“Dinner would be great as long as you cook.” Emily giggled when he pulled her back against him and nuzzled her neck.
“I’ll cook dinner as long as you’re dessert.” He whispered in her ear and then chuckled when she moaned.
“Get out of here, or I’m not getting nothing done.” Emily pushed him away.
“Anything I can do to help?” Keith knew what it was like to run a business and how paperwork piled up if a person didn’t keep up on it.
“No, I have a system.” Emily sat down behind her desk and turned on her laptop.
Keith saluted as he sauntered through the office door and left Emily to her work. It was probably a good time to catch up on his own business. The phone in his pocket had been buzzing with incoming emails for the last twenty minutes or more. He plopped down behind the reception desk and pulled out his iPhone to deal with the emails.
It was so hard to concentrate on his emails while a very heated discussion between Aurora and her mother got louder by the minute. It was hard not to burst into laughter.
“Aurora, if you come home with a tattoo I’ll bust your arse,” Ada warned while she was pounding her fist on the desk.
“For the love of God, Mom. It’s just a little tattoo.” Aurora didn’t move from where she sat on top of the counter behind the desk.
“You know they hurt like hell?” Ada seemed to think the fear of pain was going to stop her daughter. Keith rolled his lips in to keep from smiling.
“I’m sure it does, but that’s not going to change my mind.” Aurora folded her arms over her chest.
“You’re too young to be defacing your body.” Ada slammed her hand on the desk.
“Mom, I’m almost twenty.” Aurora sighed.
“Do you hear her?” Ada grumbled.
At first, Keith didn’t realize she was talking to him, but she called out, and his head snapped up.
“You’re going to get someone who has several tattoos to talk to me about how bad they are?” Aurora scoffed.
“Keith, tell her she’s too young.” Ada looked about ready to explode.
“Sorry Ada, I was eighteen. It’s a right of passage in our family. We all get the family crest.” Keith tried not to smile when Ada glared at him.
“But she’s a girl.” Ada pushed.
“So is Jess, Isabelle, Kristy, Stephanie, Marina, Sandy, and Pam. They all have them.” Keith almost lost his composure when Ada tossed her arms up in the air.
“You’re no help at all.” Ada walked away from the desk and left Aurora giggling.
“That was so awesome,” Aurora whispered.
“No, it wasn’t. She’s your mother, and you shouldn’t be talking to her like that. As for the tattoo, she wasn’t wrong. They hurt like hell.” He was exaggerating about the pain, but he was pretty sure Aurora was only doing it to rebel against her mother.
“I don’t mind pain.” She jumped down off the counter and stopped. “How painful exactly?”
Gotcha!
“Very.” Keith was doing his best to keep his expression serious.
“Fuck off. I’ll ask Jess. You’re just siding with mom.” Aurora kicked the toe of his boot with her shoe.
It still amazed him how this was the same kid that lived down the road from his parents, and they had to search the woods for her when she was five.
“I’m ready to go.” Emily’s voice brought him out of his head. “Unless you want to try and scare Aurora some more.”
“I don’t think anything scares that girl.” Keith stood up and walked around the desk. “Let’s go.”
He’d barely said the words when there was a loud explosion, and the large picture window shattered sending glass flying into the salon. Keith wrapped his body around Emily and took her to the ground.
“Stay behind this desk,” Keith warned as he crouched on the floor. Emily nodded.
“Is anyone hurt?” Keith shouted so he could be heard over the screams of panic.
He scanned the salon to make sure nobody was injured. Kim was crouched behind her chair. Luckily, she didn’t have a client. Penny had been in the back room getting something and came running out. Keith looked towards Ada’s area but didn’t see her. Her workstation was closest to the window.
An ear-splitting scream had him jumping to his feet and running in the direction. Next, to the waiting chairs, Ada lay on the floor with Aurora kneeling next to her.
“Aurora, get over behind the desk with Emily.” Keith cupped the girl’s face in his hands forcing her to look away from her mother’s bloody body.
“Sh….sh…. she’s …d…dead.” Aurora sobbed hysterically.
“Aurora, go to Emily. Now.” Keith shouted.
“Come over here, honey.” Penny’s head poked out behind the desk where she hid with Emily.
Once she’d moved away from Ada. Keith pulled out his phone and called 911. Ada wasn’t dead because she was still breathing, but the bleeding was bad. He pulled off his leather jacket and tossed it on one of the chairs. He glanced around for something to put on a large wound near her neck. It seemed to be where most of the blood was coming from.
“I need a towel or something.” He shouted behind him, and within seconds several were tossed in his direction.
“911 What’s your emergency?” The operator answered
“There was just an explosion at Snippy Gals Salon on the corner of Harbour Street and Middle Road in Hopedale.” Keith tried to stay calm as he watched the towel he held against Ada’s next turn from white to red.
“How many injured?” The operator asked.
“I have a woman with several cuts and the worst is a large one on her neck.” Keith continued to explain the best he could. He could hear Aurora sobbing and Emily’s voice trying to calm the young girl.
“Is she conscious?” The operator asked.
“No, but she’s breathing.” Keith took a chance and raised his head so he could take a look out through the broken window. He couldn’t see anything from his vantage point that could have caused the explosion.
“We’ve got help on the way, sir. Can I get your name?” The woman on the phone asked.
“My name is Keith O’Connor. My uncle is Kurt O’Connor. He’s the superintendent of the Hopedale division of the NPD.” Keith told her. Hoping someone would contact his uncle. “The woman’s name is Ada Hanlon.”
“Keith, help is on the way.”
He could hear the sirens before the woman said the words and he dropped the phone on the floor.
“Hang in there, Ada. Help’s coming.” Keith whispered.
Aurora was sobbing from behind the desk, and he wished he could check on Emily. He didn’t know if she was hurt or in shock. He glanced behind him to see Kim crawling next to him.
“Is she ….” Kim’s voice squeaked.
“No, and she’s gonna be fine. Kim, I need you to go over behind the desk.” The way Kim was staring at Ada he couldn’t help but wonder if it brought back memories of when she’d been stabbed.
When Kim didn’t answer him, he had to raise his voice to get her attention. Her head snapped up, and he saw her wide eyes fill with tears.
“Kim, go behind the desk with everyone else. I’m not sure what happened, but you’ll be safe over there.” She didn’t move, and he hated to yell at her, but she seemed to be going into shock. “Kim, now.”
It worked because Kim jumped up and ran to join the others. Seconds later the loud scream of the fire trucks became deafening as they pulled up in front of the building.
“Keith?” The voice was familiar, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Brad King. Not only was he a firefighter, but he was also Sandy, Kim, and Lane’s brother. Keith saw the frantic look on his face as he searched the front of the salon.
“Kim’s behind the desk, but I need help here. Ada’s hurt bad.” Keith shouted over the sirens.
Brad didn’t hesitate, he ran back through the now windowless door yelling for medical assistance. Within seconds Keith was pushed
aside as paramedics took over Ada’s care. Keith managed to grab his phone and jacket and still stay out of the way.
When he turned, he came face to face with his uncle and his brother James. Before they said anything, he saw several firefighters wrapping blankets around the girls and escorting them from the salon. He didn’t see Emily.
“What the hell happened here?” James asked.
“I don’t know, but where the fuck is Emily?” Keith quickly moved behind the desk. He sighed with relief when he saw her huddled under the desk with a firefighter trying to coax her out.
“Miss, I promise you it’s safe.” The man spoke softly. “I just want to get you out of here.”
“No….no…. I need Keith.” When Keith heard her shaky voice, his chest swelled. Not because she was okay, but she wanted only him.
“It’s okay, Em. I’m right here.” Keith crouched next to the firefighter that he knew as Dustin Fisher. He’d met him at a bar with Brad a few times. “I’ve got her Fisher.”
Fisher handed Keith the blanket and stepped away. Emily looked up and grabbed his hand as if her life depended on it.
“Ada?” Emily whispered as she threw herself into his arms.
“She’s alive, they’re taking her to the hospital.” Keith wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, but she plastered herself against his body and her arms wrapped around him. “It’s okay, Princess. I got you.”
“Keith?” He looked up at his uncle and shook his head.
“Not now Uncle Kurt.” Keith walked Emily out towards the exit. She stopped when she saw the shattered glass of the doors.
“Come on, Em.” He managed to get her to move and guided her outside.
He joined the other women huddled next to the ambulance that was now being loaded with Ada. Emily trembled as she clung to him. He wanted to put a severe beating on whoever did this.
“Can I go with my mom?” Aurora asked one of the paramedics.
“You can sit up front. We need room to care for your mom.” The woman helped Aurora into the seat of the ambulance.
As the emergency vehicle pulled away and headed towards the highway. He glanced back at the building they’d just exited. Every window in the front of the salon was gone on the first floor. The second-floor windows seemed to be fine. The pharmacy next door hadn’t seemed to receive any damage either. Whatever caused the explosion, it wasn’t meant to cause significant harm. It was a warning. He just didn’t know what the message was, or who sent it.
Chapter 15
Emily couldn’t stop shaking as she watched the fire chief walk into her salon. There were police searching outside and placing little yellow signs here and there. She figured they were something to do with important things they were finding. Only because she’d seen that kind of stuff on television.
The only thing keeping her from collapsing at the moment was being wrapped in Keith’s arms. She had her head against his chest, and she could hear his heart pounding. Either he was scared or angry.
“Emily,” She glanced to her left. Kurt O’Connor placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.
“Can I take her to the hospital before we do this, Uncle Kurt?” Keith sounded irritated.
“Yes, I was going to let you know James will take you both,” Kurt said.
“What about the girls?” Emily glanced around, but she couldn’t see any of them.
“Nick already has them on route to get checked, but for what it’s worth they looked unharmed.” Kurt bent a little to look into her eyes.
“Except Ada.” Tears filled her eyes and started to run down her cheek.
“Ada’s going to be fine.” Keith kissed her temple. “She’s a tough cookie.”
Keith sat in the back of his brother’s cruiser with Emily tucked into his side. Her trembling wasn’t as much, but the front of his shirt was getting wetter by the second.
“I’ll get in touch with your family, Emily,” James pulled in front of the emergency entrance. “Ian also has a doctor waiting for you. You won’t have to wait.”
“I’ll call my family.” Emily sat up straight. What she meant was she was going to call her brother and sister. She was still too angry with her father, and her mother was still recovering.
“It’s not a bother, really.” James turned in his seat.
“It’s fine, bro,” Keith answered. “Let her do this.”
James nodded and exited the vehicle. Once he’d let her and Keith out of the back, he got back in the car.
“Make sure you call if you need anything, bro,” James said just before he drove off. What Emily needed was something to wake her up from this nightmare. Had all this really happened?
It seemed that Dr. Adam Cramer was the doctor that Ian had waiting for her. Keith seemed happy to see him, but Emily didn’t even know why she was wasting the man’s time. She wasn’t hurt. Not like Ada. Poor Aurora had to be scared to death.
“I’m fine, Dr. Cramer.” Emily sighed as Adam checked her eyes. “Keith pushed me to the floor and covered me.”
“I still need to make sure you’re okay.” He smiled as he had her follow his finger with her eyes.
This is so stupid.
The only thing she wanted to do was find her friends and make sure they were all okay. They’d all been swept away before she got a chance to speak to any of them, but most important, she had to find out how Ada was.
“From what I can see, you're all right.” Adam wrapped his stethoscope around his neck and tilted his head. “I hear your mom’s doing very well.”
“Yes,” Emily answered, and it probably sounded rude.
Before he said another word, there was a knock on the door. Adam opened it, and Emily breathed a sigh of relief when Keith stepped through the door.
“Is everything okay?” Keith glanced back and forth between Adam and Emily.
“She’s good. I was just about to come get you.” Adam glanced back at Emily. “You should get some rest, though.”
Emily stopped the urge to roll her eyes and hopped down off the examining table. Luckily Adam didn’t ask her to wear one of those ridiculous hospital gowns.
“Thank you, Dr. Cramer.” Emily tried to step through the door, but Keith caught her by the hand.
“Yeah, thanks, Adam. I really appreciate this.” Keith said.
“No problem, but it might cost you a beer someday.” Adam chuckled as he left the room.
“I need to find out how everyone is.” Emily tried to pull her hand from Keith’s, but it was futile.
“They’re all with Aurora. I’ll take you there, but Uncle Kurt does want to ask you some questions. He’s going to meet us at my place as soon as you’re ready.”
Emily didn’t know what she could possibly tell Kurt. She didn’t know who would do this or why. Something was telling her that this was only the tip of the iceberg.
By the time they tracked down Aurora and the girls, the doctor had just left. Penny told them the artery in Ada’s neck had been nicked by the glass, and she’d been rushed into surgery as soon as she arrived at the hospital. The surgeon repaired it, and she had to have a couple of bags of blood, but she was going to make it.
Nobody wanted Aurora to go home alone, which was probably why Keith invited her to come to his house with Emily. Aurora had refused because she wanted to stay with her mother. It took a little persuasion, but later that evening, Penny finally convinced Aurora to stay with her.
They pulled into Keith’s driveway, and Emily sighed. She hadn’t been there two weeks, but the sight of the house made her feel like she was home. Keith had even managed to get most of her clothes from her apartment. Something in her gut told her she’d never be staying in that apartment again.
“Kurt texted me. He’s going to wait until morning. I told him you needed to rest.” Keith reached over and placed his large hand over hers.
“Thanks,” Emily murmured.
“How about we go inside, and I’ll pour you a glass of wine. We can watch a movie
or listen to some music, or if you want you can take a hot bath and call it a night.” Keith lifted her hand to his lips.
Emily turned her head so she could look at him. He’d been hired to protect her, but he’d become so much more. Spending time with him was getting to be her favorite thing.
“A hot bath sounds good, and so does the wine.” She forced a smile.
“Well, that’s settled.” Keith kissed the palm of her hand.
Emily had two glasses of wine while she was in the bath. Keith brought her one when she first slipped into the water and came back to refill it for her a little while later. Now she was curled up on the couch sipping the third glass. Keith had country music playing softly in the background while he read.
Emily studied him while he sat in his huge arm chair. Burlap curled up on his shoulder, glasses resting on his nose while he read. The man was full of contradictions. He had tattoos, wore a leather jacket and army boots. A person would expect him to listen to heavy metal music, not read books like Finnigan’s Wake. Which wasn’t what he was reading at the moment, but it was one of the hundreds of books he had on the shelves in his living room and bedroom. He looked like someone who would only read magazines with half-naked women on the front. He looked like a biker.
“Do you ride a motorcycle?” The question popped out before she could even stop it.
Keith’s gaze slowly met her’s and he grinned. That panty-melting smile made her forget her own name most of the time. The one that was making the last twenty-four hours fade into the background.
“Do I look like I should own one?” He pulled his glasses off and folded them.
“Honestly, yes.” Emily sipped her wine.
“What makes me look like I would own one?” It pissed her off when he answered questions with questions.
“Tattoos, leather jacket, and I don’t know. You just look like a biker.” Emily shifted on the couch, and her robe slipped open exposing her leg. Keith’s gaze went there immediately.
He placed his book and his glasses on the table next to his armchair. Burlap was carefully removed from his shoulder and put on the arm of the chair. Keith slowly rose to his feet and stalked towards her.
Dangerous Beauty (O'Connor Brothers Book 4) Page 13
