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Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2)
Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2)
Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2)
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Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2)

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Conall Brannock takes his job seriously. He doesn't get attached, he doesn't ask questions, and he protects his family at all costs. Nothing will change that. Not even the sweet, green eyed witness that just burst into his life and shifted his world. He has one job to do; protect Emily until she can testify. He can't let his interest in her get in the way, but the more he finds out about her, the more he can't help but wonder how the beautiful broken girl got into this mess in the first place. And the longer he takes to learn the truth, the deeper he falls for her.

Emily Dawson has a job to do. Stay off the grid, testify, and hopefully get her brother back. He's all she has left of the family she struggled so hard to hold together and she would do anything to keep him safe. Even if it means she has put herself in harm's way or that she has conned everyone into believing she saw something she didn't. She knows where her loyalties lie, but her stoic yet gentle protector and his crazy family makes her question everything she once knew.

Loyalty can be one sided.
Family isn't always blood.
And honesty can destroy everything she has come to love.

For readers 18+ due to strong language and sexual content.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherJessica Wilde
Release dateJun 17, 2014
ISBN9781310302473
Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2)
Author

Jessica Wilde

J. Wilde loves a good romance. Happily ever after and a few good laughs are a must. A little suspense doesn’t hurt either. She resides in Utah with her family and a couple of spoiled pups. When she finds a moment for herself, she is reading or writing. J. Wilde has written several novels and has many more to come. While she is currently exploring other genres, romance will always own a special place in her books.

Read more from Jessica Wilde

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    Conned (The Brannock Siblings, #2) - Jessica Wilde

    Conned

    By: Jessica Wilde

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright © 2014 Jessica Wilde

    All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means without written consent from the author.

    This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    Cover Photo from Shutterstock.com

    Cover design by Jessica Wilde

    ISBN-13: 978-1499363180

    Other titles by Jessica Wilde

    Every One of Me

    Our Time

    The Brannock Siblings Series

    Leverage (The Brannock Siblings, #1)

    Missing (The Brannock Siblings, #3)

    Rise & Fall Series

    Ricochet (Rise & Fall, #1)

    To my brothers and sister,

    Family is the only thing you have to turn to when life throws you to the ground… God doesn't ever ignore the love shared between brothers and sisters… He immerses Himself in it and surrounds us with even more of that love. No matter what happens in your lives, don't forget to look out for each other.

    -Isabelle Brannock

    I love who you are,

    I protect who you are,

    and I'll die doing it.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Chapter 13

    Chapter 14

    Gus

    About the Author

    Acknowledgements

    Other titles by Jessica Wilde

    Prologue

    Conall

    The harsh ringing of my cell phone woke me from a much needed nap and I almost threw the damn thing against the wall. Ever since Ash and Luke had gotten engaged a week ago, I had been constantly fighting the urge to put my fist through his face every second he was around - even the seconds he wasn't around - for defiling my sweet little sister. However, I had made a stupid promise.

    Although, if I was told to find a better man for her, I wouldn't. There wasn't one out there that even came close to Lucas Shade. He would take care of her and he would sacrifice everything he had to do it.

    He had pretty much ripped the privilege out from under me and my brother and father. Something we all were still trying to cope with, therefore, the reason I was having a hard time getting a good night's rest.

    I picked up the phone that was vibrating all over the coffee table beside me and answered the insistent call.

    Brannock.

    Got a job for you.

    I rolled my eyes at the lack of greeting from my boss. Captain Miller was never one for small talk and he always came across as a grumpy old man who didn't give a damn what you thought about him. It was just his personality and it worked for the Denver Police Department.

    What job? I asked, rubbing the kink out of my neck from lying awkwardly on the couch for the last thirty minutes.

    Witness protection.

    I threw my head back, flipped off absolutely no one and silently cursed the ceiling for making my life hell. I don't think I'm the right guy for the job, Cap. You know how much I hate babysitting. Plus, I'm not a marshal, remember?

    "Well, you're the only guy for the job, Brannock. Shit went down while you've been gone and you are the only one I trust to take care of this witness. The marshals can't get her gone fast enough. It's a big deal. Part of the Ripley trial coming up in a few months. This girl is the only leverage we've got."

    A girl? Shit, this just keeps getting better and better, I thought sarcastically. I did not play well with girls. Correction, I played well with them, but I didn't spend time well with them.

    I did my job no matter what, though, so there really wasn't a choice.

    Fine. I'll catch a flight in the morning.

    No, I'm sending her to you. We've already had one close call while she was in the safe house. I don't want her anywhere near Denver and I want her out before morning.

    I let that sink in. This was going to become a shit ton of trouble, I could feel it in my bones.

    Trouble.

    Alright, let me arrange a few things here and I'll get back to you. E-mail me her file as soon as you can and send me her flight when you know it.

    Will do, she should be in the air by early morning. Thanks, Conall. I owe you one. This is going to be a pain in the ass, but I can't think of a better man to take care of it.

    For being such a grumpy old man, he sure did know how to hand out a compliment when he actually wanted to. Probably just doing it to kiss my ass.

    After saying goodbye, I stood up and stretched my stiff body, then went looking for Dad. I had nowhere to hide this girl and hoped he had a few ideas for me. If the U.S. Marshals weren't taking care of the job, that meant we had to pretty much wing it. I had seen it several times before, but was never involved.

    I ran into Fergus on my way into the kitchen and he had a giant bowl of ice cream cradled in his arms like a baby. How do you eat all that shit, Gus Gus?

    He laughed and shook his head, I normally don't, but technically I'm still on vacation until next week. Might as well make the most of it, right?

    I chuckled as he walked past me and made his way to the office on the other side of the house where the flat screen was. I had forgotten about the game and wished I could stay out on vacation a while longer and gorge myself with junk food like him.

    Dad was sitting at the island with his glasses on top of his nose and his laptop opened in front of him.

    What's up, Pops?

    Oh, not much, just trying to find a good price on a flight to Ireland.

    I froze as I was reaching for the handle on the fridge. What?

    He sighed and pulled his glasses off, rubbing his tired eyes before meeting my shocked stare. Your grandparents are pretty pissed off at me. Figured I should take a trip up there and make it up to them. I only have a few more days until I'm officially retired. I decided to start it right away.

    Wow. Well I guess that's a good thing then. Grams was pretty upset, they didn't even stay long after your funeral. I grinned, remembering how crazy it felt to sit in front of a coffin I knew was empty at a funeral that was completely faked so some dipshit's attention would move off of my sister.

    Yeah, well…

    That actually would work great if you were gone. I just got a call from Captain Miller. He's got a witness who needs babysitting for a while. Wants me to take charge of it here in town and keep her out of trouble. Maybe I could use the house?

    My father narrowed his eyes and held eye contact with me for a long moment before dropping his head into his hands and groaning. As long as your sister stays out of it, I don't care what you do. Lucas is going to be taking her on vacation in a week. Get her out of this town and into some relaxation. That and he doesn't want her to start working yet. She deserves a break after what she went through.

    I nodded in agreement, "She does. Maybe I could just use the house for the first little while and then arrange an apartment for the rest of the time. The witness will be on her way here in the morning. I just want to be ready with something, you know?"

    It's a woman? Dad asked curiously.

    Yeah, I guess. Part of that Ripley trial I told you about a couple days ago. Probably just a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm waiting for her file.

    He grinned before closing his laptop and standing, Okay then, you can use the house. You guys still planning to surprise me on Friday night?

    My eyes widened and I froze once more while going to open the fridge. How the hell do you know about that?

    He rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen door. Ash was never really good at hiding things. Can't believe you guys thought it would be smart to put her in charge of it.

    I chuckled as he disappeared through the door and finally opened the fridge to grab a soda. I popped the tab and took a swig the same time my phone beeped, signaling an incoming e-mail. I pulled it out of my pocket and clicked on my work e-mail.

    When I saw the picture that was attached to the file, the can of soda slipped out of my hand and dropped to the floor, spraying a sticky mess all over the place.

    The person in the picture was not a girl.

    She was the very definition of a woman. A woman I would have a very hard time not staring at.

    She was gorgeous.

    Blonde hair, green eyes, lips that a man would kill for.

    Fergus strolled into the kitchen and took one glance at the mess on the floor and shrugged. Hey, man. Dad told me about your assignment. Sorry to hear it. I know how much you hate… My brother trailed off as he glanced over my shoulder and saw the picture on the screen. Never mind. I don't feel sorry for you at all, he laughed and placed his now empty bowl in the sink.

    "What the hell am I going to do?" I asked harshly.

    "Well it can't be her, that's all I'm certain about. You'll figure it out, but until then… I think you're pretty screwed."

    I nodded in agreement and kept staring at my phone, even after the screen went black, and one word kept flying back and forth through my mind.

    Trouble.

    Trouble.

    Trouble.

    I was in trouble.

    Chapter 1

    Emily

    She was going to vomit.

    She knew it in the very depths of her soul.

    She was going to lose the small hold she had on things because she just couldn't handle it anymore, not the way she thought she could. Emily wasn't meant for this kind of life and everyone knew it, but what choice did she have? She'd made her decision and she couldn't back out of it now. Not when the only family she had left was depending on her. No one could bail her out except for her brother, Rayce, of course, but what the hell could he possibly do now? It was his fault she was sitting on this plane waiting for all of the other worn out passengers to get out. It was his fault she was now no longer going to be able to live her life without looking over her shoulder every other minute.

    The one thing she never wanted had been thrown into her face.

    Emily Dawson was now living under witness protection because her brother had once again been in the wrong place at the wrong time and she loved him enough to put her life on the line to protect him.

    Her life was forever changed after spending the last few years trying not to blame herself for her brother's choices. She had been sure that by now, it would be behind her.

    Wishful thinking, she muttered under her breath while watching a plane land outside of the tiny oval window. That seemed to be all she ever did.

    What was that?

    She turned toward the high pitched voice of the person sitting next to her and remembered that even though she was completely alone, technically she wasn't at the moment.

    Nothing, Officer Sheen, she said as cheerily as possible. That was another issue she was having. There was no way for her to fly to California without an escort and the department just had to send her out with the most beautiful and annoying woman they had. Annoying because she was just too open about everything. If Emily had to hear one more story about her and Officer So and So 'hooking up', she was going to have to punch the woman right in the ovary. She had to know that being a slut wasn't actually a good thing. Right? She was at least thirty so she should know that by now.

    Let's get off this thing, Sheen said and flipped her bright red hair for the billionth time and it wouldn't have mattered to Emily except that fake red hair was extra long and kept smacking her in the face. Officer Sheen was tall and skinny and had the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen and was so fully a woman that Emily felt like a child standing next to her. It was no wonder the woman had so many sexual escapades.

    Emily stood behind her and rolled her neck from side to side before stretching her legs and back. She had been cooped up in a tiny shack of a house for several weeks before the marshal who was with her got himself put in the hospital. Apparently, the men who wanted her silent had more connections than she thought was likely outside of the movies. Stuff like that just wasn't possible in real life - or so she thought. They had found her and thanks to Deputy Ross, she was still alive and two more of Ripley's men were dead.

    A good thing? Not in the way you would think.

    Deputy Ross had a family. A good family from the stories he had told and she had felt awful when he was injured. If he hadn't survived, she didn't think she would have been able to go through with this.

    The whole thing had become a giant mess and she just couldn't stomach the thought of what she still had to do, even if that meant keeping her brother out of prison. It all felt wrong and deceitful.

    Because it is, she thought to herself.

    But her brother needed her and she may not have been able to protect him before, but she would do everything in her power to protect him now. He was her family. The only family she had left and she needed to remember that.

    She pulled her bag out of the overhead compartment and followed Officer Julia Sheen to the door of the plane where an overly happy stewardess said goodbye and wished them well. Julia didn't even look at the woman, but Emily couldn't help but smile back wishing she could be living a life where her only concern was making sure the drink cart didn't hit anyone's elbows. Obviously she knew that wasn't all there was to the job and it was probably a ridiculously stressful one, but she still envied the cheerful woman.

    She sighed and kept her head down while following Julia into the terminal. She just wanted to get this whole thing over and done with and eventually go back to a somewhat normal life. If that was even possible. As far as she had been told, her journey with the woman ended the minute she was transferred to the officer who she would be staying with until the trial. As long as nothing went down to get her transferred all over again.

    She didn't know much about the guy, but figured he would be a short, balding, pot bellied Mr. nice guy. She had nothing against law enforcement, but the ones she had run into so far fit the stereotype, and she had run into quite a few over the years with Rayce Dawson being her little brother. So long as the guy didn't try to make her feel like everything would be okay, she didn't care. She already knew it wouldn't be okay. Not for her. That wasn't the point, though. She wasn't doing this for her. She was doing this for Rayce.

    Her brother had unintentionally made sure that her life would be over. He knew she would give up everything for him, he was her only family after all. She had sworn to protect him when she was five years old and held him in her arms for the first time. She thought she had done a fine job up until their parents died when she was eighteen. She fought like mad to keep him out of the system, hoping that doing so would give him a better life. She sacrificed, but it hadn't been enough and he still ended up in the wrong places with the wrong people. She knew there was nothing she could have done to change that, knew it in her heart. Her head had other ideas, though.

    Alright, Officer Brannock is supposed to meet us at the luggage carousel and my job will be done. Try not to get into any trouble while you are here.

    Emily nodded her head at Julia's instruction. It was the same thing she had listened to when Deputy Ross had taken her under his protection and she knew it was sound advice. Didn't mean that trouble wouldn't somehow find her.

    Oh, and don't get in my way once we meet him, Julia added with a wicked smile. That man is a hot piece of ass that I have been dying to get my nails into.

    Emily rolled her eyes and felt a headache coming on. As expected, Julia's professionalism was nowhere in sight, something Emily wished she would have known prior to getting on the plane in Denver. She'd accepted it and knew the only way to get some distance from the woman was to just comply.

    Go ahead, I won't be a problem.

    Of course, that wasn't under her control. She was the problem and if this officer had any sense of duty, Julia wouldn't be getting what she wanted. Emily was under no illusions that she would immediately find safety in a new state. Another thing that tempted her to just back out of this whole thing altogether.

    Good. I only have one night here and I plan to spend it with Conall Brannock.

    Emily didn't reply, but she wanted to. Badly. However, keeping her mouth shut was more important than getting in her opinion. It didn't stop the dramatic eye roll, though, and Julia caught it.

    She had promised herself she would keep her attitude in check. It wasn't her, but it had to be for now. Just until she could ensure her brother's freedom, then maybe she could go back to being Emily Dawson. She told herself this every day, but her old self was clawing at the walls she had confined it to and she feared she was slowly losing her mind.

    Julia scowled at her, but Emily ignored it. She kept her eyes forward and her chin held high. She may be acquiescent, but she wasn't going to let someone walk all over her. Before Julia had a chance to lash out, a man stepped in front of them and stopped them in their tracks. Emily stumbled and the weight of her carry on pulled her to the side and the strap snagged on her long hair making her wince. She felt herself falling when a firm hand grasped her upper arm and steadied her before the ground could meet her face.

    Sorry, she muttered as she adjusted her bag and raised her eyes. Her entire body went still at the sight of the man standing in front of her, still holding onto her arm, and her breath left her on a Wow!

    He was tall. Much taller than her, she noted right away since she was almost pressed against his chest. As her eyes traveled further up, she noticed that he was also very fit and definitely the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on. His shoulders were wide and sculpted and she could clearly see the outline of his chest through the white shirt he was wearing that looked like it was made just for him. His face… well, she had never seen a face like that before. His jaw was firm and covered in scruff making him look slightly unkempt, but didn't take away from how handsome he was. His lips curled slightly on one side in an amused grin and she felt her cheeks get hot when she registered how soft they looked. She took in his dark brown hair, wavy and curled around his ears and at the nape of his neck, but the feature that took her breath away were his eyes. Almost cornflower blue, but darker, softer, and watching her closely.

    Nothing to be sorry about, he said and the deep baritone of his voice slid over her skin, making her shiver. I'm Conall Brannock. You must be Emily.

    She nodded slowly and tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. God, this is embarrassing. For the first time in a long time, she moved her gaze down to her feet and didn't look a man in the eye. She prayed the floor would open up and swallow her or that her mouth would for once stay shut on its own. She wanted to throw out every curse word she knew for letting herself look so vulnerable, but it was out of her control.

    It was just her luck to be in the presence of a beautiful man and not stand her ground. Again, another reason why she felt like she was losing herself. She raised a teenage boy on her own, nothing was harder than that and she still could have done better.

    She was only vaguely aware of Julia talking and telling him how bumpy the flight had been and how she was looking forward to relaxing tonight. She was, however, extremely aware of his gaze that hadn't left her once. She could feel the burn in her skin from his stare, but she was too chicken to look up. She didn't want to know what he saw and she was certain she would find out if she looked up at him.

    That's great, Jules. I've got a hotel room set up for you and a driver scheduled to bring you back here tomorrow morning, he stated casually.

    What? You mean I'm not staying with you… both, with you both for the night?

    Emily sighed at the tone of Julia's voice. Whiny and completely clueless. She finally looked up to see Officer Brannock roll his eyes to the ceiling and it made her want to smile. She wasn't the only one then.

    No, Jules, and for the last time, I'm not going to sleep with you.

    Her jaw dropped at the bluntness he used with his fellow officer and felt only a little sorry for Julia, but when the woman giggled and put a hand on his arm and squeezed, the concern she felt disappeared. Julia had no self respect and it disappointed her. It's women like this that make the rest of us look bad.

    He shrugged her off with a frown and reached

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