Leverage (The Brannock Siblings) Read online

  "Did you know?" she asked, her scowl not so scary with the bandages plastered all over her face.

  "Know what?"

  "About my dad. Did you know he was still alive?"

  He shook his head and dragged the only chair in the room next to the bed. "I had no clue. We went to the house right after we figured out you had been taken and he was there."

  "Did my brother's know?" she asked quickly.

  Lucas hesitated. He didn't want to throw them under the bus, but he wasn't going to lie to her anymore. "Yeah, they did. They knew before we even talked to them that next morning."

  She huffed and started to ramble, "I'm going to kick their asses. How dare they keep that from me? I was going crazy about it thinking that I was being inconsiderate when I just wanted to be with you. I had just lost my father and I kept feeling like everything was okay. Like it was just all some big misunderstanding and that dad would pop out and say 'surprise!', but when that never happened…" She trailed off and laid her head back against the pillows and sighed. "I guess I thought it would truly hit me once this was all over."

  "Same here. I wish they would have told me, but I'm glad they didn't. I trusted Justin. I might have slipped it and then where would we be?"

  She clasped his hand and squeezed, "I'm sorry about Justin."

  He shrugged, but didn't say anything. He was still fuming about it and knew it would take a while for him to get passed it.

  "Are you going to stay with me?"

  "Of course," he replied and covered her hand with both of his. "They couldn't make me leave."

  She smiled and closed her eyes, "I'm exhausted. I need to rest up so I'll be pumped to tear into my family."

  Lucas laughed, "Will you promise to let me watch?"

  Her smile widened, "Wouldn't want you to miss it."

  She fell asleep a minute later with her hand still clutching his.

  Lucas spent most of the night in the chair next to her bed while she slept restlessly. The pain medication had made her loopy, but sleep didn't stick as easily as they told her it would. She woke up several times in the night calling his name and he didn't hesitate to move to her side.

  It was four in the morning when she finally begged him to lie down next to her and hold her. He did his best to avoid the cords and IV line and stretched out beside her. The nurses would probably yell at him for it, but he didn't care. She was his to take care of and he'd be damned if anyone tried to stop him.

  She finally got a few more hours in before they took her into surgery that morning. He waited with her brothers and father. They all looked about as good as he did. Their eyes were bloodshot and they all looked worn out. None of them had slept much since they didn't leave the hospital all night and only left the waiting area to get something to eat or to grab some coffee.

  "Is she really mad?" Gus asked after a long stretch of silence.

  Lucas grinned, but kept his head down. "She wasn't too mad, just a little confused, I guess. She said she was going to wait and see how she feels later before she tears you all new assholes."

  "Shit," Conall muttered under his breath.

  They all looked a little nervous and it had nothing to do with her surgery.

  "How long before she is able to swing a punch?" Gus asked.

  Lucas shrugged, "Probably a while, but her legs are in perfect condition. I would steer clear of her for a while."

  "We didn't want to keep it from her, we just promised Dad we would," he whined.

  "Hey, don't pin this all on me," Liam piped in. "I did what I had to do and I think she understands that. You were the ones who didn't even attempt to make her feel better about it."

  "And what were we supposed to say, Dad? She was with Lucas most of the time anyway."

  Lucas cringed and started to stand so he could avoid this conversation.

  "What do you mean she was with him? Didn't she stay at home with you guys?"

  Conall nodded, eager to point his father's anger in a different direction, "For a few nights, but then Lucas came and got her and she stayed with him. Alone."

  He had almost cleared their reach, but Gus stood and blocked his path, the traitor. Lucas would have to make sure he got extra time with Ash when she was better.

  "Is this true, Lucas? Did she stay with you alone?"

  He turned back and looked the man in the eyes, "Yes, sir. She did. She snuck out of the house and I caught her out back."

  "She snuck out?! How the hell did she do that?"

  Lucas felt his lips twitch, but fought the smile. He would focus on that little slip up for a moment. The boys both groaned, knowing they were going to be screwed.

  "She was very stealthy, sir. I guess your boys are losing their touch," he added and let the grin take over.

  His boys started to speak, but Liam Brannock raised his hand to stop them and they immediately shut their mouths. "We will talk about your lack of attention to detail later, boys. I need to speak with Lucas alone."

  They didn't hesitate. Both of them scurried off like a couple of frightened squirrels and left him alone with their father whose expression didn't give anything away. Lucas wasn't sure if he was mad or just disappointed, both of which made him anxious.

  "She's not a little girl anymore, Lucas. I've accepted that and I know you and her have been skirting around each other for years. You are the only man who I could ever trust to take care of her." He glanced up at Lucas and gave him a hard look. "If you hurt her…"

  "I'm going to marry her. Sir."

  He hadn't planned on say that, but when he did, it felt right. It was the truth. He was going to marry Aislinn. He loved her and nothing would ever change that and it was time he did right by her and pulled his head out and stepped up.

  Liam's face didn't look surprised by his words either. He just stared back at Lucas, his dark blue eyes twinkling, and then pulled him in for a hug. "Good. That will make her happy," he croaked.

  Before Lucas could say anything else, the man turned away and wiped at his face. "I'm, uh, going to go speak with the boys then," he muttered and started to walk away. "I won't be too hard on them. They'll need a reason to forgive you eventually and you'll need to be on their good side if you plan on marrying their baby sister."

  Lucas shrugged, "I'm still prepared for the ass kicking I know they want to give me."

  Liam chuckled and exited through the same door his sons had a few minutes ago.

  He would wait until Ash was sleeping later before he could get away to buy her a ring. He knew exactly what to get her and he just hoped to God she was ready to say yes.

  ***

  Ash

  It was two days after my surgery when I was finally able to go home. I had a feeling that Dad talked the doctor into keeping me a day longer so he could avoid my wrath. Smart man. I hadn't felt any better about it after my surgery and the pain that still lingered even after taking the pain medication didn't help with my frustration. I understood why they had lied to me, I could even admit that I was impressed. Didn't mean I couldn't be upset for a little while longer.

  My brothers both hung around the hospital most of the day, but would leave early in the evening and do only God knows what. They made my hospital stay entertaining if nothing else. Dad usually showed up early, before I even woke up, and left in the early afternoon to go to the station. He was getting things cleared up for retirement which I couldn't be happier about. He had been at the job long enough and it was time he had some time to himself. He usually came back to the hospital around dinner time and stayed for a couple of hours, chatting with Lucas about work and before long, holding me while I cried in his arms because I had missed him so badly. We didn't talk during those crying sessions, but I think he understood.

  Lucas had stayed by my side, only leaving to go home and shower and change quickly, then came back and sat with me. We talked about what had happened just before I had been taken and he filled me in on everything they had discovered since.

  Justin had been
interrogated by Gibbs and Montgomery and my brothers had been present for it, which made the man jabber like he had a gun pointed to his head. He gave them everything they needed to make sure Banetti stayed locked up for as long as possible and apparently, the last couple of days were busy for the Oakland Police Department. They had shut down at least five different locations that Banetti was working out of, confiscated a boat load of drugs, even more weapons, and had been working with several women on their recovery. Banetti was a sick bastard. The few women they found had been pumped full of drugs and hardly even knew their own names.

  Justin's confession was practically a gold mine for Lucas, but he still seemed a little disappointed that he hadn't been there to hear it in person. He kept reassuring me that he wanted to be with me more and Gus told me they had been glad he stayed away because they didn't want to have to arrest him for assault and none of them would have tried to stop him anyway.

  When he told me about his staged arrest and what Justin had said when they took him away, I wanted to assault the man myself. He had played his role so well for years. It was only Lucas' determination to keep me safe that stopped him from revealing too much to the man. No one suspected him of anything. How that was possible, I had no idea, and it made me anxious to think of Lucas out there every day risking his life and the constant possibility that there was someone else just like Rains. It was just the nature of the job I guess, but Lucas wasn't going to let that stop him from putting his faith in the men around him when he needed to.

  We pulled up to Dad's house and Lucas helped me out of the car. "Maybe we should just head over to my place, let you rest a little before you do this, Ash," he pleaded with me again. The whole way home from the hospital he had been begging me to not be too hard on my father and brothers. He said that he had promised to back them up if I went too crazy.

  "Why did you make such a ridiculous promise, Lucas? You're supposed to me on my side."

  "I know, baby, and I am on your side, but I need them to continue approving of me."

  "Why?"

  He sighed and stopped me before I could climb the steps to the front door. He took my hands in his and looked into my eyes. "I still have to go through them to get to you. If I betray them, they'll give me the ass kicking they have been waiting for. You don't know what it's like to spend every day in fear of getting jumped by one of them. I can barely kiss you without one of them holding the other back and one day, they might not even bother holding each other back."

  I rolled my eyes and pulled away from him to climb the steps, he didn't let me get far and held onto my hips to keep me steady. I was just fine walking on my own, but I was enjoying his attention too much to say so. Especially when he dropped his hand a little and patted me on the butt making me warm up inside.

  The door opened before we got there and Dad stood there with a huge smile on his face. A fake one, but a big one. His eyes gave away his fear.

  Now I understood why Mom always took her time when any of us were in trouble. She let us stew in our own fear while she waited to punish us, especially Dad. I remembered the time she had let him lock himself up in his office for three days while she continued on with daily life with a smile on her face, like nothing was wrong. He had paid my brothers to show up at my summer job as a lifeguard and scare off all the boys that even looked my way while I was in my swimming suit. My boss had not been happy about it and had almost fired me until my mom showed up and explained the situation.

  The boys had already received their punishment, but Dad… she let him torture himself for a while longer. He would peek his head out of the office throughout the day while he was home and ask one of us where Mom was and if it was safe to come out and without fail, Mom would appear behind us with arms folded across her chest. Dad always had fast reflexes, but I had never seen a man move that fast. The door would shut and we wouldn't see him again for a few hours.

  Mom was smart. It felt great to have that kind of power. They were terrified of me right now and I decided to let it go on a little longer. I was mad, yes, but I had gotten over it on the way home thanks to Lucas. He had explained the reasons why they had lied to me and I realized it was the same reason he had kept his so called 'arrest' from me. They were absolutely right that I wouldn't have let them go through with it.

  "Hi, Daddy," I said with a smile and he took a step back as his brows shot up his forehead in surprise. I moved forward and hugged him as best as I could with one arm.

  "Uh, hello, my beauty. How are you feeling today?"

  "Better. My arm aches, but my face doesn't hurt so much anymore."

  The swelling had gone down and the bruises had already started to fade. My lip was still sore and was the only injury I wished would heal faster. I wanted Lucas to kiss me, but he had avoided it at all costs, not wanting to hurt me which didn't help with my frustration.

  Conall and Fergus were sitting in the living room looking apprehensive when I walked in and strode toward them. They both stood with their hands protecting their groins. I just smiled sweetly and hugged each of them before turning toward the kitchen.

  "What's going on, Luke?" I heard Fergus hiss.

  "I have no idea. I have been trying to reason with her all day, but she hasn't told me one way or the other if she is going to kill you guys or not," he hissed back.

  I heard Conall groan, "Oh God, she's letting us live in fear. Dad, how long? How long do you think she will torture us?"

  I stopped just inside the kitchen doorway so I could hear them and covered my mouth to hold back the giggle that wanted to burst out.

  "I have no idea. Your mother once went a whole two weeks on me after lying to her about a case. Aislinn is more stubborn than Isabelle ever was."

  "Plus, you guys have spent years making her life miserable," Lucas chimed in and I heard three smacks before he yelped, "Ouch! Hey, it's the truth. No reason to smack me."

  "He's right, boys," Liam mumbled. "We need to take the first step. We all need to go in there and beg for her forgiveness, otherwise, there's no telling how long she will draw this out. It may be months… Oh, dear Lord, it may be years!"

  They all went deadly silent, then I heard Lucas speak. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I've already apologized for the things I did in the past. You guys are on your own with this one."

  "Traitor," Gus mumbled.

  The sound of pounding footsteps coming toward the kitchen made me jump and scurry over to a stool at the island, giggling silently the whole way. I positioned myself so that I would appear indifferent, but expectant at the same time. Just like Mom did when she knew an apology was coming. The woman was a pro.

  All three of them rushed into the kitchen, their eyes twitching back and forth, then froze when they saw me. Lucas was smiling behind them and winked at me. He had figured it out and he was going to let this play out my way this time.

  They all started speaking at once.

  "Ash, we had no choice, he made us swear not to say anything…"

  "It was all Dad's idea, Ash, and you know what happens when we don't obey him…"

  "My beauty, we can all come to some kind of understanding. It wasn't like I held a gun to their heads…"

  I couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling out. It was the greatest thing I had ever seen, my brothers and father all practically groveling at my feet and turning on each other. Mom would be proud of me.

  They had all gone silent and I was gasping for air and clutching my stomach from the laughter. All three of them started to chuckle nervously, like they weren't sure if they should join in or be more afraid. Lucas just watched me with an adorable expression, like I was his hero.

  My laughter finally died out and as I wiped the tears from my eyes, he moved beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, being careful not to put too much pressure on my injured one.

  "I promise to forgive you under one condition."

  They all took a step forward and nodded eagerly as they spoke at the same time once more.
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  "Yes, anything."

  "Tell us what it is."

  "Done."

  I looked up at Lucas who was trying to withhold a laugh from seeing how pathetic they all looked. This must have been priceless for him.

  "You have to swear to let me live my life. No more scaring off people you don't like or trying to control me."

  They all looked at Lucas with grim expressions and glared at him, like he had betrayed them. He just lifted his hands in surrender and gestured toward me, "This is all her."

  Three sets of eyes shifted back to me and waited.

  "I've spent long enough living under your thumbs. I love you all and I appreciate your concern for my well being, but the control ends today. I need to live my life."

  My brothers looked to my father for help as if they were expecting him to be the one to argue with me. He just sighed and looked each of them in the eye, then back at me. "Okay, Aislinn. We promise." He glanced at Lucas and narrowed his eyes. "You are responsible for her now."

  "Whoa, whoa! No!" I shouted. "I am responsible for me," I argued and turned to Lucas who was smiling sheepishly.

  "Calm down, Ash. That's not what he meant," he said soothingly and pulled me off of my stool to stand in front of him.

  "Well, then what did he mean? Just because they are going to back off doesn't mean they have to pass the torch on to you! That totally defeats the -"

  I stopped talking when he dropped down on one knee in front of me, holding both of my hands in his. When he looked up at me with those sky blue eyes, full of amusement, I gasped.

  "What are you…"

  "Aislinn Brannock," he began and tears sprung to my eyes when I saw his hand sink into his pocket and pull out a small black velvet box which creaked as he opened it. A beautiful diamond glistened back at me and I started to feel lightheaded. My eyes moved back to his when he started to speak. "I love you more than words can explain. I have for most of my life and I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, but now that I have, there is nothing that is going to stop me from being with you forever. You are my dream, just like your name says you are. Be my wife, let me take care of you while you live your life. Let me love you for the rest of mine and longer. Marry me?"