Savage Redemption

chapter 6



It was midday, and Conlan hadn’t slept at all. Like Seamus, he was used to keeping odd hours, what with the humans on the estate mostly keeping to the daylight shift and the vampires operating on a nocturnal schedule. Even so, that wasn’t the reason behind the restlessness that had him outside walking circles around the infirmary.

Maggie and Rose had paid one last visit to their aunt in the wee hours of the morning. They’d arrived bearing a basket of cookies they’d baked with Joss’s help. Granted, a few were a bit burned around the edges, and some of the icing looked as if someone with small fingers had snuck a sample or two, but the girls had been so proud of their wares.

Kat had been suitably grateful for their gift and lavish in her praise. Heck, they’d even brought Conlan his own plateful. He’d consumed enough of the cookies to please both girls and their aunt. At least the smiles he and Kat had exchanged over the heads of the girls had felt genuine.

For the first time since she’d arrived on the estate, Kat had looked animated, even happy, the horror hanging over her banished for the duration of her nieces’ visit. The girls had chattered about Rafferty’s house, how he’d slip in to steal a spoonful of cookie dough whenever Joss turned her back and that he was going to take them riding on a tractor. Even better, they’d each have their own room as soon as Rafferty’s aunts left at the end of the week.

Finally, Maggie had run out of steam, falling apart when it came time to return to Rafferty’s because she had to leave her aunt behind. She’d still been sobbing when Joss had carried her from the room. Rose had followed them out, turning one last time to look at Kat. Her chin had been quivering, her pretty turquoise eyes looking so damned sad.

Kat held up until she was sure the girls were gone and he’d stepped just outside the door. On his way by, she’d asked that he turn off the lights so she could sleep, but he’d heard her sobbing into her pillow.

To keep from hauling her back into his arms and telling her everything was going to be all right, he’d headed outside, needing to put some physical distance between them. Two hours later, his mood hadn’t improved at all.

He’d made a habit of not lying to people, especially himself. Nothing was going to be all right for Kat, that was for sure. Her nieces might eventually adjust to their new lives here on the estate, but they’d carry the scars of everything—and everyone—they’d lost for the rest of their lives.

Looking back, he’d spent most of his adult life searching for the truth in each case he’d been assigned, working hard to put together all the pieces of the puzzle and hoping it all added up to make the course of justice clear. That’s exactly what he’d been trying to do when Kat had bolted on him three years ago. That’s what he’d always told himself. But standing out in the bright light of day, he had to own up to his own truth.

Yes, he’d wanted to clear Kat’s name, but for his own selfish reasons. Maybe if he’d worked harder and faster and kept his emotions out of it, he might have found the answers before it had all gone to hell and imploded. He’d never know for sure. No matter what, he should’ve known the two of them had been on a road headed straight for disaster. The minute he’d realized his feelings for her had careened way past neutral, he should’ve reported the circumstances to Ambrose and asked for the case to be reassigned.

Instead, he’d taken Kat to his bed. He’d known full well it was wrong, but he’d been unable to resist something that felt so damned right. Hell, he’d been almost painfully aware of her from the instant he’d walked into the interview room to meet with her that first time. She’d stared up at him with such desperation, as if he were the salvation she’d been so desperately looking for. It had been more than that, though. They’d connected on a visceral level in a way he’d never experienced before or since. He hadn’t wanted to be her hero; he’d wanted to be hers, period.

After that, there was no way he could’ve executed her back then, and evidently despite the hell she’d put him through, that hadn’t changed. So the question was, what was he going to do about it?

Before he could decide, his phone rang. It was his second in command calling from the front gate.

“Finn, what’s up?”

“You asked to be notified of any problems. Well, right now there’s an armed vehicle approaching on the main road. They tripped the motion sensors you had us set up at the far end of the valley yesterday. Their ETA is about twenty minutes.”

Conlan didn’t hesitate; he headed straight for his transport at a dead run, reaching it in a matter of seconds. Even driving like hell, reaching the gate before the intruders would be a close call. It wasn’t an accident that the bastards arrived in broad daylight when Rafferty wouldn’t be able to take charge of the situation. But then, that’s why most of Conlan’s security force was made up of chancellors like him, whose mixed heritage gave them the same strength as vampires without their weaknesses. Being able to function in daylight was a definite advantage.

While a lot of the purebloods on both sides of that equation looked down on the hybrid species, Rafferty wasn’t one of them, and not just because his wife was a chancellor, too. He paid top dollar to provide the best protection for his people, and that meant chancellors. Most of Conlan’s men were ex-military or former law enforcement, well trained in weapons and not afraid to use them.

“Hold whoever it is outside the gate until I get there. I’m on my way now. I’d like to wait until we can assess the situation before calling for reinforcements. We can’t afford to leave the rest of the estate unprotected in case they’re coming at us from more than one direction. You got any problems with that?”

“No, sir,” Finn answered without hesitation. “Right now there is me and three others inside the gate and two more outside circling around to get behind the vehicle. All of us are armed with those nifty armor-piercing-grenade launchers you bought us.”

Conlan smiled. He’d argued long and hard to get his boss to buy such heavy-duty munitions for his security forces. He bet Rafferty was about to be damn glad he’d anted up for the expense.

“Good job. My ETA is less than fifteen minutes now.” He pressed down harder on the accelerator. “I need to call Seamus, but then I’ll keep the line open in case you need me.”

Before hanging up, there was one more thing left to be said. “And, Finn, don’t hesitate to use lethal force at the first sign of aggression. Call me back if the sensors pick up movement anywhere else on the perimeter.”

“Will do, boss.”

Conlan punched in Seamus’s number. The doctor picked up on the second ring. “Seamus, I’m on my way out to the gate to handle a developing situation and had to leave Kat alone. She’s still chained to the table. Can you check on her?”

Seamus let out a low whistle. “Things never stay dull around here for long. I was about to head in that direction shortly anyway. Keep me posted if that situation is the kind where I should be expecting any new patients. Have you notified Rafferty yet?”

Conlan hesitated briefly. “No, but that’s my next call. Talk to you soon, Doc.”

He immediately called Rafferty’s number. The vampire was a little slower to answer, but not by much. Despite it being the middle of his sleep cycle, he sounded alert. “Okay, Conlan, what’s gone to hell this time?”

Leave it to the vamp to go right to the heart of the matter. “There’s an armed vehicle approaching the estate. I’m on my way out to investigate.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Rafferty had a transport with specially tinted windows that made it safe for him to travel in daylight, but prolonged exposure to the sun would weaken him considerably.

“Let me see what we’re dealing with first.”

He exhaled sharply. “Fine, but keep me apprised of what’s going on.”

“Sure thing. I’m within sight of the inner gate now. I’ll see what Finn’s learned since I talked to him and call you back as soon as I can.”

He disconnected the call to free up a hand to key in the security code to open the inner gate. As soon as it rolled back far enough, he gunned the motor and shot through the opening with only inches to spare.

Up ahead, the armored vehicle was just rolling into sight. Conlan parked and ran for the steps to his office. Finn met him on the porch with his body armor and holding Conlan’s favorite rifle.

“Thanks, looks like the party’s about to start.” He checked his sidearm and shrugged into his vest before taking the rifle. “With luck, we won’t need these.”

Although seeing the unmarked transport, he figured there wasn’t much chance of that. If it had been Ambrose’s men, they would’ve called ahead, and the insignia of the North American Coalition would have been emblazoned on the doors. Conlan’s instincts were rarely wrong; right now he figured they were about to have another run-in with someone’s hired muscle.

The transport maintained a steady speed as it approached the gate, probably hoping to bluff them into opening it as a matter of routine. At the last minute, the driver had to stand the damn thing on its nose to stop barely a hand’s breadth from the wire. That was a good thing for whoever was behind all that tinted glass, considering the amount of current running through the fence. It would’ve fried the vehicle’s electrical system, leaving them immobilized and vulnerable to attack.

Too bad. If they’d kept coming, that jolt would’ve solved the whole problem without Conlan or his men having to raise a finger. Now they were left with a waiting game, but as his fangs ran out to match his assistant’s own impressive set, he decided that he’d be damned if they blinked first.

He didn’t have to wait long. The front passenger door opened and a man climbed out. From that distance, it was difficult to tell, but Conlan thought it likely the guy was 100 percent human. For sure he wasn’t flashing fang. On the other hand, he wore combat-quality body armor and looked pretty damned comfortable with that high-powered rifle he was sporting.

Rather than wait for the intruder to open discussions, Conlan cut to the chase. “You might as well get right back in your transport and leave. We’re closed for the day. In fact, we’re closed indefinitely.”

Finn snickered, but their unwanted guest was clearly not amused. Neither were his two associates, who’d joined him at the gate. Conlan noted that they were careful to keep the vehicle between them and his direct line of fire. Smart of them, he supposed, but it wouldn’t save them once Finn got them in his sights. One squeeze of the trigger and there’d be nothing left of them and their vehicle except bloody bits of shrapnel.

The human held up a piece of paper and waved it in the air. “This is a warrant naming one Katherine Karr and two underage female chancellors. You are hereby ordered to remand them to our custody.”

Finn kept his eyes focused on the target but asked, “What the hell do they want with those two little girls?”

There could only be one possible answer. “To use as leverage against their aunt.”

What the hell was Kat involved in? Not that it mattered. He wasn’t turning her or her nieces over to this idiot.

Conlan sauntered closer to the gate. “Sorry, but that’s not happening. We’ve already agreed to hold Miss Karr here until Ambrose O’Brien arrives to take charge of the prisoner himself. As far as the two minor females, they are now legal members of this clan and therefore under the protection of Rafferty O’Day himself.” He smiled, making sure to show his fangs. “Whoever is holding the other end of your leash would be ill-advised to force the issue.”

The three men conferred briefly but made no move to return to their vehicle. The designated spokesman tried again. “Councilman Eddington’s jurisdiction supersedes Chancellor O’Brien’s in this matter, and O’Day has no legal right to claim the two girls. Surrender all three prisoners now.”

Oh, yeah, Conlan couldn’t wait to tell Ambrose about Eddington’s illusions of grandeur. No one—not human, vampire or chancellor—wielded more power in the

Coalition than Ambrose. He’d chew Eddington up and spit him out along with his hired help.

But unfortunately, Ambrose wasn’t there. That left it up to Conlan and his men to handle this situation.

“I should warn you that Rafferty and I don’t take kindly to threats. However, we’re not the ones you need to be worried about right now. I highly recommend you get back in your fancy transport and drive away.”

“We’re not leaving without the prisoners.”

“Then you won’t be leaving at all, because right now my friend here is developing an itchy trigger finger. If it even so much as twitches, there won’t be enough of you left for your next of kin to bury.”

The human sneered. “He wouldn’t dare.”

Brave words, but all three men edged back closer to the transport.

Finn joined the conversation, aiming his launcher straight at the transport. “Personally, I’m hoping you stay right where you are. You see, we don’t get much chance for target practice way out here.”

Conlan shrugged. “I gotta tell you, he’s got quite a temper, and I can only hold him back so long. As much as I’ve enjoyed our chat, I’d get going while you still can. I’d hate to have to bury you before we ever had a chance to get to know each other.”

Finn smirked. “Good one, boss.”

Then Conlan whispered to his younger protégée. “Fire one off. Aim for that cluster of boulders on the far side of where they’re standing. I don’t want to kill the bastards, but a few cuts and bruises might go a long way toward convincing them we mean what we say.”

Finn didn’t even hesitate. The explosion had all three humans diving for cover and then scrambling to get back into the transport before their driver could take off without them. The situation was far too serious to be funny, but watching them fishtailing down the dirt road in a cloud of dust had both him and Finn grinning. They both lowered their weapons and took a deep breath.

His friend’s smile was quick to fade. “They’ll be back, won’t they?”

“Yeah, and I’m guessing with reinforcements. We can slow them down a bit, though. Who’s out there watching them?”

“Dallas and Jenkins.”

“Get them on the line and find out which one has the best chance of shooting out both of their back tires. I’m betting that transport only has one spare, and phone service out in the valley is spotty at best. Those boys will have a long, hot walk to get far enough to get reception. That should buy us some time.”

“Will do.”

“I’m going back to let Rafferty know what we’re up against. Call me if there are any more problems.”

If Finn found it odd that Conlan wasn’t going to stick around to see how it all played out, he didn’t say anything. But the blatant attempt to kidnap Maggie and Rose had left Conlan no choice. He had to find out what the hell was really going on. And just like before, he’d never get to the bottom of things without Kat’s inside knowledge of what triggered this whole mess three years ago that.

Given what he was about to do, he should be feeling guilty. Joss and Rafferty had given him a job, a home and a new sense of purpose when he’d been at his absolute lowest point. He hated betraying their trust. Hopefully they’d understand, even if they couldn’t forgive. If he managed to clear Kat’s name, her nieces would get a big part of their life back. Then the three of them could either rebuild their lives in New Eire or even apply to Rafferty for permanent status here on the estate.

And maybe, just maybe, Conlan could finally move on and leave their tumultuous past behind.