For Love & Bourbon (19 page)

Marco immediately knelt down to greet the dog, a big grin on his face. “Hey, buddy!”

Ava folded her arms and leaned against the door frame, one eyebrow lifting as she leveled her gaze with Cooper’s. “Mornin’.”

Cooper froze, taken aback by the sight of her clad in a big fluffy robe that slipped sexily off one of her shoulders, revealing the thin strap of nightgown beneath. Her waves of red hair were in disarray, a look that should have made her less appealing but instead had him itching to run his fingers through it.

He cleared his throat. “Morning. We need to speak with your dad.”

Ava’s eyes shifted from Cooper to Marco, then back again. “Why?”

“You know why.” Sympathy flashed over Cooper’s face and only pissed her off more.

She straightened, wishing she had the ability to slam the door shut in their faces. Since she knew that would only cause problems—and likely upset her mother—she backed up to welcome them inside.

“I’ll let him know you’re here.”

They followed her into the kitchen, Remy trotting alongside them. Sandra greeted them with a bright smile. “Would you boys like some coffee?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Marco gave a grateful nod while Cooper watched Ava walk through the living room and down the hallway. He noticed her mother staring at him and felt a flush creep up his neck, thankful when she only offered him a knowing smile before grabbing their coffee.

Ava knocked on the door to her father’s office, resting her hand over the painted wood. When he called her in, she opened it slowly and leaned inside.

Seeing him standing at the window with his back to her had her hesitating. He looked very much like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Perhaps he was.

“The FBI guys are here to talk to you.”

Ty nodded, but didn’t turn. “Bring them back.”

Ava chewed on her lower lip, wanting nothing more than to confront him about his lies then and there. Fear over what he’d say to her—fear that he’d only lie again—prevented the question from leaving her lips.

“Is everything okay, Daddy?”

He still didn’t turn. “Everything’s just fine, baby.”

“I can send them away if you want. You should really call your lawyer before you speak to them, anyway.”

Ty sighed, bowing his head. She saw his hands tighten into fists at his back, then release. “Please don’t interfere, Ava. This does not involve you.”

“Of course it does, how can you say that?” she demanded, offended by his statement. “I’m the one having to go around town making excuses for you. If you would just tell me what’s going on, I—”

He tilted his head toward her, his expression hard as stone. “Just bring them in.”

Her mouth snapped shut as angry tears filled her eyes. He was looking at her the way he used to when she’d argue with him as a teenager—all stern disapproval and icy resolve. What she had done to deserve such treatment now was beyond her.

“Fine.” She whirled around, eager to get away from him before she said something she would regret. Marching back into the kitchen, she nodded to Cooper and Marco. “He’ll see you now.”

Before they could reply she disappeared into her own room, desperate for a hot shower.

COOPER LED
the way into Ty’s office, Marco shutting the door behind them. They faced the man with tension sparking in the air.

“Please, sit.” Ty gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk as he sat behind it.

They followed his lead, but didn’t relax. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, Cooper knew. But it was a necessary one.

“Well?” Ty asked, leaning back in his seat. Impatience hardened his features and drew frown lines around his mouth. “What do y’all need now?”

Cooper reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photocopy of the ticket stub they had found. He placed it on the desk and slid it toward Ty. “Do you recognize this?”

Ty glanced at the paper briefly, nodded. “Yes.”

“So you acknowledge that you went to Belfast in 1984 and met your cousin, Ned Brannon?”

With a long exhale, Ty tossed up his hands. “Okay. Yes, I did. I was eighteen, wanted to meet the people my father claimed to hate so much. Turns out they were just as crazy as he’d always said they were.”

“Then why’d you spend three full weeks out there?” Marco asked. “And before you deny it, Delta confirmed the date of your return flight to the States.”

“What difference does it make how long I spent in Ireland? I toured the area, met most of the family, saw the sights.”

“You make it out to Dublin?” Cooper’s eyes met Ty’s, cobalt into near black. He noted the flicker of anger and recognition that passed in the other man’s gaze, meaning he’d hit the mark.

“If you’re thinking I went in to set up the Swiss account, you’re wrong. I didn’t open it till years later. Surely you know that already.”

“Right. But Ned could’ve showed you the bank, given you instructions for the future on how to get him the money without anyone noticing. Wire transfers leave a paper trail. With the Swiss account all Ned would need was the account number and the code and no one would ever be the wiser.”

Ty’s face flushed. For a long moment, he said nothing. When he spoke again, his voice was cold. Ice cold. “Seems you boys have it all figured out, don’t you? Why don’t you just arrest me then?”

Cooper shook his head. “Most of this is circumstantial, Mr. Brannon. But I guarantee we’ll find the proof we need. It may take days, weeks, maybe even months. Do you really want us disrupting the lives of your family members for that long? You can save them all a lot of trouble if you simply cooperate.”

“Cooperate.” Ty drew out the word, dark amusement flavoring his voice. “Gentlemen, I’ve been doing nothing
but
cooperatin’ with the FBI. I’ve let you into my home, let you tear apart my place of business, interrogate my family. How much more am I supposed to give?”

Marco’s brows rose. “How about the truth, Ty.”

Ty snickered and spun his chair to the side so he could look out the window. “I can’t wait for y’all to realize just how fruitless this little investigation of yours is.”

Cooper exchanged a confused look with Marco, who only shrugged. Realizing they had hit a dead end, Cooper tucked the copy of the ticket stub back into his pocket and rose to his feet.

“Suit yourself, Mr. Brannon.” Before they left, he turned once more to Ty. He wasn’t sure what made him think of it, but instinct had him asking the question. “You received an email several days ago from an ISP in Ireland. It said, ‘I know she’s with you.’ Any idea what that’s about?”

Ty tensed, but refused to meet his gaze. “No.”

“Was it from Ned?”

“Y’all are the FBI. Shouldn’t you be able to figure that out?”

Cooper caught the sarcasm in the man’s tone. It only made him more certain that Ty was lying.

“We’ll be in touch.” They exited the office, not any closer to finding the truth than when they had arrived.

“Can you believe that guy?” Marco murmured, jerking his head back toward the office as they headed down the hall.

“I can’t get a good read on him,” Cooper admitted. “This is the rudest he’s been to us, but he seemed more annoyed than afraid. If he was guilty and we were getting close to proving it, wouldn’t you think he’d be shaking in his boots?”

“Maybe he’s a better liar than we thought.”

“Or maybe he knows something we don’t. Something that changes everything.”

On their way to the kitchen, Ava suddenly appeared from one of the bedrooms, freshly showered with her hair towel-dried and damp. There was a warm flush to her cheeks that only brightened upon running into them.

“Oh. You’re still here,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over the plaid shirt she’d thrown on. She’d paired it with faded jeans and boots, looking ready to head down to the distillery and get to work.

Cooper nodded. “We’re on our way out.”

“Good.” She shifted her weight, her eyes darting between the two of them. “Did you get what you need from my father?”

“No,” Cooper replied honestly. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not really.”

Her mouth twisted in a sneer. “He’s in a bad mood today. Glad to see I’m not the only one who got the brush off from him.”

Marco chuckled. “If that’s what you want to call it.” His gaze shot to the kitchen, where Sandra was spooning a ladleful of gravy over a steaming biscuit. “Oh, man.”

Ava saw what he was fawning over and rolled her eyes. “We’re not doing this. You’re leaving.”

“But…food.” Marco pouted, already edging away from Ava to try his luck with Sandra. It only took a hopeful grin for her to serve him, ever the gracious hostess.

That left Ava and Cooper standing in the living room, awkward and uneasy. She glanced up at him, motioning for the kitchen. “You might as well go have some too. Looks like you’re staying.”

“I already ate. But thanks,” he told her, stuffing his hands in his pockets for lack of something better to do with them.

She nodded. “All right, suit yourself. I gotta get to work.”

“Ava, honey, why don’t you and Agent Lawson have some breakfast before it gets cold?” Sandra offered, setting plates full of scrambled eggs, biscuits, bacon, and country potatoes on the dining table.

Ava sighed. “I’d love to, Mama. But I really should get to the distillery.”

“It’s Saturday. You don’t have a tour till this afternoon,” Sandra reminded her, refilling Marco’s coffee mug.

Marco scooped up a bite of biscuit slathered in gravy and groaned. “Oh. Oh, Coop. Come try this. Seriously.”

Cooper’s mouth twitched. “I’m good.”

“Well, if y’all aren’t hungry, why don’t you show Agent Lawson around?” Sandra said to Ava, a sweet smile on her face.

Ava grimaced. “Why?”

“Manners, Ava.”

Ava bristled, realizing exactly what her mother was doing. Damn it, it was hard enough trying to keep herself in check when it came to Cooper without her mother’s interference. Why she was forcing the matter puzzled her. If anything, getting closer to Cooper Lawson would only lead to disaster. She was sure of it.

Then again, if she had a few moments alone with him she could probably goad him into telling her what he had discussed with her father. If there was any new information, she wasn’t going to find out about it with her mother in the room.

“Okay, Slick. C’mon.” She started for the front door, leaving him to follow.

“Where are we going?” he asked, catching Marco’s eye as he passed. His partner had a stupid grin on his face that he knew had nothing to do with the breakfast he was devouring.

“Around.” Ava stepped out into the light of morning, enjoying the crisp chill to the air that tickled her face. She breathed in the scent of sassafras and morning dew, grateful to be out of the house.

Cooper closed the door and came up beside her, keeping a careful distance. “You okay? You seem upset.”

“Yeah, I am upset,” she said flatly, turning her face up to his. “But you’re gonna help me fix that. Let’s go.”

“I am?” He watched her hop down the front porch steps and head for the four-wheeler. She slipped in behind the wheel and waved for him to join her.

“Hurry up. I ain’t got all day.”

Eyebrows raised, he joined her and once again gripped the side bar, still unused to riding around in something so exposed.

She pulled out onto the gravel road and headed for the loop that traced the edges of her family’s property. She didn’t have a specific destination in mind. Only a goal.

For a few minutes, they rode in silence. He stared out at the beauty of the countryside, while she worked over what she wanted to say. She had to come clean about how she felt. She had to put her foot down to make sure it didn’t get out of hand. And she damn well had to find out what her father had said to him.

“Last night was stupid,” she blurted out, her heart choosing to begin there. It was both harder and easier than the topic of her father. At least this she could control.

“How so?”

Her eyes shot to his, burned. “You almost kissed me. What the hell were you thinking?”