Page 20 of Midnight Escape

It could mean nothing that Declan didn’t mention the guard’s name—he assumed a man, but knowing some badass women as he did with HIS, it could be a woman. It could easily be someone Danny didn’t know. Yet, a niggling feeling that he’d missed something in the planning of the lovers’ escape stuck with him. And, why was Declan sorry?

The cabin door popped up and slowly slid to the side. As stairs were lowered, Danny’s eyes locked on the man guarding the door. His gut clenched and wanted to heave. His hope was that his eyes were deceiving him.

Justin—who he hadn’t seen since their father’s funeral—was Moira’s guard. Declan’s words came back to him— “He works for Boyle, but trust him.”

It’d never come up, so Danny had never asked Declan who Diana’s father was, nor had Declan shared it. He hadn’t caught that slip before, but now that he had….

Son of a bitch. All this time, Danny had allowed guilt to eat at him for accusing his brother of being dirty and working for the criminal Danny suspected of targeting their father. Danny had been distraught because he’d been elsewhere with the DEA when his brother and father were involved in the deadly bust. Before then, he’d heard rumors that his brother was playing both sides but had ignored them. Until the day of their father’s funeral when it all came to a boil in his mind.

After the mourners left, Danny had lit into Justin and all but accused him of murdering their father. His brother had disappeared after that, and Danny hadn’t looked for him.

Watching the closeness of the Hamilton family had broken something in him, and he’d wanted to patch things up with his brother. Only, he’d never made the first move.

Yet, here Justin was—proving the agents right that he’d been playing both sides. With a fierce anger surging through him, Danny stepped forward and prepared to greet his guests.

One would be met with a hug while the other might be met with the end of his fist.

Just then a leggy brunette stepped into view and his anger took a step back. Gone was the scrawny teenager he remembered. This woman….Wow. Little Moira had grown up. Then she smiled and her face brightened. She was an absolute stunner. Having her live with him didn’t sound as easy as he’d originally thought. That buffer of her brother also residing with them was now gone. At least temporarily.

“Danny,” she said, as she descended the few steps.

He pushed himself forward and when he reached her, he pulled her into a hug. Damn, she smelled good. Quickly, before his body reacted, he pushed her back. “Moira, you’ve grown up.” What a stupid thing to say. Of course she had. “I meant,” he corrected, “you look beautiful.”

Even in the shadowy moonlight, he caught the red creep up her neck and the blush that stole across her face endeared her to him. Damn, oh damn. Distance, he reminded himself.

Then his gaze landed on his brother, once again. He itched to reach out and sock the man, but he had escorted Moira safely into Danny’s arms. “Justin,” he said with a curtness he meant.

“Danny. I won’t be staying but overnight, so the pilots can get some rest. I can stay at a hotel if you prefer.”

Would he? He was royally pissed at his brother, but did he want him out of sight? No, he wanted answers and that meant keeping his brother close. He deserved answers. And he planned to get them. “No, I have room. Besides, we need to talk.”

Justin appeared uncomfortable, but Danny didn’t give a shit. If his brother was on the take and it caused their father’s death, he’d kill him with his bare hands.

Chapter Eight

After an uncomfortable ride to his home and situating Moira and Justin in his spare rooms, Danny grabbed himself a much-deserved Natty Boh. Justin’s appearance had been unexpected. So many nights he’d wanted to speak with his brother, to clear the air. Now that he was here, Danny wasn’t sure what to say.

Even at the late hour, all three returned to the living room. With Moira and Justin on the couch—sitting too close for his liking—and Danny in his La-Z-Boy, he jumped right in. “What happened to move up the timeline?” He had no problem with his guests arriving early, well, except he had to work and couldn’t entertain them. He just wanted to know what happened.

Moira responded, “Boyle found out about Declan and Diana. He found out she’s pregnant.”

Danny whistled at the implication, then a thought occurred to him, and he didn’t like that his mind expected deviousness from his brother. “Did you tell your boss?” he asked Justin.

His brother winced. He must not have known Declan had revealed his employer. “No. I’ve worked hard to keep it secret. I’ll have hell to pay for not telling Boyle about the relationship.”

“You’re going back?” Danny asked. Even though Declan had informed him Justin wasn’t staying, he didn’t expect him to go back to the asshole responsible for their father’s death. “Why?”

“I have to.”

“He has to kill us off,” Moira offered, rather nonchalantly for the topic.

Justin shrugged. “I need to make it appear I killed them so they can all live freely without worrying about who might be after them. That’ll also make up for me not telling the boss about the relationship.”

“I can’t believe you work for that asshole. You know he’s responsible for our father’s death. Sure, it was the US connection that actually did it, but he’s their backer.” Danny bolted from his seat, righteous anger building inside him, ready to blow. He walked to the end of the living room then back, before Justin spoke.

“And when I can prove it, I’ll stop working for him.”

That stopped Danny in his tracks. He turned on his brother. “You mean that you’re only working for him to connect the dots to our dad’s murder? What about the rumors you were playing both sides of the fence?”

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