For Love & Bourbon (24 page)

AS HE
drove the short distance to the distillery, Adam mulled over his sister’s lunacy. He had never considered her stupid, but flirting with the FBI agent was bad news. How she couldn’t see that—or if she did, how she could rationalize it to herself—was beyond him. It seemed clear cut and obvious that the FBI wanted only one thing—their father behind bars for funding terrorism. And from the looks of it, they weren’t going to leave until they got their man.

He didn’t want to believe his father was guilty, but he wasn’t a fool, either. He’d known from the start that the FBI was after more than just fines and penalties for tax fraud. If his sister had only trusted him sooner with the truth, maybe he could have saved her from her own pitiful yearnings for this agent.

Special Agent Cooper Lawson. Adam’s lip curled in disgust as he pictured the man, all slick and charming with an ice cold intellect hidden beneath a friendly façade. He’d never met a man quite like that before. People in the South tended to be of a more honest, what-you-see-is-what-you-get nature. He held no such trust for this man in the crisp black suit.

Ava was free to make her own mistakes, but not when those mistakes impacted the family and most importantly himself. He had never been the over-protective brother ordering her to keep her legs closed as he had always been too preoccupied with his own trysts. Now he wondered if his lack of guidance in some way led to her ridiculous choices in men.

First Beau, who from a mile away was clearly a cruel, arrogant son-of-a-bitch, and now for some unknown reason the very FBI agent trying to tear apart their family. It seemed like a page out of a psychology book on hostage behavior. Fall in love with the captor or whatever. It was downright pathetic.

If Ava was going to go down this self-destructive path, then he needed to take matters into his own hands. His grandfather had never once looked to him or trusted him to take his place and run the company, but there was no reason he couldn’t. He was just as capable as Ava, if not more so given her actions of late. And unlike his sister, he was loyal to family and would fight
for
them, not against them.

It was time to put the vices of his past behind him, and finally take control of his life. Starting with securing the position he should have had from the start.

He walked into the distillery, head high and a sense of business about him. The large, warehouse-type building was bustling with moving machines, churning vats of mash, and employees going about their daily duties. The smell of sweet corn filled his nostrils and brought on a sense of pride.

The distillery foreman, Ed Barrow, approached him with a questioning smile.

“Mornin’, Adam. What brings you here?”

Adam regarded the man with a heated stare. “I have something to discuss with you, Ed. It’s about my sister.”

“Is Ava all right?” Ed asked, shoving his clip board under his arm so he could adjust his ball cap. The white dress shirt he wore was already dampened with sweat from his busy morning.

“Physically, she’s fine.” Adam patted Ed’s shoulder, angling him toward the offices. “However, I’m afraid she may be in a position to compromise the stability of Lucky Fox. I felt you should know what’s goin’ on before everything goes down.”

“What in God’s name are you talkin’ about?” Ed shuffled into his office ahead of Adam, who closed the door behind them. He took a seat before Ed’s desk and sat back comfortably.

“I know you’ve seen the FBI sniffin’ around here,” Adam began, inspecting his fingernails. He turned his attention back to Ed. “Haven’t you?”

“Well, of course. Everybody has,” Ed confirmed. He settled into the chair behind his desk, looking uneasy. “Joe said that was just about taxes or some such thing.”

Adam tilted his head. “It was and it wasn’t. I only just learned of the true meaning behind the FBI’s visit, and unfortunately it isn’t good.”

Ed’s face blanched. “What is it?”

“I can’t give you details, but in essence it involves a lot of money being transferred overseas that’s unaccounted for. Ava’s been working with the FBI agents to pin this on my father. She wants him out of the picture.”

“Ty? Ty ain’t ever done nothin’ illegal. The man’s a saint.” Ed shifted in his seat, shaking his head. “And Ava, she loves your daddy. I don’t see her selling him out like this.”

“Well, she is.” Beginning to lose his patience, Adam leaned forward, linking his hands together in front of him. “She and that one agent have become…romantically involved.”

Ed blinked, as though not understanding the statement. When he put two and two together, his eyes widened and his mouth opened to form a silent ‘O’.

Adam nodded. “Now you see the predicament we’re in. She’s been working with him
against
this company’s best interests. If she has her way, Lucky Fox may be forced to close its doors.”

“That girl loves this place. She’d never want it closed,” Ed defended, his loyalty to Ava seeping into his voice.

Adam realized he was losing the battle. “I’m not sayin’ she wants it to close. All I’m sayin’ is her actions will inevitably
lead
to us having to shut down if this scandal with the money goes public.”

Ed rubbed his chin, looking doubtful. “So what is it exactly that you want me to do?”

“Nothin’, Ed, I’m just filling you in on what’s goin’ on,” Adam replied, rising to his feet. His hands slipped into his pockets. “I know we’ve never been very close and I’ve been more of an embarrassment to Lucky Fox than an asset, but I care about this company and the Lucky Fox family. I don’t want to see my sister’s blind desires jeopardize all you and my grandfather have worked to build.”

“So these agents are bad news then, huh?”

“They want to throw my father in prison. For the life of me I can’t figure out why my sister is helping them, but it’s become obvious to me that she is.”

Ed’s face fell as he numbly accepted Adam’s words. He shuffled through some of the paperwork on his desk, his gaze falling upon a framed portrait of his wife and kids. Adam saw him tear up a bit and felt a stab of guilt hit him in the gut.

“Look, Ed. This isn’t a reason to panic, okay?” Adam ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’ll take care of everything. I’ll save this company and I won’t let the FBI take my father.”

Before Ed could respond, Ava threw open the office door and leaned inside. She started to speak only to catch eyes with Adam and frown.

“What’re you doing here?”

Adam shrugged, his chin jutting out in a defensive gesture. “Just catchin’ up with Ed.”

Ava glanced between her brother and her foreman, noting the latter was damp with sweat and teary-eyed.

“Something tells me it’s more than that.” Ava stepped into the room and went to Ed. “Everything okay?”

Ed tried to nod, but his face flushed instead and he climbed to his feet. “You lied to me, Ava. Right to my face. To all our faces. You said it was only about taxes, but it’s more, ain’t it?”

“Excuse me?” she stammered, taken aback by the angry heat that colored his face. She looked at Adam, who only met her stare with equal obstinacy.

Before Ed could answer, her cell phone rang. She lifted a finger for Ed to hold on as she dug it out of her back pocket and answered it.

“
It’s Beau
.”

“Now’s not a good time, Sheriff.” She glared at her brother, needing to take long, slow breaths just to quell the urge to pummel him.

“
It’s about your mama. She’s been taken to the hospital. You need to get down there immediately.
”

Her heart did one quick, violent lurch. “What happened? Is she okay?”

His voice took on a softer, more somber tone, as if even he couldn’t believe the words he was about to say. “
She was robbed downtown while getting out of her car. She’s been shot. I’m gonna be honest, sweetheart, it’s not lookin’ good.
”

Ava swayed on her feet, her mind flashing with images of her mother taking on an armed attacker. She didn’t even register that Adam had come to her side, his hand on her shoulder and fearful concern in his eyes. “Where is she?”

“
They had to airlift her to Louisville.
”

She didn’t wait to hear more and hung up the phone. In an instant, she was barreling out of the office with Adam on her heels.

“What happened?” he demanded, his voice clipped with terror.

“Mama’s at the hospital.” Ava wiped away the tears that fell down her face as she swept past curious employees and out into the daylight. She didn’t bother to speak again until she was buckled into her truck with Adam in the passenger seat.

“Wh—”

She cut him off before he could repeat his question. “Beau says she was mugged downtown and the guy shot her.” Her voice cracked as she pulled onto the dusty gravel road. “He said it’s bad.”

Adam fell into silence and her earlier disgust with him vanished under anxiety for their mother. Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she roared down to the highway and then kicked it up to near one hundred miles-per-hour, her hands locked tight on the steering wheel.

A DUEL
vision of auburn hair and panicked faces, Ava and Adam skidded to a stop before the reception desk at the hospital. They both spoke at once and the receptionist had to motion for them to slow down and repeat their request.

Ava took the lead. “Sandra Brannon. What room?”

The middle-aged brunette tapped into the computer, lips pursed as she looked up the name. “Here we go. Ms. Brannon has just come out of surgery and is recovering upstairs. Are you family?”

“Yes,” Adam cut in, unable to stand still. “Just tell us what goddamn room. Please.”

The woman rattled off directions and handed them visitor stickers and Ava and Adam were gone, vaulting toward the elevator. In three minutes flat they were halfway across the hospital and careening for their mother’s room.

A tall woman of Indian descent wearing a white doctor’s coat stepped between them and the door, eyeing the visitor badges on their chests. “You’re here to see Ms. Brannon? She’s still unconscious. It’s best if you wait.”

“No.” Ava shook her head, tears brimming hotly in her eyes. “Just let us see that she’s okay.”

The doctor nodded, sympathy lining her face. “The bullet just barely missed her heart. We were able to remove it, but unfortunately she’s lost a lot of blood.”

“But she’ll live, right?” Adam demanded, his hand instinctually finding Ava’s. They held on to each other, united.

“She’s not out of the woods just yet.” The doctor’s lips pressed together in a firm line, as though she was trying to find the best way to deliver the news. “We’ve done all we can for now. I’m sorry.”

A single sob escaped Ava’s throat. She curled into her brother, resting her forehead on his shoulder. He held her close, unable to breathe.

“We want to see her,” he said, his gaze firm and unwavering. The doctor considered his request for a moment. She then nodded and backed out of the way, motioning for the door.

“You have five minutes.”

Adam led Ava toward their mother’s room, his mind numb as if in a dream as he opened the door. The first thing he saw was their mother lying on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines that were beeping and dripping fluids into her body. The heartbeat on the monitor was slow and steady, and seeing it broke something inside of him. She was alive. No matter how bad she looked with shadows under her eyes and her face waxy and pale, her heartbeat meant hope.

Ava parted from him and walked slowly forward. She reached out tentatively to touch her mother’s hand, finding it hard to look at her face. If she just focused on the hand, she didn’t have to acknowledge the deathly stillness of her mother’s features.

Lowering herself into a chair beside the bed, Ava kept her hand on her mother’s and bent her head to cry.

Adam was at her side immediately, kneeling down to cradle her head to his chest and provide comfort, both for her and for himself.

“How could this happen?” Ava moaned, sniffling and struggling for air. “She keeps that .38 in the glove compartment. Why didn’t she use it?”