Page 177 of Beat of Love
And sweet little Sinead.
You can’t protect them all, lover.
The she-devilwasstill in town.
“Fuck.” The expletive exploded from his mouth. “The kids? My family?” he barked.
“The ranch is now on full lockdown. Including Brandy-Lyn’s three. Your sisters and their respective families have added security. And Sheriff Stirling is on his way here with the children. Figured it best to have you all together.”
Relief surged through him. “Thanks, man.”
“We have your back, Lawson. You are not on your own anymore.”
Rafferty rubbed his neck, casting a quick glance at the closed bathroom door. “Yeah. Slowly coming to understand that.” His eyes shot back to Stas. “You said … a youth?”
“Local teenager. He’s a bit of a troublemaker, but what he claims rings true. A lady approached him in the street, offered him fifty bucks to place the note on Brandy-Lyn’s truck. The description he gave fits Carvalho.”
He swore again.
By coming home he’d brought danger right to the doorstep of the people he loved. All those years, protecting them by staying gone, and now … “Should’ve died in that fucking jungle,” he muttered.
A gasp came from the bathroom door, and Brandy-Lyn, wrapped in a white hotel robe, stormed across the room. “Don’t you dare say that,” she exploded, poking a finger at his chest.
“She’s threatened you, Red.You,” he spat.
She smoothed a palm over his frantically beating heart. “I’m here. I’m safe.” Brandy-Lyn twisted her neck to give Stas a serious look. “You’ve upped security?”
“We have,” Stas replied, equally grave.
Her focus back on him, she whispered, “We’re good, sugar.”
There was no fear in her eyes. Just resolve.
“Charlie’s death cut deep. And I’ll always blame myself for letting down my guard. But if something happened to you …” He swallowed hard. “Fuck, Brandy-Lyn. It would destroy me.”
And wasn’t that the truth. He wouldn’t recover.
Rafferty pulled her into his arms, rough with feeling.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “We’ll be smart. Follow every rule Stas and his team give us.”
“Listen to Brandy,” Stas added. “She’s right. We’re damn good at our jobs, and we’ve never lost a primary. Not about to start now. We know Carvalho’s out there watching. We’ll get her. Just as we intercepted the note.”
Brandy-Lyn leaned back to look up at him. “Note?”
He shot Stas a withering look, wanting to protect her from seeing the threat. Protect her from everything that could harm her. But she had to know. And it had been left on her vehicle, drawing her right into the heart of danger. He inclined his head to the note on the bed. “It was left on the Yukon’s windshield.”
Her gaze flicked to the bed then back to him. She frowned. “My Yukon?”
“Yeah.”
She jerked back, and he reluctantly released his hold. This was it; this was when she’d come to her senses and leave. Just walk out the door without a backward glance. He couldn’t blame her. And he’d let her go.
Brandy-Lyn grabbed the note and read it. “Bitch,” she swore, brandishing the note. “Fucking bitch. Threaten me, will you?We’ll see about that. And little Sinead.” Her eyes glared at him. “She’ll harm an innocent, defenseless baby?” she exclaimed, her voice rising on the last two words.
“I believe she would kill her own child if it stood between her and her desires.”
Eyes narrowed to mere slits, she asked, “Does she have children?”
