Home Team Advantage
The Long Road Home, Season 4, Book 3 (#18 overall)
A Callaghan Brothers / Long Road Home Crossover novel
- ABOUT
- EXCERPT
When Matt O’Connell returns to Pine Ridge, he’s not the same man he was when he left. Years in the US Army Special Forces have forged his mind and body into lethal weapons.
Beneath the skills and formidable exterior, Matt’s soul remains intact—for now. He’s at a crossroads, and he’s hoping that spending time around the men who helped shape him as a teen can help him with the choices he now faces.
His mother’s new neighbor is an intriguing distraction. She’s young and beautiful and completely uninterested in him, which makes even harder to stay away. Especially when his finely honed instincts insist there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye.
And then there’s the spark she’s unintentionally ignited in his chest. The one he never expected to feel.
But is it real? Or just what he really wants?
“So?” Faith asked when they returned to their house. “What do you think of Mrs. Campbell’s new girl?”
That was the thing. He didn’t know what to think, and that bothered him. Matt was usually adept at reading people. It was a natural skill, but one he’d honed to perfection.
Mrs. Campbell’s new live-in caretaker was a challenge—in more ways than one.
The physical characteristics were easy enough to catalog. He put her around his age, maybe a little younger. Smooth skin with a slightly darker base, hinting at a Mediterranean heritage, like Aidan Harrison and his sister. Dark hair that would fall well below her shoulders if it wasn’t pulled up into a ponytail. Brown eyes so dark that they could be mistaken for black. No makeup. The only thing not natural about her appearance was the bookish glasses she wore.
Clothes, simple and practical. Not expensive. Perfectly suitable for a caregiver on a budget.
Quiet, polite, respectful.
And yet … there was something about her. Something that suggested there was a hell of a lot more to her than a mild-mannered aide for the elderly. Something that had hit him solidly in the chest the moment she opened the door and pinned him with those dark, dark eyes.
“She seems capable,” he answered carefully.
“And attractive,” Faith said.
Matt said nothing because while Anna was attractive in a very natural, no-airs sort of way, agreeing with his mother might put crazy ideas in her head.
“And Mrs. Campbell seems to like her,” Faith continued, “which says something. Elsa didn’t think much of the previous people sent by the county.”
That was another thing. Anna wasn’t from one of the licensed county caregiver associations. Elsa had admitted that Anna had been applying for a job at IHOP when she hired her, for God’s sake. Matt was still trying to make sense of that one. Mrs. Campbell seemed to think it was a divine crossing of paths. Him? He wasn’t so sure. Seemed a little too convenient.
As it turned out, he wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Jake’s Irish Pub hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d been there, but that was the way it was with buildings that were hundreds of years old. It was still warm and welcoming, a popular gathering spot for generations of the predominantly Irish community. It didn’t matter what day of the week it was; the place did good business.
“Hey, Matt,” greeted Taryn, Jake’s wife, when he walked in. She hadn’t changed much either. Her blonde hair had a few streaks of white, which looked pretty badass with her black heavy metal T-shirt and the slim leather cuffs she wore around her wrists.
Her unusual violet eyes widened when she got a good look at him. She whistled softly. “Wow. You look … different.”
He did, compared to the last time she’d seen him. He grinned. “And you haven’t changed a bit.”
“Liar,” she said, but she was grinning, too, and the momentary surprise turned to mischief. “You know, if I were twenty years younger—”
“You’d still be singularly obsessed with Jake,” Ian finished with a smile, appearing from the back with a case of longnecks.
“True,” she agreed, winking at Matt. “It is fun to make him blush though.”
Him? Blush? He’d lost that ability a long time ago. “Not cool, Aunt Tar. Where is Uncle Jake anyway?”
“Taking care of some business,” Ian said vaguely. He pulled the Macallan from the top shelf and poured two fingers each into two glasses.
“You remembered,” Matt said.
Ian scoffed. “Of course I remembered. A good bartender always remembers, and I am a most excellent bartender.”
Taryn rolled her eyes.
Ian lifted his glass and clinked it to Matt’s. “Welcome home. Sláinte.”
“Sláinte.”
The smooth whiskey slid down his throat like warm silk.
Matt asked about their kids. Ian’s son, Patrick, was the oldest of the next generation with Taryn’s daughter, Riley, right behind him. Both were finishing college. He got updates on their other kids as well while Ian and Taryn took turns serving people at the bar.
Ian’s eyes kept shifting to two men sitting at a table. Matt followed his gaze.
“Are you expecting trouble or something?” Matt asked quietly.
“Or something,” Ian murmured. “See that guy in the blue shirt? He’s with the PRPD.”
The guy looked like a cop. Close-cropped hair, permanent frown, the soft paunch of a guy who spent a lot of time behind a desk.
“So?”
“So, he likes to supplement his income from time to time by moonlighting as a PI under the table. He uses his badge to obtain information that’s not readily accessible to the general public.”
“Sounds shady.”
“It is. But he’s not a bad option if you’re looking for information on the QT and want to stay under the radar. You know, catching cheating spouses, surveillance, background checks, locating hidden assets, that kind of thing.”
Matt sipped his whiskey. Catching a little under the table side action for profit was in the realm of morally gray, but it wasn’t unusual. “Who’s the guy with him?”
“Eddie Campbell.”
“Elsa Campbell’s grandson?” Matt asked, looking closer.
The guy looked like he’d been through some rough times since Matt had last seen him, but, yeah, it was him.
“The one and the same. You know him?”
“We’ve met. I didn’t think he lived around here.”
“He didn’t. Moved into the area about a year ago from somewhere out west. Last I heard, he was working for one of the real estate offices in town.”
“Any idea why he’s meeting with a PI?”
Ian shook his head.
“I bet I do.”
Matt filled Ian in on his visit to his neighbor and the new live-in helper.
“Makes sense,” Ian said. “Girl shows up out of nowhere and throws a wrench into his plans; he’s got to have questions.”
He wasn’t the only one. “How good is the PI?”
“Slightly above amateur, I suppose.”
“Not as good as you though.”
“Not even close.” Ian narrowed his eyes. “You want me to look into the girl, don’t you? See if she’s scamming the old woman?”
Matt shrugged. “Or you could give me access to your systems for a couple of hours.”
Ian laughed. Hard. Then, he realized Matt wasn’t laughing along with him. “Oh, you’re serious? No way, man. That’s like handing a loaded Glock to a toddler. But I will run a few searches and let you know what I find. What’s her name?”
“Anna.”
Ian made a circular motion with his hand. “Yeah, got that. Last name?”
Matt blinked. He didn’t know. “She didn’t give one.”
“Know where’s she’s from?”
“No.”
Ian exhaled heavily. “Anna, from anywhere. That narrows it down. Do you know anything about her that I can use?”
Not yet, but he would. Matt pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up to him. “I’ve got her picture.”
“Yeah, because that’s not creepy at all,” Ian murmured and pulled out his own phone. “Okay, drop it here. I’ll see what I can do. If nothing else, I can make sure she’s not on any Most Wanted or No Fly lists.”
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