She was lovely.
Brianna turned her head when she sensed him. “Now there’s something I could get accustomed to every day,” she teased, heading his way. “I love a half-naked husband in the morning.”
“Are you making me breakfast?” he asked, grinning at her.
She crossed the room holding a mug of coffee for him.
“I don’t know how you take it,” she said, as she went into his arms.
“Redheaded and willing to make out with me,” he muttered, finding her mouth with his. The kiss was heated. It warmed his whole body and helped him find his footing.
With her in his arms, he was much better.
“Mmm, that was really nice,” she said, touching his cheek. “Maybe we can sit down, have something to eat, and we can make out a little later.”
He laughed. “I’m free.”
She was amused. “You’re pretty sexy in jeans,” she stated, as she followed behind him.
Laird laughed. “Well, I’m glad I can be some cheap piece of ass you can ogle. Do it more. I like it.”
He pulled her chair out for her and placed their plates in front of them. “Ah, fruit. That says married man like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
She snorted. “We could have oatmeal.”
He stared at her.
“Wait,” she said, laughing. “Porridge.”
He looked horrified. “Where’s the dead animal, my love?” he asked. “What have I done to deserve this?”
She leaned over and kissed him.
“I’ll take that any day. I’m not daft.”
Together, they ate their fruit.
“Why are you worried?” she asked. “You feel off. Why don’t you share it with me?”
“I feel like I was being watched. I want you to be extra careful, and be aware of your surroundings.”
“Laird.”
“My love, please.”
“I wasn’t going to argue. I was going to ask you to do the same. That’s all.”
He smiled, his aqua eyes twinkling.
“I think the best part of getting married so fast is that we’ll have so much time to learn everything about each other. It’s an adventure.”
That made her happy.
“I can’t wait.”
“We’re going to need to make some tough decisions,” he said, hearing a scratching at his back door.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Molly escaped the estate,” he said, laughing. When he opened the door in his kitchen, the beast raced in, and right to her food dish.
Brianna loved his dog.
“Feeding time at the zoo,” he teased, as he pulled out her food and fed her.
When he returned to his seat, she was focused on him. “As I was saying, we have to make some decisions.”
“Like?”
“Where are you teaching next?”
That caught her off guard. “I thought here, so we could be together.” Her eyes must have given something away.
“Oh, Brianna, my lovely, you’re not going anywhere without me. I just figured if you still had wandering in you, we’d do it together.”
That shocked her. “You’d give up your career?” she asked. “For me?”
He put his coffee down. “I’d give up my life for you. Why would I hold onto something so trivial as a career? If you feel the wanderlust, I’ll be at your side.”
She kissed him.
“I really like that,” he stated.
She wiped his mouth with a napkin. It was so wifely, that his heart skipped in his chest.
“I’m going to stay put. I think I like it here.”
“Well, then we have to find a new home.”
She looked around. There was only one bedroom, and it was a loft. It would work with a baby in a cradle, but once a child got bigger…
Yeah, that was a bad idea.
“I want a house full of kids,” he said.
She glanced over. “I’m Catholic too. You’ll likely get your wish. No birth control and all.”
“Never in my life have I ever thought I’d be happy for no condoms.”
She snorted. “It’s the little things.”
“Aye, my lass, it is.”
She moved into his lap. “I love you.”
He was just about to say the same thing when there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it. You’re half dressed. We don’t need Jenny showing up and trying to molest you.”
He swatted her on the ass. “Shrew.”
“Chick magnet.”
He laughed as she headed toward the door. He whistled, and Molly followed her.
Laird had a clear view of the door, and as she got there, she pulled it open.
Then she gasped.
He stood.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, taking a step back.
The man reached in, grabbed her by the arm, and roughly pulled Brianna toward him.
Then his mouth sealed to hers.
Molly went crazy barking, and Laird…
He simply went crazy.
He headed toward his wife, and the stranger who found it appropriate to accost her in his doorway.
Brianna was trying to get him to set her free, pushing against his shoulders, but he wasn’t letting go.
Well, that was about to end.
He grabbed the man by the pressure point in his neck, bringing him to his knees. Brianna moved behind her husband, holding onto him.
She was shaking.
“Hey! What the fuck?” the man said, staring up at the shirtless man.
“I could ask you the same,” Laird replied.
He saw red.
The rage was filling him.
The sight of some other man roughly touching his wife was enough to make him want to kill.
That took a lot.
Brianna was his, and he wasn’t going to accept anything like this. He’d die for her.
And he’d kill for her.
“Let me up! I’m her fiancé,” he said, from his knees on the ground.
He glanced over at Brianna. She shook her head no.
Laird believed her, since he knew how heavy handed her parents and this man had been.
“So, you’re Dick,” he stated, letting him go so he could get to his feet.
Brianna’s parents appeared behind him, trying to see what was going on to hold them up.
“Who the hell are you?” Richard asked, rubbing his shoulder.
Laird was going to enjoy this.
In fact, he couldn’t wait to drop the bomb.
This was going to be priceless.
He made the introductions.
“I’m Laird Maguire, and she’s Brianna Maguire, my pregnant wife.”
Maureen gasped and then fainted.
Thomas caught her.
Richard began cursing her name, calling her every name in the book.
Laird barely stayed calm. Brianna was in his head, begging him not to kill the man.
He wouldn’t.
“Bri, my love, I don’t think I like your family.”
Yeah, she wasn’t really fond of them either.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thursday Morning
T he killer had to keep going to get his ultimate prize. If they couldn’t get to the detective or his pretty wife, they were going to at least take out the last person on their list before her.
She would be easy.
In fact, she’d die in her own home.
That would allow them the cover of the house to make sure they didn’t get caught.
Walking up to the cottage, on the hill, he knocked.
When she opened the door, she was alone.
That was perfect.
He’d studied her enough to know the truth. She would be alone until later.
That gave them time.
“Miss, we found your cat.”
She looked confused. “I don’t have a lost cat,” she said, turning around. “Mine is right
there.”
That’s when he struck, hitting her so hard, there was a crunching sound.
It killed her instantly.
She needed to die.
The bloodline had to stay pure, and she tainted it. When it came to family, she was the outsider.
“Are we going to take her heart?”
He smiled. “Yes, we are. Isn’t that the best part?” he asked his partner.
There was laughter.
It was sick.
Twisted.
Ugly.
“The very best part.”
“So, let’s get it done.”
And they did.
The bodies kept coming.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Laird’s Home
The man didn’t believe him when he said she was his wife. It was clearly written across his face that he thought this was some trick.
Well, Laird had news for him.
She was his.
Forever.
“Brianna, who is this man?” her mother asked, finally recovering from her fainting spell.
“Mom and Dad, this, like he said, is Laird Maguire. He’s a detective here in town.”
They didn’t seem to care about the last part.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” her mother stated. “What the hell are you doing with a half-naked man?” Maureen asked.
“She lives here.”
Laird held her hand, giving her strength. While his wife had let them run roughshod over her for years, this had to be her battle. She had to stand up to them.
For her.
For him.
For them.
“Seriously, Bri. Enough of yanking my chain.” Richard stated. “Get your things, you’re coming home, Brianna. Enough is enough. You’ve always been flighty but shacking up with a man. That’s the cake.”
The man reached for her, and Laird grabbed his hand. “I will break your fingers, and then throw you in jail until your flesh rots from your bones. She’s not some rag doll you get to yank on. She’s not going anywhere.”
“So you keep saying, but we have history.”
“I have a marriage license,” he said, “and shiny rings that prove that she chose me.”
Dick began pacing. “This is absurd. We’ll get it annulled as soon as we reach the US.”
Brianna was appalled. “You realize I’m right here, and I’m not getting my marriage to the man I love annulled, right?”
Dick moved toward her.
Laird growled.
He got the clue.
“If they upset you, I’ll kick them out,” Laird said, kissing his wife on the lips. “I have to get dressed so I can meet Nate and Bishop at my office to go over the autopsy.”
She patted his cheek. “I’m good, Laird. Go get dressed. I have this handled.”
She had to do this.
It was about time.
“Brianna,” Dick said, when the man was gone.
She cut him off. “Have a seat. We’re going to discuss this, and then you’ll be on your way.”
“You’re coming with us,” Maureen stated. “We came all the way here to fetch you.”
Well, that was on them.
She didn’t ask them to come, and she certainly didn’t ask for HIM to be here.
Brianna sat, and Molly climbed onto the couch beside her. She loved that her mother looked disgusted when Molly gave her kisses.
“I love doggy germs, so you can stop scowling, mother. I prefer her kisses to the one Richard gave me. At least I won’t get some raging STD.”
Maureen sat.
Her father stood behind her.
And Richard gave her a look. She could read him. With Laird being so close, the static was focused. He was giving her his strength, and she loved him for it.
Still…
It was time.
“I missed you, Daddy.”
He smiled. “I missed you too, pumpkin. You should have called more,” he said, knowing that his wife was out of control. He hadn’t agreed with this, but he went along with it.
“We both know I couldn’t, Daddy.”
He sighed.
The shit was about to hit the fan, and he knew it.
“Are you really married?” her father asked.
“Yes, we are. I’m very happy, too, if that matters to anyone here,” Brianna stated.
“Are you really having a baby?” Maureen asked.
“Yes. I’m having a little girl.” She hoped they didn’t ask a due date. She’d have to explain, and they’d think she was nuts.
Richard was pissed.
“Brianna, this is insane! I gave you some breathing room, and you lost your mind!”
She stared at him. “I do believe, I ended our relationship over a year ago, Richard. I do believe I said I wanted to travel, and you said over your dead body. That I had an obligation to you, and I disagreed.”
“You were angry.”
Laird was listening from his loft.
He was the one getting angry. If he didn’t kill the man in his living room, it would be one hell of a miracle.
Still, he kept his mouth shut.
“We broke up, I bought my ticket to Adare, and I’ve never looked back. I’m sorry if you came here thinking you could rekindle something. It’s not going to happen. I’m happily married to Laird, and we’ve started a family.”
Maureen sputtered.
She pointed at her mother. “You told me to be a good girl, marry a good catholic boy, and have babies. I took care of myself in a foreign country, I found an AMAZING catholic man, and I’m having that baby. Before you tell me that I’ve done it wrong, I’ve done it right.”
“You are rebelling.”
“No, I’m not. I’m in love, I’m happy, and I’m not going back with you. My life is here in Ireland. We’re going to have a brood of babies, I’m going to learn how to spin wool, and I might even get a farm. I don’t know. The only thing I do know is I don’t love Richard, I don’t like how you boss me around, and I’m not leaving. Period.”
Her mother was appalled.
Laird headed out of the loft, wearing his suit. He had his badge, his gun, and a chip on his shoulder. What he wanted to do was punch someone in the face.
“You’re playing house.”
He moved toward his wife.
“I’m playing nothing. I can guarantee we don’t pretend anything,” she said, staring at Richard.
He got the message.
The sex was VERY real.
It shut him up.
Laird wanted to laugh, but he managed to keep it in. The way his wife was defending them would do the job. She didn’t need him.
His ray of sunshine had this.
“A gra, I have to get to the office. The autopsies are coming in, and this case won’t wait for tomorrow. I wish I could stay and listen to you tell them off, but you’ll have to catch me up tonight.”
She went up on her toes and into his arms. The kiss was more than just a goodbye kiss.
It was a see you later kiss.
“Be safe today, and where will you be?” he asked.
“I’m heading to the historian with Avalon. She’s on her way here now. Nate is dropping her off. Then we’ll take a cab back to the estate.”
That didn’t work for him.
“Here,” he said, handing her the keys to his car. Nate had dropped it off, and he could just walk to work. It was only a couple of streets. “Take my car.”
“She can’t drive, she barely could drive in the US. You’re insane to give her your keys. She’ll be confused.”
He focused on the man. “Dick, you’re a dick. Shut it or I’m going to hurt you. Brianna can do anything she wants. You’re not her guardian. I AM.”
The man closed his mouth.
Laird reached for her mind.
‘Please don’t leave me for this man.’
‘I never will. I’ll be there tonight, waiting for you, husband.’
‘Promise, wife?’<
br />
‘Forever.’
Brianna would never give him up. There was no way she could live without him.
“Be safe, my detective.”
He touched her cheek.
“Stay as long as you like,” he said to her parents. “If you put your hands on her, or my child, I’ll hurt you in ways you’ve never thought possible,” he said to Dick.
Brianna waited for him to leave. At the door, he blew her a kiss, and she caught it.
“Molly, protect our girl.”
The dog climbed back into her lap and stared at the threesome through her long moppy hair.
When Laird was gone, the shit storm really started. While her mother wouldn’t be rude in front of him, while he was gone…that was another story.
She knew how she worked.
“Get your things. We’re leaving,” Maureen stated. “We’ll get this annulled and you’ll be free of this mess. Honestly, Brianna, we shouldn’t have to clean up after you at your age.”
She was getting angry.
“No, Mother. I’m not leaving. I’m married. Sorry that you don’t like that, but you’re not the one who gets to make that decision.”
Richard had enough. “Did he knock you up?” Dick accused. “Is this what it’s all about?”
She flushed in anger.
“No. We made a choice to get married and have unprotected sex. I’m Catholic, he’s Catholic, and we don’t believe in birth control, Richard—not that it’s any of your damn business. I’m married. It’s as simple as that.”
“You used birth control with me!”
“And that should tell you everything you need to know about what I felt regarding our short, pathetic relationship.”
Maureen gasped.
Still, Dick wasn’t giving up.
“You can come home. I’ll raise the child. I’ll make an honest woman of you.”
That was enough.
Brianna snapped.
“Get out of our home! I will NOT have you talking about my husband and myself like that, and I certainly won’t have you implying my child is a mistake. She’s wanted, loved, and going to matter more than I ever did!”
Maureen stood up. “If you don’t come with us right now, and end this stupidity, your trust fund is done. You’ll not have a penny more.”
She laughed. “Oh, Mother. In the last year, know how much of my trust fund I used?” she asked. “Let me tell you. I bought the plane ticket and a month’s room and board. The rest, I earned on my own as a teacher. Laird doesn’t want me because of Daddy’s money, like Richard does. That’s the only reason he wants to be with me. Ask him how many times he cheated on me.”
Oracle Haunting (The Phoenix Files Book 4) Page 36
