Chapter 15

I woke up to a pair of black eyes staring into mine only centimeters away.

"I must be in heaven," I whispered.

"Well," Leanne replied with a slight grin on her lips. "Ah will say of all the first words ya could have when returning from the dead those certainly saved yer arse a stern talking to."

"I love you," I whispered again. "I wanted to say that before they..."

"Enough," she said placing a finger lightly over my lips. "We know and that's enough." Her fingers moved up to lightly trace my cheek.

"Is everybody okay?" I asked. "Rachael?"

"Oh aye," she nodded and moved in closer to me. It was clear that she was lying in the hospital bed with me. I don't think that is normally allowed but then again this was Leanne. I doubt a whole hospital full of doctors and nurses could stop her from doing whatever the hell she wanted to do. "Rachael's fine; everybody's fine. Yer the only one who couldn't seem to stay out of the way of the bullets."

"Where is everybody?" I brought my own hand up (yes, it worked!) to caress her cheek as she was doing mine.

"Outside, here and there," she said without taking her eyes off of me for one second. "Martin, we were so..."

"I know. I'm sorry," I interrupted softly.

"Ya should be, ya scared the socks off of us," her slight smile disappeared.

"I kind of like you without socks," I tried wiggling my eyebrows.

"Well yer going to be no good to us fer a few weeks, me man," she snorted.

"It'll give me something to dream about during my convalescence," I said and struggled to sit up.

"Oh no ya don't," she said firmly holding me down by my shoulder. "The doctors agreed to wake you up today because we'll be leaving tomorrow but overexert yerself and they'll put ya under again."

"How long was I out?" I asked as I stopped struggling.

"Four days."

"Four days?" That was a long time under healing sleep.

"Yer not as young as ya used to be," she grinned evilly.

"When I get well, I'm going to spank you," I pledged with a growl.

"Promises, promises," she taunted me saucily. "Enough of this; ah'd better bring in the others before they strangle me."

"What did you mean by leaving tomorrow?" I asked.

"We'll tell ya when everybody gets in here." She went to the door and immediately Niamh peeked followed by Eimile and Shauna. When she saw I was awake Niamh rushed over and flung herself on the bed next to me burying her head in my neck and I'm sure sending whatever monitors they had stuck in me through the roof. I stroked Niamh's hair trying to soothe her as Em and Shauna tentatively inched their way to the side of the bed. I was on my side so I was able to put Niamh's head on my lower arm and reach out for the other two. They both grabbed it and I was able to caress their faces as tears ran down their cheeks.

"I have some unfinished business with you two," I said.

"And we with you," Eimile smiled.

"Well go on, ya silly thing," Leanne prompted. "Ya been telling everybody in the world about it fer the last few days. It be best the both of ya be asking him now, don't ya think?"

Eimile nodded and looked back at me. "Martin..." she started.

"I have something to say first," I interrupted and both of them looked at me questioningly. "I love both of you. Not only do I love you but I am in love with you. Now Niamh and that pushy little thing over there," Leanne stuck her tongue out at me and grinned, "have lost their senses and agreed to be my wives. With their permission I am asking the same of you two.

"Now if that's not what you two want that's okay. I'll live with it and we'll still..." I didn't get any further as they both jumped on top of Niamh and squealed doing their best to kiss every square centimeter of skin I had on my face.

"Hey, watch it now," Niamh mumbled grumpily. "Be careful! Ah'm expecting, ya know."

"Yer having a babby not a burst appendix," Shauna laughed and started tickling Niamh which set the whole bed to shaking.

"That's enough now," Leanne commanded. "Yer going to knock him to the floor and set him back another three weeks." They calmed down and stood back up beaming down at me.

"Can I take that as a yes?" I asked. "I suppose you've already cleared this with Leanne and Niamh?"

"It's as you Yanks say, 'A done deal, '" Leanne stated and then muttered, "As if there was ever any doubt of it."

"Okay, now that we have the important stuff out of the way tell me what's been happening and why are you leaving tomorrow."

They did tell me. First about how the Rachael kidnapping happened and Connor's involvement. To say I was a little pissed off didn't even come close to the actual and I made a promise to myself that Mr. C. Geallaigh and I were going to have a little talk when I got better. Maybe we could trade places in the hospital.

"Oh no ya won't, me man," Niamh laughed and squirmed around to look up at me. "Me brother has been disappeared. The only thing anybody will tell us is we can't find him and he won't be leaving there anytime soon. Anyway James and Whellan have claimed first stab at him if they think they can beat Rachael to it. She's a bit put out about being kidnapped and having one of her men shot, not to mention yerself being shot at. Ah suppose she'll calm down eventually ― in about a hundred years or so."

Since it appeared that Connor was 'taken care off' in whatever manner the Geallaigh clan did these things and they didn't seem upset, I shelved the thought and proceeded on to more important business.

"You're going to France?" I whined. (Did I say whined? I mean I asked in a reasonable although understandably aggrieved tone.)

They were. Leanne had contacted Antigua Delmar for advice and received a pack of lawyers and contract experts in return. The contract was binding, unfortunately, but at least they now had their own legal beagles and manager to look out for them.

"I'm going to miss all of you," I sighed. "But I suppose once I get out of here they'll kick me out again assuming I don't get arrested for being an illegal alien. I can go home and get the visa work started."

"Of course ya will," Leanne patted my arm. "But you'll not be going anywhere. You'll be convalescing at our home where our mothers can watch out fer ya."

"Oh, will Aileen be there?" I asked happily. "I'm sure she could help and take care of me." Obviously nobody told Leanne it wasn't sporting to punch a bedridden sick person recuperating from gunshot wounds. I suppose there's a slight possibility I deserved it.

Rubbing my bruised shoulder I continued, "Okay, point taken, but I really do need to get those visa applications done."

"It's all ready been taken care of," she grinned and helped me rub my shoulder. "By our new production company."

"Really? Who might that be?" I asked.

"Delmar Productions, of course," she grinned even wider and the other three snickered.

"As in Antigua Delmar? I didn't know she had a production company."

"Well she does," Leanne nodded primly. "Actually her ma runs it but Antigua owns it. From what we can see Cynthia Delmar is very good and knows what's what in this business."

"She's also supposed to be a man-eating bitch so yer going to have to stay away from her," Niamh scolded poking me lightly in the chest.

"Your confidence in my fidelity is comforting," I grumped.

"Ya must admit ya do seem to have a propensity fer adding to yer harem lately," Niamh teased. "Something about giving a pilot a tip that was a wee bit more than a handshake."

"That was not my fault!" I protested. "Damn, you girls are good. I can see I'm really going to have to watch myself."

"Never fear, we'll be doing that fer ya," Leanne continued the tease. "But we know all about Miss Roxy Doxy. She admitted to assaulting ya, although she didn't seem overly concerned about getting ya in trouble. We agreed she could be an auxiliary member but no privileges come with it."

"I can live with that," I chuckled.

"If ya wish to continue living healthy, ya will," she sniffed. "Anyway we begin working fer Delmar Productions as soon as our contract to Camberge is fulfilled which will be at the end of this continental tour."

"I'll bet that frosted Camberge's ass a little," I grunted. See me weeping over his bad luck.

"Fuck 'em!" Niamh growled again burying her face in my neck. "He tried to take ya away from us. He's lucky he's still alive. Since she's not being able to get her hands on our brother, Rache has decided Camberge is responsible fer getting her man shot."

"Ah, my bloodthirsty little Celtic princess," I chuckled. "So, who's going to be in charge of your security while you're touring? I'd like to know my ladies are safe."

"Mr. Magaoidh will be while yer incapacitated, along with a few new men," Leanne replied. "After that you will be, of course. In fact you'll be working fer Delmar Productions fer the entire next tour which just happens to be in two months."

"We're touring with Antigua!" Eimile practically squealed. "We'll be her opener!"

"Security for Antigua Delmar?" I squeaked.

"Oh aye, you'll be busy, my lad," Leanne smirked.

In fact I was busy. It just didn't look like it as I stood just off stage watching Irish Mist begin the first bars of Wizards in Winter which had become their signature final song. Ryan Magaoidh stood to my left and slightly behind at parade rest as Brian Caoimh just to his left confirmed the placement of the other members of our security team. They'd added three new Irish lads for the trip to France and they'd followed along with us stateside for the tour. Once here we'd picked up ten new members mostly ex-army with a few air wing special forces. All of them were vets and all of them, including the three women, were kick-ass tough.

As a team we'd only been together for about two weeks and this was the first concert of the tour but it couldn't have come together more smoothly. The nice thing about working with ex-military is they know how to take orders, they aren't afraid to ask questions and are able to stay focused on task while still being able to think on their feet and react appropriately to sudden changes in the tactical situation. We'd had only three days of full dress rehearsals and from what I could tell the bands were doing well but I know for a fact security was spot on.

Magaoidh lightly touched my shoulder and I glanced back to see a man with two gorgeous women, one on each arm, walking towards us. Him I recognized immediately: it was Daniel Mayhem. He lived in the Tampa area and Antigua had scheduled Tampa as the first concert of the new tour so I'd met him a number of times backstage during the workups. He and Antigua had an interesting if somewhat ambiguous relationship that I found confusing. She acted like Mayhem was for all intents and purposes her boyfriend even though I knew he was married and happily so. Since he appeared to be almost as confused as I was, I did the noble thing and pretended I saw nothing.

I noticed Michelle Darlington or "Mike" as she insisted on being called wasn't with him at the moment. (Just a word of advice. When "Mike" Darlington "insists" on something I'd recommend you take it to heart like it was Gospel coming directly from the Lord. The woman is even more beautiful in person than over a holo and twice as scary. I am convinced she is completely insane but mostly harmless, unless it has something to do with Dan Mayhem, that is. Now that is a relationship that goes well beyond confusing and I wouldn't touch it with a ten meter pole. I get the feeling her blast radius goes well beyond that.)

It was odd she wasn't because she's usually stuck closer to him than his own shadow but maybe the two lovely ladies had something to do with it. The most striking was the tall blonde, and I do mean tall; she was even taller than my Niamh and topped me by a good six centimeters and she wasn't wearing heels. Her height wasn't the only striking feature. Her chest easily fit into the Oh-My-God! category which would have looked cartoonish on some other woman but looked ... right ... on her. She was also very pregnant and her face just glowed with contentment.

The other woman was much smaller and very Asian; much more so than my Leanne although they looked very similar. She was also pregnant although on her smaller frame it was much more pronounced.

"Daniel, good to see you," I said shaking his hand after he'd taken it out from around the blonde.

"Martin," he nodded with a grin. "I'd like you to meet my wives. This is Lidia," he put his arm back around the blonde, "and Sumalee. Lidia, Alee, this is Martin Leforge, the tour's chief of security."

"Very pleased to meet you, Martin," Sumalee said with a smile sticking her hand out which I took gently. "We have heard many good things about you. Even Michelle is impressed."

"That's good, I think," I answered.

"Very good," the tall Lidia laughed and took my hand also. "Michelle likes people who impress her and its much better that she like you rather than not ― safer, anyway. Although she has been complaining that she hasn't been able to infiltrate her way past your 'harem' to really study the situation."

"Argh!" I groaned. "And here I thought you looked far too intelligent to be watching those scandal sites," I complained. Silly me. I thought that once we'd hooked up with the Delmar tour, the focus would shift away from me and my girls to someone else ― say, someone like Antigua. Wrong. Now the hot speculation was on how many of the "new" girls I'd be plucking and adding to the fold. Can't a guy catch a break? I'm a married man now, very married and very happy, thank you very much.

"We don't have to," she grinned brightly. "Michelle keeps us well informed."

"I only watch them for research and you know it, Lidia," came a brash voice behind us. I glanced back and the subject sergeant was sashaying up. She was wearing really high heels, a dress that was probably short enough to call a shirt and a grin that gave a new name to mischievous. At the same time the girls finished the song on stage and the crowed roared. My sweeties would be here any minute which was probably a good thing since for some reason they didn't seem to trust Sergeant Mike. I still think Darlington made her little innuendos just to yank their chains but maybe they reacted like they did just to make her feel better. I think it's just a game they play.

"Why would I care who's screwing who if it's not me?" she continued and I heard the clatter of boot heels and was just able to brace before I was hit first by a flying dark haired wench who as normal wrapped her legs around my waist and arms around my neck followed very shortly by my other three beauties claiming their place by my side. As excited as they were, they kept my lips occupied for a few minutes.

"Eew, can I get some of that?" Mike asked eagerly. Leanne dropped her feet to the floor and turned to face the older woman, putting her arms out and pressing back as if to protect me.

"Back, ya harlot," she feigned a growled. "He's ours and we have the papers to prove it."

"Michelle, behave," Sumalee scolded.

"I was being good," Mike protested. "I was just asking. It's not like I'd screw around with a married man anyway." There was a choking sound that sounded suspiciously like suppressed laughter from Mayhem and she quickly rounded on him and shouted, "Shut up, Boss! I don't, not anymore.

"Besides I love their reaction," Mike smirked. "They make this old broad feel good."

"Yer not so old and yer far too pretty fer our comfort," Niamh winked.

"You see! I like these girls," Mike beamed. "So I wouldn't do nothing to hurt them even if he is a tasty little morsel," she said giving me a naughty wink. "Ya got to admit there's something compelling about a guy that would take three slugs in the back even for a little twit like that." It was no surprise Sergeant Mike and Rachael didn't get along very well.

"Michelle, you're just mad you've met someone who can match you growl for growl," a new voice added from beside us. We all turned and Antigua Delmar was standing there in her concert costume looking pretty as you can get and bubbly as ever. Dan Mayhem and the rest of his crew call her Tink or Tinker Bell and I have to admit she does kind of remind me of Peter Pan's little friend but don't let that little pixy exterior fool you; she's just about the smartest person I've met of any age and an absolute demon if crossed. She doesn't suffer fools well and I'm not saying she's an unreasonable boss but you don't want to make the same mistake around her twice. I nodded to her escort, Debbie Patterson. Debbie was one of the American vets we brought on here in the States. She was about as old as Darlington but nowhere near as slim. Debbie was built like a rock and just about as tough. She stopped her scanning at my nod, returned it and started scanning again.