Dangerous Delusion Read online

  “I’ll wait as long as I have to.” He didn’t reach for her because she’d probably bolt.

  “Why would you wait? You don’t know me at all.” Lora stood up and turned to face him.

  Nick stood and took both her hands in his. She trembled, and he squeezed her hands gently. Her head tipped back, and he could see the conflicted emotions all over her face. She’d spent almost a year avoiding any kind of relationship outside of her family. It was obvious she was terrified someone would get hurt, or worse.

  “I want to get to know you. I want to be the one you feel safe with.” Nick ran his finger down her cheek. “I know that’s what’s holding you back.”

  “What’s holding me back is…” Lora dropped her head.

  “What?”

  “I’m terrified you’ll get hurt,” Lora confirmed what he thought.

  “I’m a big boy. Don’t worry about me.” Nick held her face in his hands. “I’m going to find out who did this and I’m going to take that fear out of your beautiful eyes.”

  “You think my stalker killed those women, don’t you?” Lora’s voice cracked.

  “I won’t lie to you. It’s possible, but I need to know more about the things he sent you.” Nick pressed his forehead against hers. “Do you want to tell me tonight, or do you want to talk about it on our date Saturday night?”

  Her laugh made Nick grin because it was exactly what he’d wanted. To distract her from the heavy subject of the murders and her stalker. She had to be told everything at some point, but Nick wanted her to be able to get a good night sleep before filling her head with the horrible facts.

  “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you? I don’t remember agreeing to supper.” Lora rested her hands on his hips.

  “You didn’t actually say no.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

  “I didn’t say yes either.” Lora smiled.

  “Oh, just say yes before he starts begging.” Nick glanced over her shoulder as Lora turned.

  Sheila stood in the doorway a glass in her hand and a smile on her face.

  “Mom, you shouldn’t be listening to private conversations.” Lora shook her head.

  “Hmm…” Sheila turned around and disappeared into her room.

  “Sorry about that.” Lora faced him again.

  “No need to be sorry. She wants you to say yes.” Nick grinned.

  “Fine, I’ll go to supper with you.” Lora took his hand and tugged him toward the front door.

  “Am I getting the old heave-ho?” Nick pouted.

  “Yes, you are.” Lora stopped at the front door.

  “Well, that can’t mean anything good.” Nick sighed.

  “It means I’m finding it hard to resist your charms, Mr. O'Connor.” Lora smiled, and it took his breath away.

  “Good to know.” Nick cupped her cheek and brushed his nose against hers.

  “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the station, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” Lora ran her finger across his lower lip.

  “I’ll pick you up.” Nick kissed it.

  “You don’t…” Nick put his finger to her lips.

  “I do, and I will. I got a text from Mom earlier, and we’re meeting at the pub around two.” Nick hated to go, but he did feel better because Hulk would be there all night.

  “I have a question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Does he need to come in here for the night?” Lora nodded toward the door.

  “No, He’ll stay in his truck,” Nick replied.

  “Will he be okay?”

  “Trust me; he’ll be fine.” Nick brushed his lips across hers.

  “Hey, we haven’t been on a date yet.” Lora pulled back from him.

  “Yeah, I’m making tonight our first date, we had supper, we cuddled, we talked, and now I’m kissing you goodnight.” Nick slid his hand behind her head and pressed his lips against hers before she could say another word.

  He watched as she staggered up the length of her driveway linked into the man. It was more than clear they had too much to drink. The guy was the teacher from her classroom a few days earlier.

  It figured she would go for that type of guy. Dulce looked like his love, but that was where their resemblance ended. His love would never go for a muscled, tattooed jock. No. His love enjoyed intelligent conversation, art, and would never sleep with just anyone.

  There were a few errors in judgment she’d made, but she was only human, and he’d forgiven her for that. He blamed the men. They tricked her, and someone definitely deceived her again. He was sure of that, because his love would never go so long without seeing him.

  All he had to do now was wait for the man to leave, and force Dulce to tell him where to find his love. He’d waited this long. What were a few more hours?

  Chapter 9

  Lora climbed into bed with an enormous smile on her face for the first time in almost a year. Except for Molly, Nick did something that nobody was able to do for a long time. Give her hope she could have a life without thought of some crazy man waiting to take her away, or possibly take her life.

  “What time is Nick going to be here?” Her mother asked the next morning as Lora put breakfast in front of Molly.

  “Nick’s coming today?” Molly bounced excitedly in her seat.

  “Yes, but he has to take Mommy to work. Maybe Mommy will invite him to supper again tonight. Right, Mommy?” Her mother grinned, and Lora didn’t miss that glint in her eye.

  It was hard for Lora to deny Molly anything that made her happy, and her mom knew it. Molly had fallen for Nick almost as hard as Lora. It also seemed like the feeling was mutual for Nick.

  “I’ll see. He may have to work.” As she spoke, there was a rhythmic knock on the door that sent her heart racing, and Molly almost knocked her over to answer it.

  “Nick. Nick. Nick,” Molly shouted as she pulled open the door before Lora got out of the kitchen.

  “Well, that’s the kind of welcome a man could get used to.” Nick scooped Molly up in one arm and tapped her nose with his finger. “Hey there, Lollipop.”

  “Nana said you could come for supper, but Mommy said you might be working.” Molly paraphrased the conversation in one sentence.

  “I’m not working tonight, so supper sounds great.” Nick winked at Lora, and if it was even possible, she softened a little more.

  Seeing the way he was with Molly; it was hard not to fall for the man. She didn't know how she couldn't fall for a man who treated her daughter as if she was a precious piece of gold. Not to mention he was sweet, kind, gorgeous and sexy. Who was she kidding? Nick was hot with a capital H.

  “Yay,” Molly wrapped her little arms around his neck.

  “Come on, Molly. You need to finish breakfast if you want to go to the park and play with Olivia and Grace again today.” Her mother shuffled Molly into the kitchen leaving Lora alone with Nick in the foyer.

  ““Molly adores you.” Lora smiled.

  “You think? I didn’t realize.” Nick arched an eyebrow. “The question is, how does her mother feel about that, and does her mom maybe like me too?”

  “Well, her mom thinks its great that Molly likes you, and her mom may like you too. Just a little bit.” Lora held her thumb and index finger about an inch apart.

  Nick grabbed her arms and tugged her toward him. He wrapped her arms around his neck and rested his hands on her hips.

  “How exactly could I get her to like me a lot?” Nick gazed into her eyes making it very hard to look away.

  “Keep being you.” Lora smiled and cupped the back of his head.

  “I think I can do that,” He whispered just before he grazed his lips against hers.

  “Thanks for picking me up but it really wasn’t….” Nick stopped her by cupping the back of her head and covering her mouth with his.

  His kiss was slow, tender and made her knees weak. It turned her brain to mush, it was hard to think when her head was spinning. When he finally pulled
away, Nick staggered a little.

  “I could get addicted to kissing you,” He whispered.

  “I know the feeling.” Lora rested her head against his chin and took a deep breath. He smelled incredible, and it didn't help her libido when his scent drove her crazy.

  “Are you ready to go?” Nick asked as he took a step back.

  Although he tried to be inconspicuous, Lora noticed him adjusting himself. She’d felt his arousal against her stomach during the kiss. It made her want to throw caution to the wind and ask him to take her somewhere private.

  “Yeah, I need to grab my phone and purse.” Lora scurried into the kitchen where her mother held both out to her.

  “I’ll see you later.” Her mom had been eavesdropping again.

  “I’m not sure what time I’ll be back because I…” Her mother stopped her and smiled.

  “Don’t rush back. Do what you need to, and maybe after, let yourself have fun. Maybe with one of the handsome O’Connor brothers.” Her mother kissed her cheek and sat down at the table with Molly.

  “Bye, Mommy,” Molly mumbled with a mouth full of pancakes.

  “I’ll see you later, baby.” Lora kissed the top of her head and headed out of the kitchen.

  She was about to tell Nick and the other officers everything about a person that maybe killing women. Lora didn’t know a lot of details about the murders because she honestly didn’t want to think about it. The nightmares were less frequent, but knowing the details of the case could have them return, or maybe even make them worse.

  No, she didn’t want to go there, and she certainly didn’t want to scare her mother again with her screams. She’d only woken Molly once, because usually, the child slept like a rock, but she’d been sick and crawled into the bed with Lora. Luckily, Lora calmed her quickly and settled her back into a restful sleep.

  It was hard to believe anyone would be so disturbed they’d send sick things to a woman. She didn’t know if the police would ever find him, but for some reason, she had a new outlook. It almost seemed as if it could all be over, and she could go back to living a normal carefree life.

  With Nick?

  “I don’t know….” His hand stung as he slapped her face again and she cried out in pain.

  “I don’t believe you. She wouldn’t go anywhere without telling you.” He pushed his covered face within inches of hers and gripped onto her chin. The last thing he wanted was for her to see his face. “You two joked all the time about being long lost sisters.”

  “I haven’t talked to her in months. All she told me was she had to go away for a while. She probably left the province.” Dulce sobbed, but it didn’t bother him.

  He stepped back and glared at her through the holes in the old hockey mask he’d found in the basement. It angered him when Sheila sold the house. It was supposed to be his home with his love. As luck should have it, the couple that bought it didn’t protest at the request to turn the house over to him. Of course, they couldn’t argue much with their throats slit.

  “Please, let me go. I won’t say a word. I have a little girl, and she’s coming home…” He sighed as he slapped her into silence once again.

  “Don’t worry; you’ll be going home really soon.” He sneered as he left her locked inside the small soundproof room he’d built in the basement of the house. “You’ll be going home to Jesus,” He whispered as he secured the lock.

  Chapter 10

  Aaron, Cory, and Steve Parker were at the station when Nick arrived with Lora. They wanted all the information first hand, since the report Wayne gave them didn’t appear to be very in depth.

  It bothered Nick. Wayne was a highly decorated police officer and usually anytime Nick received information from him it was very detailed. John even mentioned Wayne's report seemed incomplete.

  “The three other investigators are A.J., Cory, and Steve. I think you’ve met them all.” Nick explained as he led her into a conference room.

  “I know A.J. pretty well.” Lora laughed nervously.

  Aaron continually flirted with Lora. Nick knew Aaron only did it to piss him off and force him to finally ask Lora out. His younger brother probably got a thrill out of it too. Aaron seemed to enjoy fucking with his brothers by flirting with their women.

  “Yeah, but he'll be more professional here. I hope.” Nick smiled.

  Nick sat next to Lora as Aaron, Steve, John, and Kurt entered the room. Kurt didn't usually get involved in interviews, and it struck Nick as odd to see his uncle. Not to mention, Alice was laid up with a broken leg.

  “Nick, I need to talk to you.” Kurt nodded toward the exit door.

  “Can it wait? I wanted to be here for this.” Nick wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaving Lora.

  “It’s important.” Kurt’s expression was unreadable, and Nick’s stomach churned.

  “I’ll be right back.” Nick touched Lora’s shoulder.

  Nick followed his uncle through the door feeling slightly annoyed with the man. When he turned back to the room, he got a glimpse of Lora’s worried eyes as Cory closed the door. He was ready to give Kurt a piece of his mind as they turned into John’s office.

  “What’s going on?” Something told him he wasn’t going to be happy about what Kurt was going to say.

  “Sit,” Kurt demanded and motioned to the chair behind Nick.

  “Okay,” Nick eased into the seat.

  “Are you seeing Lora?” Kurt didn’t pull any punches.

  “We haven’t been out on a date or anything, but I did ask and she…” Nick stopped. “Wait, are you taking me off this because I'm involved with Lora?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good…” Nick stopped him before he finished and jumped to his feet.

  “Now wait one damn minute, Uncle Kurt. First of all, there’s no way I’m sitting out on this with all the hours I've put in on this case. Second, I’m pretty damn sure John, James, Ian, Keith, and Mike were involved in the crap their women went through.” Nick struggled to keep his tone calm.

  “Nick, that’s why I don’t want you involved in this.” Kurt sighed.

  Nick linked his fingers and rested them on top of his head as he paced the office. There was no way he was staying out of the investigation. Primarily, since it was possible Lora was a potential target.

  “No way, Uncle Kurt. I can’t sit back and twiddle my thumbs while she’s in danger.” Nick swallowed the lump in his throat.

  He never got emotional over most things, but the thought that Lora could get hurt, or worse, made him want to vomit. Nick shuddered at the memory of what that monster did to the murdered women. No. They weren’t pulling him off this.

  “See, that’s why.” Kurt pointed to his eyes.

  “What? Because I’ve got feelings for her? That’s not going to affect how I do my job. If anything, it’ll make me do it better.” Nick dropped his hands to his sides.

  “And if Lora gets put in the line of fire, so to speak, will you risk your life?” Kurt asked.

  “You’re damn right I would,” Nick shouted, and then dropped his head.

  “When you do that, you get careless.” Kurt finally got to the point.

  “I’ll be careful.” Nick raised his eyes to meet his uncle’s worried gaze.

  “You boys have such big hearts, and like me, when that one woman comes along, takes your heart, grips onto it, you can’t breathe when you think you might lose her, or she could be seriously hurt.” Kurt’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Uncle Kurt, is Aunt Alice okay?” Nick didn’t know if this was really about Lora at all.

  “Yes, thank God.” Kurt pushed his fists into his eyes, and a few seconds later dropped his hands to his sides. “I’m worried this fucker, maybe obsessed with one woman, and is hurting others until he can get to her.”

  There it was. Kurt spilled the beans and didn’t even realize he did it. Nick had let the idea sit in the back of his head, but he didn’t want to think it was true.

  “You think this guy stalk
ed Lora first, and when he couldn’t find her, he started replacing her. When they don’t match up, he kills them.” Nick dropped into the chair next to the door. “Right?”

  “I’m not the only one.” Kurt leaned against the edge of the desk.

  “The murders didn’t start until after she moved to Hopedale.” Nick tried to remember the first day he saw Lora, and it was just after Bull’s niece died.

  “Lora moved here in September. The first murder didn’t happen until December. In between that time several notes and gifts sent to her old address after she moved. The last was two weeks before Amanda Tulk disappeared.” Kurt pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Nick.

  Nick unfolded the paper and read it. He jumped to his feet when he realized it was a statement from the person who lived at Lora’s last known address.

  “Why didn’t I know Cory was doing this?” Nick snapped.

  “John’s in charge of this case, and he wanted all the information before he made the decision. He figured it would make it easier if I told you he’s taking you off the task force.” Kurt’s expression went back to unreadable, but Nick was too furious to worry about it.

  He ripped open the door and stomped down the hall to where he left Lora with the team. Bastards. They probably all knew about it. Nick yanked open the door to the conference room, and all eyes turned to him, but the tears in Lora’s eyes almost broke him.

  “What the fuck are you doing to her?” Nick stomped around the table and crouched in front of Lora.

  “Keep your cool, bro,” Aaron warned.

  “We’re asking about…” John started but Nick shot to his feet and glared at his oldest brother.

  “I’m taking her out of here.” Nick took her hand and tugged on it.

  “Be reasonable, Nick,” John growled.

  “Fuck you. You didn’t have the balls to tell me you’re taking me off this case, and now you want me to be reasonable. Fuck you, John. Fuck all of you.” Nick snapped then glanced down at Lora.

  Lora hadn’t moved from the chair as she stared at him with wide eyes. Her lips were pressed together but he didn’t know if they frightened her, or if he did.