Hidden Betrayal (O'Connor Girls Book 1)

by Rhonda Brewer

  “I don’t need her to open it to know Hannah is my sister and not my mother.” Dean sighed.

  Another hour passed, and Dean could have pulled hair out of his head if he actually had some there. He’d started to pace again because Jason wasn’t answering his texts or phone calls.

  “He probably has it turned off,” Keith spoke when Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket for the tenth time.

  “Why the fuck is it taking so damn long?” Dean plunged his phone back into his pocket.

  “That judge could have a dozen cases today.” John held out the tray of coffee he’d arrived with a few minutes earlier.

  “Thanks.” Dean took the cup.

  “I see you guys are still here.” Dean glanced behind him. Stewart Michaels walked toward them with Hannah linked into his arm.

  “Hannah?” Dean placed his coffee on the window sill and hurried toward her. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight as if she’d disappear.

  “Where’s Jason?” John spoke from behind him.

  “He’s tying up some loose ends with the judge.” Stewart smiled at Dean when he finally released his sister.

  “I figured you’d be anxious to see this lovely young lady and take her home. She’s spent way too much time in a place she never should have been in the first place.” Stewart dropped his hand on Dean’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know how to thank you, Mr. Michaels.” Hannah held out her hand, and Stewart shook it.

  “No thanks necessary. Jason got you out, and from what I’ve seen you won’t be going back.” Stewart smiled.

  The man had mellowed since he’d developed a relationship with his children. Sandy was his daughter, but he also had another daughter and two sons. There was one more daughter, but she died when she was shot by her brother when she tried to have Sandy killed.

  “Hannah is right. We owe you a debt of thanks as well.” Dean shook Stewart’s hand.

  “We’re family.” He smiled. “Which reminds me, is it this weekend for the family supper?” He glanced at Keith.

  “You know it. I think mom and dad are going to have to move, or we are going to have to start renting out a place.” Keith laughed.

  “Well, I have no issue with offering my place as a venue. At least before I sell it.” Stewart buttoned his suit jacket.

  “You’re moving?” John asked.

  “Yes.” Stewart nodded. “Hopedale is about to become my home. I’ve purchased a smaller place for myself and the little woman. Plus, I’ll be closer to my kids and grandkids. I’ve spent way too much of my life away from them.”

  “I’m sure they’ll love that.” John smiled.

  Dean hadn’t taken his arm from around his sister as he listened to the conversation going on around him. Hannah clung to him and remained quiet as well. He couldn’t believe all the time wasted with her inside when all he had to do was get her a competent lawyer.

  “I want to go.” Hannah peered up at him. The bruise on her cheek faded, but the sadness in her eyes remained. Why wouldn’t it be? She had to bury her daughter in a couple of days.

  “Come on; we’ve got a comfortable place all set up for you.” Keith winked at her. “I’m Keith O’Connor by the way, and this is one of my older brothers, John.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Hannah smiled, but she obviously forced it.

  “There are a lot of people in Hopedale that want to meet you.” John smiled, but Hannah tensed.

  “I think that can wait.” Keith must have noticed. “I’m sure Hannah wants to go home and relax.”

  Jason appeared as they were about to leave and from the huge grin on his face, Dean could tell he was pretty proud of himself.

  “Stew, Judge Smallwood said to tell you he’ll meet you at the club for that drink.” Jason chuckled.

  “A drink. That lush owes me more than a drink.” Stewart laughed. “Care to join us, boy. You might learn a thing or two about schmoozing the likes of someone like Smallwood.”

  “I’d be glad to.” Jason laughed. “Hannah, I’ll drop by on Monday to see you and your brother and talk about getting this case thrown out.”

  “Thanks so much.” Hannah shook his hand.

  “My pleasure.” Jason nodded and followed Stewart down the hallway toward the exit.

  “Let’s go home, Han.” Dean guided his sister down the hall followed by Keith and John. They walked in silence, but Dean’s thoughts were loud, and thousands of questions swirled around his head. He couldn’t drop them on Hannah right away, but he would. He needed answers and soon.

  Chapter 14

  Kristy couldn’t sit still as she waited for news from Dean about Hannah. He’d been surprised Jason got her case brought up before a judge so quickly. The truth was, so was Kristy.

  “When does your mom open the pub part?” Kristy turned to see Lora the new waitress at Jack’s Place.

  Kristy liked her. Mostly because she knew what she was doing, and she wasn’t a teenager or a woman her mother’s age. Not that over fifty was a bad thing, but it was nice to have someone her own age to work with at the pub.

  “Usually after supper. Mom swore she wasn’t going to have the bar opened all day, so people could spend all day drinking instead of home with their family. Nan told her Grandda would roll over in his grave if he thought about people not being home with their families at supper time.” Kristy chuckled.

  “Your family is close.” Lora sat next to her while they waited for the supper rush.

  “Yeah,” Kristy sipped on a cup of tea she’d poured for herself.

  “That’s wonderful.” Lora smiled shyly.

  “You aren’t close with your family?” Lora hadn’t said much about her life except she had a little girl.

  “My dad died a few years ago and Molly, my mom and me rent a place on Knob Lane.” Lora stood up and glanced around as if she was uncomfortable with talking about herself.

  “No siblings?” Kristy should have taken the hint, but she was nosey.

  “I have a brother, but he’s a pilot and is only home a week or so every few months.” Lora sighed. “Would you mind if I call home to check on Molly?”

  “No, go ahead. Hell, you need a break. You haven’t stopped since you got here.”

  The conversation distracted Kristy for a short time, but as she watched Lora walk to the back of the pub, her thoughts went back to Dean and his sister. He said he would text her when he knew something, but it had been hours, and her phone remained silent.

  She snatched a cloth off the bar and started toward some of the empty tables to wipe them down. Not because they needed to be but because she had to distract herself. She was off from the Comfort Life Center for the next three days, and if she was honest, she wasn’t sure she wanted to return there.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t love the job but considering what happened she wasn’t sure how she could go back there. Kristy didn’t have much of a choice because she’d made a commitment to Sophia and she didn’t want to let her down.

  “If you keep wiping down that table you’re going to wipe the coating off it.” Kristy turned around.

  Her cousins Mike and Ian were at the end of the counter holding menus. Ian always dropped in on Thursday because he worked late at the clinic and Billie spent Thursday evenings at the real estate agency until nine. So, Mike would drop by and have supper.

  “Why exactly are you looking at the those when you probably know it by heart?” Kristy walked around the counter and stood in front of her cousins.

  “We had to do something until you figured out that table was clean.” Mike laughed.

  “So that will be a spit seasoning for whatever you order.” Kristy held up the notepad and smiled at her cousin.

  “Don’t mind her she’s kidding.” Lora seemed shocked by the way Kristy spoke to Mike and Ian.

  “I doubt that.” Ian laughed.

  “It’s okay, Lora. These are two of my cousins. Mike and Ian.” Kristy pointed her pen at each cousin.

 
“Oh, sorry. Nice to meet you.” Lora backed away from where Kristy stood.

  “Lora is the new waitress mom hired. She doesn’t live far from Keith’s compound.” Kristy remembered Knob Lane ran across the back end of Keith’s property.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Ian nodded.

  “She can’t do worse than this one.” Mike laughed.

  “That will be spit seasoning on…” Kristy stared at Mike. “What was it you wanted?”

  “Lora to serve me.” Mike pointed toward the new waitress.

  The supper rush came and went. Still no word from Dean and when she messaged Keith and Jason the only response she got was give him a bit of time. That didn’t help her at all. Either Hannah didn’t get released, or he found out she was his mother. Maybe both.

  “Lora, you did amazing today.” Kristy’s mom walked out from the kitchen and unlocked the entrance to the bar part of the pub.

  “Thanks so much, Mrs. O’Connor.” Lora removed her apron.

  “Please call me Alice. I’ll see you in the morning at nine.” Her mother handed Lora an envelope.

  “What’s this?” Lora glanced down at the sealed envelope.

  “It’s today’s tips.” Her mom smiled at the expression on Lora’s face.

  “But Kristy worked too. This is way too much.” Lora gasped when she opened the envelope.

  “Kristy has the same amount.” Her mom handed her an envelope as well, but Kristy knew there was less in hers because she’d told her mother to give most of it to Lora. The woman had a daughter, and this wasn’t a full-time job for Kristy.

  “People in Hopedale are very generous when they get top notch service.” Kristy smiled and wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulder.

  “Thanks, I’ll see you in the morning, Mrs…. Alice. Will you be here tomorrow too, Kristy?” Lora had a huge smile on her face.

  “Actually, tomorrow my other daughter Jess is going to be helping out. After that, I think you’ll be fine.” Kristy didn’t doubt it for a minute. Her mom asked Kristy several times how Lora was doing.

  “That’s great. Bye.” Lora smiled as she opened the door and left the pub.

  “I think she’s going to be a good choice.” Her mother smiled.

  “Yeah,” Kristy glanced out through the front of the pub.

  “Still haven’t heard from him?” Her mother cupped Kristy’s cheek in her hand.

  “No, I don’t know what happened. I wanted to head over to his place and see if he’s there, but then I feel like I’d be intruding.” Kristy plopped down on one of the seats next to the counter.

  “You could call him.” Her mother suggested.

  “I tried, it goes to voicemail.” Kristy called before the supper rush started.

  “What does Jason say?” The way her mother said his name told her she disliked Jason almost as much as her father did.

  “Give him some time.” Kristy sighed. “But I don’t want him to go pushing me away.”

  “Well, maybe ya should march right over dere and find out wat happened.” Kristy turned around to the sound of her grandmother’s voice.

  “Hi, Nan.” Kristy hugged the tiny woman and kissed Tom’s cheek.

  Tom Roberts was Nanny Betty’s boyfriend, but it wasn’t exactly what her grandmother called him. He was her companion. He was also her first love, and after years of being estranged, they finally reconnected a few years earlier. They’d been inseparable ever since.

  “Don’t hi me, lassie. Get over dere and let dat man know yar worried.” Nanny Betty pushed her toward the exit.

  “Nan, maybe he wants to be alone.” Kristy knew it was pointless to argue with her grandmother, but she had to try.

  “I doubt dat. Now get. Text us and let us know how he is.” Nanny Betty pushed her through the door and closed it once she was outside.

  It was a beautiful late September day, and if she weren’t in such a hurry to see Dean, she would have walked home. She jumped in her car and drove up Harbour Street toward Main Road. Keith’s property was the only residence on the road that lead out of Hopedale.

  Keith’s property was a huge compound and required a code on the main gate to enter. If you didn’t know the system or didn’t have a code of your own, you had to buzz the security office. It seemed a little over the top to Kristy, but since Keith and Dean ran a security firm, it made sense to them. Especially if they had to bring clients to the property for protection.

  Keith had given each of the family their own code to enter, so she punched it in, and the gate slowly opened. She drove through and waited for it to close again.

  Dean’s bunkhouse was on the back of the property next to five others. Keith and Dean had them built for staff that lived in Hopedale. It made sense, and the guys seemed to enjoy the town.

  Dean’s truck sat in front of his bunkhouse and the porch light was on. She pulled her car up next to it and turned off the engine. She was still debating whether to intrude or not, but she had to see what happened at court.

  “Are you going to stay in the car, or are you coming in?” Kristy jumped at the sound of his voice next to her open window.

  “Damn it, warn a girl next time.” Kristy rolled up her windows and stepped out of the car.

  Before she had a chance to ask anything Dean pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. She melted into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her against him.

  “I fucking missed you.” Dean smiled down at her when he ended the kiss.

  “Really? Is that why you’re ignoring my texts and calls.” Kristy tapped her finger against his nose.

  “I wasn’t. When we got back here this afternoon, I got out of the truck and dropped my phone.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone with the screen shattered.

  “That sucks.” Kristy cringed.

  “Keith picked up the new one while he was in town. It’s where I was coming from when you pulled up.” Dean kissed the top of her head. “You don’t look in your rearview mirror at all do you?” He chuckled.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Oh, then you were ignoring my waving arms as you drove by Keith’s place.” Dean chuckled.

  “I… I was a little… nervous about coming over here.” Kristy admitted.

  “What? Why?” He pulled back and met her eyes.

  “I didn’t know what happened and whether it was good or bad.” Kristy sighed.

  “It doesn’t matter. When you want to come here don’t let anyone or anything stop you.” Dean stepped back and took her hand.

  “So, what happened?”

  “I’m surprised with your family you don’t already know.” Dean laughed as they strolled toward his bunkhouse.

  “Me too but none of them seemed to know or they wouldn’t tell me.” Kristy glanced up at the porch.

  Dean’s sister sat on the porch in one of the chairs. She gave Kristy a hesitant smile.

  “Hannah?” Kristy glanced up at Dean.

  “Hannah, you remember Kristy.” Dean practically dragged Kristy up the five steps to his porch.

  “I do. It’s nice to see you again, Kristy. I apologize for my behavior the first time.” Hannah’s voice was soft and somehow sad.

  “You were fine. I’m glad to see Jason was able to get you out.” Kristy sat next to her.

  “Me too. It’s not over, but at least I’m not in that awful place.” Hannah looked at Dean.

  “I’ve got a phone here for you, Hannah. I know you’re probably exhausted so if you want to call it a night, I can walk you next door to the other bunkhouse.” Dean held an iPhone box out to his sister.

  “Thanks, Dean. I’m going to take a long hot shower and call it an early night.” Hannah stood up, and Kristy didn’t miss the cringe. She was still in pain from something. “I’m sorry I don’t want to be rude, but it’s been a long day.”

  “Don’t worry about that. We’ll have plenty of time to talk in the future.” Kristy smiled as Hannah a
nd Dean walked toward the smaller house next to his.

  When he returned a few minutes later, Kristy had curled her feet under on the large deck chair. He crouched in front of her and took her hands in his.

  “What do you want to know?” Dean smiled.

  “Whatever you want to tell me.” Kristy squeezed his hands.

  “Let’s go inside. I need to switch out my phone.” Dean stood up and held her hand as she stood and followed him inside.

  She gave him some time to get his new phone working by making herself a cup of tea. He called out to her when he’d finished.

  “So, obviously Jason got Hannah out of that dreadful place.” Kristy started when she sat next to Dean.

  “Yes, and according to Stewart she won’t be going back.” Dean sighed. “I hope he’s right.”

  “Me too. What about…” Kristy stopped.

  “The baby she gave birth to, I haven’t asked her yet. I don’t know how to bring it up, but I need to know. I figure I’d give her a day to get her bearings and then talk to her. It’s not that it will help with who killed Ivan or Pey, but I still need to know.” Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into him.

  “Let’s enjoy the fact that she’s out of that place. I do have to mention something though.” Kristy tipped her head back and looked up at him.

  “What’s that?” Dean ran his finger down her cheek.

  “I think you need to get her to a doctor. She seems to be in pain. I’ve noticed the couple of times I’ve seen her stand she cringes.” Kristy saw anger flash across his face and then he calmed.

  “I noticed it too; she says she’s fine and won’t talk about how she got the bruise.” Dean brushed his thumb across her lip.

  “She could have a broken rib or something.” Kristy placed her cup on the table next to the couch.

  “I’ll talk to her, but right now I want to take you into my bedroom and forget the world for a while.” He kissed her cheek and moved his hand down to her shoulder.

  “That sounds like heaven. I dropped Isabelle a text and told her I was coming here.” Kristy closed her eyes when his lips moved to her ear.

  “You should tell her not to wait up,” Dean whispered as his hand slid down her forearm to her elbow.