Love and Shamrocks: Ballybeg, Book 5 (33 page)

He could only hope that the coast guard would reach them before long. While he couldn’t risk letting Ray escape to France, he wasn’t keen on the idea of tackling him and his crew with a bunch of civilians as back up.

Clio grabbed his arm. “I see them. Look, they’re already on the move.”

Feck.
Seán peered through his binoculars. Sure enough, a sailing boat was leaving Inish Glas’s small dock. He adjusted the binoculars to get a better view. Ray Greer’s wiry curls and thick glasses were visible on the deck. “That’s them all right. Can this rust bucket move any faster, Buck?”

Buck changed gears and the elderly vessel sputtered and splashed, then lurched forward and took off at an alarming rate. “Rust bucket, my arse,” Buck shouted. “Show them what you can do,
Betsy Ross
.”

“You keep interesting company in Ballybeg, Clio,” Delaney remarked in a sardonic tone. “First, the Guard. Now, two inebriated fishermen. And you think
I’m
a bad influence on Tammy.”

“Buck and John-Joe come as a double act,” Seán explained. “Buck can sail but not swim. John-Joe can’t sail but can swim.”

“Between the pair of them, they have three functioning eyes and maybe half a functioning liver,” Clio added, slumping against Seán’s shoulder. Her complexion was green and her hair windblown, but she was still the sexiest woman he’d ever encountered.

Delaney cocked an eyebrow. “So what’s the plan, sergeant? I can guarantee you that Ray and his pals are armed to the hilt. You, I assume, are a castrated Guard now that you’re back in uniform.”

“If you mean to say that I’m no longer permitted to carry a gun, then that’s correct. However”—he got to his feet and pulled up the lid off his seat—“we just happen to have a pair of semiautomatic pistols and a couple of boxes of ammo on the boat. I suggest we use them and lose them in the sea before we get back to shore.”

Delaney beamed and pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket. “Make that three semis. Give one of yours to Clio. She’s a damn good shot.”

Seán stared at Clio. “Do I want to know why you’re a good shot?”

She smiled, picked up one of pistols, and loaded it expertly. “Let’s file this particular skill under strictly-need-to-know for now.”

“Jaysus,” said John-Joe, swaying at the side of the deck. “Did you forget to get rid of a couple of the guns, Buck?”

“He did,” Seán replied. “But if you lads cooperate, I might just forget I saw them.”

His uncle squinted at the weapons. “Are you planning a shoot-out?”

“Much as I’d love to avoid one, I don’t know see that happening.” There was no need for binoculars now. They’d almost caught up with Ray’s boat. He turned to his uncle. “When I tell you to hit the deck, I’ll mean it. Literally.”

A shout from Ray’s boat indicated they’d been spotted. Crouching under the wheel, Buck got them as close to the other vessel as he dared.

On impulse, Seán grabbed Clio and kissed her hard. “In case you hadn’t already realized, you’ve captured my heart, Clio Havelin. When we get out of this mess, I want to make a go of it with you.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Are you telling me that you love me?”

“I love you,” he said, and meant it with an earnest intensity he’d never experienced before. “Now dry your eyes and don’t get shot.”

Lar cleared his throat. “When you two are done with the love-dovey stuff, Ray’s men are prepping their guns.”

They didn’t need to wait long for a hail of bullets.

“TAim to incapacitate, not kill,” Seán said. “After my count…”

Seán, Clio, and Delaney opened fire.

“How many of them are there?” Clio whispered after the first round of bullets had been spent.

“Unless one of them is hiding below deck, there are five including Ray.”

“Four,” Delaney said. “I got one.”

“Injured or dead?” Seán asked, alarmed.

“If a some bastard opens fire on me, I shoot to kill, sergeant. Save your sermons for your underlings.” With that, Delaney took aim and fired again, neatly eliminating two more of Ray’s cohorts.

Realizing he was well and truly screwed, Ray was waving his arms around in a panicked fashion. “Stop shooting, for fuck’s sake. We surrender.”

Five minutes later, a disoriented Ray and the remaining member of his crew had been hauled aboard. Both had been nicked by bullets and were bleeding profusely.

In the distance, they could see the coast guard speeding toward them.

“Not much time,” Delaney said. Grabbing their weapons and the remaining ammunition, he tossed them onto the deck of Ray’s boat. Bending to give Clio a kiss on the cheek, he said, “Give my love to Tammy and tell her I’ll be in touch.”

With these parting words and a mock salute to Seán, he leaped onto the other boat. “Get moving. You won’t want to be around when this baby blows.”

Seán inclined his head a fraction. “Hit it, Buck.”

Buck required no further invitation to put as much space as possible between him and a crazed lunatic in the possession of several weapons.

They’d almost met the coast guard when they heard the explosion.

“What the hell?” one of the coast guards exclaimed, staring in horror at the burning remains of Ray’s boat. His stunned gaze switched to the occupants of the
Betsy Ross
.

“Faulty engine,” Seán said, deadpan.

“It was giving us trouble from the start,” Ray added, ashen-faced and bloody, but rallying.

John-Joe struggled to his feet. “If you’re done blowing shite up, can I get back to my pint?”

WHEN THE COAST guard escorted the
Betsy Ross
back to shore, Tammy and Travis were waiting for them on the pier along with Helen, the super, Brian Glenn, and what looked to be the entire population of Ballybeg.

“Jaysus. That’s quite a welcome party,” John-Joe said, delighted.

Clio snuggled against Seán’s side. “I’m looking forward to getting home.”

He ruffled her windblown hair. “And I’m looking forward to getting rid of everyone and having you all to myself. Preferably naked.”

She was totally down with that idea, especially once she was off a moving boat and no longer seasick.

Buck was taking the
Betsy Ross’s
new, bullet-ridden look rather well. “It adds a certain je-ne-say-whatsit to the vessel,” he philosophized after they’d docked and Seán was assisting him down the ladder. “A bit of street cred, you know. The lads in MacCarthy’s will be impressed. I might even get a few pints out of it.”

“You’ll be getting a free pint in any case,” shouted Sharon MacCarthy from the pier, giving them a thumbs-up. “Drinks are on the house for the next hour to welcome the new addition to the family. Baby Lucy was born twenty minutes ago. So stop gawking and get to the pub.”

John-Joe and Buck required no further incentive. Ignoring the squawking protests of the coast guard that they needed to be debriefed, they took off running for the pub and their promised pints.

Superintendent O’Riordan watched them go, shrugged, and went over to placate his outraged colleagues.

Brian winked when he approached. “Sharon knows how to create a distraction, clear a crowd, and make a bit of money all at the same time.”

“Good for Sharon,” Seán said, laughing.

“Good for Baby Lucy,” Clio added with a smile.

Ray, handcuffed and subdued, was escorted down the pier by two of the reserve policemen. When Helen spotted him, she went wild.

“You blaggard,” she screamed, forgetting the cultured accent and vocabulary she’d spent years acquiring. “You’re a fecking disgrace. How dare you threaten my daughter?”

Abandoning a wide-eyed Tammy, Helen advanced on Ray, brandishing her handbag like a weapon. “Get out of my way, officer,” she said to Reserve Garda McGarry. The man had good instincts and maneuvered himself out of danger a split second before Helen’s handbag collided with Ray’s face.

“Ah!” he screamed.

“And this”—Helen got in a second whack—“is for breaking into my house.”

Ray staggered back, clutching his nose and yowling.

“Well done, Mother,” Clio said, impressed. “I think you broke his nose.”

Tammy ran to her side, clutching an excited Travis, and looking about frantically. “Where’s Dad?”

Clio let go of Seán’s hand, hugged her daughter, and dropped a kiss onto the puppy’s furry head. “At this very moment, I’m not sure, but knowing Lar, he’s perfectly fine. He said he’d be in touch with you. I think the less we say about him when we’re questioned, the better.”

Tammy nodded. “Understood.”

“After I have a significant word with Councilors Evans and Jobson about the halting site and Travellers’ rights,” Seán said, giving Clio a knicker-melting smile, “we’re all going to have to go to the station to be debriefed.”

The only debriefing she was interested in involved removing her and Seán’s underwear. Judging by his grin, the same thought had crossed his mind.

Tammy looked from one to the other and scrunched up her nose in an expression of pure adolescent disdain. “Are you two going to be getting it on the whole time now?”

Clio linked arms with her daughter. “Would you have a problem with it if we did?”

Tammy considered for a moment, then shook her head. “Nah. I like Sergeant Mackey, even if he did arrest me for attempted shoplifting.”

“Eh?” Seán laughed. “Cheeky madam. I escorted you off the premises. No arrests were made.”

“Won’t you be going back to work in Dublin now, though?” Tammy asked, voicing the question Clio had been trying to suppress. “You’re bound to get your old job back.”

Seán’s gaze rested on Clio, suddenly serious. Then he focused on her daughter. “That depends on you and your mother. With all the drama the pair of you have caused since your arrival in Ballybeg, the excitement of Dublin has lost its allure. Besides,” he added, winking at Clio. “I hear there’s a vacancy in the Cork City homicide division.”

One Year Later

SEÁN GOT DOWN on bended knee in front of the hallway mirror of their newly purchased home.
Jaysus.
This position was more complicated than he’d thought. A fumble in his shirt pocket produced a fancy box, freshly procured from the jeweler that morning.

“Clio Havelin, will you make an honest man of me?”

No, that was all wrong. He sounded like he’d been gargling with acid.
Feck.
This wasn’t going to cut it. How many times was he going to have to practice this damn speech before he got it right?

Deep breath
.

Okay, he’d try it one more time.

Back down on bended knee, throat cleared. “Ms. Havelin, will you do me the honor of becoming my lawfully wedded wife?”

He flipped open the jewelry box with one hand. The diamond ring on which he’d just spent a small fortune shot out, spun in the air, and landed with a thud at a Doc Martin-ed foot.

A foot that did not belong to Seán’s future fiancée.

A snort of laughter was followed by a canine whimper of delight. Cheeks burning, he looked up to see Tammy with Travis panting by her side.

The girl raised a recently pierced eyebrow. “Are you planning a polygamous marriage? ’Cause no offense, but I’m over older guys.”

He retrieved the ring and got to his feet. “No, you cheeky madam. I want to propose to your mother, but I can’t seem to get the wording right.”

His stepdaughter nodded approvingly at the ring. “Good choice. She’ll love it. What she won’t love is the bumblebee-patterned tie. Definitely lose that, preferably into the nearest clothing recycling bin.”

“Right.” He nodded, mentally taking notes. “Ring approved, lose tie. I can do that.”

“As for the wording of the proposal, keep it simple. There’s nothing wrong with, ‘Clio, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?’” Tammy smiled wide, revealing her pearly white post-braces teeth. “’Cause you know she’s going to say yes.”

And she did!

—THE END—

•Thanks for reading
Love and Shamrocks
! I hope you enjoyed Seán and Clio's story. And yes, the mysterious Lar Delaney will get his own book in early 2016!

•Want more Ballybeg?
Love and Leprechauns
is out now.
Her Treasure Hunter Ex
, an adventure-romance novella that kicks off the Ballybeg Bad Boys spin-off series, will be out in July 2015. The hero is Seán's brother, Dex. Turn the page to read the blurb.

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Dive Deep, Fall Fast

Underwater photographer Kate Ryan snags the assignment of a lifetime—the chance to explore the wreck of
RMS Lusitania
. But there’s a catch: Her infuriating ex-fiancé is on the exploration team.

Declan “Dex” Fitzgerald is a treasure hunter on a mission. A priceless gem is hidden in the wreck of the
Lusitania
. With a loose idea of where to find the treasure, and even looser morals, Dex wrangles a last-minute job on the exploration team. And realizes he’ll have to work alongside his uptight-but-sexy-as-hell ex.

And they’re not the only ones in pursuit of the treasure…With sparks flying and oxygen tanks running low, can Dex and Kate retrieve the gem before the bad guys?

Out Summer 2015

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