Dangerous Abduction (O'Connor Brothers Book 2)

by Rhonda Brewer

  “My Tommy is long gone, and I don’t know Tom Roberts.” Nanny Betty patted his arm and left the room. His grandmother always said that people came into a life for a reason and sometimes they stayed forever, but other times they came to teach a lesson. Maybe Tom Roberts was going to be for both, whether Nanny Betty wanted to admit it or not. At the moment his only concern was Marina and how he was going to get her back. It had been twenty-four hours and it felt like he hadn’t seen her in months. His heart hurt, and he didn’t know if he could take the pain of losing someone he loved again.

  Two weeks passed by and he was trying hard to get on with his life, but it was a struggle every day without Marina and Danny. He even missed the damn dog, but the worst of it was Mason’s constant questions about why Marina and Danny went away. He even asked if he’d done anything wrong. That almost killed him, to think Mason was blaming himself. The only one to blame for the whole mess was Martin Tapper.

  John called him every day to let him know how Marina was doing, but no matter how many times he texted her, she never returned his texts or calls. It was killing him, but according to John, Marina was seeing a therapist to help with her trauma. He just wished she’d talk to him, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen anytime soon.

  James returned from work exhausted and irritated, and Mason wasn’t in the best of moods either. James had told him several times to pick up his toys, but Mason didn’t seem to want to do anything. He knew what was bothering the kid and there was nothing he could do about it. Marina hadn’t been bringing Danny to daycare, so Mason was really missing his best friend. For the fourth time, James told Mason to pick up his toys as he went to answer a soft knock on the door. Mason whined as he slid off the couch to the floor.

  “Mason, if I have to ask again I’ll pick them up and they’ll go in the garbage,” James said firmly as he opened the door.

  “I want you to be my daddy and I want to come home.” James stood in the doorway his mouth hanging open as he looked down at Danny and Cloud. He looked around outside but there was no sign of Marina or anyone else.

  “Danny, how did you get here?” James had to plug his ears when Mason came squealing into the foyer. The two boys were jumping up and down and Cloud seemed just as excited as he jumped up and down.

  “I missed ya, buddy.” Mason hugged the dog.

  “Danny, does your mom know you’re here?” James crouched so he was eye level with Danny.

  “No, I told Mommy I wanted to come here, and she said maybe soon but I didn’t want to wait. So I left Unca John’s and came home.” It melted his heart to know that Danny considered his house home.

  “You shouldn’t have come here without telling someone, buddy,” James said.

  “I was tired of waiting to see you, Daddy.” Danny looked down at the floor.

  “I missed you too, but you can’t just run off without telling anyone.” James pulled out his phone to call his brother. Maybe this would force Marina to talk to him or maybe it could push her further away.

  Chapter 26

  Marina gazed out through the window of her sister’s kitchen and realized it was the first time she’d been back in Hopedale since the whole mess happened. Her life had been turned upside down by all of it, but there was one thing she could finally do. She could finally stop hating Marc. He wasn’t the one who put her through hell the last couple of months of her marriage. He did love her, and if it wasn’t for his crazy twin brother they’d be raising Danny together but then where would that leave James. God, she missed him so much but in her confusion she couldn’t pursue a relationship with anyone.

  The therapist she was seeing was helping a lot. She’d suggested that Marina talk to James but she kept putting off facing him. She really didn’t know why but being so close to where he lived was making it hard not to run straight to his house.

  “Marina, where’s Danny?”

  She turned around to see her sister searching the back garden for Danny and Cloud. Marina slid open the patio door and called out to him, but he didn’t answer. She tried calling out to the dog but there was no sign. She started to shake and ran out into the garden calling to Danny. Where the hell was he?

  “Danny, answer me now.” She didn’t even realize she was shaking from the cold until her mother brought out her jacket.

  “He has to be around here,” Janet said. “Put this on and we’ll take a walk up the road.”

  The level of panic she was feeling was making her heart pound in her chest, and she was struggling to pull on her jacket. Her father opened the door as John pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to answer it.

  “Wait!” John held up his hand as he listened to the caller.

  From John’s side of the conversation Marina found out that whoever it was had Danny. She relaxed until John put the phone in his pocket and wouldn’t meet her eyes.

  “Where is he, John?” Marina asked, but in her heart she knew the answer.

  “He’s at James’ house. Danny told him he wanted to go home.” John met her eyes and her stomach flipped. It was time to face James, but was she ready?

  “I’ll go get him.” Doug opened the door.

  “No. Dad, I’ll go get him.” Marina snatched the car keys out of her father’s hand but before she got through the door, John stopped her.

  “Marina, before you go just listen.” John grasped both her hands in his. “James loves you and he loves Danny, and it’s obvious Danny wants to be there or he wouldn’t have run off, but I can’t let you go over there if you’re just going to take Danny and not talk to my brother. He already went through hell when he lost Sarah and for what it’s worth, losing you is harder on him because he knows you’re still there. So if you’re not ready to talk to him, let me go get Danny and Cloud.” John held out his hand for the keys, and she stared at it.

  “Rina, you know you belong with James. Don’t throw this away because you’re scared.” Stephanie stepped up next to her.

  “Marina, it’s up to you.” John still had his hand out for the keys and she scanned her family standing around the kitchen. They were all so worried about her, and she’d given them good reason because she’d shut them out. She’d shut out all the people she loved but over the past couple of days, she’d slowly let them all back in. Was she ready to let James back in too?

  “I need to do this.” Marina turned towards her family. “I love him, and I know the only way I’m going to feel whole again is with him. Danny made me realize James is my home.” Marina ran out the front door and almost knocked over Ian on the way out. “I love you, Ian. He’s my home.” She laughed and kissed Ian’s cheek as she ran around him and to the car. She glanced up at the step as she started her car and laughed when Ian was still standing there staring at her.

  She pulled the car into James’ driveway so fast that she ended up halfway on the front lawn. Without even turning off the car she threw open the door and ran up the driveway to the front door. James opened it, and she launched herself into his arms.

  “I’m so, so sorry, James. I’ve been an idiot for shutting you out. I never meant to hurt you. I know I’ve got no right to ask you this, but I love you and I’m a complete fool that it took my four-year-old to tell me that this is home. You’re my home. Everything that happened with Marc or Martin had nothing to do with how I feel about you. It was just the guilt of hating a man that didn’t do anything and...” James covered her mouth with his hand.

  “You needed time to process everything, Marina. I understand and all I need to know is you’re coming home. To me and Mason.” He moved his hand from her mouth and stared into her eyes. Oh how she missed those blue pools of his, and just like the first time she gazed into them, everything seemed to fall into place. James O’Connor was the love of her life and no matter what happened that wasn’t going to change. She’d said her goodbyes to Marc and she’d made peace with the fact that she didn’t cause his death. It was a relief to know that she hadn’t been wrong about the man she’d marr
ied. That Marc really was a good man, that he loved her but there was still the mysterious box his crazy brother kept referring to.

  “I’m home and I’m never leaving again.” Before their lips met, they heard the happy squeals of two boys peeking out from the living room.

  “You think we should check with them to make sure they’re okay with you and Danny coming back?” James chuckled.

  “I’m pretty sure they’re good with it.” Marina smiled and cupped his face with her hands. “I love you so much.” The next thing she knew, James covered her mouth with his and the faint sounds of the boys in the background made her smile against his lips.

  “You think they’ll ever stop getting grossed out by me kissing you?” James pressed his forehead against hers.

  “Do you still get grossed out by your mom and dad kissing?” Marina raised an eyebrow.

  “Good point.” James laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “I really love you, Marina, and I missed you so damn much,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her and she knew at that moment she was home.

  In the days that followed, Marina, James, Stephanie, Keith and Sandy dug deep into the lives of Marc and Martin. Sandy managed to open the adoption records on both brothers, but it didn’t lead to any answers. It did shed new light on why Martin was so screwed up. The family who adopted him was abusive and he ended up in foster care once he was removed from that family. His foster families were not the best role models either. Marc had been luckier even though his adoptive parents had died when he was eighteen. None of that information led to the box Martin had been so desperate to find.

  So the next task was going through the things Marina had stored at her parents. She wasn’t sure how she felt about everyone going through Marc’s things, and they’d agreed to let her look through them first. The shed held at least twenty boxes of things she’d stored there but she didn’t know which contained Marc’s things.

  She did finally remember where she’d seen the key before. Marc had put it on a chain for her and told her it was the key to his heart. It had been in her jewelry box. That was why it was in the middle of her closet the day of the break-in and she hadn’t noticed anything missing from it.

  So the task was to go through each box one at a time. While James and John pulled the boxes down from the shelves, Marina opened them and glanced through them. When she knew it wasn’t Marc’s she’d hand it to Stephanie to sort.

  It seemed they’d been in the shed for hours and were almost through all the boxes, but there was still nothing that required a key to open it. John pulled down one of the last three and set it in front of her. She pulled open the cover and gasped. It was Marc’s belongings and there on the top was a black, steel box with a pad lock.

  “James, pass me the key.” Marina pulled out the box and set it on the floor next to her. James dropped the key into her hand. She unlocked the box and looked up at James, John and Stephanie. James nodded and she swallowed hard. “Do you guys mind if I do this alone?” she asked.

  “We’ll be in the house if you need us.” James touched her cheek and left the shed behind Stephanie and John. The door closed behind them, and she stared at the box. After a couple of deep breaths, she opened it slowly. It was full of papers, old pictures and a large yellow envelope that was sealed and folded in half.

  The pictures were of a young couple, both of them holding a small child. On the back was written Me, Hilda, and our adorable boys Marc and Martin. Marina turned the picture back over and looked at it closer. It was Marc’s parents holding him and his brother. Tears formed in her eyes and she blinked to clear her vision. They had such a sad family history. The other pictures were similar. Pictures of the couple and the boys but the last one made her gasp. Marc and Martin were sat on a step with their father behind them. It was like looking at Danny, but she always knew he favored Marc.

  The papers in the box were documents of birth certificates, marriage certificates for both Marc’s parents and his adopted parents as well as their birth and death certificates. Nothing in the box would be worth money. Then she spotted the yellow envelope she’d put aside. She unfolded it and written on it was a note. It was only to be open in the event of the death of the O’Reilly’s, but it didn’t look as if it had ever been opened. Carefully, she opened the flap and pulled out a thick folder of papers.

  “A letter to my son and my last will and testament.” Marina read the typewritten letter on the top of the papers and flipped the top page. She sat back and began to read.

  Marc,

  If you are reading this letter, then your mother and I have passed. I hope this letter finds you well and that you understand what these documents mean for the rest of your life.

  As you know, we had a modest lifestyle. I only wish we had the wealth to leave to you and your future family. However, your birth mother came from a wealthy family. When we adopted you, we were given these documents to give to you when you reached the age of thirty. The documents state that there is a trust for you in the amount of five million dollars that will be released to you on your thirtieth birthday. It also states that you have a brother of which we were not told about until we received this document. I’m hoping by the time you read this we will have already told you about him, but if we haven’t it’s because your brother has taken the wrong road in life. He too has a trust fund. It also states that should you or your brother refuse the trusts or have yourself passed away, then the money would be put into trust for any children either of you have produced and kept there until they have reached thirty.

  Son, since you’re adopted, you are not aware of your real family’s secrets, but you need to know your true heritage and who your family really is. Your father, Clifford Tapper himself was an orphan, but your mother Helen Mann Tapper, her family is much more tragic. Your mother’s grandparents were devout Catholics by the name of Liam and Constance Doyle. They lived in Witless Bay and were well respected by the community. Your grandmother, Dorothy, was an only child and given an extremely strict upbringing.

  However, the family took in a young man who had lost his family in a fire when your grandmother was just seventeen. The story of how your grandmother and this young man ended up together is not really clear, but your mother was a result of their short affair. The young man was sent away, and your grandmother was forced to marry Herbert Mann. He took on the responsibility of your pregnant grandmother and claimed your mother as his child.

  How do I know this story, you may wonder? Well after your parents’ untimely death, all of their possessions were sent to the orphanage and when we adopted you they were given to us. We didn’t look through the old trunks until we found out about your brother. The boxes contained journals of your grandmother and mother and told the whole story. Also, in there was the name your mother’s birth father. He never knew about your mother, because according to your grandmother’s family, he was beneath them. His information is also included with these papers and I hope this letter finds him still living so he can get to know you. We tried to find him so you could get to know him, but we were not able to locate him. We were told he no longer lived in Newfoundland.

  One last thing, be happy and we always loved you as if you were our own. Never forget that.

  Wilfred and Sadie O’Reilly

  Marina dropped the papers into her lap to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Marc’s family was one tragedy after the other and it was sad none of them seemed to live a happy, content life. To make it worse this was Danny’s family.

  She picked up the papers again and moved to the next page. It was the will of Marc’s birth parents. She wasn’t good with legal documents so she put them aside to have Mike check them out. If the letter was true, Danny would be the beneficiary.

  She flipped through the rest of the pages which looked to be pages from a book. As she glanced through them she realized they were the pages of the diary referred to in the letter. She flipped through them until she came to a birth certificate with Helen Doyle on it. She
scanned through it and noticed the father’s name. She couldn’t believe her eyes. What were the chances he was Helen’s real father?

  “Holy shit! That makes him Danny’s great-grandfather.” Marina struggled to her feet and grabbed the papers while she shouted. “James, Stephanie, you’re not going to believe this.”

  Chapter 27

  James sipped his coffee that Janet had poured him and stared through the window at the shed where Marina was going through a can. One that had gotten her son kidnapped as well as her. She seemed to be taking forever and he was getting edgy.

  “She’ll be fine, James.” Janet placed her hand on his back.

  “I’m just worried there’s something that may upset her.” James was more concerned it was something that would take her away from him again.

  “Nothing in that box is going to change how my daughter feels about you.” Janet smiled at him. He was about to thank her but the yelling coming from the shed had him and Janet running out the back door.

  “You’re not going to believe this.” Marina shoved a piece of paper into his hand, and he glanced at it. It was a birth certificate for a Helen Doyle.

  “I don’t know who this is.” James was baffled. He didn’t know why Marina was so excited.

  “Of course you don’t. You didn’t read this, but Helen Doyle is Marc’s birth mother. This is a copy of her original birth certificate.” James still didn’t get all the excitement.

  “Okay, but what does this mean?” James shrugged and glanced at Janet who seemed to be just as confused.

  “Look at the father’s name.” Marina pointed to the name.

  “Thomas Roberts.” It took a second for it to sink in. “Tom Roberts is Marc’s grandfather?”

  “Yes! It’s a whole sordid story with crazy religious parents but what it boils down to is Tom didn’t know he had a child. He was sent away but he was never told why.”

  “Holy shit!” James said. “This means Tom is related to Danny.”