Dangerous Beauty (O'Connor Brothers Book 4)

  This book is dedicated to my wonderful aunt, Gertrude Holwell. You are more to me than merely my aunt. You are one of my best friends and a big sister. Thanks for always having my back and encouraging me in my writing. I love you with all my heart and don’t know what I would do without you in my life.

  Acknowledgements

  So many people made publishing this book possible. Thank you to Author Candace Osmond and her husband Cory Majeau of Majeau Designs, for the incredible cover design. Huge thanks to the amazing FuriousFotog himself, Golden Czermak and model Caylan Hughes.

  I want to thank the many authors who helped me along the way with advice, experiences and the pep talks to make this possible. Not only with this book but the others as well. Abbie Zanders , Susan Stoker, Kathleen Brooks, Rhonda Carver, Cynthia D’Alba, Amabel Daniels, Victoria Barbour, Kate Robbins, Eve Jagger, and Lynn Raye Harris. They are amazing authors and fabulous ladies.

  Special thanks to the best P.A.s anyone could have Nicole Kuhn and Karie Deegan. To my beta readers, thank you for your time and input. Especially, Michelle Eriksen, Jackie Dawe, Nancy Arnold-Holloway and Mayas Sanders. You are great friends and give incredible advice.

  As always to my family, you are the rock that keeps me grounded. You helped me to follow my dream. I love you all.

  This book is fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be taken as real. Any resemblance to people living or dead, events, location or companies is purely coincidental.

  This is the original work of Rhonda Brewer.

  All rights reserved. No part of this work can be reproduced in any way without written permission from the author.

  DANGEROUS BEAUTY@2017 Rhonda Brewer

  All Rights Reserved

  Chapter 1

  Emily Bradshaw pulled her knees up to her chest as she settled on the window seat. Staring through her childhood bedroom window not really focusing on anything in particular. The room was one of the highest points of the large mansion. On a clear day, the entire town could be seen, but Emily hadn’t been in SummerBrook for months and didn’t miss it one bit.

  The town was a place full of people who snubbed their noses at anyone who didn’t have money. Of course, that wasn’t Emily’s issue. The Bradshaw’s were very wealthy. The problem was the spoiled brats who turned their noses up at the career she’d chosen for herself. Emily didn’t care. There was only one reason she was back in SummerBrook.

  She rested her chin on top of her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs. It was the first time in her twenty-nine years, she’d seen police cruisers parked all over the Bradshaw Estate. She’d counted at least six as well as some vehicles that were most definitely unmarked cars. The reason they were there brought a lump to her throat, and she had to blink back the tears before they fell.

  Emily turned her gaze away from the scene outside and scanned the room. It had been left behind when she was twenty, but it didn’t look any different. The Purple Princess Room was what her father named it. Her sister had a similar room on the opposite side of the large house known as The Pink Princess Room. There was a Yellow one too, but that had been sealed off a long time ago, and it was something she didn’t want to think about considering what had brought her back.

  The room was every little girl’s dream. In the center of the room was a white canopy bed draped with a sheer purple mesh. A white vanity with purple trim sat in the brightest part of the room still had pictures stuck around the edge of the mirror. Next to the bed was a matching nightstand and the dresser on the far side of the room. The dark purple comforter and throw pillows with crowns on them brought the whole room together.

  As beautiful as it was, she had to leave it behind. Not that she wanted to go, but a huge argument with her father had her packing bags and moving into a small basement apartment just outside St. John’s. If Emily was being honest with herself, he had every reason to be so furious with her. She’d turned down a full scholarship to Dalhousie University without even discussing it with him or anyone.

  Her father’s dream was for her to become a doctor, not hers. So when she put her foot down and told him, she’d follow her own dreams and open a beauty salon, he was more than a little pissed. It was actually where she got the name of the salon because he kept telling her not to be ‘snippy.' Hence the name, Snippy Gals.

  “Are you okay, Em?” the deep timbre of her brother’s voice brought her back to the current nightmare. Edward was eleven months younger than her and had been one of the good children. He went to law school like Nelson Bradshaw had wanted.

  “I don’t know how I feel. Numb mostly.” Emily dropped her feet to the floor.

  “I know the feeling.” He joined her on the window seat, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

  “It’s not like her to disappear.” Emily choked out.

  “I heard one of the cops tell dad her phone was off. No way to track it.” Edward wrapped his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze.

  “She’s been gone for almost thirty-six hours.” Emily blinked back the tears she tried to hold in for the last day and a half.

  “Any room there for me?” Elaine’s soft voice came from the doorway.

  “Always room for my baby sis.” Emily forced a smile as she scooted over for Elaine to join them.

  Elaine was a little less than three years younger than Emily and just finished a business degree. Now she was working with their father. According to her dad, Elaine was going places, but Emily knew it wasn’t what her sister wanted to do. Elaine loved to design clothes, and she was good at it, but dear old dad convinced her that it wasn’t a viable career.

  For a few minutes, Emily sat with her siblings as they silently comforted each other. The only sound was the muffled voices from downstairs. The house had been invaded by police since Lynn Ann Bradshaw disappeared.

  “Do you think she’s okay?” Elaine sighed.

  “Mom’s a tough cookie.” Edward always a cup half full kind of guy.

  “But…” Elaine began to sob.

  “We’ve got to think positive, El.” Emily hated to see her sister so shaken, so she followed her brother’s lead. “Mom’s gonna be okay.” Emily reached across Edward and grabbed Elaine’s hand. “You’ll see. Mom will be home soon.”

  Elaine nodded, but from the tears running down her cheeks, Her sister seemed to have trouble believing their mother would ever come back. Emily had to force herself from those thoughts more often than she liked.

  “Excuse me.” Emily glanced towards the bedroom door. A very dreamy police officer filled the doorway.

  “Did you find her?” Elaine jumped to her feet.

  “There’s been a new development.” Emily glanced at the officer’s name tag. O’Connor was printed in thick white letters. Apparently, the police from Hopedale had to be all related because she’d seen at least three with the same name. “Your father asked me to come get you.”

  “Thanks, Constable O’Connor,” Emily didn’t know how she actually got the words out.

  “It’s probably a good idea to call us by our first names. There’s three of us O’Connors here now, but counting Uncle Kurt, there are five. You can call me Nick.”

  “We appreciate everything you guys have done for us.” Edward shook Nick’s hand.

  “No need to thank us. It’s our job to help people.” Nick turned and disappeared from the doorway.

  Emily descended the stairs behind her brother. With each step, her stomach seemed to flip flop more. There was just one thought swirling around her brain. What was this new development? Was it good news or bad?

  “I’m tell
ing you I don’t know what the hell Lynn would be doing in Gander.”

  Emily gasped when her father’s voice echoed through the living room. When he was stressed his voice could probably be heard from one end of SummerBrook to the other.

  “Does she know anyone who lives in that area?” Kurt O’Connor stood in front of her father.

  “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t know.” Her dad’s face was flushed as he leaned forward. “Kurt, you need to find her.”

  “Nel, we’re doing everything we can.” Kurt placed a hand on her father’s shoulder.

  Kurt was a friend of her father’s and had been the first one to come when her mom went missing. He was the uncle Nick had mentioned, and the superintendent of the Hopedale division of the Newfoundland Police Department. His wife, Alice, was one of the many O’Connor ladies to come into Snippy Gals.

  “I know. Really I do, but Kurt, she’s everything to me. You know that.” Anyone who knew her father knew he thought the world started and ended with his wife. The love they had for each other was timeless.

  “I’ve got most of my men out there,” Kurt said.

  “Dad,” Edward interrupted.

  Her father and Kurt turned. Their expression said everything, but when her father’s eyes filled with tears, Emily’s stomach lurched.

  “Nick told us there was a development and you wanted to see us,” Edward’s voice shook just a little.

  Emily grabbed her brother’s hand to keep her own from trembling. To her surprise, his hand shook as much as hers.

  “What is it, daddy?” Elaine clutched Emily’s other hand and squeezed it so hard she was sure her fingers were going to break.

  “They found your mother’s car in Gander.” Her dad blurted out and took a deep breath. “Her phone and purse were still in the car.”

  “What does that mean? Did someone take her? Did she run off? What?” Elaine almost knocked her father off his feet when she ran into his arms.

  “Forensics are checking the car now,” Kurt said. “Right now we’re just waiting. If there’s anything there, they’ll find it.”

  The huge lump in her throat made it impossible for her to speak. It was a known fact, the longer someone was missing, the less likely they’d be found alive. She wouldn’t let her thoughts go there, but it was hard.

  Emily turned towards the patio doors and focused on the rose bush growing in the middle of the garden. She’d planted it with her mother for the youngest of the Bradshaw children. The one that never got to see her sixth birthday.

  It nearly killed her father when sweet Ella passed away. If anything happened to her mother, Emily was sure it would probably kill her dad. He wouldn’t be able to function without her. She’d always prayed to find love like her parents, but it didn’t seem to be in the cards for her. Right now all she wanted was her mother home safe and sound.

  Mom, where are you?

  Chapter 2

  Keith O’Connor rolled his eyes as he propped himself up against the bar. They were at a wedding, and Aaron was acting as if he was at a dance club. The youngest of the O’Connor Brothers was rubbing himself against a poor young woman. Granted, she was his date, but their parents and grandmother could see him grinding the poor girl. Even though the girl didn’t seem to mind.

  “Does he ever think with the head on his shoulders?” Ian chuckled as he loosened his tie.

  “A.J. only has that brain hanging between his legs.” John laughed. Nobody ever called his youngest brother Aaron, it had always been A.J. since the day he came home from the hospital.

  “You’re just jealous big brother because you got that ball and chain hanging off your leg.” Nick pushed his way between John and Keith to grab one of the dozens of shots lined up on the bar.

  John being jealous was probably the funniest thing Nick could say. His older brother was married to the love of his life, and Keith had no doubt there wasn’t any other woman in the hall, or on the earth for that matter who could ever turn John’s head.

  “I’ll let Stephanie know what you called her.” James raised an eyebrow at Nick.

  “I’ll tell Marina you let Colin have chocolate yesterday.” Nick grinned. The narrowing of James' eyes told Keith, John’s twin would be in trouble with his wife if that little secret got out.

  Keith shook his head. It was the same thing everytime he and his brothers got together. Constant teasing, insults, and threats but even with all that, the seven brothers were thick as thieves.

  It had been hard for everyone over the last few months. Especially, Ian’s new wife, Sandy. Not only did she find one of her dearest friends, Ruby, had betrayed her, but she found out that same friend was also her half-sister. Then to top that off, Sandy learned the child she thought she’d lost all those years ago hadn’t died.

  It was difficult for Keith too. Ruby had killed his wife. Tessa was also Ruby’s half-sister. It was difficult to get his head around that, and it tore at his heart. Of course, he couldn’t let anyone around him know this. Since almost nobody in his family knew he’d been married. His family wouldn’t understand why he married Tessa. Probably because they were big on only marrying for love.

  Keith did love Tessa, but not the way a man should love his wife. Certainly not the way his brothers loved their wives. He’d married her because she was alone and pregnant. The day he’d asked her, it had just come out. Her brother worked for Keith, and she’d come to see him. Lane was out on a job, so Keith felt obligated to help. When she burst into tears in his office, he told her he’d marry her. He didn’t know why, but he followed through.

  Keith was raised to keep promises, and mostly he did. Although, he’d pledged to keep Tessa safe, and that was the one he couldn’t keep. She’d been murdered, and he didn’t know if he could ever forgive himself for letting it happen.

  The people that did know about his life in Yellowknife, like his employees, Sandy, and Ian, didn’t even know how he felt about it. Keith kept his emotions inside most of the time. It was a character flaw.

  Keith had been that way his whole life. He was the peacekeeper in the family and played referee between the brothers when they butted heads. He’d learned to keep his own emotions under control and be the mediator. His father called it middle child syndrome.

  There was always bantering between the three oldest brothers, and the three youngest because of the way Mike, Nick, and Aaron liked to play the field. Keith was really not that different. If his siblings knew what Keith did when he wasn’t with his family, they’d never let him live it down. The only differences were, he avoided St. John’s and he didn’t broadcast it.

  When Keith got that itch, he’d jump in his jeep and head far enough away so there wouldn’t be any chance of running into his younger brothers or cousins. It wasn’t that he felt ashamed, but it was something he wanted to keep to himself.

  The only person that knew was his best friend and partner Dean Nash, otherwise known as Bull. There were times they would take a weekend and go ‘fishing,’ as they called it. Although, over the last couple of years, Bull seemed to have stopped ‘fishing.’ So mostly Keith would go on his own.

  “You seem to be a million miles away.” Keith felt a familiar hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to a set of eyes similar to his own. His father gave him that look of concern Keith knew so well.

  Dr. Sean O’Connor was in his late fifties, but he could still turn the ladies heads. Keith heard someone once describe his father as a combination between Mark Harmon and Liam Neeson, but his father only had eyes for one woman. Kathleen O’Connor was the love of his dad’s life, and it could be embarrassing the way they acted sometimes.

  “Just a little tired.” Keith raised two fingers to the bartender.

  The sweet looking girl seemed a little nervous with all the O’Connor boys and their friends hovering around the bar. It didn’t help that Nick was hitting on the woman. She placed two bottles of beer in front of Keith, and he winked as he tossed a twenty on the bar.

&
nbsp; “Look at that, he does know how to flirt.” Mike chuckled.

  “Of course he does, look who his father is.” His mom sidled up to his father’s side, and he wrapped his arm around her.

  “Yep, you boys could learn a thing or two from the master,” his father dipped his wife and gave her a kiss that had Nick and Mike making gagging noises. Keith just shook his head

  “Oh stop it you two. I think it’s so romantic how your parents act.” Marina smiled as she linked her arm into James’. “I hope we act just like that by the time we’re their age.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure we’ll be like that by the time we’re Nan’s age.” James wrapped his arms around her and whispered something into her ear that had her gasping.

  What seemed like hours later, Keith stood at the corner of the bar staring into his glass of whiskey. He’d had his fill of dancing, drinking and watching all the couples wrapped around each other.

  “Another one bites the dust.” Aaron plopped down on the stool next to Keith.

  “Feeling a little jealous, little brother?” Keith teased, but he knew Aaron was nowhere near ready to follow in the footsteps of the latest O’Connor brother.

  “Not in the fucking least.” He laughed. “You better watch out, though. The way things are going, you could be next.”

  “I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” Keith rolled his eyes not because he never thought about getting married again. It was definitely possible, and that was evident when he glanced around the room at John and Stephanie, James and Marina, and Ian and Sandy. Even his parents looked at each other with nothing but pure love.

  “Doncha worry Keithy, she’s out there. Closer than you think.” This was all he needed. Dear Aunt Cora and her freaky cupid power.

  “Seeing the future now are you, Aunt Cora?” Keith chuckled.

  “I’ve seen her, Keithy.” With that statement, she walked away.

  He gaped after her until he heard the familiar snicker of Aaron next to him.