“Thanks, looks like the party’s about to start.” He checked his sidearm and shrugged into his vest before taking the rifle. “With luck, we won’t need these.”
Although seeing the unmarked transport, he figured there wasn’t much chance of that. If it had been Ambrose’s men, they would’ve called ahead, and the insignia of the North American Coalition would have been emblazoned on the doors. Conlan’s instincts were rarely wrong; right now he figured they were about to have another run-in with someone’s hired muscle.
The transport maintained a steady speed as it approached the gate, probably hoping to bluff them into opening it as a matter of routine. At the last minute, the driver had to stand the damn thing on its nose to stop barely a hand’s breadth from the wire. That was a good thing for whoever was behind all that tinted glass, considering the amount of current running through the fence. It would’ve fried the vehicle’s electrical system, leaving them immobilized and vulnerable to attack.
Too bad. If they’d kept coming, that jolt would’ve solved the whole problem without Conlan or his men having to raise a finger. Now they were left with a waiting game, but as his fangs ran out to match his assistant’s own impressive set, he decided that he’d be damned if they blinked first.
He didn’t have to wait long. The front passenger door opened and a man climbed out. From that distance, it was difficult to tell, but Conlan thought it likely the guy was 100 percent human. For sure he wasn’t flashing fang. On the other hand, he wore combat-quality body armor and looked pretty damned comfortable with that high-powered rifle he was sporting.
Rather than wait for the intruder to open discussions, Conlan cut to the chase. “You might as well get right back in your transport and leave. We’re closed for the day. In fact, we’re closed indefinitely.”
Finn snickered, but their unwanted guest was clearly not amused. Neither were his two associates, who’d joined him at the gate. Conlan noted that they were careful to keep the vehicle between them and his direct line of fire. Smart of them, he supposed, but it wouldn’t save them once Finn got them in his sights. One squeeze of the trigger and there’d be nothing left of them and their vehicle except bloody bits of shrapnel.
The human held up a piece of paper and waved it in the air. “This is a warrant naming one Katherine Karr and two underage female chancellors. You are hereby ordered to remand them to our custody.”
Finn kept his eyes focused on the target but asked, “What the hell do they want with those two little girls?”
There could only be one possible answer. “To use as leverage against their aunt.”
What the hell was Kat involved in? Not that it mattered. He wasn’t turning her or her nieces over to this idiot.
Conlan sauntered closer to the gate. “Sorry, but that’s not happening. We’ve already agreed to hold Miss Karr here until Ambrose O’Brien arrives to take charge of the prisoner himself. As far as the two minor females, they are now legal members of this clan and therefore under the protection of Rafferty O’Day himself.” He smiled, making sure to show his fangs. “Whoever is holding the other end of your leash would be ill-advised to force the issue.”
The three men conferred briefly but made no move to return to their vehicle. The designated spokesman tried again. “Councilman Eddington’s jurisdiction supersedes Chancellor O’Brien’s in this matter, and O’Day has no legal right to claim the two girls. Surrender all three prisoners now.”
Oh, yeah, Conlan couldn’t wait to tell Ambrose about Eddington’s illusions of grandeur. No one—not human, vampire or chancellor—wielded more power in the
Coalition than Ambrose. He’d chew Eddington up and spit him out along with his hired help.
But unfortunately, Ambrose wasn’t there. That left it up to Conlan and his men to handle this situation.
“I should warn you that Rafferty and I don’t take kindly to threats. However, we’re not the ones you need to be worried about right now. I highly recommend you get back in your fancy transport and drive away.”
“We’re not leaving without the prisoners.”
“Then you won’t be leaving at all, because right now my friend here is developing an itchy trigger finger. If it even so much as twitches, there won’t be enough of you left for your next of kin to bury.”
The human sneered. “He wouldn’t dare.”
Brave words, but all three men edged back closer to the transport.
Finn joined the conversation, aiming his launcher straight at the transport. “Personally, I’m hoping you stay right where you are. You see, we don’t get much chance for target practice way out here.”
Conlan shrugged. “I gotta tell you, he’s got quite a temper, and I can only hold him back so long. As much as I’ve enjoyed our chat, I’d get going while you still can. I’d hate to have to bury you before we ever had a chance to get to know each other.”
Finn smirked. “Good one, boss.”
Then Conlan whispered to his younger protégée. “Fire one off. Aim for that cluster of boulders on the far side of where they’re standing. I don’t want to kill the bastards, but a few cuts and bruises might go a long way toward convincing them we mean what we say.”
Finn didn’t even hesitate. The explosion had all three humans diving for cover and then scrambling to get back into the transport before their driver could take off without them. The situation was far too serious to be funny, but watching them fishtailing down the dirt road in a cloud of dust had both him and Finn grinning. They both lowered their weapons and took a deep breath.
His friend’s smile was quick to fade. “They’ll be back, won’t they?”
“Yeah, and I’m guessing with reinforcements. We can slow them down a bit, though. Who’s out there watching them?”
“Dallas and Jenkins.”
“Get them on the line and find out which one has the best chance of shooting out both of their back tires. I’m betting that transport only has one spare, and phone service out in the valley is spotty at best. Those boys will have a long, hot walk to get far enough to get reception. That should buy us some time.”
“Will do.”
“I’m going back to let Rafferty know what we’re up against. Call me if there are any more problems.”
If Finn found it odd that Conlan wasn’t going to stick around to see how it all played out, he didn’t say anything. But the blatant attempt to kidnap Maggie and Rose had left Conlan no choice. He had to find out what the hell was really going on. And just like before, he’d never get to the bottom of things without Kat’s inside knowledge of what triggered this whole mess three years ago that.
Given what he was about to do, he should be feeling guilty. Joss and Rafferty had given him a job, a home and a new sense of purpose when he’d been at his absolute lowest point. He hated betraying their trust. Hopefully they’d understand, even if they couldn’t forgive. If he managed to clear Kat’s name, her nieces would get a big part of their life back. Then the three of them could either rebuild their lives in New Eire or even apply to Rafferty for permanent status here on the estate.
And maybe, just maybe, Conlan could finally move on and leave their tumultuous past behind.
Chapter 7
“Kat!”
She batted at the big hand that was gently shaking her shoulder, trying to make it go away, but to no avail. Burying herself under the covers didn’t help, either.
“Damn it, Kat, wake up!”
It finally sank in that unlike so many times in the past, she wasn’t dreaming that Conlan was there with her. He really was standing next to her bed unfastening the shackles on her ankles.
She raised up high enough to squint at him in the dim light. “Conlan, what’s going on?”
He loomed over her, the green of the nearby monitor emphasizing the harsh lines of his face. “Get up and get dressed. Now.”
Then he walked away to stand in the doorway with his back to the room, as if unable to face her. Fear ripped through her mind, clearing ou
t the last of the cobwebs and leaving her shaking. Had Ambrose and his men arrived so soon?
She’d meant what she’d said about not wanting to be taken away in chains in front of Maggie and Rose, but she’d counted on having a chance to at least say goodbye. Was one last hug too much to ask? Instead, her last memory of them would be Maggie crying hard enough to break Kat’s heart and Rose staring back at her with such fear in her eyes.
Kat managed to sit up on the side of the bed, but once again she was afraid to trust her legs to support her. She considered asking Conlan for help but rejected the idea. She might not have much left in her life, but her pride was worth something. There was something odd about all of this. As far as she could tell, there was no one else around. Had he really turned his back to allow her that small bit of privacy?
Sliding down off the table, she asked, “Conlan, what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later. Hurry up and get dressed. We need to get the hell out of here.”
She stripped off the hospital gown and tossed it aside. At least Conlan had brought her some of her own clothes. He’d gone for comfort rather than style, but she guessed there wasn’t a dress code for the condemned. It showed how far gone her thinking was that she found some humor in that.
Conlan had also brought the bag that held all of her toiletries, so she took advantage of the moment to make a trip across to the bathroom. At least this time she managed it on her own. She felt better after brushing her teeth and running a comb through her hair. A shower would’ve been even better, but she’d settle for what she could get.
She slipped her feet into her shoes and carefully bent down to tie the laces. So far, so good, except for the paralyzing terror that was making it hard for her to think straight. A couple of deep breaths helped to calm her nerves.
“I’m ready.”
Conlan walked back into the room and held out a pair of handcuffs. “Hold out your hands.”
She raised her arms, which still bore the scars from the shackles three years ago. Conlan froze briefly, staring down at the circle of ridges around her wrists. He gently slid the pad of his thumb over her skin as if in apology, but that didn’t stop him from clamping on the cuffs. She shuddered at the familiar feel of cold steel snapping tight but drew comfort that at least Conlan was keeping his promise about not doing this in front of the girls.
His pale eyes met hers. “If we run into anyone, all they’ll see is me escorting a prisoner to the gate to be retrieved by the Coalition chancellors.”
With that cryptic remark, he picked up her bags and led the way out of the clinic. What was he talking about? When she started to ask, he hushed her.
“Not now, Kat. We need to play the part. I’ll explain more when I can. Now come on. We don’t have much time.”
Outside, the bright sunshine all but blinded her. She stumbled into Conlan, who muttered something under his breath even as he put his hand on her elbow to steady her. The brief touch heightened her awareness of him walking close beside her. He was running hot, his body thrumming with tension. Once her eyes adjusted to the unexpected brightness, she saw they were headed toward a transport parked at the end of the sidewalk. At the moment, there was no one else in sight. Since she’d been unconscious when they’d brought her to the infirmary, this was her first real look at the O’Day estate. From where she stood, she could see only a handful of well-maintained buildings. The rest of the area was divided between woods, pastures and cultivated fields. All in all, a very different world than the one she was used to.
Conlan hustled her down the path, guiding her into the transport with his hand on her head to make sure she didn’t bump it. Once inside, she didn’t have much time to look around anymore, but her impression was that the estate was a good place, a peaceful place and maybe a place where her nieces could thrive. No matter what lay ahead for her, she drew comfort from that.
Once she was buckled inside, Conlan tossed her pack in the backseat and hurried around to the driver’s side. He remained grimly silent as he maneuvered the vehicle along the road. Although she was certainly not in any hurry to reach their destination, she wondered at the slow, steady speed he was maintaining. The Conlan she’d known three years ago had driven like a maniac.
Not to mention they were going in the wrong direction to reach the main gate. She might not have been conscious after being shot, but she had studied a map of Rafferty’s estate before setting out, and based on the sun’s position in the sky, they were actually headed in the opposite direction.
“Are we stopping at Rafferty’s house on the way?”
If so, she needed time to prepare herself. How in the world was she supposed to say goodbye to Maggie and Rose for the last time? She held up her shackled wrists and rattled them to get Conlan’s attention.
“If so, you promised Maggie and Rose wouldn’t have to see me in these.”
“No, we’re not going to Rafferty’s house.” Conlan glanced in her direction. “We’re making a run for it.”
Okay, maybe she was still asleep and this was one of those dreams that felt way too real. How many nights had she spent tossing and turning, caught in the nightmare her life had become and wishing that Conlan would ride in to save her?
“If this is all a dream, don’t wake me up.”
Conlan clenched his jaw. “You’re already awake, and you heard me right.”
He pointed in the direction they were headed. “Just ahead here we’ll reach the back end of the estate. After Rafferty had the security fence installed, he added a second gate back here that doesn’t show up on the grid or even on the schematics for the system. I’ve programmed it to shut down for ten minutes for routine maintenance.”
“Then what?” she asked, hanging on his every word.
“Once we’re on the outside, we’ll head for a rendezvous point that I set up with a friend of mine where we can hide the transport. With luck, no one will spot it until after we’re long gone. My friend will drop us outside of New Eire. After that...we’re on our own.”
She couldn’t let him do this. He’d already lost too much because of her. She grabbed his arm. “No, stop! Take me back, Conlan. Turn me over to Ambrose O’Brien or even Eddington if you have to, but don’t throw away the life you’ve built here. Not for me.”
He shook off her hand and downshifted to drive the transport off the road and up a steep slope. Her stomach lurched as they crested the top and roared back down the other side. Conlan drove on in silence, ignoring her as he maneuvered the vehicle over the rocky terrain. Or maybe that was simply his excuse.
When they reached the bottom and the ground leveled out, he finally spoke. “I haven’t had a life of my own since the night you left my bed.”
He turned his fierce gaze in her direction, looking frustrated and angry. “I’ve had it good working here for Rafferty and Joss, but whether you meant to or not, you’ve managed to tangle me up in your problems again. About an hour ago, some heavily armed mercenaries showed up at the front gate with a warrant.”
She ached to reach out to him, to smooth away those grim lines that bracketed his stern mouth. “You could’ve turned me over to them and saved yourself and Rafferty a lot of trouble.”
His answering laugh was harsh. “True enough, but the warrant also included your nieces. Even if I was a big enough son of a bitch to hand you over to a bunch of mercs, I wouldn’t let them near those little girls. God knows, it’s not their fault that you’re their aunt.”
All the blood drained from her face as her heart stuttered and then started racing along so fast that all she could hear was her pulse pounding in her head. “They wanted Maggie and Rose, too? Why?”
“Evidently, whoever you’ve pissed off this time is the kind of bastard who’d use them as weapons against you. He knows once he gets his hands on the girls, you’ll do whatever he asks to protect them.”
For the first time, there was a softer note in his voice, reminding her of his passionate whispers the one night she’d
spent in his arms.
“Rafferty will do what he can to keep that from happening, but he can’t afford to put everyone on the estate at risk. Those mercs today weren’t expecting us to have them outgunned. They won’t make that same mistake again.”
“So are you turning me over to Ambrose O’Brien or to Eddington?” Not that it mattered. She was as good as dead either way. “Once they have me, maybe they’ll leave everyone else alone.”
“If it were that simple, I could’ve shoved you through the gates when they came knocking.”
Conlan stopped the transport and turned in the seat to face her. “Three years ago, I knew there was something wrong with the evidence against you. That hasn’t changed. I figure you’ve got something they want. It’s the only explanation of why they’d still be hunting for you.”
He released a ragged breath. “I want to get to the bottom of this whole mess once and for all. That means we’re going to retrieve whatever it is you took from them and hand it over to Ambrose O’Brien. Then I can walk away clean knowing that you won’t be haunting my footsteps ever again.”
Then he dangled the key to the handcuffs in front of her. “If I trusted your word at all, I’d make you swear to follow my orders and that you won’t run out on me again. However, I do believe you won’t willingly do anything that would put Maggie and Rose at risk.”
“No arguments there.”
He nodded. “Fine, so here’s the deal—you jump when I say jump, you never lie to me again, and when it’s over, we go our separate ways. If you really want my help straightening out this mess, I’ll take off the handcuffs, and we’ll get started. Otherwise, I’ll turn around right now and haul your backside back to my headquarters to wait for Ambrose and his men. It’s your choice.”
Before she could answer, he went on. “But know one thing, Kat. If you screw me over again, I will take you down myself.”
Fine, she got that. “So this is your offer—I go with you and see if the two of us can figure out how to prove my innocence. If we fail, most likely we both die. Does that pretty much sum it all up?”
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