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with my oldest brother, Conall. He was
furious and wanted to catch the next flight out from Denver so he could get
here to be with us. Fergus had purchased a ticket to fly in from Detroit while
I was still on the phone with him. When I couldn't get him to cancel it, Lucas
had taken the phone back and talked him down. Having them here would only
complicate things.
    "I don't like the idea of you being anywhere near these
guys, Ash. Even if they have no idea you are there. I trust Luke, but still…
you gotta look out for yourself, sis."
    It was always good to hear Conall's voice. He was the
brother that tried the hardest to keep in touch with me and we spent a lot of
late nights on the phone laughing about the stupid things they had done with
me. Fergus was always partying, not that he was too busy to talk to his little
sister, he was just too crazy for me to really spend a long time talking with
without feeling like I had just run a marathon.
    I loved them both - even if they could be total assholes -
and they loved me.
    "You know me, Con. I'm always careful. I won't be
leaving the house for anything but a run and even then it will be late so no
one sees me."
    I heard Lucas clear his throat behind me. We still hadn't
come to an agreement on my nightly runs. He told me I could use his treadmill,
but I was already going to be inside all day and I knew I would need to get
outside at least once or I would end up going crazy.
    "Don't tell me that you sweet talked Luke enough for
him to let you do that," Conall said with a chuckle.
    "He doesn't want me to, but I'm 28 years old, and I'm
already cooperating more than anybody else would. I'll be careful. Maybe Dad
will come with me."
    "Ha! I don't think so. He doesn't run outside remember?
Too much pollution in the air."
    "I forgot about that," I said with a smile.
    Dad never liked running outside. Always said he couldn't
breathe right because the air wasn't clean enough. Not like Ireland.
    "I'll go with you, Ash," Lucas sighed from behind
me, looking exasperated.
    I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah right. No way I could
keep up with you. Look at you."
    He smiled and his cheeks turned a faint pink before he held
his hand out for the phone.
    "Hear that, Con? Lucas will run with me, I'll be fine.
Love you. Here he is."
    I hurried and handed off the phone to him before my brother
could protest against my small victory. I had a way out of the house and I was
still following the rules.
    His fingers brushed mine as I handed him the phone, sending
warmth up my arm from the contact. I caught my breath and all but ran to the
kitchen to check on the lasagna in the oven. He had no idea the amount of power
he held over me. It was pathetic really.
    My brothers would kick my own ass if they knew that a guy
could pretty much ask me to do anything and I totally would do it in a heartbeat.
Those were the kinds of girls they spent their time with. They didn't want
their little sister to become one of the hoes they yanked around.
    It was already well after six in the evening and I was
anxious to see my dad. He had called Lucas several times, checking up on me
throughout the day, but it wasn't enough. I needed to hug him and hear him tell
me everything would be alright.
    My day had been filled with anxiety. Having Lucas here
helped to make me feel safe, but it didn't help with my nerves at all. We
didn't talk much unless it was about the rules I needed to follow or him
telling me what he and my father expected of me. I had asked about his mother
and he hadn't given me much except for "Don't know". He steered clear
of me for a while after getting back from the store with the stuff I needed for
dinner. Didn't help the nervous flutters constantly going on in my stomach and
he moved around the house like a freaking ghost, checking all the windows and
doors, making sure that all my father's weapons were hidden. How he knew where
they were, I had no idea, but he did.
    Apparently, him and my father had become close