Stand By Me

by Blu, Cora

  “I'm not,” she said smiling handing Katherine the phone. In front of the fireplace, pushing up her sweater to show her stomach she said, “I'm sending this to Jonathan,” and made the heart symbol over her stomach. She smooched into the air toward the phone. Katherine snapped the picture handing the phone to Kenya. Kenya typed in, Hines told me, then sent the picture. “The barn fire really broke him down and there's no way for us to say who started that fire.”

  “The police have no leads?”

  “They know it's arson, momma. The investigation shows burnt gasoline saturated bales of hay, purposefully stacked around the perimeter of the barn, yet without some sort of surveillance video, it's just a problem for Glasgow and he'll have to submit an accident report to his insurance company. It'll cover his barn, but he had to put down two of his horses with broken legs.”

  Katherine walked a tight circle before the fireplace. “This is the scum, my daughter hooked up with, when she left Rick? I got a text from her saying not to look for her and that she was okay.” Katherine shook her head. “What is wrong with Morgan? This man is nothing like, Rick.”

  Kenya knew. “He has a dark sexiness about him that on the surface is attractive, I won't lie, it's attractive if you like drama and Morgan loves attention.” She rubbed her foot tucked beneath her hip. “Peel back one layer and the darker colors start to surface. He's nasty. I hope she opens her eyes before it's too late and he hurts her--seriously.” It was already too late. She set her attention on Salma, resting on the sofa an arm over the back.

  “She'll come back to what she knows. We all do eventually.”

  But will she be the same?

  ~~~

  Brian paced the cabin listening to Morgan's breathing as she slept. His men found her in Kerry town, living with a woman he used to see. Without her passport, Morgan couldn't get in the states and was hiding in Ireland.

  To think he'd had her parent’s home under surveillance and she was in Ireland all this time. He crossed the room and locked the door. Rubbing the back of his hand, Brian watched Morgan's naked body on the bed, her dark skin glowing under the light coming in through the porthole. She fought him when his men brought her back. He touched a finger to the scratch running the length of his face where she'd drawn her nails down his jaw. Even nine months pregnant, she fought him, but she was no match and finally gave in with his hand between her thighs squeezing her swollen sex. He'd had her legs around his head before she'd caught her breath, licking the sweet juice sliding down her inner thighs.

  The cabin felt hotter with every thought. At the door Brian adjusted himself growing tighter beneath his trousers, pushing away from the door. When he'd pushed inside her from the back, her tight sex crushed around squeezing every ounce from his length. She'd drained him to the point where he had to catch his breath. No, she was never leaving him again.

  Standing over her, he touched the bruise on her face stroking it lightly. He told her never run from him. Picking up the wet towel, he blotted her swollen lip and set the bloody towel on the night table. Removing his jewelry, he dropped them in the tray on his dresser then unbuttoned his shirt pulling it from his pants. Dropping the shirt over the chair beside the bed, he took his pants off and did the same with them. Why would she run when he'd given her everything she'd wanted? He'd run out while she slept and brought a doctor onto the boat. The trial would start in a few days and no way could he have her running around town, he needed to stay focused and she would go into labor any day now.

  Crossing to the bathroom he showered then came back in the room, scrubbing the towel over his head.

  A knock rang out from the cabin door. Brian strolled across the carpeted floor. Grasping the latch, he pulled the door open.

  “What! My wife's sleeping,” he barked. The man holding a shopping bag held it out.

  “Aye, here are her things from the cabin. Yer men are on deck, if ye want, I can sit guard while ye go up to yer meeting?”

  Brian cursed forgetting he'd called the meeting with his men. Everything had to go exactly as planned at the trial or Jonathan would walk away with his estate.

  “Two hours. I need some sleep. Then I want you outside this door. If anything happens to my wife yer a dead man.”

  “Aye,” the young man said then turned and ran up the stairs.

  Tossing the towel in the hamper, he opened the closet beside the bed, pulled out a large blanket, and knelt on the bed. It dipped as he tucked it around Morgan's body, her swollen belly heavy with his child. No one would take his child, and if he had to fill the Atlantic with dead bodies this child was his. He pressed his body against her warm back slipping a leg in between her before he got in behind her and pulled her back into his body. She was going to have his child any day now. He ran a hand over her stomach and let his anger ease knowing he had her back. It didn’t matter if she wanted to be or not.

  Brian bolted up hearing Morgan's moans and grunts. He stumbled from the bed yanking on his pants, zipping them up he turned and watched her stomach constrict into a hard ball. Morgan was in labor.

  ~~~

  Days past and Brian paced the cabin with his new son, the new rightful heir to Blakemore estates. Let the attorney try and take what's his now. Let Sophie have her precious Jonathan that she coddled all his life. Brian didn't need him anymore. He had Julian Brian Blakemore to bring him his heritage back along with his home.

  Morgan sat in the corner on the sofa curled under a blanket watching him with their son. He couldn't take his eyes off the boy or his wife.

  “I thought he would have the Blakemore's signature blue eyes,” he said shooting glances at Morgan.

  She said, “Some traits don't cross over. I think his eyes are perfect and unique for a Blakemore.” He turned to stare at her, cautiously gaging her peaceful state. That wasn't like Morgan. She'd not put up a fight once since his son was born.

  “You've lost yer fight since me son was born, Morgan. I don't know if I like that.” He handed her Julian and finished getting dressed. He called from his wardrobe, holding open the mahogany doors he reached in and took down his navy blue suit and dress shoes from the shelf. “Who helped you run from me, Morgan? You know I'll find them and when I do...”

  “Brian it doesn't matter I'm back and you have your son. There's no reason to fight you. I've accepted your lifestyle and women and I'm just not up for fighting you any longer. You wanted a son, you have one.”

  “I said who helped you run away?”

  “I needed time to think that's all, Brian.”

  “You think I'm stupid, Morgan. If I find you're still talking to your family...”

  Morgan held the bottle to her son's mouth as he slurped the milk down. “The family that supported Kenya over me...I had to clear up some loose ends and having your goons hanging all over me wasn't working. Besides, watching you and your women...”

  “You want the women gone?” he hissed pulling his trousers up, fastening the clasp. “You think you can handle me without the women, Morgan?”

  “I think we'd work better together if you trusted me more than one of your hookers you keep stashed away like a boy with a toy.”

  He stormed across the room feet pounding over the carpeted floor and then closed a hand around her throat. “Don't think because you gave me a son, you can bitch slap me around the house now. You can come up missing just like Graham did.”

  “But you won't because we're too much alike. You walked away from your family just like I did.” Morgan nodded toward the cabinet beside the bed. “Look inside that cabinet if you need proof.”

  He turned and got to his feet. Striding across the room he opened the cabinet. The blue passport stared back at him.

  “If I wanted to leave you, I'd be gone.” He hesitated before tossing the book back onto the shelf and closing the cabinet.

  “I want you to stay here for the trial. I don't want Julian with anyone else. My attorney will have you on the monitor if he needs to question you.”

 
“I want the same young man to stay here with me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he's the only one that doesn't look at me like I'm a toy you're willing to share. I'm nobody's pass around.”

  “I'm locking the cabin.”

  “You still don't trust me,” she complained.

  He put on two rings and his watch, tugging the sleeves under his suit. “Morgan, I don't trust me self, until I've had me first glass of whiskey.” He straightened his lapels. “Be grateful I haven't backhanded you for telling me how to run the people around me.”

  “I just want this over so we can get in the estate and I can be done with Kenya and her meddling.”

  “Take care of me son,” he said bending over her until their faces met. Crushing his mouth over hers he grabbed up his keys, coat, and headed for the deck where the car waited at the dock to get him to the courthouse. A few more hours and it will all be his.

  ~~~

  The door latch lowered as keys rattled against the wood door. A young man came through the cabin door, looking over his shoulder. “He just left. Are you okay?” he said anxiously eyeing the room.

  Scooting off the sofa with the blanket pooling behind her, she kissed her son’s handsome face. “I could vomit just from Brian's touch. Without this little guy I wouldn't have the strength to pull this off,” Morgan said, setting Julian into his crib tucking the covers around his shoulders. Stroking a finger over his face she had to get ready. She straightened then began grabbing up their things to pack their belongings. “I have one more call to make before things get underway.” Morgan paused afraid to ask because if he said no everything would explode in her face. “Are they on board yet?”

  “Not yet, but everything's on time. The other guys think they're new guys starting because of the baby.”

  “I can't thank you enough for helping me.” Without him she'd be dead already.

  “After I saw the way he treated my mother I knew I had to help you. It was too late for me, but you could get out.”

  “Once we're free, I'll make certain they know who helped me.”

  “If anything happens to me, make certain Jonathan knows I never meant to hurt him.”

  “Nothing's gonna happen. I have this all planned out.”

  The young man peeked out the porthole to the dock. “So Brian thinks that's really his son?”

  She nodded brushing her hair out around her shoulders. It fell down her back in long dark waves. She looked up at her guest. “Arrogance will only let you see what you want to and Brian walks around in his own personal fog of importance.” Morgan moved to the bathroom, put on some lipstick, and blotted a dot of make-up over the bruise on her face where Brian had hit her. It burned not to kill him in his sleep for touching her, but she had other plans, if this was her price for freedom than she'd pay.

  She was nervous wringing her hands in front of her anxious to see the two men coming to save her and her son. She'd planned this down to the letter. It had to work. “When will they get here?”

  The young man stood over the crib, eyeing Julian and Morgan fought the wave of panic seeing someone standing over her son. After the hell she'd gone through with Brian she just wanted this all to be over with.

  “He's picking up the other guy at the airport and they'll be here in twenty minutes. I couldn't chance either running into Brian.” He turned toward the door. “We're docked until after the trial so they won't miss getting on the yacht. I'll go check. Lock the door until you hear me.”

  “Thank you. When you told me who sent you to help me I didn't even know who she was,” Morgan hurried and got dressed and prepared the room so it appeared she and Julian were the only ones there when the camera came on in the courtroom, Brian would only see her and not her guests. She walked out and grabbed her son up from the crib. “If you'll excuse me I have one very important call to make and it's rather personal.”

  The young man smiled and left the room. She sat on the bed whispering to her son. “I can only pray she still loves me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Well this is it. Trial of passage. The castle held a mixed vibe to it having Seamus home and Jonathan in prison. Kenya learned more and more about Jonathan on her trips to the hospital with Seamus for their checkups. She went for her OB checkups, and Seamus went to therapy on his leg, Gretchen goes on every trip. She had to admit she loved that her parents were able to stay until the baby was born, especially having her father back.

  Another thing was she'd had more phone sex than she'd ever feel comfortable admitting and her husband was a straight up freak and good at it. He used words she didn't know could be formed with the human mouth the way they vibrated through the phone making her body exhausted by the end of the call.

  Walking out of the pub's kitchen she crossed to the back hall leaving Karla, her aunt, in there, she wanted to learn to cook some of the recipes they served in the pub, said she was gonna get one of the Nigerian men when they come to visit the Inn. Pushing the door open, Kenya padded across the stone floor, pressed her forehead to the glass overlooking the parking lot, and stared at Jamie's car out front.

  Julia had been back and forth so much over the past six months until Jamie had set her up in a room in the castle. The two had even started to be seen around town together. They made a hot couple.

  Three hours before Jonathan's character trial and this could decide his fate and she hadn't been able to sleep all night. A fitful night trying to sleep with the baby playing field hockey with her bladder, she'd gotten up to walk the Inn's halls. The faint echo of the pub being prepped for breakfast, clanking glasses and tables being moved, followed her past the windows of the lounge to the back stairs. Lord she was waddling like a drunken duck with this boy.

  She stroked a hand down the front of her belly and rested a foot on the bottom stair. “Ethan, honey, give mommy a break and take a nap, or find something quiet to play with in there. But please stop kicking your mother's bladder. There's ten stairs between us and the bathroom and I'm not counting the walk to our suite.” She slowed hearing footsteps approaching behind her down the hall.

  “Kenya, you have a call in the office,” Fiona called coming up to the bottom of the back stairs; her black hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. Kenya held on to the stone banister balancing her wobbly steps.

  “Do you know who it is? I wanna take a quick shower before the trial.”

  “Aye, I believe it's your mother calling,” she told her waving toward the parking lot. “Carl drove her into town to pick up Steve's wife.”

  Kenya shook her head. “No, Carl’s supposed to pick up his girlfriend, she’s coming back to help here in the pub while everyone’s at the trial.” The scent of breakfast filled the air and made her stomach rumble.

  Fiona shrugged. “Maybe Steve’s gonna pick them up on the way in,” Fiona offered.

  “Where’s he at?” she peered around looking for Steve.

  Fiona tipped her chin back over her shoulder. “In the pub with your father, Marcus, and brother, Michael...has been playing darts all night. Seems no one can sleep with the trial in a few hours,” Fiona said hesitantly brushing a hand down Kenya's arm.

  She knew the feeling. “Michael went for a run before the sun came up, said he wanted to see the fields before the trial got started.” Michael was always muscular she remembered and it was nice having him there especially after the fire, they'd had long talks at night and she found out he had a fiancé and hopefully a sister in-law in a year. He'd moved to Maryland when he went to school and they barely saw each other after that. Now if she could've gotten through to Morgan she'd feel so much better. She called over her shoulder, “Is the call to the Inn's line? I have to get this child off my bladder.”

  Fiona smiled. “I'll send it to your suite; take your time going up the stairs.” Fiona said, Kenya had grown to like her sister in-law since Jonathan's imprisonment. She still watched her not fully trusting her, but things were better.

  “Fiona,” she sa
id and watched her cousin's face open with concern. “Be good to him...Randall. He's a good friend and I can only guess a wonderful boyfriend.”

  “Kenya, I've wanted to ask you this from the start...” Fiona said prancing from foot to foot closing her arms around her body. Fiona was envious of Kenya's relationship with Randall.

  “You're no shrinking violet, Fiona. I can't imagine you haven't questioned him about his and my relationship, and if you don't trust Randall's answer you don't deserve him.”

  Fiona breathed deep in her chest, relieved letting her gaze slide over the floor before returning to Kenya. “Aye, dinna want any friction between us.”

  Kenya grinned to herself. “We're family, Fiona, there's always gonna be some friction, but at the end of the day we're still family.”

  “Then I hope we grow to be sisters.”

  “Keep communications open and one day we'll get there,” Kenya said making her way up the stairs. Fiona relaxed her arms to her sides starting to walk away.

  “Oy, I almost forgot about your call. I'll send it up to your suite.” She hurried off down the hall to the office.

  Holding her belly, Kenya climbed the rest of the stairs having resorted to wearing the slippers with the treads on the bottom for traction that Jonathan sent, she felt even clumsier than normal. Ethan was ready to face the world any day now. “I think these stairs have multiplied in the last month,” she said to no one. Spotting Judge on the edge of the rug, she waved him over.

  Judge got to his feet falling in step as she penguin walked to their suite. Inside Kenya hit the remote that lit the fireplace warming the space.

  In the bathroom, she pressed the speaker button beside the door then grouped her sweater up over her head dropping it to the hamper. Her pants followed after several wriggles of her hips. She stepped into the shower.

  “Hey, Momma. I'm on speaker phone, so I can jump in the shower so you have to talk loud. What's up? What did you buy this time?” Hearing nothing, she stuck her head out of the shower past the running water. “Momma, give me one minute let me shower real quick...”