20. Circle Back
Sean was relieved when Marcus offered to come out to the farmhouse to take their statements. He didn’t want Branna dealing with the drive. Nor did he want her anywhere near Hawley. The police station in town was apparently a single room in the back of Phail General. Hawley would be rotting in the cell in that room. No way did he want Branna to have to see him again. Staying away would also ensure that Sean didn’t lose control around the asshole.
Marcus arrived at the farmhouse along with Shanice Williams. The FBI agent’s eyes lit up at the sight of Jabba. He trotted over to the woman and sat on his haunches with his tongue lolling out.
The agent squatted and offered her hand. Instead of sniffing it, the dog licked her. Laughing, Shanice looked up at Branna and Sean while she patted Jabba. “Hello. I hope you’re feeling better, Branna. I’m so very sorry we didn’t get to Phail in time to prevent this from happening.”
With a final rub of the dog, she stood and crossed to shake first Branna’s hand and then his.
Sean gestured to the kitchen, which had become their planning and debriefing space. He hoped someday it would simply be a kitchen.
Marcus and Shanice both took out notebooks, and Shanice asked their permission to record the interview. When Branna spoke about Hawley attacking through the window, he put his arm around her, and she leaned into him.
She sighed. “It didn’t make any sense for Prince to attack that way. If he was smart, he would have watched for a pattern and tried to find me when I was alone. Did he say why he attacked the way he did?”
Marcus shrugged. “He hasn’t said much other than cursing you and saying you’ve ruined his life. The other three are much more talkative.”
Shanice nodded. “We’ve had them all separated, and the three other men all tell similar stories. Hawley has become more and more unstable since the fire back in Miami. There have been several physical altercations between Hawley and other members of his gang. The men were furious with Hawley for killing the man in your pub. The Miami police have confirmed finding his remains in the ashes by the way. After that day, the gang began losing members rapidly, and Hawley became more and more paranoid.”
Marcus continued. “The three men with him are cousins who felt compelled to stick with him, but they were trying to talk him out of his obsession.”
Sean ran his hand up and down Branna’s arm. “Sounds like he was using some serious drugs.”
Marcus nodded. “We ran a standard drug test on them all. The other three were clean, but Hawley had a complicated mix of several hard drugs in his system.”
Shanice took up the story. “The three men tried to talk him into watching the diner and waiting for a good opportunity to talk to Branna. They all claim they were trying to get him to change his plan. They wanted to get him to talk you into changing your story. But he wouldn’t listen to them.”
Which meant he’d wanted to kill Branna. And only pure damn luck had kept her safe.
Sean’s hand gripped Branna’s good shoulder, and he forced himself to ease up. She blew out a slow breath. “Wow. That’s bizarre, and I can’t decide if it makes the whole thing better or even scarier.”
Shanice nodded. “Adding drugs to an already unpredictable and volatile personality is never good. I’m glad he’s been caught, and his gang has fallen apart. You and the area around your home in Miami should be much safer now.”
Branna nodded at that and rolled her lips together. He wondered how she was feeling. Now that it was safer in the area, would she want to return? She’d said she wanted to stay here in Vermont with him, but once everything was cleared up and she had safe options, would that still be the case?
He hoped so. Phail was full of potential and possibilities. He’d loved growing up in Miami, but there were a lot of hard memories there, even more now. Vermont had a whole different vibe, and he was ready to try something different. But he’d go to Miami if that’s what Branna needed to do.
It took almost an hour to give their statements and answer all Marcus and Shanice’s questions. By the time they were through, Sean felt like he’d been on the wrong end of a sledgehammer. And he didn’t have a concussion or a gunshot wound.
They walked the two to the door, where they shook hands. Branna smiled at them both. “Thank you for everything. I’m so relieved Prince Hawley is in jail where he belongs. And thanks for making this part as easy as you could. Let us know what else you need from us.”
Shanice smiled. “I’m sure we’ll be in touch, but we’ve got the worst out of the way for now. We’ll have the US Marshals involved in returning these four to Miami, although Hawley will have to face charges here in Vermont as well. We’ll let the judges decide how that will take place.”
Marcus grinned at them both. “Now you’ll have a chance to really explore the town and see what it has to offer. Including a saloon looking for someone to bring it back to life.”
Once they drove away, Sean closed and locked the door behind them. He would never take Branna’s safety for granted.
Branna headed to the old couch and flopped down in the middle. Jabba hopped up and snuggled into her side. Sean took the other side and picked up her hand. “That was kind of rough. I didn’t expect it to take so much out of me.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You too? It’s not just me being a wimp?”
He laughed. “Don’t think you could be a wimp if you tried. How about we head upstairs and take a nap?”
“It’s a long way away, but this couch isn’t nearly as comfortable.”
“We can do it.” He stood and offered her his hand. “Want a lift?”
She smiled and laced her fingers with his. “Nope, but I’ll take a hand.”
Jabba took over their spots on the couch as they headed for the stairs. Branna smiled and bumped her hip into his as they climbed. “Lia said something interesting this morning.”
“What was that?”
“She said it was important to take things slow and easy for at least a week.”
Sean nodded, wondering where she was going with this.
At the top of the stairs, they turned toward their room and Branna looped her good arm through his. “She said it was important not to do any headboard banging or acrobatics, but that slow and easy works.”
Sean’s feet stumbled, and he looked down at her grin. “Seriously? It’s okay to make love to you as long as we take it slow and easy?”
Her eyes sparkled. “You’re really good at slow and easy. Well, you’re really good at all of it—” Her face flushed, and she giggled, making him laugh as well.
Sean stopped at the side of the bed. He hadn’t been able to make love to her when he’d told her he loved her. When he heard her say those words to him.
He cupped her face and kissed her as gently as he could. Passion and desire filled him, and he let his kiss show her how damn much he loved her. “I’m going to love every inch of your skin. I’m going to kiss and lick and touch every part of you and treat you like the precious treasure you are.”
Her knees wobbled, and he laughed into the next kiss. “You might want to hang onto something, darling because I’m about to love you into next week.”
* * *
Afew days later, Branna felt completely healed. The emotional damage would be something she’d have to deal with for years to come, but her body and brain were back to normal.
After a shower where Sean had taken slow and gentle to a whole new level, he grinned at her. “How would you like to go on a date?”
She laughed. “I think we’ve moved past the dating bit.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Never. We’ve skipped the normal order of things, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. I want to always go on dates with you. Romantic ones, silly ones, adventures. All kinds.”
Branna’s heart melted a little more. “That sounds perfect. I’d love to go on a date with you. I’d love to go on lots of dates with you.”
“This one is an adventure. Let’s have lunch at the No Fail Diner and then check out the town.”
“That sounds amazing.”
They left Jabba to snooze in the sunbeams and drove to town. When they parked in the lot near Phail General, Sean pointed at her. “It’s a date. Wait there.”
She laughed but waited. Sean extended his hand, and she took it to stand from the car. She moved up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He held her hand as they moved to the sidewalk. He pointed across the street. “I wonder if those are the buildings they’re talking about demolishing to make room for the park Piper planned out.”
They walked across the street and checked out the buildings and the surrounding space. It was mostly an empty field, so this was probably the spot. Branna squeezed his hand. “It will be exciting to see what the town has planned. Maybe we can be a part of helping.”
His serious face turned to her. “You still want to stay? With the insurance money coming your way, you’ll have options. We could return to Miami if you want.”
She shook her head immediately. “Other than to have a wake for Dad, I don’t want to go back. I loved Miami, but I want this new adventure with you.”
His face lit up, and he leaned down to kiss her. “I worried you might change your mind, but I’m glad you didn’t. I think this is going to be the right place for us.”
When they entered the diner, Ginny squealed and popped around the counter to throw her arms around Branna. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m so sorry you were hurt. We wanted to let you heal before we descended like a casserole patrol, but it was so hard. How are you?”
Branna squeezed her back and laughed. “I’m good. Everything has healed, and I’m glad to see you again. I’m so sorry for bringing those creeps to your place.”
Ginny leaned back and smiled. “Not your fault and the jerks are behind bars where they belong.” She squeezed Sean into a hug as well. “And how are you? You were like a superhero charging in there and facing down that asshole.”
Sean flushed and shrugged. “I’m fine. It’s Branna who got hurt.”
Ginny patted his arm. “And that would be harder on you than if it was you who was injured. Come on, grab a seat, and decide what you’d like.”
Branna thought about Ginny’s words as they looked over the menu. She reached across the booth and squeezed Sean’s hand. “I know I’ve said it before, but thank you again for being so damn brave.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’d do anything for you, Branna.”
Manuel came out of the kitchen and set down a plate of chalupas. “On the house. That’ll hold you until your order is up. Glad you’re okay.”
Then he disappeared back into the kitchen, making them both grin. Apparently, Manuel wasn’t big on socializing, but he was an excellent cook and another potential friend. The town appeared to be full of them.
As they ate, at least a dozen people stopped by their table to introduce themselves and welcome them to town. More than a few of them asked if Sean would help with the demo of the abandoned stores and the building of the new park. Others wanted to know if she’d seen the saloon yet and did she know it was available if she wanted to open up her own business.
They’d just pushed away their plates when Troy and Piper slid into the booth with them. Troy grinned. “At least four people stopped into Phail General to tell us you guys were in town. You’re causing quite the buzz.”
She stared at Troy. “We just came in for lunch.”
Piper laughed. “Big news in a town the size of Phail. Especially when most people have heard versions of the story of what happened the other night. Everyone wants to make sure you’re okay and that the jerks haven’t scared you away.”
That was amazing. “We met about a dozen people in here today.”
Troy laughed. “Ginny will ask you to come regularly if you’re going to bring her that much business. Do you want to see the saloon?”
Branna had to laugh. “If nothing else, this town is relentless. You’re definitely going to succeed at whatever you choose to do here.”
Troy waggled his eyebrows dramatically. “Wrong pronoun. We’re going to succeed at whatever we choose to do. You’re part of us, and there’s no backing out now.”
As they walked down the street, more people stopped to check on them and hint about the saloon.
Branna couldn’t contain the excitement building about the idea. It wouldn’t be the same as O’Dea’s. Even though it was an entire town, the population was smaller than her former Miami neighborhood. But owning a pub in a town named Phail had to come with opportunities for smiles and that counted for a lot.
Inside the saloon, she found the bar top was just as gorgeous as she remembered from the other night. In the light of day, she didn’t find anything in the entire space to turn her off. Obviously, upgrades were needed, especially in the kitchen and the bathrooms, but no walls needed to move. Sean confirmed the structure was sound and that most of the work that needed to be done was cosmetic.
She tugged him behind the bar. “What do you think?”
He grinned at her. “I think that’s my line.”
She rolled her eyes. “I haven’t asked the price yet because I wanted to be sure before I asked. I’ve got my insurance money, but I don’t want to spend it all. After everything that’s happened, I need to know I have savings to fall back on.”
Sean nodded and took her hands. “If you’re sure, I’d like to chip in. I’d like it to be our place. I want to help fix it up, and I want to work it with you.”
Her eyes filled with happy tears. “That sounds amazing. I’d love to go into business with you.”
He kissed her. “Now, let’s go see how much debt we’re about to take on.”