Page 15 of No Going Back

He left the door open, told Jabba to stay where he lay on the bedroom floor and moved to the kitchen before he did something stupid like offer to wash her back.

In the kitchen, he dialed Troy and put it on speakerphone while he set out a bowl of food for Jabba and then pulled ingredients out of the fridge for omelets. Despite her Irish heritage and upbringing, Branna had always loved Mexican food, but she hadn’t eaten in days, so spicy foods would have to wait.

“Hey, Falcon. You there?”

“We’re here. Thanks. I don’t think anyone followed us close enough to have ears on us, but I wanted to be sure.”

“Us?”

Of course, that’s the part his buddy picked up on. “Yeah. Branna O’Dea is with me. She’s in a hell of a situation and has been hiding for a few days. No food. She’s showering now. Neither of us has slept in a while either, so I’m making some food and then we’re going to crash. I’ll fill you in once we’ve got the bandwidth to deal with it in more detail.”

“Sally? Is she okay?”

He grinned, loving that Epic remembered her nickname. “She will be. Looks like a sprained ankle is the worst of the physical injuries.”

“I’ll get more details off you tomorrow, but for now, give me something to dig into. Names. Places. Something.”

And this was what Epic did. Took care of others. The man was easy with people and made friends with everyone. Everywhere. He was also a whiz with communications and had unbelievable connections. As evidenced by this house.

“Okay. I don’t have the entire story yet, and we’re not going to get into it until tomorrow. But the basics are that Branna’s dad Seamus, was killed a few days back in some kind of hit and run.”

Troy swore.

“Exactly. Some asshole named Prince was pressuring him for protection money. He refused to pay.”

“Is Prince his real name?”

“Not sure. Last name is Hawley, in Miami. I’m not sure what happened after Seamus died, but their pub has burned to the ground. Branna had gone to the police after her dad’s death, telling them about Prince, but the cop she dealt with blew her off.”

“Some assholes should never be cops. Too bad she got stuck with a dirtbag.”

“Agreed. I don’t know the details of what caused Branna to run, but it’s something to do with Prince. I assume he wanted protection money from her.” Or something else.

Troy made a sound of disgust. “Prick.”

The omelet simmered in the pan, and Sean shredded some cheese over the top. The more protein he could get in her, the better.

“I’m going to need a new vehicle before we leave. I’m sure no one followed us, so I’ll drive my beater to a dealer. I’ll trade for another vehicle to get us up there. I want to upgrade to electrical, but I’ll do that later, once we’re settled. If Hawley’s gang somehow have my license plate, multiple changes should slow them down.”

“I’ll have options for you by tomorrow. Does Branna have anything with her? Clothes? Toiletries?”

“Nothing.”

Troy cursed again. “This bastard is going to pay.”

“He is.” Sean flipped the omelet and sensed the air change. He turned to find Branna walking in wearing the robe. And maybe nothing underneath.

He barely kept his tongue in his mouth. She looked gorgeous. And vulnerable. Sexy as hell, swallowed by the fluffy robe. “Here she is now. Troy, I’d like you to meet Branna O’Dea. Branna, this is my buddy Troy Phail. Epic to those on the team.”

“Hi Troy. Thank you so much for helping us. This house is amazing.”

Hearing her say us had another knot loosening in Sean’s gut. She believed in him. Sean slid the food onto a plate and passed it to her while he started on his own omelet.

“Hi Branna. Nice to meet the Sally we heard so much about while we were overseas.”

Branna’s eyes widened. “You know who I am?”

“Damn straight. Falcon always talked about you and Charlie. I’m sorry as hell about what you’re going through. I’ll get the whole story tomorrow. For now, know that you’re in a safe place. The house belongs to Ada and Jesus Oliveras. They’re both former military and now run a garden nursery. They maintain the house for anyone who needs it. Soldiers returning with PTSD, people needing to hide from the world for a few days, whatever. They know you’re there and said for you to use anything you need. The closets are stocked with basics for clothing and items for personal use. Take what you need.”

---