CHAPTER 11
Luke’s bag had been packed for days while they waited for Eva to set up meetings with potential informants, or another clue to trickle in with more direction to follow. They were flying out late that night – though DC was a villain’s playground, Nashville was their target. Everything seemed to point there so they’d fly in to a private airfield under the cloak of night as not to alert the enemy – whoever that may be.
Luke and Daisy spent their last morning together much like they had the last several – getting in as much hot and steamy sex for breakfast as they could, and days spent lost in each other. Neither was looking forward to Luke’s nighttime departure.
“I was thinking. I don’t’ want you to feel trapped up here, especially while I’m gone, Daisy.”
“Luke, I understand. Safety first and all that…even though getting in the building would be near impossible.”
“Daisy…”
“I get it, I do…I appreciate you putting my safety first.”
“I wish it was safe for you. For us to just go out, get tacos at the friggin’ Farmer’s Market.”
“You mean like a date, Luke?” Amused by his declaration, she couldn’t let that one go.
“I don’t date. We can’t…” Luke didn’t want to spend their last day on odd terms, so he took the conversation another direction. “I mean, it would be good for you to get fresh air with Gibby.”
“With Gibby…right.”
“Look, I won’t be gone long. I can find Carter. When I’m back maybe things will be different, maybe we’ll know who is behind the murder and have them in custody, and…”
Daisy cupped his face in her hands. “I won’t run, Luke.”
Luke took pause, unsure what to say when she put exactly what he feared into words. If she left the building, who would find her, who would look for her like he would look for her?
“I know that’s what you’re worried about and I won’t leave the building. Promise.”
“I need to know you’re safe while I’m gone. I need to keep a clear head and not worry that you…that anything…that you’re safe.”
“Luke…I won’t go anywhere. If I need anything, I’ll ask. You don’t have to worry about me that way. Just do what you have to and…come back.” She left out the part she really wanted to say, which was come back to me.
“For Gibby?” He grinned.
“Yeah…Gibby.”
Luke leaned in for a kiss, pulling her close. They’d spent the whole morning in bed, why not the afternoon on the couch? Her hands raked up his shirt while his hands cupped her ass, ready to lift her and take her to the bedroom when a loud boom broke their embrace and kiss.
They stood, and Daisy moved behind Luke in a panic. He knew exactly where the noise was coming from but liked that she turned to him as she did and would take every opportunity he could to be whatever she needed him to be. In that moment it was her protector – though she didn’t need protecting from what was about to unleash on their once peaceful confines.
The tremble in her barely-there whisper shook him. “Luke.”
He pulled her into his side, kissed the top of her head, and said, “It’s okay, baby. It’s just the circus.”
In from the bedroom, of all places, walked a train of women, followed by the men, led by the family matriarch, Colleen O’Reilly.
“Oh good! You’re up!” Colleen said.
“It’s nearly noon, Ma. Of course we’re up,” Luke said, checking his watch before crossing his arms.
“Well, I don’t know what you to do up here all day, all alone.” Colleen shot a stern look at her boys behind her when her question made them laugh. “Oh, grown up, the lot of ya.” Then it was the women’s turn to chuckle at their scolding.
“I know you and your brother will be leavin’ soon so we thought we’d get this little lady outta the house for a bit of air.” Colleen didn’t ask, she told, and few were brave enough to tell her no.
“Out of the house? To the rooftop? Sure.” Luke agreed, knowing full well Colleen O’Reilly had too much spunk and energy to waste a day sitting on the rooftop doing a whole lot of nothing.
“Oh, boy. You thinkin’ your funny. You get that from your Da, you know.” Her Irish brogue always stronger when she was making a point.
“Ma. You know it isn’t safe. We stay in for a reason.”
“When you suppose we’ll be doin’ some dress shoppin’ for the ladies and a little cake tasting then?” Colleen protested. “It’s like you’re tryin’ to ruin your brothers weddin’ day. Your twin brother, no less. Oh shame, Luke O’Reilly. I raised you better, boyo.”
“I know what you’re doing, Ma. It isn’t going to work. You know Carter is…” He didn’t finish his statement, knowing it would upset her. “You know why she’s up here. Can’t you just have the shop bring everything here? It’s not safe for you guys to go play dress up and eat cake.”
“Perfect! That’s why you’re going, to keep our girl safe. You’ll also be savin’ the weddin’ from disaster.” Colleen patted Luke on the chest with a smile like she just won her case.
“How does Daisy not going ruin their wedding.”
“If she can’t go dress shopping and to taste all the cakes, then how do you expect her to go to the wedding? Won’t be a wedding without her.”
“And how’s that?”
“She’s singing, of course. No singer, no weddin’.”
Luke was amused by his mother’s antics and the lengths she would go to in order to get her way. He was playing along for fun now. “And a different singer isn’t an option?”
Colleen swatted his arm as though his words were offensive. “It wouldn’t be the same and you know it, boyo. She’s going to that wedding – in a proper dress with the rest of our girls.”
“Fine, she’s going to the wedding. There will be extra security, so…”
Colleen took a yes where she could find one, and she just got the closest thing she could. “Good! If she can go to the wedding, she’s certainly going to be safe today dress shopping. Let’s go. We’ll grab a late lunch while we’re out too!’
Luke’s jaw dropped. The old woman had done it again. “How do you do that?”
“Do what, son?”
Luke waved his arms in front of him, frustrated he fell for the game – again. “Get your way.”
“Oh, you mean show you reason and the errors in your thinking? Well, that’s a gift. Grab your shoes, girl. We have shopping to do.”
Daisy looked at Luke and snickered before grabbing her shoes and taking a seat on the couch. “Anyone want to tell me how you all got in here from the bedroom?”
“Ma, it isn’t safe,” Luke pleaded.
“Sure, it isn’t. That’s why your brothers behind me, grinning ear to ear, are going too.”
The brothers’ grins were no longer. They’d somehow been roped into Luke’s mess along with him. The women, however, found it amusing and loved Colleen O’Reilly for doing what only she could do: getting to those boys of hers.
“Now, are you going to make your ol’ Ma climb back out of here or do I get to take the elevator?”
Luke unlocked the elevator for his mother and the women, but Colleen stopped the men from joining them. “Oh, no you don’t. You get to go the other way and learn a lesson for being little snots.”
“Nothing little about us, Ma,” Wylie dug with a bold grin.
“Oh, a smart one. Always gotta be the smart one. Remember, I’ve known you longer than anyone and know just how big and small every part of ya is, boy. For that little saucy remark, you get to buy your ol’ Ma her lunch, and I’m mighty hungry today.”
“We’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes,” Luke chided.
“Luke, show her the damn hallway to the roof. I can’t believe you kept her cooped up in here when the rooftop garden is right outside her closet. Shame on you, boyo. You’re buying lunch too.” The elevator closed, and the hurricane known as Colleen was gone.
Daisy was quick to her feet as she followed Luke’s brothers through the bedroom to her closet that was pulled open. Her jaw dropped as she watched them disappear down a short hallway and up a metal ladder that led to some sort of hatch she assumed opened to the rooftop garden.
It was slammed shut, and she heard the sound of metal against metal, perhaps a lock, before a final clanking sound. Then…nothing. They were gone.
“I’ve been able to go outside…this whole time?”
“Sort of? But there’s access to the main elevator, and it goes to the lobby, and—”
“And you thought I would leave again.”
“That…and I wanted to keep you in here…with me.” He pulled her against him and lifted her off the ground, picking up where they’d left off with their kiss.
“Your mom said ten minutes.”
“That’s all I need.” Wasting no time, he turned her around and bent her over the edge of the bed, flipping up her skirt. He only had five minutes – he was in a hurry.
Colleen’s big outing consisted of a single dress shop she had been scoping out and a quick stop at the bakery to finalize the cake order for the wedding. She was known to exaggerate a bit, but in the end, it just meant whatever she bargained for was more pleasure than pain because, in this case, a day of shopping was really a single boutique.
The men discussed the details of the recon mission, making sure they didn’t overlook a single thing. Deciding that they would retrace Carter’s known steps and include whatever details that had filtered in over the past few days, it was decided that Dace and Declan would join the team. One would infiltrate the cartel, the other would try to build a crime scene with the details they had.
Liam would stay behind offering tech support and continue to work on the software he’d designed for the government, using Carter’s case to not only test it but work out any bugs he hadn’t uncovered yet. It was proving to be useful thus far, which was great because their next meeting with the special committee wasn’t too far away.
Watermark was a fortress, no one would get in, Liam had so many layers of security, it was virtually impossible – but his staying behind was also as protection in the event something should go wrong. They didn’t want to leave their family defenseless and exposed to danger. He had an extra security detail on board too. Everyone was safe on the home front.
“Daisy, I would love it if you could try this one on.” City asked, asked holding up a blush color gown.
It was stunning. Strapless and form fitting in floor length, it boasted a corset style bodice with draped chiffon around hips that lay over a long satin skirt which flared at the bottom. The small flowers on the bodice were sparse, becoming more abundant as they cascaded down the dress. It was classy, with vintage flare…perfectly Daisy.
“No, this is your day, I don’t want to…”
“Don’t be silly, I want you to be a part of my day. Be in the wedding, stand up for me with the rest of the ladies?” City’s eyes filled with tears as she waited for Daisy’s answer. “You’re family now. We love you to pieces, and it wouldn’t be the same without you standing with all of us.”
She looked to Luke, tears in eyes, the grin on his face warmed her heart. She’d never felt like a part of anything, much less a family, but she did now, and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Luke cared about her, she knew he did, but he made it clear that there was nothing for them as a couple. He didn’t think he deserved anything but a life alone. This was all temporary, as far as he was concerned, but the smile he wore in that moment told a different story.
But, even if it wasn’t going to be forever, she wanted to absorb every bit of this sense of belonging she could before her time was up and it was time to move on. She didn’t want to give that idea another thought. Why ruin a good day? She said yes and tried on the dress.
When she walked out of the dressing room, all eyes turned to Luke. He let out a low, slow whistle and didn’t even realize he had. It was a good minute, maybe two where all he could see was Daisy and he drank her in. That dress was made for her and seeing her in it made him hungry to see her out of it.
“How long before he kisses her, right here in front of everyone, including Ma.” Wylie whispered, not so quietly.
Liam laughed. “Given the stupid look on his face, any second.”
“Ma has the same stupid look and her hands are cupping her face.” Wylie pointed out, leaning back in his chair. “What does that mean?”
“He’s screwed.” Declan added his two cents, but he already knew Luke was gone for this girl.
“Yep, look at her.” Liam crossed his arms, and shook his head. “I know that look. She’s planning their wedding already, isn’t she?”
“Jesus, man,” Dace chided. “Look at them, they all are. Another one bites the dust.”
Wylie held out a fist to Dace for a quick pound. “Looks like it’s just you and me, bro.”
Dace pounded his brothers fist and laughed. “That’s what you think. I see where your eye has been all afternoon. If it helps, I think Eva likes you back. Want me to ask her out for you?”
“Screw you, Dace.”
Luke didn’t look at his brothers, or his mother, despite all the chatter. He made his way to his girl instead.
Without a look her way, he pointed to his mother, or her general vicinity, and said, “Don’t get any ideas, old woman.”
He swept Daisy off her feet and kissed her hard like they were the only two people in the place. “You look…stunning.”
Daisy giggled and kicked her feet out behind her “You just kissed me…in front of…everyone.”
“I know.”
Confusion danced in her expression. “But you said—”
“I don’t care what I said. Right now, I wanted to kiss you.” He turned to a whisper. “Actually, right now, I want to see what’s under this dress too.”
“Nothing…” she whispered back with a wicked grin.
“You’re killing me here.”
“Good. You’ll remember that while you’re gone.”
“Damn fucking straight, I will.” He smacked her ass and sent her to the dressing room to change. The sooner she did, the sooner they could have lunch, and the sooner they got home. Then he could give her something to remember while he was gone too.
Luke took a seat near the guys, fully aware they were all staring at him with raised brows, waiting for him to say something.
In typical Luke fashion, without a look their way, he said, “Fuck off,” earning him a round of laughs.
Lunch was easy since the boutique was one block from the famous Portland food trucks. Daisy had never been but heard Portland was known for their food carts and trucks all over the city – she’d even seen it on show once.
Tacos. Hands down, everyone wanted tacos from the very cart that had been on the Food Network. A group of that size, with men their size, ordered a lot of food. They stood around, sampling each other’s meals as they came out one at a time. For once Luke wished they’d actually picked a restaurant, it would have been faster and more secure.
He was on alert, something wasn’t sitting well with him. Maybe it was anticipation for his trip, or perhaps that Daisy had been out in the open for so long. He wasn’t sure of anything but the chill in spine. He shed the easy-going demeanor and was in full security mode.
He saw a black town car go by slowly, then another, or perhaps it was the same one simply searching for parking. There were a handful of swanky hotels that often housed the elite visitors like actors, athletes, or just regular people with a lot of money. Town cars weren’t all that uncommon anyway. They didn’t all contain a villain.
His paranoia was justified when he noticed the same sharp stare in his brothers, they were watching too. A change in the air had their attention and they weren’t sitting as easy as before.
They’d been out for hours without incident and where that would normally bring peace to the average person, to the O’Reilly’s it brought unease. Their outing had been longer than anticipated, lunch was their final destination and then it was back to Watermark.
As if the universe was cued to intervene and make a mockery of what was otherwise a decent day – the ill air they felt was coming to fruition. It was like they provoked karma on a bad day with their dark imminent doom thinking and she delivered. Big.
Their phones chimed one at a time, but their faces paled in unison before crimson rage took over and filled them. It was instinct. They grabbed the women and huddled them together while surrounding them and moving the group quickly back to the SUV’s they had arrived in.
“What’s going on? I dropped my taco back there.” Daisy asked, she hadn’t caught on to the mood change in the group – she was too new.
Luke gave her a monotone response, eyes sweeping their surroundings. “We’ll get you another taco.”
“Oh my gosh, that was so good though. I totally understand why you guys like hitting up their truck at the Farmer’s Market.”
“Move, just keep moving.” He said, having not heard a single word she said.
“Darlin’ when my boys move like this it’s best not to protest.” Colleen whispered sweetly. “We just move with them.”
“This happen often?” Trepidation was creeping into her tone as she caught on to what was happening.
“Nah, but I know my boys. We need to go.” Colleen patted Daisy’s hand and tucked it under her arm in a protective manner.
Daisy realized in that moment she was the only one questioning their actions. The rest just fell into sync. City and Eva worked with the brothers, were badasses on their own account and Lydia had a past that granted equal badass credentials. Something was wrong. They knew it and she was finally figuring it out.
“What happened?” She panicked, Colleen holding her tighter as if she anticipated the reaction. “Luke, what’s happening?”
“Let’s just get out of here. I’ll fill you in when we get to the car.”
They didn’t take the elevator at the public garage they parked the vehicles in, rather took the stairs instead. Wylie led the way, a flight ahead with his weapon pulled, Dace covering the rear an equal distance, armed and ready.
Daisy started to tremble, the adrenaline mixed with fear nearly crippling her, making each step harder until Luke looped an arm around her waist and helped her along.
“You’re okay,” he said quietly. “You’re still safe. You’re with me.”
His words sincere, his stare burning. She had no doubt that his priority in that moment was to protect those around him at all costs. To protect her.
She nodded and pushed on, finding confidence in his presence and that of those who surrounded her. The fear lingered from the unknowing, but the crippling hold it had dissipated and she pushed on.
He grinned down at her and gave her an encouraging nod.
The group paused in the stairwell under Wylie and Dace’s guard while Luke and Liam moved forward with Declan to clear the vehicles. If they were in danger, they needed to take every precaution and their vehicles were moving targets. Liam used a wand like device around the vehicles while watching a read out on his smartphone. His smartphone wasn’t like any other. He joked about running the space shuttle from that thing and no one doubted his ability to do such, joke or not.
He nodded to Luke, who took an extra look in odd places around each vehicle. He was the ballistics and explosives expert of the bunch. Declan at his side, they swept both vehicles before calling the group over.
Felicity sighed in relief and ran to a nearby garbage can and got sick. Liam quick to her side.
With all eyes on her, she said “I’m fine, just the adrenaline and jalapeno’s…they don’t mix. Let’s get out of here. You boys have some explaining.”