“I’ve seen you here the last couple of days.” The man said stepping a little too close.
“I was looking for someone, but it looks like he doesn’t come here anymore.” Sandy pulled on her jacket and zipped it quickly when he leered at her breasts.
“You were here with Dennis a few weeks back.” He grinned, and the smell of his breath made her stomach turn but if this guy could help she’d have to talk to him.
“Do you know him?” Maybe he could get in touch with Dennis, then she could let him know about the baby. She wasn’t looking for anything, but he could be as involved as he wanted. He could step up, or he could be absent like her own father. Either way, she didn’t care because she’d decided to keep the baby.
“I did.” When the man leaned closer, Sandy stepped to the side.
“What do you mean did?” She was really getting a bad feeling.
“He got killed in a Skidoo accident about two weeks ago,” The man reached seemed to take the hint and stepped back.
“He’s….he’s dead?” Sandy stammered. The man nodded. She backed away, turned and ran out of the club. She heard the man yell something after her, but she didn’t know or care what he said.
She remembered the accident because the department had sent officers out searching for the man that went missing. She never did find out who he was, but now she knew. Her baby’s father was dead, or at least she assumed it was the same, Dennis. The man at the club said he’d seen her with him. What was she going to do?
The next couple of weeks passed in a blur. How could she do this by herself? Sandy had no family to help unless you counted her father but she’d never even met him, and she was sure he wouldn’t help. The only friends she had were Tessa and Ruby, but Tessa was pregnant herself.
She also had to let the department know, but the minute they found out, it was desk duty for her. They’d been trying to get her behind a desk since she’d started because of her computer skills. She’d always declined the offers, but now she didn’t have a choice
At five months, the superintendent put her behind the desk and saddled her with research just as she predicted. Not that she didn’t like working with computers, but the job she was doing wasn’t exactly all she could do. Then again there weren’t a lot of cyber criminals in Yellowknife.
She’d received several calls from Tessa throughout the day asking weird questions about a friend of hers that was going to be dropping by to talk to her. At first, Sandy thought Tessa was setting her up on a blind date, but then she said something weird about him knowing what she needed. That statement made her extra nervous.
She was getting ready to head home when the Superintendent called her into his office. She had a feeling he was probably going to talk her into going on leave until the baby was born but when she walked in she ran into a wall of solid muscle. She slowly raised her head up and up until she met his amused eyes. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
“Alexandra, I’d like you to meet Keith O’Connor.” Superintendent Moss motioned to the brick wall.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. O’Connor.” Sandy held out her hand.
“My father is Mr. O’Connor. Call me Keith, and it’s a pleasure to meet you too.” He was a Newfoundlander. There was no covering the accent.
“I’ll let you two talk and Keith it’s good to see you again.” The superintendent walked out of the office leaving her alone with the large man.
“Let me get right to the point. I need a computer analysis, and I’m told you’re the best.” He crossed his arms over his massive chest and stared down at her. If he thought, he was going to intimidate her with that stance he was mistaken.
“I’m sure there’s better somewhere in the world I guess.” She liked giving herself the little ego boost.
“Good. I’m here to offer you a job with my security company, and I need you to start right away.” Keith held out a folder full of papers.
“There’s no beating around the bush with you, is there?” Sandy took the folder.
“Nope. When I want something, I go after it. Usually, I get it, and I want you, Alexandra. First, I’ve done a background check on you, and I know your education as well I know you’re from Newfoundland.” Keith braced himself back against the door and crossed his legs at the ankles.
“Why do you want me?” She was curious as to why he would hire a total stranger.
“As I said, I heard you’re the best and that’s all I hire. That has everything you need to know.” Sandy glanced down at the yellow folder in her hands.
“You do know I’m pregnant?” Sandy opened the folder and began to scan the papers without looking back up to gauge his reaction.
“Yes I do, and I also know the father of your baby is dead.” Sandy’s head snapped up, and her mouth dropped open.
“How?” She gasped.
“Tessa. I know everything about you.” Keith raised an eyebrow.
That look told her he knew what she’d been doing since she arrived in Yellowknife. She was pissed. Not because Tessa told him about her but because it was as if he was looking down on her. Who gave him the right to judge her?
“I don’t see how my lifestyle would cause problems with how I do my job.” Sandy snapped.
“It doesn’t. I don’t care if you screw the entire male population of Yellowknife. I’ll give you twenty-four hours to read over that contract, and I’ll be back tomorrow for your answer.” Before she had a chance to say anything he was gone leaving her with her mouth hung open.
When she got home, Tessa and Ruby were taking up supper. The West sisters had become her best friends since she arrived up north, but at that moment she wanted to smack Tessa for telling Keith about her.
“Hey there.” Ruby sat down at the table.
“Hi.” Sandy opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
“So tell me.” Tessa grinned.
“Tell you what?” Sandy leaned against the counter and rubbed her hand over her swollen belly.
“Come on Alexandra. Keith told me he talked to you.” Tessa rested her hands on her own swollen belly.
“How do you know this guy anyway?” He wasn't remotely like any of Tessa's other friends. Most of her male friends were either losers or bigger losers.
“He’s friends with my brother,” Tessa said.
“It figures he would be friends with Lane.” Her brother was much like Keith. Tall, handsome and full of muscle.
“Actually, he doesn’t call my brother Lane. All the guys that work with Keith have stupid nicknames. They call Lane, Shadow.” Ruby rolled her eyes.
“Look, Keith is a good guy, and Newfoundland Security Services or as Lane calls it N.S.S, is a great company,” Tessa said.
“How do you know so much about it?” From everything, she read the contract N.S.S, was a private company. They were hired strictly through government agencies.
“Lane asked Keith to help him investigate some missing women around Yellowknife as well as the assaults happening around here over the last five years. Lane’s convinced it’s the same guy.” Tessa’s face paled a little, and her eyes became glassy.
“The same guy that attacked you?” Sandy asked. Tessa had told her about the man that raped her when she was fifteen. He’d left her for dead. Tessa was now twenty-years-old, but there were times she seemed so much older because of what happened to her.
“Yes.” Tessa’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Are they having any luck with it?” Sandy sat next to her friend and took her hands. Ruby had dropped her head down and sniffed.
“I don’t know. I don’t ask.” Tessa smiled, but it wasn't her normal happy smile. It was the one she used when she was putting on her happy front. Sandy knew it was time for a subject change, but she would ask about it when she told Keith she was accepting the job.
So, began her job with Newfoundland Security Services and the big burly men that worked for the equally big burly Keith O’Connor.
To people who didn�
��t know them, the men could be intimidating, but to her, they were like big brothers. Keith, Bull, Shadow, Hulk, Trunk, Smash and Crash were larger than life and treated her like a princess. Their names were a little crazy, but of course, they weren’t their real names. For the most part, they referred to each other by their nicknames. Even Keith went by Rusty with the guys, but she was warned to call him Keith. He hated the nickname he’d received because of his hair.
In her sixth month, Tessa and Ruby had to go to Edmonton to take care of their grandmother. It left Sandy alone. The following week she met Scott Coates at a coffee shop. The small café was full, and he asked if he could sit with her. At first, she was going to decline, but she figured once he’d seen her swollen belly he’d back off. To her surprise, he was sympathetic to her situation, and before she knew it, she agreed to have supper with him the same evening.
Fast forward one month, and she was moving in with him. She’d developed feelings for him, and he waited on her hand and foot. He even drove her back and forth to the office because she couldn’t fit behind the wheel and he said he didn’t want her walking. It was sweet, but when he suggested they get married, she was a little taken back, but he said he loved her and wanted to be there for her and the baby. It was the one thing she’d never had as a child, and her baby needed a father. She agreed, and a week later they were married by a minister at Scott’s friend's house.
She called Tessa to let her know about the marriage, and her friend was upset at first because she wanted to be there. Sandy told her they’d have a celebration when Tessa got back to Yellowknife. Tessa told her she was hoping to be back soon and she had news of her own.
While all this was going on, she’d noticed a change in Keith. He didn’t seem as surly as he usually did and she’d even caught him whistling a few times on his way into his office. He’d been going back and forth between Edmonton and Yellowknife, but Sandy didn’t know why. When she’d asked him about his mood, change all she got was a shoulder shrug.
She was completely in the dark until the day Tessa called to tell say she and Keith had eloped. She was shocked. She didn’t even know Tessa and Keith were dating. It hurt that her friend hadn’t told her, but when she thought about it even when she did talk to Tessa, she was so wrapped up in her own life that she didn’t ask Tessa about hers. Keith wasn’t the baby’s father because Tessa had gotten pregnant from her last boyfriend. Sandy hadn’t met him, but from what she knew he was married and ran like a jack rabbit when Tessa told him.
Tessa returned to Yellowknife three weeks before Sandy was due to have her baby. Tessa had given birth just days before her arrival. Of course, everyone fell in love with sweet little Evie and Sandy was no different. The little girl favored her mother with dark hair and olive colored skin. Tessa and Ruby were of Aboriginal descent, and it was evident in the baby.
Sandy was miserable and couldn’t wait for the baby to come. She was uncomfortable, not sleeping, and all the men around her had turned into complete idiots. Scott had been out of town for a few days, and Sandy was staying with Keith and Tessa until he got back. Ruby was still with their grandmother, and Tessa said her sister was enjoying being in Edmonton. It was nice to spend time with her friend, but she was still in the dark about how Keith and Tessa ended up together. They certainly didn’t act like a newlywed couple, but she just chalked that up to dealing with a new baby. When she asked Tessa about it, she would smile and tell her that they’d found safety in each other. It didn’t make sense, but they seemed happy enough.
The next day Sandy walked into the office or waddled as seemed to be the way she moved at that point. She was surprised to see the office decorated with balloons and streamers. A mountain of wrapped gifts sat on her desk, and a bunch of large men grinning like idiots had her eyes filling with tears. Stupid hormones. She had a feeling Tessa had put most of it together when she stepped out from behind the men.
Her phone rang just after four o’clock. It was Scott. He’d come back to town early and was just pulling up in front of the office. She told him to come in because she wanted to show him what her co-workers and friends had done for her.
When Scott walked into the office, Sandy heard a gasp, and when she turned, Tessa had run into the bathroom. Before she got a chance to check on her friend, Keith had entered the bathroom and closed the door. A few minutes later he returned. His face was tense, and his jaw clenched, but all he said was Tessa wasn’t feeling well.
With the gifts loaded, Sandy was about to get in her car, but Keith asked if she could stay for an important meeting. Scott offered to wait, but Keith told him that he would drive Sandy home. Scott kissed her cheek and drove off as Keith wrapped his arm around her and guided her into the building.
That was when everything went to hell. Tessa was in Keith’s office with tears in her eyes and clinging to Evie. Bull was pacing the floor, and the rest of the team seemed to have vanished.
“Sandy, I think you need to sit for this,” Keith guided her to the chair across from Tessa.
“What’s going on? Is Ruby okay? Lane?” Sandy didn’t want to sit she just wanted to know what was wrong.
“Sandy, I’m sorry. I never knew his name.” Tessa sobbed.
“Whose name?” Keith crouched in front Sandy and took both her hands in his.
“The man that raped Tessa and could be responsible for a lot of missing women here in Yellowknife,” Keith said with the softest tone she’d ever heard him use.
“They caught him?” Sandy had prayed they’d find the bastard that hurt her friend.
“Sandy, Tessa recognized him,” Keith said.
“Recognized who? Will you just tell me?” Sandy had a knot in the pit of her stomach. She knew what he was about to say, but she didn’t want to believe it.
“It was Scott.” Keith gently squeezed her hands. Sandy shook her head.
“No. Tessa you must be mistaken.” Sandy glanced at her friend, but she knew the story of Tessa’s attack and how the man made her look at him while he raped her. Tessa had told her many times she'd never forget the man's face.
“Sandy, I want you to come home with us,” Keith said, but she was already half way out of the office.
“No, he won’t hurt me. I’m going home.” The whole walk home seemed like a blur, and she didn’t feel the chill in the wind because she was numb.
Present day...
The night Keith came to pick her up was burned in her brain, and it would never go away. Scott screaming at her when she mentioned Tessa’s name then waiting for Keith to come and get her out of the house before Scott got back home. The worst was when Scott came back covered in blood holding a gun and then the loud crack of the gunfire.
“What the fuck, Keith?” Ian stood in front of his brother with his hands on his hips. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us you were married and had a kid?”
“Because it wasn’t what you think,” Keith admitted.
“Well, what was it then?” Ian hadn’t even looked at her since she’d told him everything.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with you or Sandy.” Keith stood up and begin to pace. She’d noticed when he was agitated he did it a lot. It seemed that all the brothers did it.
“Nobody knows you were married?” Ian pushed.
“No, and nobody needs to know. Now drop it and listen to the woman you love.” Keith stalked out of the kitchen leaving her alone with Ian.
“Why the fuck is he being so secretive about all this?” Ian threw his hands up in the air and finally turned to face her. “Why were you so secretive?”
“Keith’s story is his to tell, but the reason I’ve been so secretive is easy.” Sandy sat on the edge of the couch and covered her face with her hands. She heard him move toward her and covered her hands with his as he knelt on the floor in front of her.
“So, tell me.” He gazed into her eyes and all the emotion she’d been holding in all these years, all the hurt that she’d probably never be a mother came flowing down her c
heeks in a river of tears. “Sandy, tell me.”
“Because I didn’t think you’d want me if you knew,” Sandy admitted.
“Sandy, that wouldn’t have mattered to me. I love you.” Ian cupped her face in his hands.
“But you’ve got two little girls now, and they need you.” The pang of jealousy in the pit of her stomach made her want to throw up. She’d never be able to give him what Colleen did.
“And they’ve got me, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together.” Ian dropped his hands to his sides and sat back on his heels. “Or does it?”
Could she be with him and accept the little girls that weren’t hers? For a moment, she studied his face, and she could see the worry. Sandy was about to tell him it didn’t matter because she wanted to be with him and she loved him with all her heart, but before she got a chance to answer, he was on his feet and pacing the floor.
“I guess the silence answers my question.” Ian snapped and stalked out of the living room. The next thing she heard was the click of his bedroom door.
“What just happened?” Sandy whispered and glanced up to see Keith’s massive frame stomping toward Ian’s bedroom. She jumped up and ran to stop him from going in the room but before she got to him he pushed the bedroom door open so hard that it slammed against the wall behind it.
“What the fuck?” Ian stood up, but before Sandy knew what happened, Keith had Ian pinned against the wall.
“I fucking warned you to listen to her.” Keith pulled his fist back, and Sandy knew what was about to happen. She pushed between the two huge men.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Keith?” Sandy yelled as she braced her hand hard against his chest and her other hand against his fist. “There are two little girls in the room down the hall, and you’re going to scare the shit out of them the way you’re acting. This is between Ian and me. Stop acting like an overprotective dick.” She pushed with all her strength, and he stepped back but only because he decided to step back. There was no way he would’ve moved if he didn’t want to.
“He’s being an ass,” Keith growled.
“So are you.” Sandy snapped. “Now go out there. Make sure you didn’t wake the girls and let Ian and I talk.” She stood with her hands on her hips. Keith turned around and stomped out of the room. The next thing she heard was Ian chuckling. “You think that was funny?”
Dangerous Secrets (O'Connor Brothers Book 3) Page 11