4. Get Off My Back
Sean struggled with his grief and his need to keep putting distance between Branna and the people who scared her. The people who had potentially killed her dad and burned down their pub.
Seamus O’Dea was dead.
It didn’t seem possible. The man had been the epitome of life. He’d never met a stranger, and running a pub had been the perfect job for a man who took care of everyone around him.
No one could spin a tale or turn around a tension-filled situation like Seamus. His Irish brogue thickened when he was spinning yarns or teasing his family.
Seamus had been best buddies with Sean’s dad, Achille. The damned Irishman and the blasted Italian had bickered and teased and laughed together for years. When Sean’s parents had been killed, Seamus and Siobhan had stepped in to fill the role. They’d helped him keep his apartment until he was ready to enlist. They’d been the best of humanity.
And now they were both gone.
Sean reached over and squeezed Branna’s hand. “I’m damn sorry to hear that. I want to hear everything. All of it, but we need to find a safe place first. And we might need some help. Grab my phone and place a call to Epic. Put in on speaker, but don’t say anything.”
Branna frowned but nodded and did as he asked. He cut off Troy as soon as he spoke. “Hey there, Epic. I’m just driving out of Miami and heading to your neck of the woods. I need a place to rack out for a day or two. I’m hoping for a place with all the amenities. You know the kind of place I’m thinking about? With all the services.”
There was about two seconds of dead air before Troy responded. “You’re looking for a place that’s fully tricked out? I’ve got a line on a couple. I’ll shoot you an address soon.”
The line went dead, and Branna put the phone in the cup holder. “What was that all about?”
Sean smiled. “That was Troy Phail, Epic, from our military team. He’s going to find us a safe place to stay.”
He could feel her hazel eyes on him, but the traffic was too thick to turn away and keep an eye out for a tail.
“I’m assuming you’re not looking for a luxury hotel?”
He grinned. “See. Smart. Troy has a ton of connections. He’ll find us somewhere to stay up ahead. All we have to do is keep driving north.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t say anything else as he continued up the Florida highway. He’d only slept in small naps since he’d got the call from Branna. Enough to keep himself alert and prepared, but not enough to waste time. He could keep it up for another couple of days, if necessary, but he’d be better with a full eight hours sometime soon.
And it seemed like Branna needed him at his best.
He took the next exit and watched the cars that tailed off after him. No one crossed multiple lanes to do it, although anyone with half a brain would know to stay in the middle lane.
“We’ll have to go over the information again once we’re settled. Do you want to tell me some of it now, or would it be easier to only say it once?”
Before she could answer, his phone buzzed. He swung toward the next exit to get back on the main highway. “Can you see if that’s Troy?”
She picked up the phone. “It is, but I can’t see the entire message.”
He told her his code to unlock it. “Read it out loud.”
I found you just the place. Only a couple of hours north.
Which would put them somewhere around Orlando. Lots of traffic, lots of people. Easy to get lost in the crowd. Perfect.
“Can you plug the address into the GPS? I won’t need to stop for gas before then. How about you? You doing okay? I know you’d probably like to shower and sleep, but it’s better if we keep moving for now.”
“I’m fine. Will Jabba be okay going that long?”
The mutt’s soft snoring had Sean smiling. “We’ll find out. He’s only been with me a couple of days.”
“How’d you two find each other?”
Instead of asking questions that would cause her more stress, Sean told her about Jabba and what the vet had shared with him.
When they lapsed into silence again, Sean let it be. If Branna could doze for a bit, she might feel better.
After a while, she spoke softly while patting Jabba’s fur. “Prince Hawley and his gang moved into the neighborhood a few years back. They started slowly, not interfering with anyone in an obvious manner. They’d come into the pub occasionally, but my dad never engaged with them much. He’d serve them a couple, but you know he never let anyone buy enough to get drunk.”
He nodded. “Seamus had a good read on his customers. And on everyone else. He was a great man. I’m so damn sorry that he’s gone.”
He heard her draw in a shaky breath, and for a few minutes there was silence again.
“Me too. Dad was the best father anyone could want. A few months ago, he came upstairs fuming. It was before opening time and he was so agitated, I worried he was going to have a heart attack.”
“I don’t think I ever saw Seamus really pissed. What set him off?”
“Prince had broken the lock on the back door and sauntered into the bar. Moved behind the bar and poured himself a Guinness. And Dad said he poured it, not built it.”
That made Sean chuckle. There was a proper way to build a Guinness, and Seamus had shown each of them how to do it properly, well before they could legally drink one. “He always said it was an act of love and respect, that if you rushed it, you ruined it.”
He heard the smile in her voice when she spoke again. “I think I heard that a million times.”
And he knew she wished she would hear it a million more. He did, too.
“Dad told Prince to pay for his drink and get out, but the jerk just laughed.”
Anger and indignation pretty much filled the truck as they radiated from her. Jabba lifted his head and tried to climb into her lap, making her laugh. “Sorry, Jabba. It riles me up.”
The dog barked softly, and she hugged him. “Anyway, Prince said that was no way to treat his new partner. That if Dad was smart and wanted to keep the two of us safe, he’d pay Prince to ensure the pub stayed open.”
Shit. Protection money. “I’m guessing Seamus told him to go to hell.”
“He did. Prince merely drained his beer, and said he’d be back for the first payment in a few days. He came back in a few times to renew the threat and tell Dad time was running out.”
She became silent again, and Sean glanced over to see her eyes shining. Whatever was coming next would be worse.
Of course, that was when his GPS told him they were approaching their destination.
* * *
Branna was glad of the interruption. She wanted to control her emotions when she told Sean the rest and she was barely hanging on. Thankfully, the big mutt had her squashed beneath him in a hug. She wondered if he’d trained as an emotional support dog somewhere along the way or if all dogs were this empathic.
Sean drove the truck off the highway and into Orlando. His eyes constantly checked their surroundings, and he went against the GPS instructions several times. Probably making sure no one was following them.
That thought should terrify her, but with Sean, she felt safe. If he trusted his friend, Troy, then Branna would as well. They would have a safe place to stay and sleep and figure out what to do.
Right now, even thinking about all that was enough to send her into a mental spin. She closed her eyes and hugged Jabba while she regulated her breathing.
“You okay over there, Branna?”
She blew out another breath. “Yep. Just started thinking about what happens next and got overwhelmed.”
He nodded. “One step at a time. All you have to do right now is make sure Jabba feels loved. I’ve got the rest.”
That made her smile. “Thank you. I don’t think I even thanked you for coming. I wasn’t sure you would remember the fort or my old nickname.”
He grinned. “Seriously? Not a chance. How could I forget Tag Along Sally?”
She groaned. “I was such a pest.”
He chuckled. “Not really. We didn’t mind hanging out with you, but Charlie felt like it was his duty as an older brother to complain at least a little.”
“That sounds like Charlie. I miss him so much. And Mom. Dad. And your parents. We’re all alone, Sean.”
His hand reached out and squeezed hers. “Never. Not only do we have each other, but we’ve got all of them with us. They’ll always be there.”
She felt bereft when he took his hand back and put it on the wheel. “Thank you. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I texted you. I was about to call you to tell you about dad, when everything happened. I shouldn’t have asked you to put your life on hold to come to my rescue.”
His laugh sounded harsh. “My life’s been on hold since I left the Army.”
“Do you regret it?” He was quiet for a bit while he weaved through traffic to keep her safe. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. Actually, you don’t have to do any of this. I’ll always be grateful to you for coming, but this isn’t your problem. None of this is your problem. I shouldn’t have texted. I’ll let you get back to your own life once we stop.”
Tears backed up in her throat, and she had to swallow to keep them in. Jabba’s head lifted again, and he swiped his tongue over her face. She buried her face in his fur and took deep breaths. Why hadn’t she thought any of this through? She was a disaster and had pulled Sean right into the middle of the mess with her.
He didn’t respond with anything but a soft growl, and she kept her face buried in Jabba. His speed had slowed, and he was turning more frequently. They must be near their destination.
Near to the time when she should head out on her own. The weight dragged her down. She wanted to slide to the floor and hide. Instead, she took a last deep breath and sat up. She could at least try to salvage a little dignity before she left.
Sean pulled into the driveway of a bungalow surrounded by gorgeous gardens. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed his phone, moved to the garage door, and typed in a code that opened the door. He hopped back in and parked inside. Then he closed the door behind him.
Branna felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders. Even if Hawley had followed them to Orlando, he wouldn’t be able to see the truck from the street. For a while, she was safe.
The door on her side of the truck opened, but before terror could overtake her mind, Sean’s large and comforting frame filled the space. She wanted to burrow in.
Then she looked up to see his frown. Sean reached in to unlock her seatbelt. He gently swiveled her so she was sitting sideways in the truck and facing him. Then he placed one hand on either side of her on the seat and caged her in.
When he spoke, his voice was rough. “Let’s set a few things straight. First, I know you’re exhausted and hungry and scared. Second, I know that you’re grieving for your dad, and you think you’re alone.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Third, I’m also overstretched and grieving.”
She reached up to pat his chest.
“I don’t have any regrets about leaving the Army. It was time. I have regrets about losing Charlie. I have more regrets about not keeping in better touch with you and your dad. It was too hard going back to face the memories of my parents and Charlie. I wish I’d done it, anyway.”
Branna wanted to hug him, but he wasn’t finished, so she patted his chest again.
“Next. I have no regrets about you calling me. I’d be devastated and angry if you hadn’t. You did the right thing, and I’m incredibly grateful you trusted me enough to text me.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he kept going.
“This is my problem now, too. It’s not yours alone because you’re not alone. We’re going to figure this out together. If you’re worried about me leaving a job or whatever behind, don’t be. I’d already finished my contract and was driving through Oklahoma trying to figure out what to do next. I was considering heading to Vermont to see my buddy Troy or down to Florida to see you and Seamus.”
Her eyebrows shot up at that.
“I’m serious. I was thinking about you not long before I got that text.” He swallowed hard, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob. “I’ve missed you, Branna. I’m not leaving you to deal with this shit on your own. If you try to sneak away when I crash, I’m going to be pissed. And I’m going to waste time following you. You’re stuck with me, Branna, because I choose to be with you.”
A thrill shot through her. She knew he was talking about keeping her safe, but what would it be like if he meant that in a whole different way?
“Got it?”
She could only stare at him for a long moment. Everything about his body language and everything she saw in his eyes convinced her he was telling the truth.
“Got it. Thank you.” And then she wrapped her arms around him and held on for all she was worth.