“Ian?” James shouted but there was no answer. “Ian?” He cupped his hands over his mouth and called out again. As he pulled his phone out to try to call Ian’s cell, his brother came through the path a little out of breath.
“I lost whoever it was.” Ian bent over to catch his breath.
“I know I saw something, but I’m not sure. Maybe it was a moose.” James scanned the tree line.
“That was no fucking moose but the bastard can run.” Ian stood up straight and took a deep breath
A chill ran down his spine. “Listen, don’t say anything to Marina. I don’t want to scare her because she’ll think it’s Marc.” They walked out of the pathway and James glanced at the house.
“I won’t, but if you want, I can crash on your couch tonight just in case,” Ian suggested.
“No, I need to talk to Keith. You just don’t want to go home in case Sandy comes back and she wants to beat you with a bat.” James nudged him.
“She’s gonna fucking hate me.” Ian walked next to him back up the driveway.
“She’ll be pissed yeah, but you should talk to her,” James advised. Ian nodded as they walked into the front door.
“I should apologize to A.J., too.” Ian groaned.
“Nah... he deserves a good choke hold every now and then.” James chuckled.
“I heard that,” Aaron yelled from the living room.
Marina was upstairs getting the boys in bed and setting up the movie. James pulled Keith and John aside to tell them what had happened. Keith immediately called one of his guys to keep an eye on the house for the night. James couldn’t be sure it was Marc, but he wasn’t taking any chances with Marina or Danny’s safety. For all he knew, Mason could be in danger as well.
“It may not have been him at all,” Ian said when Keith ended his call.
“I don’t care. We’re not taking chances here,” John snapped. “I let Stephanie take chances and it nearly got us both killed.” John was referring to when he and Stephanie first got together. A crazy woman got the notion that killing Stephanie would make her boyfriend propose to her. Probably because the guy was Stephanie’s ex.
“John’s right; we can’t take any chances with Marina or Danny.” He wasn’t going to lose them. “I just got the gut feeling something is off about this guy besides the obvious.”
“Why don’t I get Sandy to see what she can find out about him? She just got back in town,” Keith said. Sandy worked for him and was a computer genius. From what he knew, Sandy Churchill could find anything on the computer. Aaron had joked one time that she was the Penelope Garcia of Newfoundland and from what Kurt and Keith told him, she was.
“Why the hell do you have to get her involved in all this?” Ian snapped.
“For one she’s the best at finding stuff people don’t want found and two she needs something to do since you’ve been a stupid ass.” Keith snapped back.
“Fuck you!” Ian growled and stomped out of the kitchen.
“Give him a break, Keith. His head is all fucked up.” James warned but he wouldn’t say any more than that. If Ian wanted the rest of his brothers to know what happened, then he would have to tell them.
“He’s fucked up all right. Sandy’s really hurt. She’s head over heels for him,” Keith snapped.
“Just let him figure it out.” James’ tone said it was the end of the conversation. Keith nodded and pulled his phone out. James and John sat at the table listening as he gave Sandy all the information they knew on Marc O’Reilly. With any luck she’d find out where the hell he was and James wouldn’t be worried about him hurting Danny or Marina again.
Chapter 17
Marina stepped over the last couple of boxes laying in the hallway. It was the last of her things that had been brought from her house or Ian’s house, now. Things between her and James were great and she was glad she’d let him get his brothers to help the previous night. She never realized how much stuff she had left in the house, since so much of it had been destroyed. There were still a lot of things that were stored in the attic and the basement that Marc hadn’t touched. James was going to put it in his attic, but she said she wanted to go through it and figure out if any of it was worth keeping.
It was a hectic morning. Her first day back to work and James was also working the early shift. Thank god she didn’t have to worry about dropping the boys off because one of Keith’s guys would be driving them. It was a safety precaution and she was glad. This morning, Keith was doing it himself and the boys were extremely excited. They loved riding in Keith’s old Army jeep. Marina didn’t know how old it was, but it seemed ancient. Although, James told her it ran like a dream and it was a tank in the wintertime. She didn’t know what that meant but she assumed the boys would be safe.
She was still nervous about letting herself be too happy because she was still waiting for Marc to do something to destroy her happiness. It was what he seemed to thrive on.
Marina loved waking up every morning with James next to her and his arms wrapped tightly around her. If she was feeling anxious or upset, all she had to do was think about James and she smiled. Next to Danny, she couldn’t love anyone more. She also realized she hadn’t had any nightmares since the first night she stayed at James’ house—or their house now. It showed just how being near him made her feel safe.
“Good morning, my beautiful lady.” He walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her while she was flipping pancakes. The smile appeared again and she turned her head so she could kiss his lips just as Danny and Mason ran into the kitchen. As had become the norm, they started to make retching noises.
“Mommy, that’s so icky.” Danny wrinkled his nose.
“Oh you think so, do you?” James picked him up and tossed him into the air making him squeal.
“Kissing girls is gross.” Mason made a gagging sound. James grabbed him and tickled him until the squeals became hard on her ears. The scene made her heart so full that she thought it would burst, and she hadn’t even realized she was smiling.
“And just what are you smiling at.” He walked towards her, and she gazed up at the man who’d opened up her heart again.
“You.” She laid her hands against his chest, and he kissed her lips softly.
“Ewwwww.” The boys groaned as they climbed onto the chairs next to the table. Marina giggled when James shook his head. As long as the boys were in the room, they would have to keep the kissing to a minimum. He kissed her forehead and grabbed a cup from the counter. She’d poured his coffee already. It had become a habit since they’d been living together over the last few weeks.
Keith arrived just as Marina was about to tie the boys to chairs to calm them down. They were squealing and almost knocked Keith over running to meet him. As serious as he was, when he played with the boys, his face lit up. The only time she’d seen the man smile was when he was playing with the kids.
James came downstairs clipping his flak jacket, and all the air whooshed out of her. The sight of him in his uniform always made her want to tear it off and have her way with him. He was sexy as hell in full uniform. She was about to tell him just how hot he was but she stopped when Mason and Danny ran into the kitchen.
“Come on, boys, we don’t want to be late.” Keith had their jackets in his hands but they were standing next to each other and their faces were serious.
“James, Mason don’t have a mommy anymore and my daddy is gone.” Marina’s heart jumped in her chest, and she glanced from James to Keith and back to Danny. “Well me and Mason was talkin, and you’re a daddy, and Mommy’s a mommy.” Danny glanced at her and then at Mason. Mason nodded. “You think it would be okay if I call you Daddy and Mason called Mommy, Mommy?” Marina felt her jaw drop open and her eyes were becoming painful since she was sure they were the size of saucers by now. By the raised eyebrows and slack jaw, James was dumbfounded.
“I’ll just leave the jackets here and go make sure the boys’ seats are secure in the Jeep.” Keith quickly le
ft the kitchen. James seemed at a loss for words as he almost flopped on one of the kitchen chairs.
“Daddy, me and Danny would be like brothers. Just like you and your brothers. I don’t have a brother.” Mason climbed onto James’ lap staring at him with the same hopeful expression her own son had. James glanced at her as if he was asking for help with a response, but all she could do was shrug. She was so glad they’d confronted James with this, because she didn’t have a clue how to respond.
“How about you boys let Marina and I talk about this after work, and we’ll let you both know.”
The boys nodded.
“Now get your coats on so Uncle Keith can drop you off.”
The boys struggled into their jackets, and Keith entered the kitchen again holding their back packs.
“You guys ready?” Keith asked but before he left, Danny ran to Marina and hugged her. He was almost out of the kitchen but he stopped and ran right to James for a hug. Mason followed suit and hugged both his father and Marina.
“See you two later.” Keith chuckled as he followed the boys out of the house.
“Where the hell did that come from?” James shook his head.
“I have no idea.” Marina walked by him to grab her purse from the table. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap.
“I don’t mind Danny calling me Dad. I love him, but how do you feel about it?” He stared into her eyes.
“You’ve been a dad to him, and I don’t mind it at all. The question is how do you feel about Mason calling me Mom? I mean, how would it make Sarah feel?”
James stared at her for a moment almost as if he was trying to figure out the answer himself. “I know Sarah would want Mason to be happy and if Mason feels comfortable enough to call you Mom, then I think the question is, are you comfortable with it?”
Marina stared into his eyes. She’d fallen for the little boy a long time ago. Long before she realized she was in love with James.
“I don’t mind at all.” She cupped his cheek. “I love you both so much.”
“We love you, too.” James kissed her lips and she sighed. She was so happy at the moment, but there was a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her the happiness could be taken away in an instant. It was so hard to just enjoy her happiness because until Marc was found, that nagging voice wasn’t going to go away.
“We better get going or we’re going to be late for work.” Marina pulled away from James and smiled.
“What’s wrong?” James seemed to know her too well because he saw right through the forced smile.
“I’m just worried all this is going to be taken away.” She closed her eyes.
“Marina, look at me.”
She opened her eyes and gazed into the depths of his blue eyes. The eyes that always seemed to find a way to calm her frayed nerves and help her believe things were going to be fine.
“I’ve figured out pretty quickly that nothing in life is guaranteed, but living our lives worrying about what could happen is not a way to live. We need to stop wondering what if, and just deal with the hand we’re dealt.” He ran his finger down the side of her face. “You were dealt a crappy hand for a while but you came out a stronger person. Don’t let your worries about Marc stop you from enjoying what we have together.”
“I’m trying not to, but I’m so worried he’s going to do something to take it all away.” How James knew what had been going through her mind was a mystery, but it was also incredibly comforting that he could read her so well.
“I’m not going to lie; I’m worried about it, too, but for now we just need to keep our eyes open but not make our lives all about him.” James kissed her cheek. “That gives him all the power.”
He was right, of course, and she wasn’t giving Marc the power over her again. She’d done that once, and it took her four years to let herself believe she was strong enough to get through his abuse.
The work day seemed to drag on forever, but she was glad to be back to work. She missed her coworkers, and her assistant was so excited to see her back. Her boss, David was equally glad to see her. It wasn’t that he minded her working from home but he’d been worried she wasn’t going to ever come back. She’d assured him she wasn’t going anywhere and tried to keep her mind on her work for the rest of the day.
She was deep into a document David had sent her to check, when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She glanced at the screen and smiled as she tapped it.
“Hi, honey.” She cringed because the words actually came out more of a sigh.
“Hi, sweetheart,” James said.
“What’s up?” She glanced the time on her computer and was surprised to see it was almost five.
“I wanted to let you know I had to pick Mason up early from daycare.”
“Is he okay?” She shut down her computer and got ready to go.
“He had a fever, but Danny didn’t want to leave with me because they were painting.”
If Danny was painting, there was no way he was leaving. The kid loved it and for a four-year-old, he was pretty good.
“I’ll pick him up. I’m just getting ready to leave now.” She pulled on her jacket and grabbed her purse.
“Okay, drive safe,” he said.
“Always,”
“Marina?”
“Yes?” Marina locked the door of her office and headed out of the building.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She really did love him and just hearing him say it made her heart feel so full.
Walking through the parking garage, she kept her keys in one hand and her phone in the other. It was something Jess had told her to do whenever she was walking alone. She was almost to her car when a cold feeling ran down the back of her neck making the hair on her arms stand up. She turned quickly. There was nothing behind her or anywhere else in the parking area. She shook her head and continued to walk, but the eerie feeling of someone watching her wouldn’t go away. She started to walk faster and as she got to her car, she yanked open the door. As soon as she was inside she locked all the doors and tried to calm her racing heart. It was the first panic attack she’d had in a while. What was wrong with her?
She started the car, but there was something told her she wasn’t alone. She’d walked through the garage more times than she could count. It was the first time she’d ever gotten a feeling of dread coursing through her body. She probably should have gotten someone to walk out with her. She lay her head back against the headrest and took several deep breaths to calm her anxiety. Once she felt calmer, she pulled out of the garage and headed to pick up Danny.
She was still jumpy when she arrived at the daycare and managed to find a parking spot close to the entrance. The prickly feeling at the back of her neck made her snap her head around, but again she didn’t see anyone except other parents coming to pick up their children. Was she imagining things? A young man held open the door to the daycare for her as she got to the entrance. She thanked him and quickly moved inside.
Danny was excitedly holding his masterpiece as they walked out of the building. Marina held onto his hand tightly mostly because she’d learned her lesson when he ran into the parking lot that day. It was then she had noticed a grey SUV in the parking lot with someone sitting in it. He was staring at her. She managed to get Danny buckled into his seat and jumped into the car. With shaky hands she pulled out her cell and tapped Keith’s number. James had drilled it into her head that if she got into trouble, she was to call Keith. He had staff everywhere and could have someone with her in minutes probably even seconds.
“Marina, what’s wrong?” Keith answered on the first ring.
“I’m outside Danny’s daycare, and I’m probably just being paranoid, but there’s a man in a grey SUV sitting there watching every move I make.” Marina was talking quietly because she didn’t want to frighten Danny.
“Grey SUV, bald guy, looks like a wrestler.” Keith chuckled.
“Umm... yes.”
“It’s okay, Marina, that would be Bull. He’s one of my guys, and I’m guessing James didn’t tell you, but he’s just there to keep an eye on Danny,” Keith explained, and Marina didn’t know to be relieved or pissed.
“Bull?” The name didn’t escape her.
“Yeah, nickname, of course, but it’s because he’s six-foot-seven, and about two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. The nick name is because when he hits someone, they say it’s like being knocked down by a bull.” Keith chuckled, and she was both surprised and amused because as long as she’d known the O’Connors, it was the most she’d ever heard Keith say at one time.
“Okay...I don’t remember meeting him, but at least I know I’m not going crazy. I’ve got Danny now so you can tell Bull he can go home.” Marina said.
“Hulk had a family emergency so Bull is filling in. I’ll text him. Drive safe.” The call ended and she glanced towards Bull. What a stupid name to call someone but when the man got out of the car her jaw dropped. He was huge. He nodded as he dropped a bag into his trunk and got back into his car.
“Bull...sheesh.” Marina giggled and headed for home.
The eerie feeling of dread started again about halfway back to Hopedale. The long stretch of road was lined with trees on both sides and usually she enjoyed the beauty of it, but for some reason it seemed almost dangerous at the moment. She reached for her phone to call James. At least he could talk to her while she drove.
“Damn it,” she groaned when she noticed her phone was dead. “One of these days I’m going to remember to keep that thing charged.”
She glanced into her rearview mirror and noticed a car speeding up behind her. It started to pull around her, and she shook her head. She was driving the speed limit. This idiot seemed to be in an awful hurry. She’d reached to change the station on the radio when there was a loud bang and the car jolted to the side. Marina turned the wheel to keep from diving into the ditch at the side of the road.
Danny’s scream muted the second bang, and her car lurched to the side again. She turned to see the car swerve at her a third time. She could see the driver was a man but she didn’t recognize him. She saw the green car coming towards her again and smashing into her. Staying away from the embankment was getting harder and when she was hit again, she knew she couldn’t avoid the ditch anymore. The car dropped off the side of the road and slid down until the side of the car crashed at the bottom of the embankment. The only thing she heard was Danny’s screams and the screeching of tires as the mysterious car sped away.
Dangerous Abduction (O'Connor Brothers Book 2) Page 17
