Staying busy left little time to think about what he missed, how he wasn’t the man he set out to be, that he was broken, literally and figuratively. He was a military lifer, now a throwback who didn’t know how to be…not military. Brother’s Keeper Security was anything but civilian-like, given the nature of their business. He was still a soldier to some degree but for a different kind of army, a different cause – the stakes were different.
His old life didn’t include his mother popping by in the middle of the day to make sure he washed his skivvies or consoling his niece over the loss of a fucking pet pig. It’s like everything he had done, accomplished, up to that point, didn’t mean anything. The things he had seen and done for the love of his country and humanity were all gone. It no longer mattered.
One day he was at the top of his craft, a highly decorated soldier, and the next – some dude living in Portland, working for the family business like it was all he was good enough to do now. Sure, it had its thrills, but it also had moments that marked his soul – like the night of Felicity’s rescue when he did what needed to be done.
Watching his brother, finally happy again, from across the table made it all worth it though. He carried the burden that allowed Liam the life he was meant to have with Felicity. He was a family man – he needed her. Luke was a loaner and could live with the devil on his shoulder.
Liam and Felicity finally found their way to each other, after years of floundering, and he wasn’t about to let the dark side of what they did tarnish them…or ruin his brother. Liam was willing to do what he needed to. His loyalty and commitment was unwavering. But Luke knew he wouldn’t be able to live with blood on his hands. So, he took that on for him.
A satisfied grin rested in his expression when Liam’s eyes darted around the room, looking for someone to rescue him from the soon to be bride and her posse. A Christmas wedding was being planned, and Liam was right in the middle of hell – the wedding planning committee that was made up of every O’Reilly, blood and honorary, woman. He would take a man’s life to save his brothers, but Liam was on his own with the wedding shit.
Two down – two brothers to go, Luke thought. Declan and Liam had fallen for marriage, and that left Dace and Wylie. Who would be next, he wondered, making a wager with himself.
Dace was on his way out for yet another trip. He would always come back with some wild tale about where he’d been and have a new tattoo or piercing to show for it. Once in a while, it was a black eye or a few stitches. They knew where he really was – following leads – looking for her. Ivy.
Wylie, on the other hand, was staring down the woman who had his interest. He wore a look of loathing, and his glare was so sharp he could cut glass. But it was a façade. Luke saw it for what it was – denial. Wylie was the biggest O’Reilly, albeit the youngest. He was also the most sensitive and carried a grudge like a hooker held her corner.
Eva Valdez had been a friend-turned-daughter of an asshole they were hunting. Wylie hadn’t forgiven her for the deception, even if it was for the good of the case and ultimately took down their mark. She worked with Brother’s Keeper now on an ongoing mission to eradicate the cartel, and that pissed Wylie off. Luke wasn’t sure what pissed Wylie off more – the fact that he couldn’t get over her or that their mother had taken her in as honorary family. Wylie wanted her – for keeps. He just didn’t know it yet.
He’d leave all the love and women with rings on their fingers to his brothers. Luke loved – he loved hard – but he couldn’t love like a woman needed to be loved. That part of him never really developed. He loved a hot-blooded woman keeping his sheets warm at night, but he didn’t do emotions. He didn’t do commitment. He only did a few hours in the sack.
He was cold, a machine, and now broken – tossed to the civilian life he’d never been acquainted with. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, not when you’d seen the shit Luke had seen in his lifetime. So, he’d love from afar, the only way he knew how.
The door chimed, and rowdy cheers erupted as steins of beer and tumblers of whiskey flew to the air. They had company.
“I didn’t know you boys were comin’,” Colleen said. “Take yourself a seat, and I’ll make ya all a plate, my boys.”
“Only if there’s enough, Ma.” Carter always referred to Colleen as Ma, just as she referred to him as one of her boys; she insisted on it.
“I’m always hopin’ for your company, so I always make plenty in hopes it draws ya in off the street. Now take your seat, boyo.” She tapped her cheek, so Carter dropped her a kiss, putting a smile on her face.
“What did we miss?” Ronan asked, taking a seat next to Liam.
“Wedding planning…” Liam said with a faux smile.
Ronan laughed. “Then I’ll be movin’ seats, cousin.”
“Is there room at the kids table?” Ryker joked.
“Sit your asses down, boys, or you get to be the flower girls,” Liam insisted. “Tell me something…manly.”
Ronan and Ryker did what they did best, caused a scene, and the brothers knew their presence with Carter wasn’t by chance or that they were craving Aunt Collie’s cooking. Something was up. Rule number one at Sunday dinner, no shop talk, or Colleen would not so kindly ask you leave, which in turn would hurt her feelings – should you actually leave.
The brothers were always in sync with one another; each knew what the other was thinking. They watched as Carter approached Luke while Ronan and Ryker kept everyone else’s attention.
Carter took a seat and pulled it up to Luke and sat down. He leaned in with a smile on his face as if it was casual conversation. “I need your help.”
Luke nodded; he expected as much. “If it’s that rash again…”
“Fuck off, O’Reilly.” His smile remained intact.
“I’d rather not unless you did something about that rash…”
Carter looked Luke in the eye. “It’s big. Really big, and I need you on it.”
“Sweet talking will get you nowhere, and I doubt it’s that big. No, I won’t pull mine out to compare.”
“Dammit, man.” Something in Carters voice struck Luke. He knew it was work that he needed help with, but Carter was nervous, and he didn’t do nervous.
“Okay. What do you have? How can I help?”
Carter went on to share the highlight reel because the mess he had on his hands really was that big, and they didn’t have all night for story time. Luke knew what he needed to know for the time being and would catch up on the rest later – after Carter could escape the Pub without offending Colleen.
Luke had excused himself, citing the excuse he had a new client to get ready for – not entirely untrue. He made his way the handful of blocks to Watermark Tower, mindful of his surroundings. There was no telling what Carter and the boys brought to town, if anything. They were careful, or so it seemed, but with this caliber of trouble, you just didn’t know.
Luke entered his apartment, and though he knew it wasn’t empty, his breath still caught when the subject he was now charged with protecting jumped from his couch.
Carter didn’t mention that she would be everything Luke craved. What was more striking than her appearance was the instant need to protect her. She needed him – and maybe he needed her.
“It’s okay, Daisy…I’m Luke. Luke O’Reilly.”
Liam and City were meant for each other, but can the same be said for Luke and Daisy?
As the key witness to a high-profile murder, the stakes turn dangerous and take an unpredictable twist for Daisy King as Luke fights to protect her in a true opposites attract saga where love is on the line…and so are lives.
Keep reading…Luke is NEXT!
COPYRIGHT © 2019
Stephanie St. Klaire
Love, Cass
A Brother’s Keeper Companion Novel
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual even
ts or locales or persons, living or dead, or other status is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever known, not known or hereafter invented, or stored in any storage or retrieval system, is forbidden and punishable by the fullest extent of the law without written permission of the author.
EDITOR: Monica Black
COVER ARTIST: Opium House Creatives
FORMATTING: The SSK Group
For the readers
Love, Cass is a heart wrenching story about life, love, and loss. Loosely based on true life events of Author Stephanie St. Klaire, Cass is a relatable story guaranteed to make you look at life through a different lens. In this emotionally charged roller coaster of events, Cass represents life in fiction as she achieves triumph over tragedy, even in death. Stephanie shares her inspirational tale of victory with symbolic representation as she says goodbye to the girl she once was...through Cass.
As requested by Brother’s Keeper fans, here is the companion novel for Liam...
Letter from the Author
Dear Readers…
I thought I knew where to begin, but honestly…I find myself at a loss for words. Bear with me…
Writing this story was difficult, to say the least. It is extremely personal to me. I buried the character, Cass, in Liam’s backstory as a way to show who he was and where his grief came from. To show how painful love is and why it’s our greatest gift even when it hurts so bad.
I also chose Cass because she was relatable and someone I could write in total confidence — because she was me. Little did I know, those few appearances from my beloved character who served as personal therapy could cause such a stir. Readers would message me all the time thanking me and asking for more of her…meaning, more of me.
I am Cass.
I began to write as an escape from my own medical nightmare. It was also to leave behind a legacy for my children when I was told my time left was very limited. I wanted to show my children triumph over tragedy, and no matter the obstacle before you — even death — anything is possible. That was the one thing I could leave them that would last a lifetime. I also left them letters. Lots of letters. I was going to be there for every important moment, albeit in spirit. They were still my words, my emotions, my joy…my heart.
I was fortunate enough to beat my circumstance and get to live my best life, still writing, still fighting, still mom-ing, still wife-ing, but it’s through a different lens. Life has an entirely different meaning now, and nothing is taken for granted. My character didn’t have the same outcome, and I’m okay with that. Her death represents something greater to me — that I’ll never be who I once was. That girl is gone, and I miss her sometimes, but, man, am I glad to have gone through what I have, fulfil some of my purpose, and cling to silver linings I wouldn’t have otherwise recognized. Although our diagnosis was different, our journey was the same as we traveled a path to different fates.
I hope through Cass, dear reader, you see a piece of yourself or a loved one. Maybe you just hug your children or spouse a little more often, or see how the small things in life are the big things. Perhaps you find yourself dancing in the rain and not only seeking joy, but being joy. As you read this story, know Cass’s emotions, her heart, her letters…they are me — my actual words to my own family, some slightly fictionalized to fit the story. This is my real life, in fiction, with a twist…
Thank you for reading as I say goodbye to who I once was…
Love,
Steph
Acknowledgments
To those who have weathered their storms by learning to dance in the rain…
To those who have loved…
To those who have lost…
To those who have overcome…
To those who choose joy…
Prologue
There’s something they don’t tell you about fairytales. Happily ever after isn’t always promised. Happy forever? Now, that’s a thing. It’s the only truth tangled in the web of lies cloaked in sunshine and roses. For some, the fairytale ends before it’s time, with no real rhyme or reason. Mine did. It was over in the blink of an eye.
The royal castle becomes a penthouse apartment. The knight in shining armor is that cute computer nerd with abs and biceps. The epic kiss at midnight turns to wedding bells that lead to eternity.
Every girl dreams up her perfect fairytale at some point. Mine started just as any good love story would. In fact, it started better than most. I discovered mine before I even knew what it was. Some say I was lucky, but was I?
I met my Prince Charming right out of pigtails and just prior to that point where boys stop being icky and they just smell bad. Before I knew it, we went from best friends growing up to a whirlwind romance full of “dream come trues” and planning a forever every love-soaked romance novel tries to recreate. I was living the ultimate love story — skipped the frog phase and went straight to full-blown prince. My life was perfect…until it wasn’t.
This is where things get tricky and that lie they sell us comes to fruition. Forever is a loose term that doesn’t promise anything more than that…something that lasts forever. Sure, it still sounds nice because forever is a long time, but what if I told you the truth was that forever can stand on memories of someone and a life without them.? The fairy tale changes a bit, doesn’t it?
I’m dying.
But I can’t leave until those left to pick up the pieces know how to live their happy forever…without me. I won’t get forever with them, but they’ll get a forever with me.
I’m Cassidy O’Reilly…and this is my story.
1
The Beginning…
Life isn’t always fair. I often wonder if it’s a constant barter — for everything good, you also have to take a little bad. Sure, you can have that expensive luxury car, but the insurance is going to be outrageous and it’s going to suck so much gas, you personally become responsible for that hole in the ozone layer. It’s like having your cake and eating too…but don’t forget the stomachache that may or may not be the battle shits waiting to happen. That’s the trade.
And what if I tell you the real things in life — the important stuff — comes with heavier consequences. I mean, that’s what they are after all. Aren’t they? To be blessed is to be cursed…maybe? I don’t know. What I do know is it doesn’t seem to happen to everyone, and I don’t have an explanation as to why. Maybe I’m just lucky.
I’m far from qualified to decipher the meaning of life, and quite honestly don’t have the energy to dissect the ins and outs of it. I have my definition of blessings and…not blessings. Hell, I don’t even know what to call it — seriously…not blessing? What I am qualified to tell you is life is full of ups and downs. Everyone can relate to that, right? Yay, I got a new car — shit it has a flat tire. Life.
The other thing I can say without a shadow of doubt is the ups far outweigh the downs. Most of the time. My current state is leaving that to question. I have a grand life with everything I planned and dreamed for…but it has an end date. I know what you’re thinking. Everyone has an expiration date — we all die, hello…that’s the life thing again. But what if you knew your end date — maybe not the actual day, but the measure of time you have left before it’s all over.
That’s what I’m struggling with. I’m a firm believer that we reap what we sow, and everything has purpose full of those damn silver linings — blah, blah, blah. Maybe that was my first mistake. Maybe that simple belief provoked a challenge from the universe, forcing me to find those fucking silver linings in the purposeful bullshit which exists in the life I have sowed.
My story goes a little like this…
I married my high school sweetheart, Liam O’Reilly. Brains, brawn, and a vocabulary so exceedingly brilliant, it’s intimidating…and sexy. None of that outweighs his heart, though. The man, even before he was a full-fledged man, was exceptionally kind, thoughtful, and gentle. That may
not be entirely endearing, or macho, but it’s Liam…who doesn’t need to be labeled macho. He just needs to be Liam.
My Irish guy is one of six — one sister and five brothers. One of those brothers is his twin. Luke is equally handsome and charming, but where Liam was all about the books, Luke was all about everything except the books. A total jock. A total heartbreaker. A total playboy. He is good, though. Genuine. He’d bend over backwards to help a stranger because that’s who all the O’Reilly boys — and girl — were raised to be…good.
Each of the brothers went on to join various branches of military — some were the kind you just don’t talk about because I, for one, do not have that level of national security clearance…but they all did. They’re all honorable men who have served and protected with the best of them. Real life heroes, and I’m lucky to call them my family.
Carrigan, the only girl and baby of the family, chose a slightly different route. With five older brothers, she didn’t stand a chance in the military out of fear they’d show up all over the world stepping in front of bullets for her. She protects and serves in her own way as an EMT in our favorite place — our home away from home — McKenzie Ridge. Well-intentioned, protective brothers are better loved from afar because I won’t be responsible for my actions otherwise, she always said.
They are protective of her, like they are with everyone they love — and they love fiercely.
Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included! Page 54
