good time.”
“How are you, Nick? Good to see you,” Rory said reaching them and shaking Nick’s hand firmly.
“I’m good, Rory, good to see you too,” Nick replied and meant it.
“What brings you here, Cupcake?” he asked with a grin, knowing she hated the nickname, and sliding his arm around her shoulder for a quick squeeze.
“Bad judgment,” she replied, trying to turn and walk away.
Nick grasped her arm and turned her in a complete circle till she ended up nose to chest with her brother. “She has a problem and seems reluctant to discuss it. I was hoping we could find a little room where we could talk and get to the bottom of this.”
“No problem,” Rory responded taking a hold of Maggie’s other arm. “We’ll use my office. John, hold my calls unless it’s an emergency.”
Maggie wasn’t sure if her feet actually touched the floor on the way to her brother’s office. With one Neanderthal on each side of her, she had very little choice in the matter. Once seated behind his desk, Rory was all business except for the name Cupcake Cassidy he scrawled across the top of his legal pad. Maggie yelped when Nick’s hand came down firmly on her knee, preventing her from giving her brother the swift kick he deserved.
“All right, let’s have it,” Rory ordered, and before she knew what happened she spilled out the entire story. Refusing to meet either of their eyes, Maggie started with Jack Harley’s threats and the assault at work. She softly told about being followed, the hang-up phone calls, and tonight’s most frightening episode with the drive by and Jack actually getting out of his car across the street. By the time she was finished and raised her head, Rory’s blue eyes were hard as glass, and he had a tick in his jaw. She didn’t even want to look at Nick, but she could hear him cracking his knuckles.
“What did Mason say about this? You did tell him?” Rory questioned as he picked up the phone and dialed a number. “I need a warrant,” he informed whoever answered on the other end.
“Well, not exactly…”Maggie stated, squirming on her chair.
“What the hell does that mean?” Rory thundered. With a quick, “I’ll call you back,” he slammed down the phone.
Maggie jumped up and tried to get past Nick, but quickly changed her mind when he rose and looked down into her eyes. Oh, this is not good, she thought, sinking gently back onto her chair.
“I told Mason,” Nick said tightly. “As soon as I found out what had gone on, I was on the phone. Mason fired him the next morning, and we thought that was the end of it.” Nick continued, still standing and running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Neither one of us knew anything about the other incidents,” he finished, glaring at Maggie. “If we had, it probably wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
“Maybe not,” Rory replied, “but you never know. There are a lot of men out there who get off on terrorizing women. This jerk may be one of them. I’ll get a warrant, and we’ll pick him up as soon as we can find him. This is stalking and possibly a felony, so hopefully we’ll be able to put him away for a while. In the meantime, you have three choices, Cupcake. You can go stay at Ma’s; I’m sure you’d enjoy that,” he grinned. “You can hang around here until one and go home with me, or you can go home, but Nick stays with you. What’ll it be?”
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be all right on my own,” she told them, not really happy with any of her options. “I have a gun, and I’m almost positive I can figure out how to load it.”
Dead silence greeted her statement; then all hell broke loose.
“Where did you get a gun?” Rory roared, jumping up and rounding his desk.
“For the love of Christ,” Nick shouted, on his feet in a split second.
Sandwiched between the two irate men, Maggie rethought her decision. Apparently, neither of them realized how forward thinking she was in wanting to be able
“How are you, Nick? Good to see you,” Rory said reaching them and shaking Nick’s hand firmly.
“I’m good, Rory, good to see you too,” Nick replied and meant it.
“What brings you here, Cupcake?” he asked with a grin, knowing she hated the nickname, and sliding his arm around her shoulder for a quick squeeze.
“Bad judgment,” she replied, trying to turn and walk away.
Nick grasped her arm and turned her in a complete circle till she ended up nose to chest with her brother. “She has a problem and seems reluctant to discuss it. I was hoping we could find a little room where we could talk and get to the bottom of this.”
“No problem,” Rory responded taking a hold of Maggie’s other arm. “We’ll use my office. John, hold my calls unless it’s an emergency.”
Maggie wasn’t sure if her feet actually touched the floor on the way to her brother’s office. With one Neanderthal on each side of her, she had very little choice in the matter. Once seated behind his desk, Rory was all business except for the name Cupcake Cassidy he scrawled across the top of his legal pad. Maggie yelped when Nick’s hand came down firmly on her knee, preventing her from giving her brother the swift kick he deserved.
“All right, let’s have it,” Rory ordered, and before she knew what happened she spilled out the entire story. Refusing to meet either of their eyes, Maggie started with Jack Harley’s threats and the assault at work. She softly told about being followed, the hang-up phone calls, and tonight’s most frightening episode with the drive by and Jack actually getting out of his car across the street. By the time she was finished and raised her head, Rory’s blue eyes were hard as glass, and he had a tick in his jaw. She didn’t even want to look at Nick, but she could hear him cracking his knuckles.
“What did Mason say about this? You did tell him?” Rory questioned as he picked up the phone and dialed a number. “I need a warrant,” he informed whoever answered on the other end.
“Well, not exactly…”Maggie stated, squirming on her chair.
“What the hell does that mean?” Rory thundered. With a quick, “I’ll call you back,” he slammed down the phone.
Maggie jumped up and tried to get past Nick, but quickly changed her mind when he rose and looked down into her eyes. Oh, this is not good, she thought, sinking gently back onto her chair.
“I told Mason,” Nick said tightly. “As soon as I found out what had gone on, I was on the phone. Mason fired him the next morning, and we thought that was the end of it.” Nick continued, still standing and running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Neither one of us knew anything about the other incidents,” he finished, glaring at Maggie. “If we had, it probably wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
“Maybe not,” Rory replied, “but you never know. There are a lot of men out there who get off on terrorizing women. This jerk may be one of them. I’ll get a warrant, and we’ll pick him up as soon as we can find him. This is stalking and possibly a felony, so hopefully we’ll be able to put him away for a while. In the meantime, you have three choices, Cupcake. You can go stay at Ma’s; I’m sure you’d enjoy that,” he grinned. “You can hang around here until one and go home with me, or you can go home, but Nick stays with you. What’ll it be?”
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be all right on my own,” she told them, not really happy with any of her options. “I have a gun, and I’m almost positive I can figure out how to load it.”
Dead silence greeted her statement; then all hell broke loose.
“Where did you get a gun?” Rory roared, jumping up and rounding his desk.
“For the love of Christ,” Nick shouted, on his feet in a split second.
Sandwiched between the two irate men, Maggie rethought her decision. Apparently, neither of them realized how forward thinking she was in wanting to be able
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