Leverage (The Brannock Siblings) Read online

  Lucas was furious and he was about to lose it when Montgomery put his hands up in surrender. "We're sorry, Shade. We have been following evidence that points to you and haven't thought twice about it. After the last week, I think it's safe to say you aren't the leak we have been looking for."

  "Shit, I've already told you that, but I understand not taking my word for it. So why the hell are you guys on my porch now?"

  "We want to run a few ideas by you. Think we can come in?"

  Lucas glanced down the hall toward his bedroom door then looked back at the two men who had been riding his ass ever since he took over the Banetti case. He wasn't about to risk Ash just because they finally saw the light.

  "How do I know I can trust you?"

  "You can't, but if it would make you feel any better, we can go get the Brannock's and have them in on this, too. It's really the only option we have anyway since we know they aren't the leak," Gibbs replied, looking sheepish. He wasn't one to ever admit he was wrong, something the captain had tried to beat out of him, but never could. The fact that he was standing on his porch, asking to work together, was huge.

  "No need, let's all go there." Lucas said and backed away from the door to let them in. He felt like he could trust them, but he didn't want to risk them knowing Ash's presence. "Come on in, I've got coffee in the kitchen. Grab a cup and we'll head over there."

  They both nodded and strolled through the kitchen door as Lucas scanned his eyes out the front door and down the street both ways. Nothing out of the ordinary. He locked his front door and hurried down the hall to Ash. When he walked in the room, she was still sitting at the window, and looked like she was about to throw up.

  "What's going on?" she asked.

  He knelt in front of her and grabbed both of her hands in his. "Everything is okay. I think we may be able to find a way to smoke out the leak and end all of this, but I need you to stay here."

  She nodded, but gripped his hands harder, "Are they here to arrest you?"

  He shook his head, "No, they are here to help. We're going to talk to Con and Gus, then I'll let you know, okay? Stay here, please."

  "I will. I promise. I'm not about to jeopardize everything you have been working so hard for, Lucas."

  He smiled at her and finally leaned forward and kissed her. He wasn't happy about these guys coming here and interrupting his day with her, but he wanted her to have her life back, so he would take what he could get.

  "My house is yours, baby. Make yourself comfortable and I'll bring you some more clothes when I get back in a couple hours."

  She stood, the robe he had given her to wear falling open and revealing the skin he had spent hours exploring. He snaked his hand in and pulled her against him.

  "Maybe make that one hour… tops," he said with a grin.

  She smacked his shoulder and pulled away before walking into his bathroom with a little wave and a giggle. He loved when she giggled.

  He shoved his feet into his shoes and grabbed his leather jacket out of the closet before he made his way to the kitchen, finding Gibbs and Montgomery both sipping coffee and looking anxious. He got a burst of energy from the knowledge that he wasn't the only one realizing he was in over his head. It made him less desperate.

  Desperation makes you do stupid things.

  "Let's go."

  ***

  Half an hour later, their plan was set in stone.

  "She's going to be pissed when she finds out, Luke," Conall said just loud enough for Lucas to hear and raking a hand through his hair. He knew what it was like to be on the other side of Ash's wrath and even though they consistently played it off coolly, her brothers had always been a little afraid of what she was capable of.

  "I hate lying to her, man, but it's the only way. She wouldn't let me go through with it. She wouldn't let any of us go through with it if she knew."

  Conall nodded in agreement, but still didn't look like he thought it was the best idea.

  Fortunately, they had all been able to keep Ash's presence a secret from Gibbs and Montgomery. He only trusted that information with the people who would give their lives for her. They didn't fit into that category even though they had been trying to protect her all along. Gibbs had admitted to him that he was sure someone would get to her when she went back to Ohio and he had thought it would be Lucas. He had only been trying to keep her safe and he and her brothers told him they were grateful to him.

  Still didn't change anything.

  "She'll be a sitting duck, Luke." Conall's voice was filled with anxiety and he quickly glanced over at Fergus who was still going over details with the two detectives. "What if something goes wrong?"

  "I've thought about that. No one is going to know that she is here, Con. So they won't think to look at my house if I'm not there. Whoever this shithead is, he's going to be following me. She'll be safe and she won't go anywhere until she's told to. You guys taught her well over the years and she's too stubborn to do anything that would jeopardize any of us, even if it meant getting her freedom from all of this."

  "Yeah, I feel awful about that, too," he replied and dropped his head in his hands.

  Lucas squeezed his shoulder, "Me too. None of us have let her live her life. Even when she was gone. When this is all over, it's going to change."

  "Only because she has you now. We know she'll always be safe. That's all we ever wanted for her. She's our sister."

  They went silent when Gibbs started making his way over to them. "Let's hope this goes smoothly. This may be our only chance."

  "It is our only chance. The only shot we have of getting this guy to screw up somehow. We can't fuck this up," Lucas stated, his heart pounding with nervous energy.

  Gibbs nodded toward his partner, "We're going to head back to the station now, see if we can connect all this shit to someone else, give us a little more play. We'll see you tomorrow."

  They walked out of the house, Fergus leading them out and shaking their hands, before locking the door behind them.

  "You think we can trust them," he asked when he came back into the living room and plopped down next to Lucas on the couch.

  He shrugged, "We can't trust anybody, but we also can't not trust someone."

  "True," both of the brothers replied in unison.

  They were all silent for a few more minutes, each of them going over the details of the plan in their heads, none of them really wanting to ask what all of them were thinking.

  Fergus sighed and went in for the kill. "What are you going to tell her?"

  It was the only thing he didn't have a good idea for. If he didn't lie to her, she would try to stop them, but lying to her was still a risk, even if it was the lesser of two evils.

  "I don't know. She's too smart to not be suspicious. I've never really been able to outright lie to her before."

  "Yeah," Conall laughed, "we know. You just stay silent. She's always hated that."

  He laughed with them, but it was weak and forced. She trusted him with her life and he had promised to never throw that trust in her face. He couldn't think about what she would do if she found out he lied to her or it would make him change his mind and then they would be back to square one. He would just have to deal with the consequences when they came.

  "Well, whatever you do, just keep your balls covered when this is all over. She's got a good aim," Fergus said with a frown and shifted in his seat remembering the many kicks he had taken over the years. "That girl never misses."

  ***

  "I know you are hiding something from me, Lucas. I wish you would trust me enough to tell me. Who am I going to go and blab it to when I can't even leave the house? Huh?"

  She was mad no longer than five minutes after Lucas had gotten back and she had asked him for details. He had been extremely vague and he felt like an asshole for putting her through that.

  It was now late afternoon and he had just gotten out of the shower when she rounded on him. He had tried to keep his distance from her, knowi
ng she would win out in the end if he wasn't careful. He had convinced her to make an early dinner and quickly showered while she was busy, renewing his efforts at keeping his trap shut. He had wanted her in there with him, but he knew seeing her naked would make him weak and she was still looking for ways to get him to talk. She would have used it against him.

  "I told you, baby. It's going to be fine. We are just going to follow a few of the detectives tomorrow night and Gibbs is going to take the lead, that's all." He turned his back on her because looking into her eyes made him weak, too.

  "Honestly?"

  He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay strong. It was all for her. Plus, he was technically telling her the truth, he was just leaving out the part that would make her frantic. He turned and looked directly into her stormy grey eyes, eyes that could bring him to his knees in an instant and keep him there for the rest of his life if they wanted. "Honestly. I won't be home until very late tomorrow. Your brothers are coming with me and we are pretty much just going to be sitting in cars watching people all night."

  "Okay," she said softly. "Okay, I believe you. Just please, be careful."

  He sighed in relief that she wasn't going to push it any longer and gathered her in his arms. "I'm always careful, Ash, but now that I have you to come home to, I'll do whatever it takes."

  She nodded against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled into his hold. He refused to think about the consequences of lying to her and had to keep reminding himself to just deal with it when the time came and her brothers had promised to back him up.

  "Dinner is ready. Let's eat and then go to bed," she said and smiled at him, making his heart race. "You need to catch up on all the sleep you missed last night."

  He smiled back at her, trying to push out the dimples that she loved so much to make her feel better and followed her down the hall.

  She was quiet as they ate, but smiled at him whenever he glanced her way. As they were cleaning up, he noticed her shaking hands and the wildly beating pulse at the base of her neck. He understood her apprehension because he was feeling the same way about leaving her alone.

  When they finally climbed into bed, she clung to him and his guilt continued to eat away at his willpower. When this was over, he was prepared to fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness if he had to.

  "Lucas?" her voice was tired but still wary.

  "Yeah, baby?"

  She sighed and lifted her head. He felt her eyes on his even though he couldn't see them in the dark. "I forgive you for lying to me and I understand. I won't pressure you anymore, just promise you'll set things straight when this is over."

  He bent down and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally her soft lips as the heavy weight he had been carrying lifted off of him. He didn't think it was possible to love her more, but apparently it was.

  "I promise and thank you."

  "You're welcome, just remember that you owe me one now," she said and he could hear the smile in her voice.

  He kissed her again, "I owe you a lot more than one, Aislinn."

  ***

  He sat at his desk, not even trying to work, thinking about last night and all the other sleep he missed out on because he couldn't keep his hands off of Ash.

  She kept telling him to sleep, but the second their skin touched, her words were silenced and she gave up the fight. She had woke him up this morning in the best way, too, straddling his knees and sliding her perfect lips over him. He could still feel her skin beneath his fingers, still taste her on his lips, and he wanted desperately to blow this joint and go home to her.

  But he didn't. There was too much on the line to change his mind about tonight.

  Conall and Fergus were waiting for his call, ready to hop in their car and go wherever he told them to go. They all had an assignment.

  Justin had come in late that morning, telling him about all the paperwork he had done the night before trying to help Theresa out with the filing she had to do in preparation for the new captain.

  Captain Jonathan Gibbs.

  He had been furious about it at the time, but today, he couldn't let anything get to him. He didn't fully trust the man and Gibbs didn't fully trust Lucas, but what could he do? They had to work together on this. There was no other way.

  Gibbs had told him the day before that he had been completely surprised by the promotion which was unusual in this job. You usually knew when you were next in line. That in itself made it hard for Lucas to really trust him. Gibbs wasn't going to start his new position until the Deputy Chief cleared him, though. Another unusual tidbit.

  "Anyway, I'll be helping her out again tonight, then I'm taking her out to a late dinner."

  Lucas hadn't been listening to his partner the entire time, but that was something that perked his ears. Theresa was in her early forties and Justin was in his early thirties.

  "Really?" Lucas asked, a little confused since he had never seen Justin really interact with any women. He was a shy person most of the time and claimed he was just 'waiting for the right one'.

  "Yeah," he shrugged. "I mean, why not? She's funny and really quite pretty. Especially when you get to know her a little bit. Brannock always told me that she was just too busy to date."

  "Hmmm, well, that's good I guess. Hope you guys have a good time." That was one less person he had to worry about tonight.

  Lucas had never really spoken with Theresa much. Like Rains had said, she was always too busy and he had never spoken to her about anything other than work. He didn't even realize she was interested in Justin at all.

  "You ready for some lunch?" he asked his partner and stood. He was jittery and nervous, but his words were steady.

  Justin stood and followed him out the door. They made their way to the diner and ordered while Justin filled him in on his plans with Theresa. Lucas could hardly concentrate and when the food arrived, his appetite was non-existent.

  "You alright, man? You look a little strung out today," Justin asked while shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.

  "Yeah, I'm good. Just… just a little frustrated."

  "About?"

  Lucas took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, then looked up at his partner. "I think I'm in trouble."

  Justin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why?"

  "Gibbs and Montgomery want me out. Apparently, they have a shit ton of reason to throw me out. Something about red flags. Things I've done lately that put me under suspicion."

  "Suspicion of what?"

  "What happened to the captain, the Banetti case, pretty much everything."

  Justin slammed the table with his fist, making the dishes clatter. "It doesn't matter, Shade. I can vouch for you. I'm working on the case with you. I know you are innocent. Just because you don't have a solid alibi the night of Brannock's murder and you were the first one on the scene doesn't mean you killed the man. He was practically a father to you."

  "Doesn't matter. I talked them down already, straightened some things out… at least, I thought I did. Won't know for sure until they stop riding my ass about it." The truth was, he wasn't going to know for sure until they caught the guy who did it. Something he was hoping to do tonight.

  Justin was quiet for a long moment, studying Lucas. "What are you going to do, man? You look like you want to strangle someone."

  "That's because I do!" Lucas snapped. He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "I just want this to all be over with and what I want to do… I can't do as a cop. I need to step back."

  Justin's eyes widened, but Lucas knew the man understood what he was trying to tell him.

  They finished up their lunch and headed back to Justin's car. The drive back to the station was quick, but Lucas didn't move when they parked, he just sat there staring at the badge in his hand. He didn't want to give it up, but knew he had to. It was the only way he could pull this off. The men would ask, Justin would tell them, and whoever the leak was
would get comfortable.

  He opened Lucas' glove box, tossed his badge, and slammed it shut. Justin just watched him, unsure of what to say or what to do.

  "You have fun with Theresa tonight. I'm going to grab some files and take off. I need to think."

  Justin just nodded and followed Lucas up to the office. He sat down and started rifling through some papers while Lucas sat and waited until the time was right.

  "Hey, Shade!"

  Justin looked up and watched Lucas roll his eyes and spin around in his chair. "Yeah, Gibbs? What have you got for me now?"

  Gibbs strolled up to him with a shit eating grin on his face, "You're under arrest."

  "Excuse me?" His eyes widened and everyone in the room went silent.

  "You heard me," Gibbs snapped and dragged Lucas up by his arm, spinning him around and clamping a pair of cuffs over his wrists.

  "What the fuck are you talking about?"

  Justin was watching, wide eyed and sweating and Lucas felt guilty for putting him through this.

  "You are under arrest of suspicion of the murder of Captain William Brannock…" he continued to read him his rights while Lucas practically exploded.

  "The fuck I am! I didn't do anything! I already told you this. I thought we had this all straightened out."

  Justin had jumped up at that point and stopped Gibbs from hauling Lucas away. "Hold on a second," he said calmly, but looked like he was nervous as hell. "What evidence do you guys have? This is completely ridiculous."

  "Back away, Rains, or we'll arrest you for obstruction of justice," Montgomery stated just as calmly.

  Lucas struggled against his restraints, but stopped when Gibbs pulled his arms up, straining his shoulders and making him grunt in pain. The bastard didn't care how he hauled Lucas away as long as he did it.

  "You can't do this, he's innocent!"

  Montgomery stepped in front of him and kept him in place. "Evidence says otherwise, Rains. You'll be brought in for questioning as well since you work so closely with him, so I suggest you worry about yourself."