Chapter 24

Chapter

Twenty-Four

KEIR

I couldn’t keepmy eyes or hands off Dash. The memories of how we met and the way our romance had progressed swamped me for a moment, and now, we had a wedding date. December 31st. I could hardly wait, but we currently had a problem we needed to rectify.

We had to ensure Ronald and Betty didn’t lose the farm. Maybe they made a mistake by trusting Darryl to help them simply because he was married to their daughter. That was when something occurred to me.

I touched Keirnan’s arm. We hadn’t been formally introduced, but I knew Sibley and I were happy to have our loved ones with us. I had questions for him about those documents I found on his laptop.

“I’m sorry I was so rude to you earlier, but I’m so damn happy to have Dash back with me. I couldn’t see anyone else when you two came into the room, and I apologize if I came off as rude. I’m Keir Dearly. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you.”

I stood and extended my hand to the man who looked exactly like me, with a few exceptions. I had gray in my hair at the temples, and I was taller by a few inches. I believed, based on what I saw on his laptop, that the guy was a genius, and I most assuredly wasn’t.

“Thank you, Keir, for taking care of my wife. You’re a great guy. I don’t think I can live up to the large footprint you’ve left with my family, but I’ll damn well try.” Sibley reached for his hand and held it tight. I was so happy they were reunited, and I hoped to hell they had a wonderful life going forward.

“It was my pleasure, Keirnan. Sibley is one of a kind. Now, I need to talk to you about the deal your father made with Marcus Shannon. You know we’re going to confront him tonight, but can you tell me anything regarding what Darryl said to convince him to go through with it?”

Darryl was a slimy prick as far as I was concerned. I believed he’d snowed Ronald into trusting him, but Keirnan was too damn smart for that. He was a man who needed a plan, and he’d formulated one that might cost him his life.

Kiernan gulped his glass of wine and stared at me. “He told Dad Shannon would give him more money than the bank without taking the farm as collateral. Dad wouldn’t listen to me when I told him that was suspicious, and he really needed to think about it carefully.”

“I saw some docs on your computer that⁠—”

“You got into my computer? How?”

I chuckled. “Your brother was quite helpful with the password—you’re a little pervy.” I was joking to lighten the mood, but I wasn’t sure if that was possible. I didn’t want to upset Sibley.

Keirnan laughed as Sibley stared at him. “What is it?” Oh, I could see she wouldn’t let it go until he told her.

“Sixty-nine sixty-nine.”

Sibley laughed and smacked the back of her hand against his chest. They really were a cute couple. Keirnan did love Sibley, and I was so glad to witness it. She deserved a man who adored her, and I believed Keirnan did, even though he’d said some harsh things and maybe come off as a little cold to his family at times. Hopefully, he’d see the error of his ways and adjust his thinking.

“So, uh, we’re going to leave the two of you here. We need you to stay in your room and not show yourselves anywhere that could tip off Shannon that I’m not you. We need them to believe I’m you, or it could go badly for all of us. Can you do that?”

Keirnan kissed the top of Sibley’s hand before he turned to me. “Shouldn’t I go with you to speak to Shannon? I mean, I know the deal Darryl made on Dad’s behalf. I think I need⁠—”

Sibley sat forward. “No, Keirnan. Keir and Dash can handle it. You have more important things to worry about, sweetheart.” She touched her tummy and gave him a look that had him swallowing hard.

“You’re right. I don’t feel good about leaving this up to you guys though.” Keirnan was sincere, which was a relief. I knew there was a reason Sibley loved him so much.

“So, uh, did you...? Were you planning to kill yourself?” I had to ask. I didn’t think so, but I needed confirmation from the man himself.

Dash sat forward in his chair. “Seriously? You were going to...? No, Keirnan, tell me you weren’t.”

Apparently, Dash and Keirnan had gotten to know each other, just as Sibley and I had. I was glad. I knew for a fact Keirnan was in good hands with the man I loved. Going forward, I wasn’t sure if we could maintain the friendship because of the strange circumstances where we found ourselves, but a part of me hoped so. I wanted to meet their little boy. If he was a cross between the two of them, he’d be incredible.

“No. I wasn’t planning to kill myself. I figured that when Dad and I couldn’t pay back the money Marcus had loaned Dad, he’d kill me. I planned to send Sibley somewhere to keep her and the baby safe. The mob wants their money, and after I was dead, she’d have it. Then, she could give Dad the money to pay Marcus, so he’d leave all of them alone. If Sibley wanted, she could change her name and slip away with our little one to keep them safe.”

When Sibley abruptly stood, the chair nearly fell behind her, but thankfully, Keirnan caught it. She reached out and pulled his hair, much to my surprise.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Her voice could only be described as a hiss. She was pissed, as I probably would have been if it was me.

“Sibs, I just⁠—”

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not leaving me to raise our child alone. Keir has ties to people who can help him with this, Keirnan. Nobody’s getting a chance to kill you and take you away from our baby before you even get a chance to meet. We’ll stay in the room and talk about this while they handle Marcus Shannon.”

Sibley wasn’t wrong, and apparently, she’d decided she was going to wear the pants in the family. I wished Keirnan a lot of luck.

Dash picked up on it right away. “That’s right. Remember what happened yesterday? Our friends will protect us. We’ll take care of this bullshit, and then you and your family will be free to live your lives, Keirnan. I understand that you feel this is your fight, but there’s no shame in protecting your family and letting people more qualified take the burden from you.”

I was more than proud of Dash for how much he worried about Keirnan and Sibley. God, he’d changed so much since I first met him, and I fell more in love with the man every day.

Keirnan stared at both of us for a moment before he nodded. “I owe you guys so much already for all of this, but yes. My main concern is for my family.” Keirnan wrapped an arm around Sibley’s shoulders and kissed her temple.

I chuckled. “Uh, you should know that I’ve been helping milk with your father and Keith, and they both really liked having me—or you—at the barn, so you’ll need to help out when you’re there to keep that up. Oh, and there’s a new twist with Rachel. Horace Green⁠—”

Dash brushed his hand over my back. “Yeah, uh, Keirnan’s heard about Horace. He also met Beelz and Michael. The poor guy has had a rough couple of months with that damn demon inside him. Thankfully, we got rid of it.”

Sibley turned to stare at him, a tearful smile gracing her pretty face. “I knew that wasn’t you. You’re not cruel. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m so grateful you’re back to your normal self.”

She kissed his lips before she turned to us and held up her apple juice and cinnamon tea mocktail. “Let’s toast. Here’s to meeting new friends and conquering a demon.” We all chuckled as Dash lifted his glass of wine to toast with her before handing it to me to do the same. Now, we just had to deal with Marcus Shannon.

Dash droveus to the abandoned barn about three miles from the Morton’s dairy farm. “This looks like something out of a fucking horror movie. Why would I think Shannon would want us to meet him at the little café in town?”

I chuckled as I held his hand, not allowing myself to do more, or we’d be caught fucking in the back seat of the SUV and probably both end up with bullets in our heads. That was definitely not how our story was going to end.

We were early, so we got out of the rental and walked around the barn to get the lay of the land and determine if there were additional exits in case we needed them.

“We should have brought a gun. I know Sibley’s father has a pellet gun, and Betty has a shotgun that shoots rubber bullets. We should have brought them with us.”

Dash chuckled. “We’d probably end up shooting each other. No, I’m sure they’ll have guns, but we have something better if they ever show up.”

His head tipped up as he studied the sky, and I knew who he was looking for, our otherworldly heroes—or anti-heroes. It all depended on how one looked at them.

I, too, kept my eyes peeled for any sign of Beelzebub or Michael. I seriously had no idea how we were going to handle Marcus and his thugs, so as we circled the building and the nerves enveloped both of us, I decided we needed to get our minds on something else.

“So, uh, how’s everyone at the garage? How’re Jonas and Vale?”

Dash stopped me and stared into my eyes. “Everyone’s fine. I’ll tell you about everything after we shut this fuckhead down. Now, don’t make any sudden moves. Stay behind me.”

I chuckled. “What? Are you suddenly bulletproof?”

“We’ll see. I’m the Key, remember? The protector of the Gatekeeper. Don’t worry about me.”

That was easier said than done. We heard a car approaching our location, but there were no headlights. With the crescent moon, it was mostly dark, so we stayed out of sight at the corner of the barn until the black sedan pulled up next to the SUV.

Three men got out, though all I could really see were silhouettes. I turned to Dash. “Well?”

“All three have black auras. I don’t know or care which is which. The world would be a better place without any of them.”

I nodded, but... “Hopefully, we can reason with them.”

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” The voice wasn’t familiar, but the laugh that followed was. It was Darryl, Kathy’s husband. Keirnan’s brother-in-law.

“Maybe they got ate by a coyote?” That voice wasn’t one I’d heard before, but Dash chuckled and placed a hand on my back to lead me out.

“Sorry to burst your bubble.” Dash took my hand and pushed me behind him as the guns came out from three overcoats.

“Who da fuck are you?” One of the idiots—not Darryl—stepped in front of the fat man, holding a silver pistol. Guy number one had a black gun. I couldn’t imagine what kind it was. I didn’t know anything about guns. I’d only ever tried to patch up the damage done by them when they hit their mark.

“I’m a friend of Keirnan’s. I didn’t think it was smart for him to come out alone, so here I am. Who da fuck are you?” Dash’s voice was commanding and no-nonsense, which got my motor revving at the worst possible moment. I had to get my head back in the game.

“Where’s the money, Keirnan? Does Sibley know you’re a fag? I always suspected it.” That was Darryl, the cocky mother fucker. I wanted to bust him in the mouth!

Dash laughed. “You talk a big game, ya stupid fuck.”

I touched Dash’s shoulder and stepped next to him. “What he means is that I own the farm, now. The debt is mine, but I don’t have the money to pay it back in a lump sum. I was hoping we could work out a payment plan.”

Of course, that wasn’t going to go over well—plus, Keirnan didn’t have the money to pay it back. Talk about a stupid comment.

Darryl stepped in front of the other two men. “I told you to figure it out. Keirnan, you’re making me look bad, man. If the farm really is yours, sign it over to Marcus. Your family can keep working it and milking those fucking cows. We just want Ronny to keep planting corn and not worry about what’s between the rows. Maybe if Betty wants to make a little extra cash, she can be the courier to our connection in Chicago, say once a week? That’d be a nice little getaway for her. This way, we all win.”

“Yes, Keirnan. Let’s make it simple. You sign over the farm, and your family’s safe. That pretty pregnant wife of yours will have nothing to worry about.” That was Marcus Shannon. I didn’t need to be Dash to see the blackness of his soul.

Shannon stepped from behind both men, which I noticed had him about five feet away. A blind monkey could get off a kill shot from that range.

“How about the three of you go fuck yourselves? You’re not getting the farm, and Betty’s not doing jack shit for you. Take your crooked deals and get the fuck out of town before I call the cops.” Dash squeezed my hand.

“Dash, don’t⁠—”

“Yeah, Dash, don’t say stupid shit unless you want one in the dome.” The guy I didn’t know held up the gun in his hand and leveled it at Dash’s face.

We were getting nowhere. “Okay, guys. Anytime.” I shouted toward the sky, which seemed to startle the three assholes holding guns on us.

Nothing. Not a sound. Not a flash of light. Nothing.

Shannon, Darryl, and the other guy began swinging from left to right as though they were expecting company, which was exactly what we were expecting—praying for.

“You fucks brought the cops?” The unknown man was spinning, gun waving in front of him like he was swatting at flies.

We were at a stalemate, the five of us. Finally, Darryl moved closer to us and put the gun to Dash’s forehead. “Is this dickhead important to you? If I put a bullet in his brain, will it break your heart, Keirnan?”

My Dash, never being one to do the predictable thing, reached up with his right hand and jerked the gun from Darryl before he turned it and put it to Darryl’s head. It was so fast I didn’t see his hands move.

“And how about you, asshole? If I put a bullet in your head, will anybody fucking miss you?”

The sound of a shot shattered the silence. Shannon squeezed the trigger, and a single bullet ejected from the muzzle so slowly that I could see the spiraling brass cylinder going straight toward Dash’s head. I screamed. “Nooo!”

Dash lifted his hand and brushed the bullet out of the way before he lifted Marcus Shannon by the throat. The other guy pointed his gun at me and pulled the trigger, but at the speed the bullet moved, I was able to step out of the way, the bullet embedding into the wood of the barn.

How the fuck was any of that possible?