Dangerous Delusion Read online

“Relax A.J.; her boobs would probably pop if you squeezed them too hard.” Kristy laughed as she sat next to her sister.

  “On that note, I’m going to put in your orders.” Lora walked away with a shake of her head but a smile on her face.

  It must be interesting to have a large family. It wasn’t something Lora grew up with, because both her parents had no siblings, and she only had Ethan. He was on call for two weeks and then had a week off. Her mother convinced him to stay with them on his next rotation. He was supposed to be back the day before Canada Day.

  “Lora, order’s up,” Kit shouted from the service window.

  "Thanks," Lora smiled at the cook as she placed the plates for Aaron, Nick, and Jess on the tray, and was on the way back to the table when she realized she hadn’t asked what beverage they wanted.

  “Damn. I forgot their drinks.” Lora mumbled to herself.

  “It’s okay, Kristy took care of it.” Nick appeared at the counter and grabbed the tray from her hands. “She said you haven’t taken a break since you came in. I got this. You take a few minutes to yourself.”

  “I’m fine, Nick.” Lora reached for the tray, but he held it above his head. Nick was over six feet tall which was practically a foot over her five-feet-one-inch. “That’s not fair.”

  “It’s great to be tall sometimes.” Nick winked and sauntered away with the tray.

  Lora’s gaze dropped to his ass. Any red-blooded woman would do the same. Especially the way his jeans hugged his firm glutes and hung low on his narrow hips. He was hot in his uniform, but in jeans and T-shirt, Nick O’Connor was the embodiment of sexy.

  “It’s a great ass, isn’t it?” Lora turned at the whispered voice next to her ear.

  “Sandy,” Lora rolled her eyes. “Do you think you should be sizing up your brother-in-law’s butt?”

  “I know a sexy ass when I see one, but I was trying to be your inner voice.” Sandy grinned.

  “My inner voice wouldn’t say that.” Lora adored the woman.

  Sandy was funny, and it was obvious to anyone that met her that she said what was on her mind. She was married to another O’Connor brother, and when they were together, the love they had for each other could be felt by anyone close to them.

  “You need to have a chat with that inner voice because if you didn’t see that fine ass, there’s something wrong.” Sandy plopped down on the stool.

  “Sizing up one of my brother’s asses again, Churchie?” Sandy grinned when she turned around.

  Lora didn't understand the nickname at first but when Kristy explained Sandy's maiden name was Churchill it made sense. Sandy also called him Doc, but that was obvious since Ian was a doctor.

  “Your ass is the only one that makes me hot, Doc. And your chest, and your abs, and your huge….” Ian covered her mouth with his hand before she continued.

  “And that’s all I need to hear.” Lora backed away from the couple, laughing.

  “I don’t think Sandy has the filter that keeps people from saying things they shouldn’t.” Lora laughed at Isabelle’s accurate description of Ian’s wife.

  “Maybe we should all drop that filter sometimes.” Lora glanced in Nick’s direction.

  Isabelle was the oldest of Alice's daughters. She dropped by very little, since she ran her own restaurant a little further up the road. It wasn’t like the diner. A Taste of Hopedale was one of those restaurants for romantic dates or business meetings. Lora had never been inside, but she’d heard from others that the food was exceptional, and the atmosphere was relaxing.

  “Lora, I dropped by to ask if you can do me a favor.” Isabelle rested her hands on the bar, clasped together as if she was praying.

  “Sure, what can I do for you?” Lora loved to help when she could especially since the family was so accepting of her.

  “I know Mom’s only opening to family and friends on Canada Day. So, she won’t need you to work, but of course, she’ll want you and your family to be here, but that won’t be until mid-afternoon.” Lora was excited to be off for the holiday because she could spend the day with Molly.

  “That sounds great.” Lora still hadn’t heard the favor.

  “Well, one of my servers has a family commitment that morning, and I didn’t know my manager booked a group for brunch that day, and I’m short one waitress.” Isabelle continued as if she was afraid to ask.

  “Are you asking me to fill in for brunch, Isabelle?” Lora smiled.

  “Yes. I know you’ve got a little girl, but it’s only a couple of hours. You’ll be done in plenty of time to join the party, and I’ll pay you double time plus tips.” Isabelle hopped up on the stool.

  “As long as your mother doesn’t mind, I’d be happy to do it. I’d never turn down extra income.” Lora wasn’t destitute, but her savings had slowly depleted, and she hated not having a nest egg.

  If her mom didn't live with her, finances would be a struggle. Her mother wasn’t wealthy, but with Lora’s dad’s life insurance and pension, she was comfortable. She and her mother split the bills, and her mom cared for Molly when Lora worked. Lora never wanted her mother paying for anything, but she could never win an argument with the woman.

  “You know, I’ve got events we cater outside the restaurant sometimes. If you’re interested and it doesn’t leave Mom short staffed, I think you’d be great.” Isabelle seemed excited, but Lora could end up in the city, and she wasn’t about to take that chance.

  “Thanks for the offer but I wouldn’t be able to do it on a regular basis. I want to spend my free time with Molly and my mom.” It wasn’t a lie.

  “If you change your mind let me know, but you can still do Canada Day, right?” Isabelle asked.

  “For sure,” Lora confirmed.

  “Thanks so much. Kristy usually fills in for these things, but my sister’s so busy these days I’m lucky if I see her more than an hour a day.” Isabelle laughed.

  “Hey, I only get to see my brother a week out of each month and that’s if I’m lucky. He’s a pilot and his schedule’s terrible.” Lora smiled.

  “That sucks.” Isabelle glanced back at the table where her sisters and cousins sat. “You know, Nick’s a great guy. He can be a pain in the ass, and his flirting bone is almost as big as A.J.’s, but he’s got a heart of gold.” She turned back to Lora with a smile.

  “I know he’s a nice guy, but why are you telling me this?” Lora had been told the same thing by Alice, Kristy, Sandy, Marina, Cora and practically every female in the O’Connor family.

  “He likes you, but he’s a little out of his element. You aren’t falling all over him.” Isabelle laughed.

  Lora could feel the heat in her cheeks, and her eyes dropped to where she started to wipe down the counter unconsciously. What was she supposed to say to that? If things were different, she would fall all over the guy. Well, not to that extent. She wasn’t that type of woman, but she absolutely would have said yes, the first time he asked her to sit down and have a coffee with him.

  “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have said that, because he’d probably kill me. I’ve come to find that my cousins like to spill their guts to me, but I have no idea why.” Isabelle laughed.

  “I guess you’re like their sister.” Lora heard all of the O’Connor brothers say it a lot over the last few months.

  “Well, I’m gonna go say a quick hi to that rowdy table before I go back to the restaurant. Talk to you later.” Isabelle waved as she made her way to the booth and squeezed in the seat next to Kristy.

  Lora missed the fun of a social life. She’d always had lots of friends, and it wasn’t out of the ordinary to meet them at a club or restaurant. A couple of times a week she’d meet her friends at the coffee shop across from her old office.

  Even after her daughter was born, and Molly’s father ran for the hills, she still had somewhat of a social life. Now she was almost afraid of her own shadow. When she saw anyone that didn’t appear to be a local, it put her on edge. Lora hadn’t been outside Hopedale since
she and her mother moved.

  It was tough to relax after almost year of walking on egg shells. There were times she wasn’t sure the police believed her. Even with the cards and gifts, it felt as if most of them blew her off. It was why Lora tried to ignore it at first, but when a creepy gift showed up in her mailbox, she knew it was more than an average secret admirer. That was when she moved the first time.

  For a couple of weeks, she felt secure because with the change of address, and phone number, everything stopped. Then three weeks later a box was delivered to her office. She opened it, and all the blood felt as if it drained from her body. It contained very graphic drawings of couples in various sexual positions. She called the police again, and the officer that arrived on that occasion took it seriously. He promised he would do everything to find the guy, but as usual, it didn’t lead anywhere. That sort of thing happened with every move. Everything would be fine for a few weeks, and then it would start all over again.

  Now she was in a place where she felt somewhat safe and secure. She hadn’t received any creepy presents, drawings, letters or texts. Still, she would find herself taking a quick glance over her shoulder without reason, and if her mom was late, she’d feel panicked until either her mother arrived home or she could get in touch with her.

  Lora prayed it was over, and the guy finally gave up. Still, nightmares woke her more frequently than she liked. Hopedale was a great town, but she missed the city sometimes. She didn't think she'd want to live there again, but it would be nice to drive into town and go to a movie or shopping. She just didn’t want to bring trouble to the town or the people she’d grown to care about.

  Something in the back of her mind told Lora to keep her guard up, and every day she was closer to it beginning all over again. Lora didn’t worry about herself, her concern was her mother and daughter. It didn’t matter what this guy did to her, but she’d move heaven and earth to keep the people she loved out of danger.

  Daddy, please watch over them.

  She screamed at him to let her go but he just couldn’t. She was the closest he’d ever come to his love. He didn’t even have to scar this one because she had the exact scar.

  “Please, let me go.” She tugged at the restraints keeping her secured to the bed. “I’m a single mother.”

  “Don’t worry, my love. We’ll be a family with our little girl.” He continued to set up the ink to start the first of the tattoos.

  He also had to inject her with the sedative because he wouldn’t be able to make the perfect tattoos with her squirming and pulling away from him.

  Even though he knew the tattoos would not last on her skin, he’d enjoy the calm feeling of drawing on her milky skin. It was the only thing he’d liked with the others. He figured that once she got used to the beautiful pictures she’d want to make it permanent.

  “I have a son. Please.” She sobbed, but he knew it wasn’t real. She wanted to be with him.

  “Lora, I’ll make sure our little girl will be here soon.” He cupped her cheek, and she tried to pull away. “Don’t do that.” He growled.

  “You have the wrong person, my name is…” He slapped her across the face to keep her from finishing the sentence.

  “You are my Lora. My love.” He pulled out the needle and jabbed it into her arm.

  “No… what is…” A few seconds later her eyes fluttered closed, and he got to work.

  Chapter 4

  He pushed the barbell off his chest to complete the last repetition of chest presses, and Ian set it back on the rack. It was the last set for Nick for the day. His arms felt like wet noodles as he sat up and stretched them over his head.

  “That’s it for me today.” Nick stood up.

  “You seem to be spending a lot of time here at the gym lately.” Ian tossed him a bottle of water.

  “Just keeping in shape.” Nick lied, because the truth was he was sexually frustrated.

  “You sure that’s it? A.J. said you haven’t been dating much lately.” Ian raised an eyebrow and grinned.

  “A.J. gossips like an old woman,” Nick responded after he gulped back the rest of the water.

  “Yes, he does, but he’s not wrong, is he?” Ian wiped down the barbell and walked around to stand next to Nick.

  “It’s not like I’m sitting home knitting. Jesus, he's one to talk, he doesn’t go out much either, lately.” Nick noticed Aaron seemed to have something on his mind but for some reason wasn't voicing it.

  “Are my baby brothers finally growing up?” Ian pinched Nick’s cheek.

  “Fuck off, Asshole,” Nick slapped Ian’s hand away.

  “Maybe it has something to do with a certain cute waitress at the diner.” Ian smiled.

  “What is with you? I swear the longer all of you are married, the more you want to marry the rest of us off.” Nick snatched his hoody from the end of the rack.

  “I was referring to A.J.’s interest in Lora.” Ian raised an eyebrow.

  Nick didn’t know what happened, but in a split second, he had Ian pinned against the wall and his fist cocked ready to clock his brother.

  “Did I strike a nerve, bro?” Ian covered Nick’s fist with his hand.

  Ian didn’t seem the least bit concerned that he almost got a punch to the face. Probably because Ian could kick Nick’s ass without a second thought. Nick could hold his own, but Ian was a black belt in Karate, and the only one that could probably kick his brother’s ass, would be Kurt.

  “A.J. needs to stay away from her. She’s got a kid and doesn’t need a bigger one.” Nick stepped back and released his older brother.

  “If you’re interested in her, stop hitting on her as if she’s just another conquest, and ask her out.” Ian clapped his hand on Nick’s shoulder.

  “I don’t do that shit. Not with her.” Nick sighed. “I’ve never… it’s strange… I don’t want just one night.”

  “Looks like cupid hit you right in the chest, bro.” Ian slapped his hand against Nick’s chest.

  “Fuck off, leave Aunt Cora out of this.” Nick pushed his hand away and pulled on his hoody.

  “She’s never wrong,” Ian shouted as Nick walked through the door.

  Ian was right, but the truth was, Nick was scared. Yes, the second biggest man-whore of the O’Connor brothers was afraid to believe his aunt was right.

  His strong attraction to Lora wasn’t just physical. Although, it was difficult to get his dick to behave whenever he was close to her. She always smelled like lilacs, and he couldn't even walk close to one of the fucking trees now without getting hard.

  The biggest problem was he couldn’t stop worrying about her. Every time he walked into the station and glanced at the board that contained all the photos of the murdered women, it made his stomach churn.

  Another girl had gone missing the week before, and the similarity between the woman and Lora was uncanny. Her body was found the previous morning in Bowering Park. It only took them four days to find this one, but it meant the bastard was dumping them within in a couple of days of their abduction.

  Nick’s phone vibrated in his pocket as he got to the bunkhouse. He pulled it out and Cory’s number was displayed on the screen.

  Cory Fleming was another of the investigators working on the case with him. He was a good friend and a member of the cover band Nick’s brothers, John, Aaron, Mike, a lawyer friend Jason and himself, put together. It was fun, and they would play for charity events from time to time. They also played a couple of times a month at his aunt's pub.

  “Hey,” Nick tapped the speaker as he yanked off his hoodie over his head.

  “Hey, I wanted to let you know, the coroner said it’s the same fucker. That’s five now. It was almost two months since the last one, but I get the feeling the next one will be less.” Cory sounded as pissed as Nick felt over the situation.

  “Fuck, and let me guess, no evidence?” Nick flopped down on the couch.

  “It's only a preliminary report. Don’t have anything on nail scrapings o
r anything yet. Maybe this one got a piece of the sick prick.” Cory sighed.

  “I’d like to get a piece of this fucker,” Nick admitted. “Was this one raped?”

  “Nope, just stripped, fake tattoos, but the scar was old. I don’t get what this nutjob is doing.” Cory wasn’t the only one.

  The fact these women weren't raped meant either this guy couldn't get it up, or he wasn't getting exactly what he wanted. He’d strangle them to death and leave them naked for someone to find. John had the idea the suspect wanted to humiliate the women, but the question was why?

  He stood at the edge of the park where the crime scene tape surrounded the area. It took them less time to find this one. He didn’t care, the women were trash. None of them measured up to his love.

  There was only one thing to do. He needed to find someone who knew where to locate her. Several people came to mind, but his train of thought got interrupted and he tensed as a police officer walked toward him. He wasn’t about to screw things up now. He nodded at the cop.

  “What’s going on, officer?” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “Sorry, I can’t tell you anything at the moment, but we’d like to make sure this walkway is opened up. I’d appreciate it if you would move along.” He glanced at the man’s tag. The cocky bastard thought he intimidated him, but he wasn’t afraid of a brainless pig.

  “Certainly,” He forced a smile at Officer Parker.

  “Thank you.” Parker nodded as he turned around and headed back to the crime scene.

  Didn’t they ever hear that the suspect always returns to the scene of the crime? Then again, it would be hard for them to pick anyone out with the crowds of people surrounding the place.

  He didn’t have time to worry about those idiots. He had someone to visit. He was determined to get the information even if it required him to beat it out of her. The thought excited him almost as much as the possibility of finally locating his love.

  Chapter 5

  Lora couldn’t keep herself from continuously glancing in the direction of the front door of the diner. Nick usually showed up at the same time every day, and he was over thirty minutes late.