Page 26 of No Going Back

She shook her head. “None.”

“Unless they have more sophisticated technology than the Army, it should be fine. If they were close, they could pick up signals, but no one knows where you are except the people in this room. Go ahead.”

Branna powered up the phone and pulled up her video roll. “Which one do you want to hear first?”

“I want to hear the one with the asshole trying to burn you in the pub.” Sean’s growl was harsh and when she looked at him, his eyes were hard as steel.

Marcus nodded. “I’d like you to send me all three files, and I’d like to record it on my phone if that’s okay with you.”

Branna nodded. Sean pulled out his phone and set it to record as well. When they were ready, she pressed play.

Did you hear me? It’s time to pay. Your old man was too stupid to pay, and you saw what happened to him. Didn’t even manage to cross the street on his own.

Hearing Prince threaten her again while he implied he’d had her dad killed had her body trembling. She clamped her hands together to try to control it.

The quality of the recording was weak, but Prince’s giant ego had him shouting, which helped. She hoped it would count as evidence against the man.

Beside her, Sean had gone still, and his eyes were deadly. A quick peek showed Marcus and Troy shared the look, while Piper had tears in her eyes.

When Prince threatened to rape her and let his herd have a turn, Sean growled and tucked her more tightly into his side. His strong arms held her, and she burrowed into his warmth while his other hand covered her clenched fist.

The video carried enough of Prince’s voice to hear his rantings, the gunshot, and his order to leave the man there. She wondered if the man had survived.

When the recording finished, Branna reached forward without a word and played the next one. The video portion shook as she raced through the pub. Smoke and flames obscured most of the video, but she caught recognizable glimpses of the pub burning. The audio caught the roar of the fire and her footsteps, along with her occasional cry of despair as she’d raced up the steps.

Finally, she played the first video. The one she’d shared with Warren Lewis. This was the most difficult one.

Her dad’s Irish brogue filled the air, and Branna ached. It still felt impossible that he was gone.

You’re no getting a single bob out of me, boyo. Take your punk self out of me pub and don’t come back. You’re not welcome.

Prince’s laugh was full of evil, and Branna shivered. Sean’s arm tightened around her.

You’ll pay up, old man, if you want this building to keep standing. And if you want to be the one standing behind the bar.

Don’t threaten me. You’re no getting a thing from me.

You’ll change your mind if you’re smart. That girl of yours is a pretty thing. Wouldn’t want that changing, would you?

Feck off, you bastard. This is private property and I’ll be calling the police on you if I see you in here again.

Try that and see how it works for you, old man. If I don’t have my money by tomorrow, you’ll not be seeing the sunset.

And he hadn’t.

Branna clamped her lips together to keep in the sobs.

Sean reached out and turned off his phone. Then he turned to wrap her completely in his arms and kissed her hair. “I’m sorry, Branna. So damn sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to listen to that again. I’m sorry.”

She nodded into his chest to show she’d heard, but words were beyond her. She needed to regain control before she could speak.

When Marcus spoke, his tone was full of anger. “This asshole needs to spend the rest of his life in a cell. And so do the cops he’s paying off. Sounds like you had the bad luck to run into one of those.”

Troy swore. “At the very least, that recording should have been more than enough to have the jerk picked up.”

Branna took another breath and then leaned back to look at the group. She hadn’t expected such complete support, but she should have. Sean was the best man she knew, and he wouldn’t be friends with anyone who wasn’t just as good. “Thank you.”

Marcus nodded. “It’s going to be a pleasure to take this guy down, and make the world a safer place. I’m sorry you had to go through this right now, but it’s better if I get these recordings off to the FBI and start coordinating the next steps with them. Shanice is going to be thrilled with this evidence.”

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