16

  Emma

  “Rebel?” I say cautiously. “What’s going on here?” Ari stands beside me, speechless. She and I both stare at the half-naked woman standing in the middle of the living room. She’s stunningly beautiful, with long red hair sexily draped around her shoulders; perky, creamy white breasts; and legs that go on forever. All she wears are black lacy panties. Even I’m jealous of her, and I have no interest in Rebel in that way. Rebel is standing there shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pair of sweatpants that hang low on his hips. The scene before us is not good and I can’t wait for his explanation.

  But as I look at Rebel, I realize that the expression on his face is not one of a man who’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Rebel is a smart guy; even if he’d been stupid enough to cheat on Ari, he wouldn’t do it while Caden was in the same house. That would just be suicidal. There’d be too much risk of him getting caught and I know that Caden would kill him if he did. So that’s definitely not what’s going on here. The more I take in the situation, the more I’m convinced that it isn’t what it seems … but if Rebel doesn’t start explaining soon, or acknowledge Ari like he should, she won’t believe anything that he says.

  “Ari …” Rebel says loud enough for all of us to hear and then nothing. Silence deafens the room, then Rebel finally yells, “Ciara, I fucking said to go back to bed! Now!”

  The half naked girl whom which I assume is Ciara looks from Rebel to Ari with a pout. “Fine!” she stammers. As she stomps up the stairs, she yells, “Good luck explaining this one!” Her laughter fills the silence in the room.

  Rebel watches her go and then turns back toward us. “What are you girls doing here?” he asks as he gestures for us to come in.

  We walk through the door silently, bags in hand. It’s one of the most awkward moments of my life. It’s obvious that we’ve interrupted something, but part of me is sure that Rebel isn’t at fault. “Maybe first you should explain what we walked in on,” I say. Ari still hasn’t spoken a word, not even a hello.

  Rebel looks at Ari apologetically and says, “Babe, it’s not what it looks like, I swear. I never touched her.”

  Ari doesn’t say a word, but her eyes begin to well up with tears.

  “Honey, maybe you and I should step outside and let these two have some privacy,” I say.

  “No!” Ari says. “Stay here and hear what he’s got to say. Then, Emma, you can tell my brother all about it,” she threatens.

  Rebel flinches at her words, then reaches for Ari’s arm and pulls her over to the couch. “Sit,” he says. “There’s no need to involve Ice in this. Just let me explain.”

  As she sits down, she looks at her watch and says, “We’ve been here long enough. You can start explaining any time, Rebel. I’m not going anywhere.” She crosses her arms and adds, “Yet!”

  Honey and I walk over to the two chairs across from the couch and sit down. Rebel says, “Today, we finally got a lead on my mam and da. I was pumped, anxious, and unable to sleep. So, I came downstairs to get something to eat. Ciara came down after me.”

  “Why is she even here in the middle of the night?” Ari asks.

  “She is dating my brother, Damon. I assume she was in his room.”

  Ari seems to accept that reply and silently gestures for Rebel to go on. He says, “She came down half-naked and tried to get me to take her back to my room, but I refused. I never touched her and I didn’t instigate this.” He says pleadingly, “I swear!”

  He waits for Ari to say something, but she remains quiet, apparently in deep thought. Then he adds, “Babe, do you really think I’d be so stupid to do something like this with your brother upstairs? He’d fucking kill me!”

  Ari still doesn’t say a word, but I think his last words hit home with her. She really couldn’t argue with his last point unless she knew he had a death wish.

  I can see the uncertainty in her eyes. She’s torn. She wants to believe him, but what we walked in on totally contradicts everything he said. I decide it’s time for the “big sister” to jump in. I say, �
��Ari?” She looks over at me. “I believe he’s telling the truth. If there’s only one thing he’s said tonight that makes perfect sense and totally backs up his story, it’s the fact that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do this with Caden in the house.”

  She looks at me and finally speaks, acting as if Rebel wasn’t even in the room. “But how do you know, Emma? How do I know I can trust him?” she asks.

  “Has he ever given you any reason, ever, to mistrust him?” I say.

  “No.”

  “And do you think he would be stupid enough to take the risk?” I ask.

  “No,” she says as she looks over at him.

  “Then I think you have your answer. You need to give him the benefit of the doubt and not make assumptions about things that didn’t happen.”

  Still looking at Rebel and crying silent tears, she says nothing. He pulls her into his arms and says, “Babe, I love you. I would never do anything to fuck up what we have. Ever.”

  “I love you too, Rebel,” she says, hugging him back.

  They hug for a few more minutes and then Rebel says, “So what the hell, ladies? What’re you doing here?”

  Honey says, “That’s a long story.” Laughing, she adds, “I’ll let Emma tell you.”

  I roll my eyes and think, Thanks, Honey.

  Just as I prepare to tell my story, we hear someone coming down the stairs. “What the fuck is all the noise about?” Cade asks.

  Oh, shit. I was hoping I’d have a little more time before he knew I was here. Nothing ever goes according to plan.

  When Caden gets to the bottom of the steps, I finally get a good look at him. Like Rebel, he’s wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips. What is it with these guys and the tease of the pant line low on the hips? It makes me fucking nuts, especially on him! Taking in his beauty, I’m reminded of how magnificent he really is and that he’s all mine. It’s obvious that he hasn’t shaved since he’s been here; his facial hair has thickened. The gray that speckles his beard is damn sexy and he looks absolutely delicious. I think about his stubble against my thighs and I can feel the wetness pooling between my legs. Damn! The baby hormones are in full force right now and my only thought is to devour him. Unfortunately, that’s not possible at the moment. The hormones will have to wait. Besides, I need to deal with his wrath before I get him in bed.