Claiming Red: The O'Connell Family

by C. M. Steele

  “O’Connell.”

  “Williams”

  “Are you two going to fight?”

  “Not yet,” Travis said.

  “Nope, I will wait until you are tied to me, before I kick his ass.”

  “You wish.” Muttered Travis as the sheriff came out to greet us.

  “Miss Lake…Mr. O’Connell. I am glad you could make it. Miss Lake I am sorry about your loss.”

  “Thank you.” There was no sincerity in her words, but they knew that she had issues with her parents.

  “Yes Sheriff, we are here for the interview.”

  “That’s good. Travis, please join us as well.” I watched as my girl looked confused and looked around for someone else standing by us, but there was no one. I knew this secret could blow up in my face. I promised not to lie, or keep secrets, but I had been keeping this one since the first night after we met. She was not going to be happy.

  “Come on baby, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home.” I pulled her back against me half hard rod and quietly whispered, “I want to go home and plant my seed in you, so you will have to marry me.”

  My sassy woman made my day by waving her ring and with a sweet whisper, “I don’t have to marry you; I want to marry you.” I spanked her ass, she was asking for it hard.

  “It’s a done deal, babe.”

  We were escorted into the interrogation room for questioning. They wasted no time, with small talk, and just got straight to the point.

  “Miss Lake, where were you on June tenth?”

  “I was on vacation in Greece with Mr. O’Connell.”

  “Do you know anyone who would want your parents dead?”

  “I don’t know. There could be a lot of people, or only a few. Until little about three weeks ago, I hadn’t spoken to my parents in over a year.”

  “Why is that?” I knew that they knew everything, Travis worked with them, why were they fucking with her.

  “Why is that relevant?” I was outraged that she would have to bring up such a sensitive subject; which I had learned had been why she was so upset when I told her they died. They hadn’t loved her as they should have and now she was in the middle of a tug of war for her.

  “Because they tried to sell me off like cattle to a man for marriage.”

  “Was it the only time they tried to do this?”

  “I don’t know, but my mother did set up a date with Mr. Moreno.”

  “Yes we know that.” She rolled her eyes at them, good for her, they were annoying her for no reason.

  “We have a long list of suspects. When you ran away that was not their first time. They had offered you up to the highest bidder. I am so sorry.”

  “Listen gentlemen, I think that is enough.” I tried to stand and take her from the room, but she shook her head no. She didn’t need to know that she had been completely betrayed by them for years.

  “Tell me all.” Said the stubborn woman.

  “It started about four years ago. Your parents had gotten into a world of financial trouble with some unsavory people and you were the only thing they had to barter with.”

  “But we had priceless things, we already moved into the mansion by then.”

  “Yes, they needed to fund their extravagant lifestyle and you were their meal ticket.” It was clear that she had realized that their possessions were more important to them, than she had been.

  The district attorney decided to take over. “By the time you had run away they had owed more than five million dollars, to all sorts of people, in all different countries. When one of our informants gave us the tip we sent in, Federal Agent, Travis Williams to go undercover for your protection.”

  She turned to the man who was her friend, and I saw the pain written in her eyes. I knew he cared for her as more than just a case, but I am sure she wouldn’t see it that way.

  “I was just an assignment to you. I thought you were my friend.” She had tears welling in her eyes. I tried to console her when she turned her wrath on me, too.

  “You knew, didn’t you?! You asked why Travis was leaving my apartment, you thought he was my lover that night. What is wrong with you? With either of you, with friends like you two lying asses, who the fuck needs enemies. I am done here,” she looked at me and Travis with anger “with all of you!”

  She stormed out of the room out the door, on to the sidewalk. She tried to push me away. “Let me go, you don’t love me. You lied to me.” She tried to take off her engagement ring and I grabbed her hand in anger and fear, and turned her to me, and held her by her upper arms, so she couldn’t leave me.

  “Don’t you ever try and take that off again. You are going to be my wife and we will get past this. I will never let you go. I love you. It wasn’t for me to tell you. It was a part of protecting you and I would die to protect you.” I wasn’t above begging and pleading, but she saved me from having to do that.

  “Rick, I am sorry. I love you too.”

  It was then that out of nowhere a car of masked men appeared and opened fire. I pulled her down and reached over her. I guess, I had to live up to my words, or die by them. The loud pops were going off until all I could hear was screeching tires and my Red screaming. My head was ringing as I fell to the ground, and all went black.

  Chapter 14: Samantha

  I sat there in the waiting room, with his family, as they operated on him. I was still covered in his blood, but I didn’t want to change. He touched these clothes as he protected me. His smell had still been all over me and I didn’t want to lose it.

  I couldn’t stop the tears that cascaded down my face. It was all my fault. If I hadn’t stormed out of there, they wouldn’t have attacked. If I hadn’t had rotten parents, none of this would have ever happened. If I hadn’t gone to the salon, after my mother’s begging, I wouldn’t have met him.

  But the thought of not meeting him, was something my heart couldn’t bear. His sister came up to me and hugged me tight. I sobbed harder. I knew they felt the same way I did, it had to be devastating to them too, yet they were comforting me.

  “I am so sorry.”

  “No, it is not your fault. My brother chased after you, remember.” I cried my heart out. He told me how we needed to seize the moment. I told him we should wait and that we needed time to plan a wedding. Now, all I needed was him.

  While everything was happening, I felt like that time went into slow motion. The gunmen drove up, and I didn’t even get a look at them. Rick had just told me that he would do anything to protect me, and he had. I didn’t even notice that I had been bleeding until they had carted him away and the paramedics took me in the ambulance. I wish he would come back to me. I feel so, empty, inside.

  It was six hours later when we finally heard from the surgeon. I didn’t even hear his words, because the look of sadness, and pity on his face said enough; I fainted dead away.

  It has been three weeks since that horrible day. Travis and Rick’s family handled the funeral because I couldn’t barely move. My heart was broken and my tears constantly flowed.

  I woke up this morning in the O’Connell family mansion when I was running to the bathroom. I was vomiting like crazy. I hardly ate since that day, I felt like a big part of me died that day, his family had to force me to eat. This was the second day in a row. I thought it was because I every night I would wake up from the nightmare, missing Rick. His parents had taken me in. I moved into his old bedroom, just to hold on to some part of him.

  I heard footsteps behind me, followed by the water from the sink running, then off. “Drink this.” I nearly jump out of my skin.

  It was Rick’s uncle John. “My dear, don’t be scared. I know what you meant to my nephew and now you have a little one coming too.”

  I took the water from him and it dawned on me we hadn’t used anything in our short time together. “I am pregnant.”

  Epilogue:

  It had been the fastest eight months of my life and now my little Rick was here. “Don’t you look
just like your daddy, little man?” I was proud as I stared down at my son.

  My son, just to think I almost missed this opportunity.

  In walked Travis and Claire, and I knew that I would have to pass the baby on to them. I didn’t want to, I had just got rid of the others that came to see him, but they came all the way from Texas, after all.

  “Let me hold my nephew.” I handed her my little man.

  “How are you feeling?” I looked at her like she was crazy, I had been asked that question for the last eight months, but for the first time since then, nothing bothered me.

  “I am great. Actually, never better. Look at my son.”

  “Yes, he looks just like you, poor baby.” Travis was still an asshole. Even when I had finally woken up from a coma, he was still a prick. I woke up to find out that he was fucking my sister. It was more than fucking, but I still like to think of my sister as a little girl.

  I remember the moment when I woke. My vision was blurry, but I could see my Red staring back at me. I had a pounding headache that lasted for about a week, but seeing her had made everything better. She had been there every day, while I was under, until they kicked her out, which was well after visiting hours. I spent three weeks in a coma, and my poor Samantha thought I wouldn’t survive. I swear I had never been kissed so much. Not that I was complaining, I just didn’t want my Red, getting tired of kissing my broken ass.

  I found out that I had been shot in the head and in the chest. They said it was because of my Red that I survived. It seems that the one that had struck me, in the head, had grazed her arm and slowed the bullet down. The bullet had cracked my skull, but thankfully, had not penetrated my brain. I had a nasty scar on the side of my head that most of my hair covered, but my wife was still willing to tolerate my ugly mug.

  My family came to see me, one after the other. When my sister came in, I told her I needed a haircut. Once they said it was okay, she gave me a haircut as Sam, stood by me. I got to hold Red’s hand, this time, as I stared at her.

  When I was out in the land of nod, Roger and Uncle John had found out that it was a Turkish group of militants that had murdered Sam’s parents and tried to kill us. It seemed those two became unlikely allies. The Turks had paid for my Samantha, just like the other men. When I had soiled her, they were out lots of money and a bride. They considered her, ruined, and now a whore. We had found out that one of the maids at the Lake residence had been in contact with people looking for Sam and had told them what Mrs. Lake said about my attention to Samantha.

  They all paid the price, and I was fucking ecstatic. There was no trial or anything like that, they were mysteriously gunned down in their home countries. When the police learned of it, Roger and Uncle John played dumb. We had out suspicions, but I didn’t ask and they didn’t tell. I had my family and that is all I needed.

  I had a hard time with my recovery for months after the incident, but my wife had it worse. She had a hard time coping with me in a coma, and burying her parents. Travis, and my father had told me all about what had happened. I wanted to take away her pain, but she told me that, “all that matters is that you came back to me. I will never argue with moving too fast again.”

  After all of the family visited, and left, I looked down at my family and could not keep the grin from my face.

  “Damn babe, I want more of them.” She looked like she wanted to rip my heart out. I knew that it had taken her twenty hours, and a shit load of pain, to bring my son into the world, but it didn’t stop me from wanting more.

  “We just had this one, don’t you think it’s too soon?”

  I laughed and reminded her what had she said about moving too fast.

  Then she so kindly, reminded me, “Yes, but you have to remember, we can’t have sex for six weeks.” She smirked at me, little brat, my cock had stirred at the thought of getting her knocked up again. She just rolled her eyes at me.

  “You don’t have to be so mean, Red.” As I tried to adjust my aching cock.

  “Well, next time you can have the baby.” She groaned out sleepily.

  I kissed her head and murmured, “if I only could. I love you, Samantha.” She smiled in her sleep.

  Less than one year later, we were welcoming my little Red into this world.