#1-3--The O’Connells

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  There was a murmur in the courtroom. Karen didn’t know where to look, as she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The judge slipped on his glasses as Jorden handed a file to the bailiff, who passed it over to him.

  Karen turned to Jack. “You know anything about this?”

  He just shook his head, his expression puzzled, and glanced up to the judge. Something in his expression seemed tense, off. Then he looked over his shoulder and just shook his head again. “Nope, but I have some ideas.”

  The judge banged his gavel. “In light of this evidence, this court dismisses all charges again Jack Curtis. Mr. Curtis, this court wishes to apologize. As all charges are dismissed against you, you are free to go.”

  Karen was still standing beside Jack, taking in a judge she’d never seen before, who quickly left the courtroom.

  “Karen, great to see you,” Jorden said as he picked up his briefcase. He nodded to her, then left as well.

  She had to fight the urge to throw her hands up over the absurdity of what had just happened. She had barely said one word to the DA. She felt Jack touch her arm.

  “Listen, I can see you don’t know what to say,” he said.

  She reached down for her briefcase and tucked the file inside. “No, you’re wrong there. I have a lot of things to say. One of them is who the hell was that judge? I’ve never seen him before. And what is this mysterious evidence that was suddenly discovered, and just like that, the charges are dismissed and you’re free to go? Yeah, I’d like to say that was a lucky break for you, but I know it had nothing to do with someone suddenly discovering new evidence. I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Jack just exhaled. He was still touching her and looking over her head to the back of the courtroom. “It seems I was given a message.”

  She just looked at him for a second, wondering what the hell he was talking about. “You’re talking in riddles. What message?” She moved to step back, away from the table, but he was still holding her arm, and the way he was looking at her, she knew he was far from happy.

  “That I’m not calling the shots in my life. That was a message, telling me that as quickly as they can yank my life away from me, they can also give it back. Shit!” he said under his breath and shook his head. “Yeah, I may not know who that judge was, but I know why he suddenly showed up. And you know what else? I may have just put you on their radar. We need to talk, but not here.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. She stepped away from the table, seeing Luke at the back of the courtroom. He was shaking his head, his expression grim. Marcus was there too, and she’d never seen him appear so rattled.

  “Well, that was quite the shitshow,” Luke said. Both men took in Jack, who stepped out of the courtroom with them.

  “I need to get my things, but first, I want to talk to you,” Jack said.

  For a second, she wasn’t sure what her brothers would do. They didn’t appear interested in giving her space.

  “Jack,” called out someone behind them.

  Karen turned, seeing an older man, gray haired, distinguished. He was walking toward them, and he hadn’t pulled his gaze from Jack.

  “Well, this isn’t good,” Jack muttered, his hand on her arm. He stepped up beside her, closer, and rested his hand on her lower back. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  She found herself looking for the resemblance. It was there in the face.

  The man’s gaze dropped to her. “Well, you must be Karen, my son’s wayward wife.” He smiled, charming, not the image Jack had painted of the man. He looked over to Jack, and something about the motion was so deliberate. “Just cleaning up this mess of yours,” he said before sliding his gaze back to Karen. Again, his expression seemed to soften.

  “I see,” was all Jack said. She felt his hand slide around her lower back. “Well, if you’ll excuse us, Karen and I have some things to take care of.”

  She felt Jack urging her forward.

  “Just a minute, son. Let your wife wait with her brothers, because I want a word with you. Excuse us, my dear.” He smiled at her.

  She could see how tense Jack was as he stepped away with his father, and she stood there, frozen, with Marcus and Luke.

  “I’m not liking this,” Marcus said in a low voice.

  “Me neither,” Luke added.

  Jack’s father seemed to have finished whatever he needed to say, and Jack was walking back her way. His father was already leaving.

  “Let’s get out of here,” was all Jack said, and he somehow had her moving to the stairs, to the front door of the courthouse. Her brothers fell in beside them. She didn’t have a clue what the hell had just happened or what was going on.

  “You want to tell me what your father said and what that was all about?” she said as she stepped outside in the sun. She was glad her two brothers were there along with the man she’d never expected to see again.

  “No, I don’t,” Jack said. “But I’ll tell you anyway, just not here.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “You don’t have to wait or babysit me,” Karen said. “Seriously. I appreciate you bringing some clothes for Jack, though.”

  Luke was leaning on her island. She could hear the shower still running, knowing that Jack was still in there, taking a really long time. She took in the folded pair of jeans and the T-shirt her brother had just brought over, which he dumped on the back of the sofa.

  “You talk to him yet about that shitshow in the courtroom?” Luke said.

  What was she supposed to say to that? Luke had dropped them off at her condo and offered to pick up a change of clothes for Jack, considering he was still wearing the tux he’d been arrested in.

  “Nope, told him to have a shower first,” she said. “You get what happened there? Because I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it. I’ve never seen anything like that. I’d really like to know who that judge was and how he just replaced Judge Thompson. That was…” She lifted her hands in the air and opened her fridge, seeing a carton of juice and a bottle of wine. She pulled out the wine and set it on the counter, then reached for a glass in the cupboard. “Sorry I have no beer. Can I pour you one?” She lifted the bottle and unscrewed the cap to pour out more than a splash. Luke just shook his head. Just then, she heard the shower shut off.

  “Maybe I should ask you what you make of this,” she said. “All of a sudden, his name is clear. Evidence surfaced, and, oops, they made a mistake?”

  The way her brother looked around, she could tell he likely was considering what to say or not to say. “You really want an answer from me? I don’t have one to give you. There’s your answer. Did he get a warning? Yeah, I saw it. Did it surprise me? Nope, not even a little. I’ve seen it before. I learned to just follow orders, even when things happen that I can’t talk about and no one would believe, either. You have no idea what really goes on behind the scenes of our country. I see more things than I want to. At the same time, you know I can’t talk about it. I expected something to happen, considering. Not that, but at the same time…” Luke shrugged.

  She lifted the glass of wine and just stared at her brother over the rim.

  “Not the answer you were looking for, is it?” he said.

  She spotted Jack walking into the living room, a towel around his waist. He had incredible pecs, and for a second, all she could do was stare. She heard her brother clear his throat, and she stood there, feeling incredibly awkward.

  “Jack, I brought you some of my clothes. Hope they fit,” Luke said. “Karen, you want me to stay?”

  There it was. For a second, Luke was giving her the option to have her brother handle things for her.

  She just shook her head. “No, it’s fine. You go. I’ll be okay. Besides, Jack and I need to talk,” she said.

  Jack reached for the clothes. The way he took in her brother, maybe he was expecting her to have asked him to stay.

  Luke patted the counter. “Okay, listen. Don’t forget Marcus is expecting you. You want me t
o swing by and pick you up later?”

  She just shook her head. “No.”

  “All right,” Luke said as he stepped away and started to her front door, then turned and said, “Jack.”

  “Thanks for the clothes,” was the only reply Jack gave.

  Karen wasn’t sure what to make of him as he put the clothes back down on the sofa. They were the ultra-casual style her brother was known for. She listened to the door, and as it closed, of course it was awkward. It was just her and Jack, who walked over to the island, and she was very aware he was wearing nothing under the white towel looped around his waist.

  He was right across from her. His gaze settled on her, the icy blue she remembered, but he was so different now. He was older, and so was she. He lowered his gaze, taking in her wine.

  “Would you like a glass?” she asked.

  He only shook his head and leaned on the island. “No, but I want to talk to you. I’ve taken more than a minute trying to wrap my head around what happened. You know, I’ve never had the rug yanked out from under me quite the way it was today. My father really made his point: No more monkeying around. They’re in charge and can very much make or break me. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

  What could she say? That festering wound in her heart… Everything was different now. Everything she’d thought about Jack had completely changed.

  “As I was saying to Luke a second ago, I’ve never seen a different judge show up and take over,” she said. “What happened to Judge Thompson? Let the games begin, huh? So it was a message, saying you stepped on the wrong person’s toes?” She swirled her glass and went to take a sip, but he reached for it and took it from her, then set it down out of her reach. “Excuse me?”

  He let out a sigh. “You know, Karen, I just made a point of knowing where you were, keeping tabs on you, making sure you were okay. I knew who you were with, which was no one.”

  “So you said,” she replied. She leaned over to reach for her wine, but he reached for her hand and pulled her around the island to where he was sitting on a stool. Just having him touch her was something she shouldn’t want.

  “Leave the wine,” he said. “You think I don’t know how much you enjoy a glass alone? I want to talk to you about this, what happened, and what it means.” He was still holding her hand, and he’d pulled her so close she was right in front of him.

  Her heart was hammering. She had to remind herself she didn’t really know Jack.

  “When I said I never wanted you to know, I meant it,” he said. “The minute I got involved with you all those years ago, I put a target on you. I thought I had protected you…” He was shaking his head, and he glanced away, making a rude noise.

  “I don’t understand what your family would want with me,” she said. “Why am I a target? Then there’s Bonnie. Let’s talk about her.”

  He was shaking his head again. “Bonnie was foolish. I cared about her, but she wouldn’t leave things well enough alone, you know, poking around in a nest of snakes and thinking she wouldn’t get bit, but then she did. I was careless with Bonnie, and that’s on me, but I won’t be with you. My father was behind me the whole time. I almost never saw him in the light of day, but he showed up when I was drowning and tossed me a lifeline. He proved his point. As you saw, that evidence was flawless.”

  She took a second to just stand there and pulled her hand from Jack’s. “So what does this mean, then? What are you trying to say? I mean, the way your dad looked at me, he knew about me. He knows we’re still married, which is something else we need to take care of. I’ll draw up the divorce papers…”

  When she rested her hand on the island, what did he do but settle his over hers? He slid his hand around her lower back as he stepped off the stool. She was so close that she could just settle into his arms. Her hands found their way to his naked chest, which she had never expected to feel again.

  “I kept saying ‘next time,’” he said. “My entire life was full of next time. I’d said no to my family, but you can’t say no to them. They knew about you, because they know everything. They always do, always have. I was a fool to think for a moment I could be happy, that I could do the right thing for you, but I can’t. I made a mistake years ago, but right now I’m not willing to make another one and walk away from you.”

  She just took him in, wanting to push him away but unable to. “I don’t understand, Jack. What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I married you selfishly, and I want to stay married to you just as selfishly.”

  She wasn’t sure what she was seeing in his expression, the intensity. He dipped his head and lowered his lips to taste hers. The kiss was unexpected. How could it be so familiar? They’d always been hot, too hot, chemistry that was off the charts. Just touching him, feeling him… This wasn’t something she’d expected to feel again.

  He pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers, then kissed her head as she lingered in his arms.

  “You want to stay married?” She could feel the tremble in her voice.

  “Yes.” He sounded so determined.

  She shut her eyes and managed to turn away, but he was right there, his hands slipping over her shoulders, around her back, pulling her against him.

  “We’ll be good together,” he said.

  “But what about your family? Everything you told me had me freaking out last night.” She pushed away from him again and turned around, taking in a man she’d loved so deeply she’d hated him for so long. He’d affected her, was part of her, and she was feeling herself being reeled back in. “My brother practically had to stand guard because I was starting to think the bogyman or someone out there wanted to hurt me and my family, all because of you, and we’re supposed to stay married?” She could feel the angst in her voice, and for a second, she thought he was going to reach for her again.

  “Look, Karen, I’m sorry. That’s all I can say. The last thing I wanted was to put a target on you, but I have, and I’m sorry. At the same time, I love you. I always have. Maybe seeing everything in my life about to be ripped from me and seeing the choices I made has shown me I don’t want anything of what they have. They want me to choose them, to be played like a puppet and let them put me in places and positions so I can implement policies, implement their agendas. I didn’t want that. I still don’t—but, Karen, I’m going to make sure you’re safe. I’ll make peace with the family, with every one of those men…”

  She wasn’t sure what to make of what he was saying. “You’re going to join them, aren’t you?”

  “You’re asking me if I’m going to become one of them?” He didn’t move closer to her. “No. I may have thought I wasn’t part of their organization, but the joke is on me, because, unwittingly, I’ve always been. That just doesn’t mean I’m like them.” He stepped closer to her, and she took another step back, bumping the back of the sofa.

  “Then I’m not sure I understand what it means, Jack. Because it sounds to me like they’ve cornered you, and you’re letting them.”

  He was already shaking his head. As he lifted his gaze, he seemed to take in her condo. “You know, this isn’t the kind of place I’d have picked for you. It’s cute, simple. It works.”

  There he went, changing the subject again.

  “It sounds like you’re taking advantage of the situation and manipulating it to your wants,” she said, crossing her arms so she wouldn’t reach out and touch him again.

  He didn’t smile. The grunt he gave sounded more like a laugh under his breath. “I’m not taking advantage of anything. I just got my very own ‘get out of jail free’ pass along with a really clear message that at any time, my life could come crashing down around me. We’re still married, I still love you, and I was born into a family that I never really fit. I’ve fought them, walked away, and thought I was living my own life, but I wasn’t. No, I’m not letting them corner me, but I won’t let you go again. There’s one very important fact you may not have considered.” He took another step
closer to her and was right there, his hands on her bare arms, his thumbs skimming her skin. The touch was so intimate.

  “And what’s that, Jack?”

  “They already knew how much I care for you, and because of that, they will leave you alone.”

  She knew she was frowning. “But that’s not what you said the other night. In fact, you said the opposite.”

  He was still touching her. “I know what I said, but the thing about plans and ideas is you have to be able to pivot. I’ve fought against them for so long that I didn’t realize what I was doing was playing right into them.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  His hands settled on her hips. “I think you know what I’m saying.”

  She uncrossed her hands and pressed her palms to his chest. “This is crazy, Jack. We can’t stay married.”

  “Why not? I love you. Do you not love me?”

  There it was, the million-dollar question. She had to look away. It would be so easy to tell him no.

  She made herself look at him. “I’ve hated you for so long.”

  “And I deserved it, after what I did—but I asked you a question, and you’re not answering. Do you not love me?”

  This was crazy. She shut her eyes again, willing a sense of sanity to come to her. “Do you want me to lie? I could, but I won’t. Fine, I do love you, but I don’t want to.”

  He slid his hands over her cheeks. “We’ll make it work. I promise.”

  “And what about your family? I won’t be part of something as you described, sinister and dark.”

  He had a way of looking at her that made her feel so special. How could she have forgotten? “I can’t make them go away, but I’ll figure out a way for us to live in peace without anything hanging over our heads.”

  She didn’t know what to say.

  He didn’t pull away. He was right there, waiting for her to say something. “So is that a yes?” he finally asked.