Dangerous Therapy: O'Connor Brothers (Volume 1) (24 page)

“It’s nice to see you again, Marina.” John’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “The last time you were digging your fingernails into my arm.”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry about that.” Marina said. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

He waved her off. “I’ve had worse. I’m sure it was nothing compared to what you were feeling.”

He headed to the laundry room. It was where he kept his gun safe, and always the first place he went after work.

Marina mouthed the words ‘oh my God he’s hotter than I remember.’

A few seconds later John walked up behind Stephanie, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Are you home for good, Marina?”

“Hopefully soon,” Marina said.

“I need to get out of these clothes.” John left the kitchen.

“You’re glowing.” Marina chuckled.

“He makes me so happy, Rina.”

“I can see that. Dad and Mom seem to really like him.”

“You know he has six brothers. They’re all hot.” Stephanie grinned.

“Don’t start, Steph. I’m not looking for anyone. I’ve got too much on my plate now with work and Danny.” Marina warned.

Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. “And why didn’t you bring my nephew with you to see his favorite aunt?”

Marina laughed. “If you want to try prying him out of mom’s arms, you go right ahead. You’ll need a crowbar to get him away from her. She’s spoiling him rotten.”

John entered the kitchen dressed in jeans and a black T-Shirt. Was there anything that looked bad on the man? He walked to the other side of the island and leaned his elbows on the counter.

“So what are you beautiful ladies up to tonight?”

“Just catching up,” Stephanie said.

“So you’re the reason my sister can’t wipe that smile off her face.” Marina teased.

“I like making her smile.” He reached over and squeezed Stephanie’s hand. “By the way, who is officer hunky?” Stephanie almost spilled her tea.

“He was this policeman that pulled us over the day I went into labor.” Marina chuckled.

“Oh I see, and who gave him that name.” John laughed.

“I did,” Marina admitted. “But my sister agreed with me.” Stephanie could see by the look on John’s face he wasn’t going to let her live this down.

“You ready, bro.” Nick, Keith, and Aaron walked into the kitchen. Stephanie smiled when each one of them checked out Marina. John was going to James’s house for a couple of games of darts.

“Marina these are three of John’s younger brothers Keith, Nick, and A.J,” Stephanie said.

“Looks like great looks run in the family.” Aaron winked at Marina.

“And there it is. We’re out of here.” John kissed Stephanie and pushed his brothers out of the kitchen. John’s voice echoed as they left. “Can’t you just say hi to a lady without hitting on her?”

“A.J is a bit of a flirt.” Stephanie giggled

“They all look like that?” Marina’s mouth hung open.

“Yep!” Stephanie poured two cups of tea. “James is John’s twin. He’s a widower, and the other five are all single.” Marina rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. Having her sister back was so great. It really wasn’t the same without her.

For the next couple of hours, Marina gave Stephanie the details of her life in Ottawa. She really loved her job and made a few friends at work. One was also from St. John’s and was hoping David would let her transfer to the Newfoundland office as well. Even though Marina tried to act upbeat, Stephanie knew she wasn’t as happy as she wanted her to believe. She hated Marc for throwing Marina’s life upside down.

“Mom told me all about the shit that’s been going on,” Marina said.

“Well, nothing in the last two weeks. So hopefully it’s over.” Stephanie said. “I just wish they knew who it was.” They both jumped when loud pounding started at the door.

“I know you’re in there, Marina. Open the fucking door!”

Stephanie froze.

Marina’s face turned completely white. “How did he know I was here?”

“I don’t know, but he can’t get in.” Stephanie’s anger was bubbling to the surface. More pounding.

“Open the door you bitch.” Marc roared. Stephanie hurried to the door. It was locked. John always locked it when he left the house.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Stephanie yelled through the door.

“Oh, she’s gonna talk to me,” He screamed. “I’ll kick the fucking door in if you don’t open it now.”

“Marc, if you don’t leave I’m calling the police,” Stephanie yelled.

“I don’t give a fuck who you call, you fucking bitch. I’m not leaving until I see Marina and my son.” His voice was more of a growl now.

“You’re not seeing either of them. Now get the hell away from the door.” Stephanie screamed. Her fists clenched and her body shook.

“You fucking whore.” Marc kicked the door. “I’ll fuck you up.” He was kicking the door. Stephanie grabbed her phone and called 911. She seemed to be calling that number a lot lately.

“911, what’s your emergency.” A pleasant voice answered.

“There’s a man trying to get into my house,” Stephanie explained.

“What’s your name?” Stephanie gave the operator all the information and cringed as Marc started to pound harder on the door. The door rattled and she worried he was going to break through before the police got there. The operator told her to stay on the phone until the police arrived. She heard something crack as Marc continued to kick and pound on the door. She probably should have called John, but she didn’t know if Marc had any weapons.
Dear God
.

In the living room, Marina was on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands over her ears. Stephanie wrapped her arm around her trembling sister. The operator kept asking what Marc was doing and if he was in the house.

“Hurry please,” Stephanie begged. Marc sounded crazy and she was terrified what would happen if he did get in. Within minutes, the flashing blue and red lights lit up the living room.
Thank God
. Stephanie ended the call with the operator and threw her phone on the couch. Stephanie peeked out through the window. Two officers moved cautiously up the driveway. The pounding on the door stopped. She heard the muffled voices of the police speaking to Marc as a second car pulled into the driveway. Two more officers got out of the car, and one had a phone to his ear. It was Kurt.

John put his darts into his jacket pocket and sat down on the couch. Spending an evening with his brothers was great. He actually relaxed because Stephanie wasn’t home alone. Plus, he knew if she needed him, he was only a couple of houses away. Kurt was still working on the break-in, but so far nothing. John was kept up to date.

“I think we lost our big brother.” Mike chuckled.

“Can you blame him, with two hot women at his house tonight?” Aaron teased. “Care to share some of that, bro.” John threw a bottle cap and Aaron dodged it.

“It’s Stephanie’s sister you fucking pervert,” John growled.

“Hey, sometimes two sisters can be good.” Mike laughed. “Ask Ian.” John couldn’t hide the chuckle as Ian’s face flushed. A couple of months after Ian’s ex-girlfriend left him, Ian decided to do a pub crawl with Mike, Nick, and Aaron. Ian ended up getting so drunk that he hooked up with two sisters and spent the night with them. He never really talked about it, but Aaron liked to tease him about it all the time.

“Fuck you, A.J! Am I ever gonna live that down?” Ian grumbled.

“They’re jealous, Ian,” John said. Ian was the shy one and wasn’t comfortable with being teased.

James seemed to pick up on John’s train of thought. “Yeah A.J. wishes he had your game.”

Ian appeared to relax again. Aaron should know better than to piss off Ian.

“I got all the game I need, assholes.” Aaron bragged. So went the rest of the evening. With teasing and name calling. Just the way brothers should be.

Sitting back on the couch, John took everything in. Aaron and Mike argued over baseball teams and who was going to win the playoffs. The season just started, but this was a yearly discussion between them. John couldn’t remember a year either of them were right. James looked relaxed. His parents had Mason for the night, so James had nothing to worry about. Nick was sipping on a cup of coffee. It was his turn to be the designated driver. Ian and Keith were engrossed in a boxing match on the television. John stood up to grab another beer when his cell phone rang. He tapped the screen when he seen his uncle’s number.

“Hey, Uncle Kurt,” John answered.

“John you need to come home. Now.” Kurt’s voice was urgent.

“What’s wrong?” John held up his hand to get his brother’s to be quiet.

“We’re at your house, and there’s a guy at your door yelling to see his wife. Stephanie called 911.” Kurt explained. “I heard your address and came over right away.”

“I’m on the way.” John ended the call. He couldn’t believe they didn’t hear the sirens. He explained what was happening and bolted out the door with all of them behind him.

John tried to call Stephanie as he ran up the road. Her phone kept going right to voice mail.
FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!
What if this guy got in the house?  He tried to call Kurt but as he punched in the number his phone died. Running home seemed to take forever. He saw the lights of the cruiser before he heard the yelling.

Rage ran through him when he saw the guy on his step. It had to be Marc. He wasn’t paying any attention to the police in the driveway. John started up the driveway, but Kurt came out of nowhere and held him back.

“What the hell are you doing?” John snapped and tried to pull away from his uncle.

“Stay out of this, John,” Kurt warned. “Let Steve and Cory handle it.”

“You need to step away from the door now, pal.” Cory’s voice was firm.

“I want to talk to my wife.” It was Marc. Cory and Steve walked up the driveway both of them with their hands hovering over their weapons. They needed to be careful. Marc could have a gun. John had been in these situations more times than he could count. The rush of adrenaline that went through a person’s body could be overpowering. Those in law enforcement needed to watch every move the subject made. It was a delicate situation.

“It seems like the lady doesn’t want to talk, and it’s a bad idea for you to be harassing her in a police officer’s home,” John yelled. He took a step forward but felt a hand on his shoulder again.

“Let them handle this, John.” As hard as it was, John stepped back. If he didn’t listen, Kurt would probably kick his ass. His Uncle was his superior and you didn’t disobey an order from him whether you were on duty or not. Cory and Steve were good with negotiations. They were probably two of the best in the department, next to James.

Keith tapped John on the shoulder and nodded toward the window. Stephanie was looking out through the curtain. It was tearing his heart out not to be able to get to her. He couldn’t see Marina, but considering what Stephanie told him, the woman was probably terrified. The sound of a scuffle tore his gaze away from the window. Marc was face down on the step and Steve was handcuffing him. Marc was led down the driveway and John bolted toward him. Cory stepped in front of Marc and put his hand against John’s chest.

“Let it go, John,” Cory warned.

“Just check on the ladies.” Steve opened the car door and pushed Marc inside.

Stephanie ran into his arms as soon as the door opened. John hugged her against him and let out the breath he was holding. Marina was standing in the doorway to the living room. Her tear stained face was white. John wrapped his arm around her and held both women in his arms.

“It’s okay. He’s gone.” John whispered.

“He just wouldn’t go away.” Her voice was choppy.

“I’ll make some tea, or would you rather something stronger,” Ian said from behind them. John turned his head. Five brothers stood in the hallway. James must be still outside with Kurt.

“Tea is fine.” Stephanie pulled back from John and looked at Marina. “Are you okay?”

“This is why I moved away.” Tears were running down her cheeks. “He’s never going to give me any peace if I move back home.” She pulled from John’s arms and walked to the window. Aaron brought a box of tissues to Marina, and then followed Ian to the kitchen. Stephanie tensed in his arms. She looked up at John and it was as if she was begging him with her eye to fix this. John nodded toward the kitchen and Nick and Mike took the hint for a little privacy.

“You can get a restraining order,” John said. “He’s probably going to be charged with disturbing the peace and trespassing tonight.”

“What good is a piece of paper going to do?” Marina sobbed. “And what will he get for those charges, a slap on the wrist.” She was probably right, but John didn’t know what else to do for her.

“You can stay here with us tonight and tomorrow we’ll go down and get the restraining order,” John said. Marina held up her hand.

“Thanks, John. That’s nice of you. Really it is, but I’ve got to get back to mom’s and dad’s house. Danny’s there.” She turned and took a deep breath. “I’m changing my flight to the next one out of St. John’s.” Stephanie opened her mouth, but Marina stopped her. “I can’t come back here.” Marina flopped down on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

The front door opened and James walked into the living room. He motioned for John to come into the hallway.

“Is everything okay?” James asked

“They’re terrified, or at least Marina is.” John glanced at the two women sitting on the couch.

“That’s understandable.”

“I don’t know what to do, but I don’t think Marina’s staying in Newfoundland,” John whispered.

“Maybe when everything settles she’ll change her mind,” James said in a hushed tone. “So what can I do?”

John plowed his hands through his hair. He motioned James to follow him into the living room.

“Marina, I’m going to get James to drive you back to your parents,” John said.

“I have dad’s car.” Marina looked up, and James stiffened next to him. When John turned James’s jaw was clenched and there was something in his eyes. John couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I’d feel a lot better if you’d let him see you home safely.” Marc was gone to jail, but Marina wasn’t in a condition to drive.

“Rina, I’d feel better if James drove you home.” Stephanie put her arm around Marina. When Marina’s eyes fell on James, her expression changed. It was almost as if James made her relax.

“Okay…. Ah…. If he doesn’t mind.” Marina stammered.

“I’ll get her home safe, bro.” James’ eyes didn’t move off of Marina. “I’ll drive her in her dad’s car, and Nick can follow me to bring me back home.”

“Thanks, James.” John met Stephanie’s eyes and she raised her eyebrow. So he wasn’t the only one that saw it.

“I’ll see you later.” Nick followed James and Marina out through the door. As James and Nick pulled out of the driveway, Stephanie ran into his arms. John held her tight. She was still trembling.

“I’m so sorry about all this.” Stephanie sobbed into John’s chest.

“This isn’t your fault, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I…. I…. d…. d…. don’t want her to g…. g…. go away a…. a…. again but he’s never g…. g…. gonna leave her alone.” Stephanie sobbed into his chest. This was killing him. John guided her back into the house.

“Let me see what I can do in the morning.” John tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “Maybe Uncle Kurt can get through to him.”

Aaron sauntered up to them holding two shot glasses. He passed one to John and the other to Stephanie. She hesitated.

“A good shot of Newfie Screech will help your nerves, honey.” Aaron gave her that grin. The one that irritated John to no end. Right now John didn’t care as long as Stephanie smiled. If Aaron’s grin could make her forget what happened for just a moment, John would keep him here all night grinning.

“I’ve never drank Screech before.” Stephanie took the glass.

“It burns like hell, but then you feel all warm and fuzzy.” Aaron winked. “Almost as good as sex.”

Stephanie laughed. It was the best sound in the world. She hesitated, then lifted the glass to her lips and tipped the dark rum into her mouth. John had to bang her on the back when she started coughing.

“Sweet Jesus, I’d say it burns.” She choked.

“Now in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two and one.” Aaron counted down. “Bet you feel warm and tingly now, don’t ya?” He wiggled his eyebrows and Stephanie giggled.

“Yeah, I do. Thanks, A.J.” She kissed his cheek. For the first time in his life, John saw Aaron blush. Aaron quickly recovered when he opened his mouth.

“I’m sure John can help with more of those tingles when we leave.” Stephanie’s cheeks flushed scarlet. John’s hand instinctively swung at the back of Aaron’s head, but he ducked.

“Getting too fast for you now, old man.” Aaron backed into the kitchen.

“I swear he’s one big walking hormone.” John peered at Stephanie. The smile faded from her face and she tucked her head under his chin. John was pretty sure Marc wasn’t the one trying to hurt her. Although, after tonight it probably seemed that way to everyone. John’s gut told him they needed to examine other avenues.

Stephanie was wound up tighter than a drum. John convinced her to take a warm bath and brought her a cup of the herbal tea she liked. Keith, Aaron, Ian and Mike were waiting for Nick and James to return. John leaned on the kitchen counter listening as his brothers went through all the things that had happened. Nothing about this was making any sense to any of them. Marc didn’t shoot at the window. That was a fact. Marc was nowhere near the restaurant when Stephanie was poisoned. That was a fact. He was in jail during the break-in. It wasn’t Marc. Ian made the suggestion that Marc could have hired someone. No. Kurt always told John to listen to his gut, and it was telling him it wasn’t Marc.

When Nick and James returned, they joined the discussion. James agreed with John. Marc was an ass, but it had nothing to do with Stephanie. Marc’s issue was with Marina. Nick suggested Kim. John didn’t feel like it was her. Stephanie didn’t believe Brad would try to hurt her. Who was left? John couldn’t think of anyone. Stephanie had to make a complete list of people she knew. That included her friends, family, co-workers, enemies, and patients. It was going to be a long list, but it was a place to start.

When his brothers left, John checked on Stephanie. She lay on the bed with her hands tucked under her cheek. Her breathing deep and steady. At least she was sleeping. No matter what happened, he’d protect her at all costs. Nobody was going to hurt her. He eased onto the bed, and she snuggled into him.

“I’ll keep you safe, baby,” John whispered as he pressed his lips against the top of her head. “I promise.”

John wanted to talk to Kurt. He needed to talk to Kurt. Which was why he was spending his day off at the station. When John walked into his Uncle’s office, Kurt was engrossed in a file on his desk.

John cleared his throat and Kurt looked up.

“How are the young ladies today?” Kurt tossed the file on his desk and pointed to the chair across from him.

“I don’t think Marina’s going to move back to St. John’s after this. Stephanie’s upset.”

“And what about you?” Kurt raised a brow.

“Pissed,” John said. “Uncle Kurt, there’s gotta be something we can do to keep this fucker away from Stephanie’s sister.” Kurt sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach.

“He’s been charged with disturbing the peace, and he’s got a restraining order, but it only applies to Janet and Doug Kelly.” Kurt blew out a breath. “The young ladies can get their own order.”