Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4)

by Jessica Wilde

  "I love you, Isabelle. I loved you the first time I saw you cry and everything inside of me wanted to choke the life out of whoever hurt you. I loved you when you didn't even know who I was. Standing there, looking up at the sky, and not realizing that you changed my life completely just by breathing."

  Izzy turned in his arms, the sheets falling away from her, making her skin tingle and her nipples harden from the cool air in the room. Liam kept her pressed against him. Every inch of her touching every inch of him. He held on tightly, as if he was afraid she would run away or just disappear.

  She looked into his soft blue eyes, seeing the questions there and finally knowing the answers.

  Love wasn't a completely foreign concept to her. She knew what love and lust were and she knew their differences. She also knew what it was like to not be loved. Never did she imagine that something so momentous could happen so swiftly.

  In that moment, while feasting her eyes on the man who now knew what every inch of her felt like, she realized that love doesn't wait for you to catch up. It climbs inside of you and makes a home while your mind never regards its presence as more than a passing craving; a longing for more than what you have. Until it's too late.

  It becomes burrowed so deep inside you until there really is no turning back. It's a part of you; a part of what you do every single day. It's your purpose and you have to protect it.

  "I know it's fast," Liam said, his eyes hungrily gazing down at her only to be dulled by doubt. "I know it seems impossible, but I can't help-"

  Izzy pressed her fingers to his lips. "Stop. Just stop," she breathed.

  He kissed the tips of her fingers and bowed his head to her chest. She couldn't see his expression, but she could imagine how hard he was working to hide his distress.

  "I love you, Liam." Saying the words felt so right and so terrifying, but there was no stopping them now.

  His head lifted, those hypnotizing eyes lighting up. "Ye do?"

  She nodded and fought tears once more. Only, this time there was no pain or helplessness. Just a resolve that felt... peaceful.

  Liam kissed her and he didn't stop kissing her until they were both breathless and he was once again buried deep inside of her.

  "I'll love you forever," he promised.

  He made love to her until they were both spent once more. Then they drifted off to sleep, clinging to each other as if forever just wasn't enough time.

  ***

  Izzy watched Liam walk to his truck and climb in. He waved to her before disappearing down the road and she stood there a few minutes longer, missing him already. His promise to return later that afternoon stayed in the back of her mind.

  A few hours apart would be good for them. Or at least that is what she kept telling herself.

  She wandered the house for a few minutes before the silence made her head spin. She moved toward the back door, deciding to spend a while in the gardens so she could attempt to clear her mind.

  She pushed the door open just as the phone started ringing. It wasn't the fact that there were only a few people that could possibly be calling her that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was that there was only one person that would be calling her and during the past six nights of blissful ignorance, she hadn't prepared for it.

  After a deep breath and a few seconds of talking herself into it, her fingers still trembled when she reached for the receiver.

  A greeting wasn't necessary since the angry voice on the other end of the line was already speaking.

  "You are fucking lucky I've been out of town for meetings. If it wasn't for your mother causing problems, I would have my hands wrapped around your neck right now."

  There was no explaining the surge of determination that suddenly filled her. Maybe it was that she had finally changed or that she had made a decision. Or maybe it was just because she was done.

  "Go to hell."

  Silence.

  She pressed her tingling fingers to her lips. Saying that was not the plan, but it was too late now.

  And it felt damn good.

  "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

  She cringed at the darkness in his voice. It was a reminder that the handsome man she'd been tricked by was never going to have a chance at redemption. He just didn't want it.

  "I said, go to hell. I'm done with you Christopher. I won't let you destroy me or my family."

  He laughed. Not the laugh of amusement. No, this was the kind of laugh you only hear in the movies. The kind of laugh that signals a complete loss of the mind. "I see you've forgotten who I am, Isabelle. You'll regret that."

  "The only thing I regret is not standing up for myself in the first place. You're finished, Christopher. There will be no wedding and there will be no business deal."

  "Then God help you and your parents," he growled.

  She slammed the phone down and jerked away from it. Her hands shook and spots danced around her eyes. Calm down, Izzy. She set her palms flat on the table, feeling the grains of wood beneath her fingers and focusing on the breathing. Taking long, steady pulls of oxygen finally forced the dizziness to fade.

  "Stay."

  She spun around to find Liam standing in the back doorway. She thought he was going to be gone a little longer and prayed he didn't see the terror she was sure had overtaken her face.

  "How much did you hear?"

  "Enough," he said, his brows knitted as he stepped toward her. "Stay with me. Don't go back there."

  "Liam..."

  She was suddenly in his arms with her face pressed against his chest. Those arms engulfed her in safety and held her up when her legs no longer could. It felt like everything was crashing down around them in one small space of time.

  He whispered words of love while she held back the tears.

  Love.

  It was powerful, but it couldn't fix this. It couldn't save her and it couldn't save her parents.

  "Isabelle, stay. I swear to ye, I'll make ye happy." He tilted her chin up with gentle fingers and hovered his lips over hers. "I'll take care of ye and if ye can settle things with yer parents, we'll go to them whenever ye want. But ye can do all that from here, love. Please don't go back to him."

  He kissed her fiercely, bruising her lips and crushing his body against hers. He squeezed the breath out of her, but she wasn't worried about breathing at the moment. She just wanted to feel him everywhere and he seemed eager to make sure he was.

  His lips released hers and moved down over her chin, kissing the sensitive spot where her shoulder meets her neck. Color swirled in front of her eyes and she willed herself to keep her mouth shut. To just let this happen and stay with him as long as possible.

  But she couldn't do that to him. She couldn't leave any loose ends that would find her in the future. She wanted a life with him, free of anything that could tear them apart and this... this would tear them apart eventually; if she stayed.

  Yes, she loved him and she would only love him. But love came with sacrifice. She would gladly sacrifice her happiness to save him from the horrible things that Christopher could do.

  This wasn't a man that would forget the wrongs done to him. He had the means and the lack of sanity to correct those wrongs however he saw fit.

  It was only a matter of time.

  "I'm not going back to him, Liam. I never want to see the man again, but I can't spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I won't."

  "Ye won't have to, Izzy. I'll protect ye and I won't let him near ye."

  She was breathing hard, struggling to stick to her resolve. "I can't leave my parents, either. Not in a situation where they suffer because of a decision I made. It will only get worse if I stay. My parents will lose everything and I can't do that to them no matter how neglectful they've been."

  "What if it doesna work out? What if he does something to ye and I'm not there to help?"

  Well, she didn't have an answer for that and they were the same fears she had for herself.
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  "Would you do it if it meant keeping your mother and father from a lifetime of suffering? Would you risk it if it meant making sure Finny never again had to deal with someone who hurt her family?"

  Liam's arms tightened around her. He knew she was right and so did she. It hurt, but it was the truth.

  "I hate this," he said. "Not being able to fix it. Feeling so powerless."

  "I do, too. But there's no other way."

  His fingers threaded through her hair, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. "And if I can nah come to ye, if ye can nah come back to me?"

  Izzy pulled back and looked up into his handsome face. The more he spoke, the more she realized how worried he actually was. His accent grew thicker as his distress grew stronger.

  She raised her hand and caressed his scruffy cheek, over his eyes and down his nose. Memorizing him. "You are the rest of my life, Liam."

  He lowered his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "I've a mind to tie ye to the bed, love."

  She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've a mind to let you."

  She lifted up on her toes and kissed him soundly. It wasn't long until he took over, making her breathless in a matter of seconds.

  The shrill ringing of the phone made them pause and Izzy's shoulders slumped. "I don't need to speak with him again. He has no power over me and I won't let him taint the rest of the time we have together."

  Nothing could be done when she was halfway around the world and whatever business her father had with Christopher was just that. Business. Sometimes deals fell through and she refused to worry over it right now.

  She ignored the ringing phone and pulled Liam out the back door of the house. They walked down the road, hand in hand, unwilling to let the other go for too long. The rest of the afternoon was spent together in peace, neither of them speaking about what was to come. Izzy found herself forcing a smile once or twice, but Liam didn't give her a chance to dwell on it.

  He was more determined than she was to fill their time with each other and nothing else.

  It was later that night when they were snuggled together in front of the fireplace that their peaceful day came to an end.

  "If I ask ye to stay again, would ye consider it, love?" he inquired, his voice quiet as if he didn't want to disturb the stillness in the room.

  Izzy sighed and fiddled with the buttons on his shirt as she spread out on top of his chest. "I already have considered it, Liam. You know why I have to go."

  "And If I find a way to go with ye, would ye wait to leave?"

  She lifted her head, meeting his penetrating gaze. "How?"

  He gave a half shrug and playfully tugged on a piece of her hair. "Brian knows people at the embassy. He might be able to ask a favor for a rush on my visa."

  "But how, Liam? Your parents don't have the money to-"

  "Do nah worry about that, love. I've saved up some money and I can earn some more. I'm asking if ye'll wait to go back until I can go with ye."

  She never expected to have this conversation with him. Not now.

  "I don't think I can, Liam. I'm out of time and if I don't leave when I'm scheduled to leave, I don't know if I'll have a way to go back later. Plus, this is my problem. I can't drag you into my mess and it's only a matter of time before Christopher ends up-"

  "Don't say his name," he demanded wearily. "Don't even think it. He won't touch ye if I'm with ye. We'll find a way, love. I just need to know if ye'll wait."

  The color drained from her face. Was she going to lose him if she said no? "I don't know if I can. I'm sorry."

  His brows drew together. "Will ye at least think about it?"

  "Liam..."

  "No, Isabelle. I love ye too much to just let ye walk away to play the hero to yer God forsaken parents. I refuse to let ye go without a fight and even then, I'll fight harder."

  Izzy's eyes flooded with tears. In her heart, she would do anything to have him by her side, but her mind didn't believe it was possible.

  Apparently, Liam read her thoughts and started to sit up. "I think I'll go tonight. Give ye some space to think. I can nah sit here and resist beggin' ye."

  "No, please. Don't go, Liam. Please don't make me decide this right now."

  He stood from the sofa and rubbed his hands down his face, then propped an arm on the mantle. The fire popped and fizzled as he stared down at it, his face a mask of concentration. She watched him anxiously, wanting to jump on him and force him to stay but knowing he needed a moment to weigh his thoughts. So she sat as still as she could with her hands clenched into fists in her lap.

  Finally, he whirled around and strode toward her. She held her breath as he leaned down and lifted both of her hands to his mouth, pressing tender kisses to the center of her palms. His hands trembled as they ever so slowly moved up her arms and across her shoulders to her neck. Her pulse fluttered wildly as he pressed his thumbs under her jaw and lifted her chin.

  "One day. I'll give ye one day and then I'm back here on my knees."

  That almost seemed worse than his polite request a few moments ago. She didn't want to make him beg. She didn't want to hurt him more than she already was.

  "One day?"

  He nodded and bent forward to kiss her mouth. "I'll be back for ye, Isabelle."

  Then his touch was suddenly gone and he was striding to the door.

  Watching him walk away from the house that night left her heart in pieces. The moment his truck was out of view, it all came rushing back to her and she spent the rest of the night sobbing into her hands and listening to the phone ring over and over again.

  She finally stomped over to the kitchen and ripped the cord out of it. The entire thing went crashing to the floor and she stood there, staring at the mess for God only knows how long.

  "You're a fool, Isabelle Moore. You're a fool and a coward!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  No one heard her because she was completely alone. More alone than she'd been the first night in that house. She dropped to the floor and pressed her back against the cupboards, breathing heavily.

  "I'm done being a coward," she whispered, her voice echoing through the empty house.

  ***

  "This will nah do at all, child. Get off the floor before ye catch a chill."

  Someone was roughly shaking her shoulders and she didn't want to move. Not now. That peaceful limbo called her back, asking her to stay a little longer, so she groaned and tried to bat away whoever kept poking her.

  "Ye'll have a brutal kink in yer neck."

  Izzy had to be dreaming since the voice wasn't going away. "Don't care. Go away."

  "Away she says. I ought to clatter that fine face o' yers for givin' me a cheeky lip. No one fancies a kink in the neck."

  Maggie.

  "Wake yerself, dear. It's time to face the day."

  Izzy finally felt herself falling back to reality. "Maggie? What are you doing here?" Her heavy eyelids lifted, taking a moment to focus before she recognized Maggie's raised brow.

  "Why the hell do ye think I'm here, girl. Liam's a complete mess and now, no one can find the boy. I imagine he's gone and done it all arseways when it comes to ye, my dear."

  "No, he didn't do anything wrong, Maggie. It's me that's the problem."

  "Aye, it must be if ye've spent the night on the freezin' floor and yer eyes look like they've been stung by bees. Only the guilty look as gammy as ye, which explains Liam as well. Come, child. Let's get ye cleaned up and ye can tell me what's happened. I'll help where I can."

  Maggie helped her stand and slowly climb the stairs to her room. Izzy's back was sore and her arm ached from being smashed against the hard floor. Her eyes were fuzzy and swollen and her throat was dry from the hours she spent wallowing in her regret.

  The house seemed drearier than normal, even with the sunlight filtering in through the curtains. Every step she took felt like a betrayal to herself. Her mind told her to move and deal with her decisions, but her heart told her to s
hut her eyes and find a way to get rid of the pain.

  Neither of them spoke while Maggie helped her dress and clean up. However, Maggie's distress over the situation was evident in the way her mouth was set in a hard line. Izzy knew she was holding it in.

  "Just say it, Maggie."

  "Say what, child? I've nothing to say, but I do have much to hear. Ye'll tell me everything and we'll set it right." She swept Izzy's long hair behind her shoulder and patted her cheek. "Everything can be fixed with a little love. That's what Mary always says, and although I hate to admit it, she's usually right about these kinds of things."

  Izzy was left standing in the middle of her room, pondering whether or not it was possible for love to fix everything or not. In this case, it seemed like a band-aid on a severed arm.

  Maggie was waiting for her in the kitchen with a couple mugs of freshly brewed coffee. "First, tell me why my phone looks in flitters."

  Izzy glanced over at the wall where the phone was once again hanging. Only it looked like it would fall at any moment.

  "I received a disturbing phone call?"

  "Are ye sure about that?"

  Izzy shrugged and folded into her coffee mug.

  "Ah, well that'll do it," Maggie nodded, lifting her mug to her lips as she eyed Izzy suspiciously.

  Izzy looked away, feeling completely vulnerable under Maggie's intent stare. "What time is it?"

  "It's after noon now. I tried callin' ye, but I see now why I didna reach ye. When I came to the house, I figured ye would still be sulkin', same as Liam, but I didna think ye would be on the floor like a lush after a good night on the piss."

  "Excuse me?"

  Maggie waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Now, tell me why my nephew looked worse than ye did this morning."

  "It's a long story."

  Maggie settled back in her chair and drummed her fingers on the table. "Fire away, dear. I've nowhere to be now."

  Izzy rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. She finally explained everything. She started at the very beginning; how her parents pushed Christopher on her, how he beat her and controlled her and threatened her. She told Maggie about the drugs she discovered and the impending failure of her father's company. When Maggie just listened, only asking minor questions here and there, Izzy couldn't stop herself from telling her more. It was exhausting, reliving all those moments.