Dangerous Delusion Read online

  The small bungalow appeared well cared for with a flower garden on both sides of the front steps. The scent of freshly cut grass surrounded Nick as he stepped out of the vehicle.

  Nick knocked on the door and glanced down twice at the phone in his hand while he patiently waited for an answer. He was about to knock a second time when the door opened slowly.

  At first, it appeared to have opened on its own. Then Nick glanced down to see a wide-eyed little girl in a pink sundress staring up at him with a lollipop in her hand.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hello.” Nick crouched in the same way he did when he talked to his nieces and nephews. He hated when he was a kid and adults would tower over him. It was intimidating.

  “I’m Molly.” She held out the hand without the candy.

  “I’m Nick.” He shook the little girl’s hand as she glanced around him.

  “Is that your police car?” She pointed to the cruiser.

  “Yes, it is.” Nick smiled.

  “You’re a policeman?” She tilted her head in the cute way kids did.

  “Yes, I am,” Nick remembered Lora had a daughter. He’d never been introduced to the little girl but saw her lots of times at the pub.

  “That means you’re a good guy.” The little girl pushed her hair back from her face. “I’m four.”

  “You’re a big girl. Is your mom or dad here?” Nick asked because no adult seemed to have noticed the little girl opened the door.

  “I don’t have a dad, but Mommy’s in the bathroom pooping. I’m supposed to sit by the door, but you knocked.” Molly explained, and Nick bit his lip to keep from laughing.

  He was pretty sure her mom didn’t want everyone to know what she was doing at that moment.

  “I see, could you….” Nick stopped when he heard a voice.

  “Molly, I told you to stay…” Lora appeared in the open door, and Nick stood up.

  “Nick? What are you doing here?” Lora picked Molly up and propped the little girl on her hip.

  “Aunt Alice asked me to drop this off to you. You left it in the kitchen.” Nick held out the phone, and she groaned.

  “No wonder I couldn’t find it.” Lora’s fingers grazed him as she took the phone. It was as if an electric shock ran through his body. Lora must have felt it too because she snatched her hand back with the phone.

  “Nick’s a policeman, Mommy. That means he’s a good guy.” Molly pointed to him.

  “It’s not polite to point, but yes you’re right.” Lora pushed the little girl’s arm down.

  “It’s the first time I’ve met your daughter.” Nick smiled at the little girl.

  “My mom takes care of her when I’m at work.” Lora shoved her phone into her back pocket. “Thanks for dropping my phone off. I don’t have a land line, so I’d be out of luck if I needed to call someone.”

  “You’re welcome. It was on my way home.” Nick didn’t want to leave, but Lora didn't appear to want company.

  “Well, I’ve got to get this little one into the bath and bed. Thanks again, Nick.” Lora started to close the door.

  “No problem. It was nice to meet you, Molly.” Nick waved as he made his way down the steps.

  “Bye, Nick.” The door closed as the little girl stuck the lollipop in her mouth and waved.

  He made his way back to his car but stopped when he saw an older woman pull into the driveway. She stopped when she saw Nick and practically ran from her car.

  “My God are Lora and Molly okay?” The woman was frantic.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Nick smiled.

  “Then why are you here?” She still didn’t seem sure everything was okay.

  “Lora left her phone at work, and Aunt Alice asked me to drop it off to her.” Nick smiled. “I’m Nick O’Connor.”

  “Oh dear. I’m sorry for the slight panic. I’m sorry… I saw the police car… and you and….” The woman had her hands pressed to her chest.

  “My apologies for worrying you. Lora and Molly are perfectly fine.” Nick assured the woman.

  “I’m Sheila Norris. Lora’s my daughter, and I’m sure you’ve heard a mother’s job is to constantly worry.” Sheila calmed and smiled.

  There was a strong resemblance between Lora and her mother. The brown hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and bright smile.

  “I see where Lora and Molly get their beauty. It’s nice to meet you.” Nick reached out to shake the woman’s hand.

  “Oh, aren’t you a charmer. Wait? Nick? O’Connor?” Sheila held onto his hand.

  “Yes, ma’am.” It was a little awkward, but Nick didn’t pull his hand away.

  “Oh,” she said as she squeezed his hand and released it.

  “Not sure if that’s good or not.” Nick chuckled.

  “Lora mentioned you. And your brothers of course.” Sheila smiled.

  “There’s a lot of us.” Nick opened the door to the cruiser.

  “Yes, there are. Thank you for dropping off Lora’s phone.” Sheila backed up, so Nick could get into the car.

  “No trouble. Have a great evening, Mrs. Norris.” Nick waved as he carefully turned his car around and headed home.

  Lora’s mother seemed terrified when she saw him. Almost as if she thought something happened to Lora and Molly. That peaked his curiosity.

  Lora didn’t seem to be a troublemaker, but he knew things weren’t always as they appeared. However, his gut told him, Lora wasn’t that type of person. She was shy, but her smile brightened up a room, or at least it did for him. Then it struck him. She wasn’t shy with the women. It was only men, and it was more guarded than shy.

  He’d seen it many times. His brother James’ wife had been in a violent marriage, and it took four years before Marina moved on with his brother. Of course, it wasn’t her husband who abused her, it was his twin, but that was a whole fucked up situation that turned out great in the end.

  Had Lora been in an abusive relationship? Sheila’s reaction was odd, but Molly didn’t seem afraid or traumatized.

  Kristy seemed to be the closest to Lora from working with her at the diner from time to time. Something was off, and Nick wanted to know what it was. If Lora was in any danger, she needed to know she lived in a town that protected its own. Nick wanted to be the one to show her that.

  No. She wasn't right. Another one that was utterly wrong. Even when he put the temporary tattoos and scarred them they still didn’t measure up. The constant begging him not to kill them or to let them go irritated his last nerve.

  What else was he supposed to do? He’d tried everything to find her, but this time they'd hidden her well. She didn't work at that place anymore, and she never went to the school anymore. Her mother disappeared too, which told him the old woman was involved in hiding his love.

  Well he wasn’t giving up. Sheila never missed her club night. If he had to stay in the woods outside Daphne’s house until Sheila showed up, that was what he would do.

  He entered the coffee shop and gasped. He knew it wasn’t his love, but she was more like her than anyone he’d ever seen. The little boy with her made him smile. She was a mother too. All he had to do was follow her for a couple of days and then recreate his love. What choice did he have?

  Chapter 3

  “Molly Leigh Norris, you know better than to open the door to strangers.” Lora chastised her little girl after she practically slammed the door in Nick’s face.

  “He wasn’t a stranger, Mommy. You know him, and he’s a good guy.” Molly pulled the lollipop out of her mouth. “Silly, Mommy. You was pooping, and he keeped knocking on the door.”

  “Molly, please tell me you didn’t tell Nick why you answered the door instead of Mommy.” Lora knew the answer before she asked the question.

  “He asked where my mommy was.” Molly shrugged, and Lora set the child on the floor.

  Great.

  Molly told one of the sexiest men Lora ever met she was busy pooping and couldn’t answer the door. Well, at least it would stop the way he
flirted with her. Not that she didn’t find him attractive because the man made her melt with his deep voice, dimpled smile and sky-blue eyes. If she were in a different situation, Nick O'Connor would definitely be on the menu.

  She just couldn’t take the chance of putting someone else in danger. The phone calls, notes, drawings, and creepy gifts stopped, but Lora still felt the eerie chill on the back of her neck from time to time.

  She'd been in Hopedale almost nine months, and it was a wondrous place. The customers were friendly for the most part, and the regulars were mostly the O’Connor’s friends or family. They treated her with nothing but kindness and respect. Still, it unnerved her when Nick or Aaron flirted with her. Although the only time Aaron did it was when Nick was nearby. Almost as if he wanted to tease his brother or piss him off.

  “Lora, I’m home.” She heard her mother’s voice from the doorway.

  “I’m bathing Molly, Mom,” Lora called out as she rinsed the soap from Molly’s hair.

  Her mother joined a committee in Hopedale that helped with events around the town during the summer. It didn’t usually coincide with Lora’s hours at work, but Alice was on the same committee and asked if her mother could come to a meeting that day. It was the reason Lora got off early.

  Her mom appeared in the doorway with a huge grin. Not that her mother didn’t smile but since Lora's dad died her mom seemed mostly sad. Lora tried to talk her into joining a support group, but she’d refused.

  “I saw a very handsome police officer in our driveway.” She crossed her arms.

  “That’s Nick.” Molly was much too excited about Nick.

  “I left my phone at work, and Alice asked him to drop it off. It’s her nephew. I'm sure you've met him before.” Lora sat back on her heels and glanced up at her mother.

  “Nick told me.” Her mother raised one of her eyebrows.

  “Mom, what’s with that face?” Lora’s mother wanted Lora to start dating again, but a stalker loomed somewhere, and she wasn’t about to involve anyone in that.

  Roy Lindon was the last guy she dated. He barely missed driving over a cliff when his brakes wouldn’t work on his way home from her house. According to the investigation it appeared that they had been cut, and Roy ran for the hills after that.

  “Honey, I see your eyes light up when you talk about him coming into eat, and how he flirts with you.” She kneeled next to Lora.

  “Mom, a lot of men flirt with waitresses.” Lora rolled her eyes.

  “But when you tell me about Nick, you smile, and your eyes get that sparkle they lost. I've seen him when I'm there too. He can't take his eyes off you.” Her mother cupped Lora’s cheek.

  “Mom, you’re seeing things. Nick has a reputation and can have any woman he wants. Plus, I'm not in a situation to start a relationship with anyone.” Lora smiled when Molly poured water over her dolls head to rinse off the bubbles.

  “You can’t stop living, Lora.” Her mom was like a dog with a bone.

  “I’ve been saying that to you for the last month, Mom.” Lora hated to turn it around on her mother especially since the woman moved with her to a place neither of them knew.

  “As a matter of fact, I’ve taken your advice. I’m going to a dinner party tomorrow evening with a few friends.” Sheila stood up and gave her a smug smile.

  “Mom, dinner with your friends before card night, is not a dinner party.” Thursday club night was something her mother and five of her mom’s friend had been doing as long as Lora could remember.

  “I say it is.” Sheila spun around and left the bathroom.

  “Nana’s in denial, Molly.” Lora laughed.

  “I like Nick, Mommy.” Molly stared up at her with her blue eyes a mirror of her own.

  “I like you, Molly.” Lora kissed the top of her head as she helped her daughter out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel.

  “You love me, Mommy.” Molly giggled when Lora tickled her feet after rubbing them dry.

  “Yes, I do, sweet girl.” Lora lifted her into her arms and made her way to the little girl’s room to get her ready for bed. “More than all the water in the ocean.”

  “I love you more than all the rocks on the beach, Mommy.” Molly hugged her.

  Molly was the only thing that mattered in her life. She missed dating and sex. Oh, how she missed sex, but none of that was important if Molly was in danger. Which meant, even if she did have a chance with Nick, she couldn't pursue it.

  Molly was up at six in the morning, and Lora thanked the lord her mother was a morning person. Lora would get a couple of extra hours sleep before work on Thursdays since she worked until six. That way she would be home in time for her mother to get to card night by eight.

  “I can’t wait to see the fireworks on Canada Day.” Molly bounced excitedly as Lora entered the kitchen.

  “It sounds like lots of fun.” Lora poured a cup of tea for herself and grabbed a banana out of the basket on the counter.

  “I read the town council, fire department and police department barbeque burgers and hotdogs. They make s’mores for the kids later in the evening too.” Her mother pointed to the town newsletter on the counter.

  “Do you think you can stay up late enough for the fireworks, Molly?” Lora had a strict eight pm bedtime, not because Lora enforced it but because her daughter couldn’t stay awake after that.

  “I can take a nap that day.” Molly’s idea of a nap was funny since the little girl only napped when she was sick.

  “Good idea.” Her mother smiled. “Nana will take a nap that day too so neither of us will be tired.”

  “Mommy, will you take a nap?” Molly gazed up at her.

  “I’ll be working, honey.” Canada Day was a national holiday, but Lora assumed Alice would still open for the public.

  “You should check to see if they open that day. Small towns usually shut everything down for holidays.” Her mother was probably right, but she wasn’t going to ask.

  Two hours later, Lora’s feet burned, and a bead of sweat ran down the middle of her back. The lunch rush was the busiest time of the day but the best time for tips. Alice paid her a little more than most waitresses made in the city, but it wasn’t the same as what she’d made as an interior designer. The tips gave her that extra money she could poke away for something special.

  Lora cleared a booth, but her head snapped up when a shadow moved across the window. One of the ladies who worked at the beauty salon a few buildings down scurried down the sidewalk probably in a hurry to get back to work. Lora still jumped at the dumbest things.

  “Can I sit here?” Lora spun around and dropped her cloth to the floor when she heard his voice.

  “A.J., did anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people?” Lora snatched up the cloth.

  “If he doesn’t sneak up on women they run away.” Jess nudged her cousin.

  Jess was Alice’s middle daughter and a police officer. Kristy told Lora that Jess taught self-defence classes when she wasn’t on duty, and she was a black belt in Karate as was her father and a couple of her cousins. Lora was tempted to ask several of the family about the lessons, but it never seemed to be the right time.

  “Hi Jess, you want the usual?” Lora smiled as Aaron and Jess slid into the booth she’d just cleared.

  “Yeah, turkey sandwich on multigrain with avocado and tomato.” Jess tucked her police cap next to her on the bench.

  Not that Lora didn’t know by now. The girl ate the same sandwich every lunchtime when she was on duty. Alice stated her daughter was the only reason she kept avocado in the restaurant because nobody else ate it.

  “What would you like, A.J.?” Lora pulled her notebook out of her apron.

  “Your phone number.” Aaron winked and glanced over her shoulder.

  “That’s original.” The voice behind her sent a shiver through her body. She knew it was him without even turning around. Nick’s smooth voice was sexy, and it was hard for her to keep her reaction hidden.

  “L
ike you haven’t used that line a thousand times.” Aaron moved in as Nick practically pushed his brother closer to the window.

  “Stop hitting on Mom’s staff and order.” Kristy wrapped her arm around Lora’s shoulder. “You do have my permission to give them our special spit seasoning or pour a jug of ice water over that one.” Kristy tossed a napkin at Aaron.

  “She’s not that mean, cuz.” Aaron narrowed his eyes at Kristy.

  “I can come back if you aren’t ready to order.” Lora glanced at Aaron and Nick. Her gaze stayed a little longer on Nick than it should have but she couldn't help it.

  “If you two don’t order I’ll do it for you. I’m starved.” Jess wiggled her finger back and forth between both men.

  “Fuck that. You’ll order me some health food shit that’ll send my body into shock.” Aaron grumbled. “I’ll have a hot turkey with fries and gravy.”

  “I’ll have the same.” Nick smiled at her.

  “How do you guys stay in such amazing shape when you eat like that?” A high-pitched voice caused Lora to glance at the woman in the next booth.

  “We work out. Hard.” Aaron wiggled his eyebrows at the woman making her giggle like a teenager.

  Can you say airhead?

  Kristy and Jess seemed to have the same train of thought because both girls rolled their eyes at the fake blonde.

  “I’m sure you do.” The woman ran her long nail between her fake breasts, but it wasn’t Aaron she devoured with her eyes.

  The woman’s eyes locked onto Nick, and Lora wanted to scratch the bitch’s eyes out. She could always sit on Nick’s lap and make it look as if he was taken. Lora shivered at the thought because she’d give anything to be able to show the man of her dreams just how much she wanted to do with him.

  “Yeah, it’s really gross actually. Sometimes they fart when they do squats.” Jess turned to the blonde. “I hate working out with them.”

  The blonde gasped, and her fuck me face disappeared. Lora bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud at the woman’s expression and the way she wobbled as she practically ran out of the diner.

  “Thanks a lot, Jess,” Aaron grumbled.