Tiernan Chapter 14

The past week had been jam-packed for all of us, so this was the first chance the family had to meet and go over updates. I wanted to know what had been found, not only about the Brynes and those who were disappearing but also if Cody had found anything about the guy Kynedi thought was lurking outside her apartment. It was a moot point now because she was here, but I still wanted to know.

We were all gathered in the Command Center, CC, as it was called, which was the nexus point beneath the compound where all the secret tunnels met. I’d finally shown it to Kynedi the other day and showed her how to enter it from our house. All of our homes had hidden entrances to it. The main house had several. I think she’d been stunned and a bit frightened at the thought we had them. I assured her the tunnels were a mere precaution, but she’d wanted to know if we ever had to use them. I explained they were used but only when we wanted to leave without being seen or sometimes to have a meeting. I didn’t explain why we might want to do that.

I hated not being candid with her, but I needed to expose her a little at a time. Things like the existence of the Hounds of Justice and what we did wouldn’t happen until she married me. I hoped she was as accepting as Ashlynn, Miranda, and Karizma were.

We had told Cody he didn’t need to make the drive out and that doing a Zoom call would suffice. With the security and encryption he had on all our electronic devices, we weren’t worried someone would hack in. He was on one of the large screens we had in the CC. The ladies hadn’t joined us. It wasn’t because they weren’t welcome. We just liked to keep them out of things unless something became a threat or they needed to know. They were aware of the trafficking of the women, except for Kynedi, but not all the minute details.

“Where would you like me to start? With the easy stuff, or the hardest?” Cody asked.

He appeared tired to me. It reminded me that I needed to have a conversation with my family about him and his workload. We’d be fucked if he became too ill to work. Plus, we cared about him. He was like family.

“Start with the simple first,” Darragh told him.

“Alright, then, that’s your last request, Tiernan. I dug into that guy you wanted me to find, Garvey Fitzhugh.” He paused. My family gave me a puzzled look. I hadn’t mentioned him to them, and they were wondering why.

“He’s just a guy who came onto Kynedi at the spa one day. He was persistent, and before she moved here for good, she swore she saw him outside her apartment complex one day. I just want to be sure it’s not something we should be worried about,” I explained.

“And is he someone he should worry about, Cody?” Darragh asked.

“I don’t believe he is. He might be pushy and doesn’t like to accept no at first, but he has no criminal record and no history of ever being accused of hurting anyone or stalking them. No orders of protection have been issued against him. As for Fitzhugh being outside her complex, she was right. He was. I got into the camera feed for their security cameras. He was there on the day and time you gave me. However, I don’t think he stalked her. His place isn’t too far away from her old one. He had a dog with him. Walking his dog that far is totally feasible. I can keep monitoring to see if he comes back if you want.”

I thought for a moment, then shook my head. “Nah, don’t. If we see him lurking around again, I might change my mind, but she lives here and doesn’t work at the spa anymore. Thanks, Cody. That’s a load off my mind.”

“Not a problem. You know I’m here if you need me. The next item of business also pertains to Tiernan. By the way, when will I meet Kynedi and Cassius?” He interjected before going on.

“I’ll bring them to the office soon,” I promised.

He nodded. “Good. Okay, back to work. As you know, I’ve been checking into Bram Farr. And you already know what the fucker did to Kynedi and Cassius. He was put away for a long time for what he did to Cassius. However, there has been some talk. It seems he’s appealed his conviction. His lawyer is saying there was mishandling of the case and evidence. They’re asking for it to be changed to a mistrial. If that happens, he can be released.”

This caused an uproar, not just from me. The whole lot of us were yelling and swearing. It took a bit to calm us down enough for anyone to be heard. As expected, it was Darragh who spoke first. As the head of the family, his input was a must and would be followed unless, by consensus, the rest of us vetoed him. It rarely happened.

“I know none of us want that, but think of it this way. We can protect Kynedi and Cassius. And it solves a problem. With him out of prison, he’ll be easier to get our hands on and make him suffer, then disappear. As shitty as it is on one hand, on the other, it’s perfect. Cody, is there anything you can do or find that will help his case?”

As Dar’s words sank in through the haze of rage clouding my mind, I wised up to the opportunity it could give us.

“There might be. I looked through the official documents, and there’s an iffy procedure by one of the cops. His documentation about the chain of custody on a couple of the documents Kynedi provided the police is incomplete. A good lawyer will find it and run with it.”

The chatter back and forth between Cody and Dar, with a few others chiming in, flowed around me as I thought of the bastard getting out. Kynedi would be so afraid, but she wouldn’t lose sleep over it if she didn’t know until he was no longer a threat. In the end, Dar told Cody to nudge the lawyer toward the botched chain of custody.

It seemed that no one else had Cody working on stuff, so the only thing left was to talk about the investigation into the Brynes and those disappearing girls and women. I’d told them about my run-in with him at Jasso’s and how he acted. Cody brought it up.

“After your lovely encounter with him and Scotty in Ocala, Chris went off the radar for a few days. Everyone was told he was at their beach house in Malibu. Orders were that he wasn’t to be disturbed and he’d contact others if he wanted company. And the only one with him was Scotty. Here’s the odd part. A maid who works at the house said no one has been there in months. And she would know because she’s there three times a week when no one is in residence, and when they are, it’s daily. She didn’t stock the house like she did prior to a visit and was in and out during the time he was supposed to be there, and there was no sign of anyone having been there. So the question is, where was he, and what was he up to?” Cody paused to give us time to answer.

This new information got us thinking, and our conclusions weren’t good. Although we’d done things like this to get out of the eyes of the media and those wanting something from us, it was a bit hard to believe in Chris’s case. Especially immediately after he and I had words.

“He’s up to something. I doubt he’s over Aisling marrying me. And even though we’ve kept the pregnancy a secret, he’ll eventually find out. He’s a vindictive man. Then, to have Tiernan make him look bad in public again. He has to be seething,” Alistair said.

“Chris always was one to pay someone back for a slight, even as a kid. Have you found anything more out about the kidnapping and trafficking business? Can we tie his ass to it?” Darragh asked Cody.

Cody wearily shook his head. “I haven’t proved Christopher is either aware of it or involved. I’m sorry. I’m trying, Darragh. If he is, he’s wily about covering his tracks. That doesn’t mean others are as smart. I’ve tied three more to it. And I’ve found proof that the Brynes have some minor people on their payroll who’re embedded in the other families.”

“Embedded? Who the fuck does he have in ours?” Cian roared.

“No one. Do you think if there were, I’d be telling you now? Or be this calm? It seems the ones they did it to were all brought into the other families in the past year. To be safe, I went back two years on anyone we’ve hired, even in the various businesses, and reran them. If we have a spy, they’re smarter than me.”

“There isn’t anyone smarter than you, Cody. Alright, so we’re clean. Why do you believe that is?” Patrick asked.

“Because the other families don’t take their safety as seriously as you do. They have sloppy background checks on those they hire. Anyone they have personal relationships with doesn’t seem to be vetted. They allow gaps, and those make it easy to slip people into their businesses or even as their personal guards,” Cody answered.

“ Buíochas le Dia , thank God we’re paranoid,” Rory muttered with a grin.

“Damn right, we are. We learned our lessons well from our phápa, papa,” Sean said with a grin. Patrick and Daid both nodded in agreement. Conall had been a hard man, except when it came to loving his family.

“Do you believe you’ve found everyone, big and small, who’s involved other than proving Chris is or isn’t?” Darragh asked Cody.

He sighed. “I think I have, but I want to do one more run-through. I need to prove Chris’s status. I know we’re all anxious to go and shut this down and rescue as many of these women and girls as we can. I’m with you on that. It sickens me to think of what they’re suffering. But I think it’s a mistake to make a move without clearing him or not.”

“Agreed. And at least in these last few months since we’ve been investigating, it seems they’ve stopped the kidnappings. There haven’t been any new reports of disappearances. It’s like they know they’re being watched, and they’re lying low, but it won’t stay that way forever,” Ciaran added.

“True. I have alerts set to tell me if there’s any chatter starting again about taken or missing women. Those monsters taking them are asking for more but being told to wait. I’ll be on it as soon as they get a different response,” Cody promised.

“We know you will. Are there any other updates?” Darragh asked him.

When Cody said no, he was told he could go. We thanked him profusely for all his tireless work, which he waved away. Once the screen went blank, I went for it.

“We’ve got to get Cody to let either those on his team help more or get him more help. He’s exhausted. Did you see the circles under his eyes and how tired he looks?”

“Yeah, I noticed it, and it’s been happening for a while,” Fallon agreed.

“I know he wants to do all the work when it deals directly with the family or the Hounds, but it’s too much,” I added.

“He’s at the office before any of us get there and stays after all of us leave. Hell, I don’t know when he has time to sleep,” was Rian’s observation.

There were a few more remarks before Darragh got us all back to the point I was trying to make. “I don’t disagree. I’ll talk with him and tell him to focus only on the Brynes thing. Everything else, no matter what will be punted to his team. If they can’t handle it, then he’s to tell me, and I’ll get him help. The Horsemen of Wrath have Micro, and he’s a whiz on the computer. Even Cody said so. We’ve thoroughly evaluated them and their associates.”

I was kind of surprised that Darragh would allow outsiders to help. However, they weren’t total unknowns. Judge, our tattooist, was part of the Horsemen MC. We’d helped a few other MCs in Tennessee out when they had issues, and our family asked us to step in. Those other MCs were friends of the Horsemen. It was just that we were the ones to help others, not the other way around. It would be a new dynamic if we did.

This got us talking for a good twenty minutes before we ran out of steam. When that occurred, the meeting ended. All of us went to rejoin our family. Kynedi and Cassius were in the main house. The ladies had gathered together to bake. Khloe and Cass were eagerly waiting for whatever came out of the ovens.

It was like a herd of buffalo stomping up the stairs and into the house. We made our way to the kitchen like dogs following a scent trail. The scents filling the air made my stomach growl even though we’d eaten dinner. It was Saturday, so all of us were home. When we entered, we found the two kids at the island, happily eating Irish Lace Cookies. They were wafer-thin, so they were crispy and sweet. They’d been favorites when we were growing up. It appeared the grandkids loved them as much.

Gathering around them, we teased them by pretending to take bites out of their cookies. We laughed as they hid them and told us to get our own. The ladies had made three other favorites along with the cookies, or biscuits, as we called them in Ireland—an Irish Cream Poke Cake, Walnut and Raspberry Soda Bread, and Honey Gingerbread Trifle.

It was loud and chaotic as we grabbed plates and silverware and fought each other, mockingly, to get some. Our mamaí slapped our hands and scolded us, but it didn’t stop us.

“Look at how you’re teaching these two to behave. Shame on you. Khloe and Cass, don’t act like your aithreacha, dads, and uncaili ,” Maeve told them.

When Daid , Sean, and Patrick dove for the desserts too, Maeve sighed, and Brenda added, “Or your seanathair , grandfathers.” They gave their wives cheeky smiles but kept scooping up the desserts.

We had a great time eating, talking, and teasing each other. It was late by the time we decided it was time to go our separate ways. The yawns and eye rubs from the kids told us it was bedtime. I carried Cassius to our house. He was out before we cleared the backyard of the main house. It was a warm, beautiful night out. Kynedi walked beside me with her hand hooked around my waist. Contentment unlike any I’d ever known filled me. This was what I’d been waiting for for years. We needed our little guy to get his sleep. We had a busy day planned for tomorrow. He didn’t know it, but I was positive he’d go crazy for it.

???

When we drove into the grounds of the surprise, Cassius looked around with a puzzled look. That was until he spotted the horses. When he did, he let out a gasp and wiggled in his seat. I promised a while back I’d take him to see our racehorses and a rodeo. Luckily, there was a rodeo less than an hour and a half away from St. Augustine in Deltona.

Today, we not only had Milo along, but Claudia. We were testing out how she did with Kynedi and Cass. Claudia was the younger sister of Creed, Aisling’s primary bodyguard. She’d joined us about six months ago, and all indications were that she was as top-notch as her brother. We had only male guards until her, not because we were chauvinists. We hadn’t had women who applied until Claudia. If she did well and my family liked her, I was thinking of making her Kynedi and Cass’s primary bodyguard. It was time to have them protected with a dedicated bodyguard whenever they were outside the compound.

They were driving us. Milo found a parking spot as close to the main ring as possible. As we made our way to the stands, I felt the gazes on us. We were dressed casually like the others, even Claudia and Milo, but we still stuck out. Part of it was that I was recognized. The other was that even if they were dressed laid-back, the two of them gave off the aura of security. It was how watchful they were.

I knew the rodeo owner here, but instead of sitting in a private box, we took our place in the stands. I knew Cassius would want to be as close to the action as he could get. The boy was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Cass, we’ll watch some of the events, and then later, I’ll take you to see the horses and stables up close. How does that sound?” I asked.

“Great,” was all he muttered.

He was already entranced with the horses. I spent most of my time answering his questions, with a few thrown in from Kynedi, and explaining things I thought he’d be interested in. He soaked it all up like a sponge. In the rough stock events, we watched saddle broncs, bareback, and bull riding. In what was called the timed events, there were five more. Steer wrestling, tie-down, aka calf roping, team roping, barrel racing, and a newer event called breakaway roping were in that category.

We spent hours watching, which we knew would happen. That was why we got here early and planned to make a day of it. A couple of times, we had to take a break to go to the bathroom or get something to drink or snack on, but it was right back to the stands when we were done. As it wore on into late afternoon, I knew it was time to take him to see the horses and introduce them to the owner. I texted to be sure it was a good time and got a thumbs-up in return and instructions to come to the main stables.

When we arrived, I saw who we were looking for. I was headed in that direction when I was spotted, and a dynamo ran to me and threw her arms around me. She kissed my mouth and excitedly said, “I can’t believe you’re here. It’s been too long. You and I need to catch up, handsome,” Jessa said.

At that moment, I knew I should’ve prepared Kynedi for this. I hadn’t told her anything other than I knew the owner. I’d forgotten how enthusiastic Jessa was. Looking at her, no one would think she owned a rodeo. She was a pretty, petite, redheaded Irish lass who inherited it from her dad when he passed. She’d grown up in the rodeo her whole life.

She and I had met years ago and struck up a friendship. She was attractive, but it had never been more than friendship. However, she was very touchy and often kissed close friends on the mouth. She didn’t mean anything by it, but the expression on Kynedi’s face told me she was upset and took the kiss wrong. I rushed to correct the misconception before it got out of hand.

Kynedi had moved away from me. With Jessa wrapped around me, Kynedi stepped further away. She had a hold of Cass’s hand. He was staring at us with a perplexed look on his face. Milo gave me a look that screamed, fix this, or she’s gonna bolt . I gently pushed Jessa away. She glanced from me to Kynedi, then back. I reached my hand out to Kynedi. She didn’t take it at first, which made my heart skip.

“ Mo chuisle , come here and let me introduce you to Jessa. She’s the owner of this rodeo and an old friend.”

Jessa’s eyes almost bugged out when I called Kynedi my pulse. She knew the language. Her hand came up to cover her mouth as she gasped.

“Oh my God! Are you telling me that Tiernan O’Sheeran has settled down? Women all over the world must be crying their hearts out.”

“Jessa, you’re not helping. You’ve got my anamchara about to run. Kynedi, leanbh , we’ve only ever been friends. Jessa is just overly affectionate. She kisses people on the mouth.”

“He’s right, I do. Damn, she’s hot, Tiernan. Can I kiss her?” Jessa asked as she checked out my woman. Jessa was an equal opportunity lover, as she called it. She liked both men and women. She was giving Kynedi a flirtatious look.

I hooked Kynedi’s hand and pulled her to me. “Stop it, Jessa, or I’m leaving. I didn’t come here for you to steal my woman. Behave.”

She pouted out her bottom lip. “Fine, be a spoilsport, but Kynedi, if you change your mind, come find me.” She made a kissing motion aimed at Kynedi.

Kynedi was stunned looking now. Before either of us could say anything, Jessa was eyeballing Milo and Claudia. Milo had met her before. She winked at him.

“Hi Milo, how about a kiss?”

He laughed. “I can’t handle you, Jessa.”

“What about your friend? She’s scrumptious, too,” she added as she checked out Claudia.

I burst out laughing when Claudia casually tossed back, “You definitely can’t handle me.”

“Okay, stop before we get into real trouble. I brought you someone who’s dying to see the horses up close. This is Cassius. He’s Kynedi and I’s son. Cass, this lady is Ms. Jessa. She owns this rodeo. She can tell you everything you ever want to know about it. She grew up in it with her dad. Jessa, Cassius is an avid horseman, and soon he’ll know more than me.”

“Wow, that’s impressive if you know more than Tiernan. Welcome.”

Cass hesitated a moment before he said, “Thank you.” Then he added more and surprised us. “You shouldn’t kiss my daidí on the mouth. Only mhamaí is allowed to do that.”

“Don’t worry. I only kissed him because I do that to my friends, but you’re right. I shouldn’t. I promise I won’t do it again. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll check out the horses? Oh, and Kynedi, it’s wonderful to meet you. I meant no offense. This big lug should’ve warned me.” Jessa punched me in the arm before heading further into the stables. We followed her. We let her and Cassius get ahead of us. Claudia stuck close to Cass while Milo stayed near us but far enough to give us privacy to talk.

“I’m sorry for that. Jessa doesn’t mean anything by it. I completely forgot she did it. There’s never been anything between us,” I told Kynedi softly. I knew if a man came up and kissed her on the mouth, I’d be upset.

“I was just surprised. I’m not used to people doing that. I admit, I wondered if you two had ever been together. She’s very pretty.”

“ Muirnín , she is pretty but doesn’t hold a candle to you. I’ve always seen her as a sister, like Aisling. As for me, being together with a woman has never happened. That implies a relationship, and I didn’t do those until you. I need you to know that I’m a one-woman man. I won’t cheat. Now, why don’t you give me a real kiss?”

“Hang on,” she said as she rummaged in her purse.

I didn’t know what she was looking for until she pulled it out. It was a package of wet wipes she carried for Cass. I’d seen her use them on his hands and face before. She took one out, reached up, and scrubbed my mouth. I chuckled. When she was done, I lowered my head and laid one on her. I wanted it to curl her toes.

As we kissed, I heard Jessa laughing and yelling. “That’s it, kiss her blind, Tiernan. Woo hoo!”

I reluctantly let her go. I saw Milo grinning, Claudia smiling, and Jessa giving me a thumbs-up. Cass was lost admiring the horses. He couldn’t care less. This family day was taking some interesting turns.