by Lindsey Gray
“Okay, enough.”
Lisa handed Rob back his phone and he scrolled through the pictures. He sent one off to Emma and told her she would be with him the next time he went Lego shopping.
She responded a few minutes later to tell him to name the date and she’d be there.
Emma laughed at the picture Rob sent her surrounded by Legos. At first, she never thought she would have anyone to share the nerdy part of herself with. God, how wrong she’d been. She was almost a little giddy at the thought of setting up her nerd cave in a new home. The things she would show him.
She shoved her phone into her bag and retrieved her keys.
“Dad?” she yelled after she entered the house. She dumped her bag and flipped off her shoes in the entryway. A loud round of laughter drifted toward her from the back deck. The cars in the street were her first clue to their visitors. Once on the deck, all was confirmed. It was poker night at the MacLean household.
“Hey, Dad.” Emma kissed her father on the cheek and surveyed the table.
“Good day, Princess?” he asked, never taking his eyes off his cards.
She placed her hands on Mick’s shoulders and kneaded his tense muscles. “Not bad. I’m working on my first acquisition. I think this guy is going to be amazing. We’re meeting for lunch on Friday.”
“Good. Good.” It came time for Mick to show his hand. “Read ‘em and weep boys!”
“Royal flush?” Mayor Rudy Babcock whined. “You sure you aren’t counting cards, Mick?”
“He better not be!” City Councilman, Bart Weathers, piped up. “Last time he did, he got a black eye and fat lip out of the deal.”
The men groaned at what Emma assumed was a painful memory of one of their weekly game nights.
“I’m here tonight, so there is no cheating allowed. Unless you want to spend a night in lockup,” Chief of Police, Jeremy Simmons, added.
“Hell no!” Harry exclaimed.
Emma laughed at the memory of her walking into the police station at the age of sixteen to find Harry in a holding cell. He only got brought in for being out on the beach after hours, but those few hours in a cell were enough to last a lifetime.
“You boys have fun. I’m wiped.” Emma patted her father’s shoulders to let him know she was done.
“Thanks. There is some mail on the counter for you.” He was already dealing out cards for the next hand.
Emma poured a glass of club soda then set out to sort through the huge stack of mail on the counter.
“Bill. Junk. Junk. Junk.” She flipped through one envelope after another until her fingers felt the familiar rough envelope with her only her name scrawled across the front.
She didn’t even notice she had dropped her glass on the kitchen floor until pain shot through her foot.
“Em, what–” Harry froze.
Emma’s eye filled with tears when the glass pierced her foot, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the envelope. She felt Harry come up behind her and help her into a nearby chair, yet her focus never wavered.
“What is it?” he asked.
She couldn’t form the words. Every time she opened a threatening letter was just like the first time. The fear, the nausea, and the pain were all present even after so many years.
The envelope moved and she blinked once to clear the tears from her eyes. Harry tore it open before she could squeak out her protest.
“No,” she cried in a hoarse sob.
“What the fuck is this?” Harry yelled.
Emma braced her hands over her ears while Harry yelled for her father. They would know now. She couldn’t keep it a secret any longer.
“Oh my God,” Mick whispered.
Emma slid her hands to her lap and raised her gaze to the papers trembling in her father’s hand.
“Sh–” She cleared her throat to regain some volume in her voice. “Show them to me.”
Harry and Mick exchanged looks. After a moment of silent staring, Mick handed it over.
Emma read the horrible words she knew would be there.
She slid the letter to the side to reveal the photo. It was a picture of her tied to a chair with bloody bites marks visible on her breasts.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Emma whispered. She clasped her hand over her mouth and held the papers out for her father to take.
Blood dripped onto the kitchen floor from the gash in her foot. She couldn’t seem to care while the visualization of her tormentor’s vile words filled her mind.
“Emma?” Mick squatted down in front of her. “Is this from the person who attacked you?” She closed her eyes and nodded. “Did you get letters like this before?”
She nodded again. “And pictures. Um, Harry? Can you get the wooden box on the top left shelf of my closet?”
“Sure.” Harry walked out of the kitchen.
Mick wrapped a towel around her foot and applied pressure.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
The tears in her father’s eyes broke her a little more. “At first, I was so scared he would come back. Then after I moved to California, he started threatening to hurt the family, even Annie, Nell, and the kids. I didn’t know what to do.”
Emma gathered Mick in her arms and held him while he cried on the kitchen floor.
Harry slipped in and placed the box on the counter.
Emma looked up to Harry. “They’re all in there. Envelopes, letters, pictures, along with the dates and times I opened them. The last two are the only letters delivered by hand. The rest all came through the mail.”
Harry opened the box and flipped through the folders. “Em, there is more than a hundred letters here.”
“I know.”
“We need to get Simmons in on this,” Harry insisted.
Mick nodded in agreement. He slipped his finger under Emma’s chin and brought her gaze to meet his own. “This guy isn’t going to stop. We need to catch him.”
Mick cleared out his poker buddies except Chief Simmons with promises of a fishing trip on his boat in a couple weeks. The Chief settled at the kitchen table with Emma, Mick, Harry, and the box of letters.
“We will start with fingerprinting and see if we get lucky with that. Yours are on file?”
Emma nodded. “They took a set after the attack. I never asked why.”
The days following the attack were still blurry for Emma. She remembered a female officer and the sight of ink on her fingers but not a word of what the woman said to her.
“I never officially closed the case so I’ve always kept the files close to me.” The Chief shook his head.
Emma did remember when Chief Simmons was the Head of Detectives for the MPD and took on her case personally. He promised Emma he would get the little bastards and now Emma thought maybe she’d given him the evidence to keep his promise.
“Is there anything else you remember about that day?” he asked and took her hand.
“Just flashes. What scares me most is nobody knew about Derek and I until I said something the other day to Maria DeFazio. I guess I should say McInerney now.” Emma still couldn’t fathom Maria infiltrating one of the best families in town.
“We checked back then, she has a solid alibi. She and Derek were in the same class taking a test when you were found. Before that, she and her parents were in the principal’s office most of the morning.”
The four sat with matching expressions of frustration on their faces when Emma’s phone rang.
She walked out to the entryway to retrieve it from her purse and answered it in time.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Hey. You sound off. Everything okay?” Rob asked.
“I got another letter today.” She tried to calm herself by tipping her head back and taking a deep breath.
“Shit! What did it say?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She sniffled and composed herself as much as possible. “Chief Simmons happened to be here with Dad for poker night. I gave him all the letters. They’re going to ge
t started right away.”
“Oh, baby. It’s for the best. They are going to get this guy.”
So many people had uttered the same words, but she’d never believed them until they came from Rob.
Rob’s flight had been delayed so he didn’t get in until Thursday evening. He took a cab from the airport to Moira’s house, which was conveniently only a few blocks away from Mick’s house.
Annie opened the door before he got the chance to knock. “So glad you could come.” She pulled him through the door with a hug.
The door shut behind him and he noticed Charlotte standing there.
“Do you like German chocolate cake?” Charlotte asked him.
“One of my favorites.” He smiled and put his bags down beside the door.
“Mom and me made one for you to say sorry about your head.”
Rob squatted down a bit and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I already told you when I called it was no big deal. It doesn’t even hurt anymore. Plus I got a few days off to spend with my mom on her birthday. Everything worked out.”
“Come on, we need to eat dinner before we can think about cake.” Annie pulled him into the kitchen.
An aroma he hadn’t smelled in years filled his nostrils. “Oh, God,” he moaned and took another whiff.
Moira came over and gave his cheek a pat. “I couldn’t have your first meal with us be meatloaf. I do have standards.”
“But this?” His gaze landed on the stove and surrounding countertop to find an authentic Irish meal. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and some sort of rolls were ready to be gobbled up. “I’m going to be spending extra hours in the gym, but I don’t mind.”
“I like a boy with a healthy appetite. Annie, get him a drink while we wait for Emma to get here.”
Rob checked his phone. “She’s on her way. No cameras.”
“Good. Nell’s here and they make her uncomfortable.”
Rob realized he hadn’t met Annie’s twin yet. He’d seen pictures, but they hadn’t been introduced.
“Is Emma here?” Nell rushed into the kitchen with an open laptop.
“Not yet,” Annie replied. “This is Rob. Rob, this is my sister, Nell.”
Nell’s cheeks reddened, but she put down the laptop and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Rob shook her hand and compared the twins side by side.
Emma said they were identical twins. Both stood at the same height, had long, shiny red hair, big green eyes, button noses, and heart shaped lips. Annie seemed to be a slimmed down version of Nell. Both women gorgeous, but he thought Nell edged a little ahead of her sister with her lush curves.
Nell grabbed the laptop and turned the screen. “Emma’s real estate agent sent me this listing. The house isn’t even on the market, but she thought it would be perfect. I want to see if Emma has time to go look at it tomorrow. They are going to list it as a short sale on Monday, but if we can get it, we can close pretty quickly. We’ll never find anything this good at this price.”
Rob read through the specs of the house. It was four bedrooms, three and a half baths, a den, two-car garage, and a finished basement on a quarter acre for less than $600,000. He was sure Emma could afford much more, but why spend the money if you don’t have to.
“This is amazing!” Annie jumped up and down with excitement.
Rob flipped through the interior pictures with the sisters and he had to agree. He saw Emma in the yellow house. He saw himself there. The yard was big enough for a dog to run around, maybe even a few kids. A house was something she could invest in for the future.
He pulled his lips up into a small smile. “Perfect.”
“What’s perfect?” Emma asked as she entered the kitchen.
“I found us a house,” Nell stated with confidence.
Emma went to check the listing on the laptop.
Nell began to point things out and explain the situation. “And here’s the den, a perfect office for you.”
“The nerd cave can come out of the boxes,” Mick added while he peeked over Emma’s shoulder.
Emma smiled and Rob wrapped his arm around her waist. “What do you think?” he asked.
“You’re right. I think this is the house for us. Thanks, Nell.”
“Can you get away for a viewing tomorrow?” Nell questioned while she dialed the relator’s number into her phone.
“After one. I have an early lunch meeting at eleven. I’m hoping to sign my first wrestler tomorrow,” Emma beamed.
“This is a story I need to hear, but not without food.” Rob’s stomach growled. “See what I mean? What do we need to do to get this party started?”
Rob hadn’t felt so full in years. The last time was when he went down to Atlanta to visit Chance’s family. Mrs. Robicheaux stuffed him to the gills with down home, Southern cooking. Moira MacLean’s meal was different, but every morsel was just as good.
“Did you save room for cake?” Charlotte asked Rob.
“A small piece, Miss Charlotte.” He smiled at her and watched her whole face light up.
Charlotte got up from the table and scampered off to the kitchen.
“You’ve made her day,” Annie commented. “You can’t imagine how horrible she felt when she watched your match the other night.”
“I’m always down for a piece of cake.” Rob rubbed his stomach.
“You won’t be disappointed.” Emma threaded her fingers through his underneath the table. “Charlotte wants to be a famous dessert chef or own a bakery. I think she’s watched every episode of Cake Boss twenty times.”
Charlotte came in with the most decadent piece of cake he had ever seen. One bite and he was sold. He was ready to help them set up a college fund to send her to the best culinary school.
The conversation continued around him as he devoured the cake.
“Kieran Finley.”
The name brought him out of his chocolate haze. “What about him?”
“I’m meeting with him tomorrow. If all goes well, I’m hoping to get him to sign with us once his current contract is up.”
Rob remembered Kieran. He had seen him fight a few of the former IWA wrestlers who were now working other circuits. He was good, young, but good. Rob understood their interest in him.
“I’ve seen a few of his matches online. He’s pretty young.” At only twenty-two, the kid still had some growing up to do.
“I thought about his age, but Kenny was only nineteen when he started. Kieran has way more talent than he does.”
Rob nodded in agreement. Kenny Turgen had been around a bit longer than Rob but was still four years younger.
“Make him a good offer. He’d be a big asset,” Rob assured her.
“I do have an inkling of what I’m doing, Mr. Breyer. Talent is something I have a skilled eye for.” With a wink, Emma took a bite of cake. She gave Rob every assurance she knew exactly what she was doing.
Emma took Rob back to her father’s house after their monster dinner. Once they walked into her room, Rob shut the door behind them and placed his bag on the floor.
Emma ran her fingertip across the buttons of Rob’s shirt. “I think I remember a little promise of a gift.”
“I seem to remember the promise.” He kissed the side of her neck, his two-day scruff rubbed beneath her ear.
“Ahhhhh, almost as nice as a new Lego set.”
“Almost?”
She slid her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss. Her lips hovered a few centimeters in front of his as she spoke. “I do like Legos.”
Rob pushed her back and watched her laugh at his expense. “At this rate, you’re not getting anything.”
“Come on, please. I’ll be good.” She sat down on the bed with a bounce.
He shook his head with a laugh and went to his bag to retrieve her gift.
“Now…” He balanced the wrapped box between his two hands and observed her excited anticipation. “I’ve got a lot of pressure on me at the
moment. This is the first gift I’m giving you as your better half.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Come one, please. I had to be good all through dinner. I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
“Yes, you’re right. You were a good girl. Remember, I will be giving you many more gifts and if I screw this one up, I’ve got several ideas for makeup presents.” He handed over the gift and sat next to her on the bed.
She ripped into the package and saw the picture on the outside of the box. Her breath caught in her throat. “Really?”
“Yes. Do you like it?”
“Like it?” She cupped his cheek and brought his lips close to hers. “I love it.” She placed several soft kisses on his lips and cheeks before she returned to open the box.
“Is blue okay?”
Emma took the blue Lego block alarm clock out of the box. “This is pretty perfect. My bedding is several shades of blue so it will fit right in. I can’t wait to find a place of my own. I’m not materialistic or anything, but I miss sleeping in my own bed with my Egyptian cotton sheets.”
“I can’t wait to feel those sheets.” Rob wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her shoulder.
“The house we see tomorrow could be the one.”
“I hope so because this talk of sheets has me hankering to get you between some.” He nipped at the skin above her collarbone with his teeth.
“Soon.”
After the huge family dinner, Emma was still stuffed the next day heading into her lunch meeting at Dooley’s Irish Pub.
“Welcome, Miss MacLean,” the barman called from the end of the bar. “Kieran be helpin’ gettin’ the meal together. Not often we get ‘em in the kitchen.”
“What’s on the menu?” Emma took a seat on a bar stool and set down her bag on the bar. Al and Ben began to set up at the end of the bar.
“Lamb. Best thing you’ll ever taste,” he boasted.
“I am a MacLean, after all. Just because I don’t have the accent doesn’t mean I don’t know a thing or two about the best recipes to ever come out of Ireland.”
“Well, well.” He sat a pint of dark liquid with a thick head on top in front of her. “Got a fiery lass here.”
