Chapter Ten

Jack

"Boss, here's the food." Shamus enters, holding the bags. He's much larger than many of my other men, so when he enters the small house, he looks like a giant.

"Where's Giles?" I asked, since it was his task. I don't appreciate people handing off assignments without my permission.

"He had an errand to run this morning. He said he'll be back in a couple of hours, but he'll be available via text." Yes, I'd been so consumed by my business I'd forgotten that he'd been working here when I'd gotten the alert. Now, it's time to contact Connor and Ian. They need to know I've found our brother.

"Please eat. I'll get John." She sits down, and I hand her the trays of breakfast.

"I like this spot. This restaurant is right up the street and it's my favorite."

"Good. Enjoy. Give me one minute."

When I slip into his bedroom, he's still asleep. I gently sit on the edge of the bed and stare down at my little brother. God, I want to hold him in my arms and never let him go, but I know not to push my luck. My phone rings in my pocket, and John stirs. Shit. I had called Connor, but he was with Dad so I couldn't speak with him. I told him to call me when he was free.

"Hey, did you lose the tail?"

"Yes. I left his house. The detective stopped by, wondering if you had any clues. She knows you've been hunting down trafficking rings, so they think you're on another one. Is that the case?" I chuckled. Let that dumb cunt believe it if she wanted. I didn't trust her one bit, but my brother needed to know the truth.

"No, but I wanted to let you know that I found him," I say in a hushed whisper as if someone near him might here.

"What? Please God, tell me he's alive." His voice is shaky.

"Yes. He's alive and healthy." I'm so grateful to Nora for that. I want to pull her in my arms and kiss her right at this moment just for that fact. Not to mention that I'm so eager to devour her sexy ass.

"Tell me you killed every piece of shit involved," he snarls.

I sigh and then lightly chuckle because I've been out for vengeance since they took him, but that's the farthest thing from my mind when it comes to Nora. "So far there's no piece of shit to be found. Only a woman who was handed a child to care for."

"What? And you believe it?" Connor roars.

"If you see the way she cares for him and how good he's doing, you'd believe it."

He pauses before he says, "He's doing good?"

"He called me Jack."

"What?"

"Yes."

I can hear my brother's sobs on the phone. "I can't fucking believe it."

"Me either."

"Bring him home. God, it's a fucking miracle. I won't tell Dad, but he will have to find out sooner or later." As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Even if my father had nothing to do with my brother's disappearance, he wasn't a good father, so he won't get custody of John, but he's still his son and he deserves to know he's alive.

"I want John safely tucked into my home before I allow it."

"Let me know what you need me to do, and it's done."

John stirs as I speak. "Hey, buddy. You're awake. Do you want pancakes?"

"Cay, cay."

"Did he just say that?" Connor asks.

"Yes, he did, Connor."

"Can you say Connor?" I ask, putting the phone closer to him without trying to scare John.

"Er. Er," John says.

"Fuck, I'll take it," Connor sobs. "I'll take it. Damn what did she do to him?"

My chest fills with pride for my future wife. "She's actually a special needs teacher."

"What?"

"I know, and she's fucking beautiful."

"Whoa, Jack. What's going on there? Are you telling me something?"

"I'm telling you I'd like to fuck her, and she'd be great to keep around to care for Jack. It's about time I took a wife, so she's perfect."

"At least it's better than the arranged marriage Father tried to set you up with all those years ago with the Fieri family."

"I'm glad I didn't accept that damn arranged marriage with the Fieri family all those years ago." I wouldn't have the woman I really want, and John wouldn't have the mother he truly needs.

"Um…is something wrong in here?" I turned around to see Nora standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Oh, he just woke up. I didn't want to rush him."

"No problem. You want bites, John? Let's eat so we can change your clothes for the day and play." She makes some hand gestures and takes his hand into the kitchen, while I feel like a complete asshole.

"She just used some sort of sign language with John, and he did it with her."

"I can't believe it. This is a fucking miracle. When are you flying back?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'm not wasting any more time; John belongs in his family home, and I have a wedding to plan while I find out who really put together this kidnapping. I know it wasn't just the nanny, and I have a hunch the pretty little teacher doesn't know who is involved."

"Give me her name, and I'll run her info."

"Don't worry, I already have people on it. Just get John's room ready at my home and prepare a room for my fiancée. As much as I want her in my bed, I won't push it just yet."

"Acting like a gentleman…that sounds…well, just like you."

"I'll talk to you later, Con. There's still a lot of shit to get together before we can leave."

"Okay. Bring him back safe, Bro." I end the call and tuck away my phone. Now to go check on them. When I step into the living room, I'm shocked by how destroyed it is. How the fuck did that happen?

"Sorry, Boss. He kind of threw a fit and tossed the bin over."

"You messed up his chaos," Nora says with a soft laugh of surrender. She's already resigned herself to his behavior and mess.

"So, he didn't want pancakes, I guess."

"He did. He took a bite and then took off for a moment. We're working on sitting at the table and eating, but he runs off and gets distracted. It's one step at a time. One thing to learn is to pick your battles." I nod, because she's right. There was so much yelling or just plain ignoring John when he wouldn't do what my father wanted.

"So how do you get through the day?"

"It's not easy, but we have a schedule, and he knows it, so it has become a little easier. The weekends become a little messier, but that's okay. At least I get a little break. He's without a routine, and I don't have to be on twenty-four hours."

"You needed help."

"It's not like I had much of a choice. The first time I took him out in public, besides to school, and your people spotted me. Wow, that came out totally wrong. I wasn't intentionally hiding him. Well, I was, but not because I was being cruel."

"I understand. If there's anything I can say about how he's been treated, he's been well taken care of."

"Thank you." She smiles lightly, a blush spreading over the apple of her cheeks. I wish we were alone; then I'd take her into my arms and test how far that blush spreads.

"Shamus, we need to be ready to depart by tomorrow morning."

"You're leaving?"

"We're all leaving, Nora. Did you think we'd stay here? Our home is back in Chicago where we belong." Ugh, this city is nothing compared to my hometown. I roll my eyes with disgust at the idea.

"Chicago? I don't want to go back there," she says, shivering at the notion, and I wonder how many ghosts haunt her.

"Sweetheart, is there a reason you're afraid to head back to the city?"

"I haven't been back since I was eighteen and I bought this house. Besides, I have two more days of school."

"Well, I'm sorry. We're leaving tomorrow, and it's not up for discussion. The school year is officially over for you and John, so you better call your bosses and tell them you're taking an unexpected trip to see your family in Chicago because that's where we're going."

She slams her tiny fists into my chest. "You're an asshole. You can't just uproot my life."

I grip them in one of mine. "If you want to stay, that's fine, but I'm not leaving without my brother."

Her pretty hazel eyes widen in dismay and hurt. "You can't take him away from me. He'll freak out."

"He will, or you will?" I ask with a wide grin.

"He will…"

I cup her chin a little forcefully and give it a good tug. "Don't lie to me, little felon. I know that he'll be upset, but so will you and like I said, I'm not leaving without you. So, come tomorrow, you're leaving with us and we're getting married." With a stomp of her foot, she storms into the kitchen. I hear the sink running and then the dishes, so I follow. "What are you doing?"

"As much as you've pissed me off, I can't leave this place a mess. Dishes in the sink will only create a chance for pests to invade." She's scrubbing them furiously and I find it comical. I want to slide up behind her and ease that tension she has radiating through her body.

"You're taking it better than I expected," I remarked with a teasing smile.

"Look—Julia feared for her life, and it's freaking clear she had a good reason for it, so it's only wise that I follow along like a good little girl." I can't imagine harming her, but I'm not going to lose the leverage I have.

Julia? Is there another woman involved? My mind goes straight to the detective. "Why did you call her Julia?"

"Because that's her name. Julia Sanchez."

"No, my brother's nanny was named Joanne Rodriguez." I open my phone and show her a picture of the woman who had been taking care of John since he was born.

"That's Julia." She points to the woman I've known as Joanne. How the fuck has she gone all that time as John's caregiver without us finding out her true identity?

"And how long were you neighbors?" I asked, wanting to know if it was a short time. She could have been lying to Nora and her real name is Joanne.

"From the time I was ten until she helped me run away just before I turned eighteen."

"Why don't you get started packing some of your things, and I'll have the guys get you some luggage for John's belongings. I was in such a hurry I'd completely forgotten to get those things." I lift my shoulders and say to my men, "Gentlemen, let's leave Ms. Harrison alone and go to the hotel and store. I'll be back this evening."

"Boss, are you sure we should leave her alone?" Shamus asked.

"She's been alone with John all this time. I'm not worried about her with him because she's not running anywhere, right?"

"Of course not. I'd never keep your brother from you again." I pull her into my arms and cup her chin, causing a soft gasp to leave her perfect cupid's bow lips. "That's a very good thing, beautiful." I drop my lips onto hers, tasting them briefly before pulling back to find her eyes closed and looking dangerously tempting. "Go on and get packed. Don't worry about John's things. We'll pack them. I don't want anyone touching your panties."

She slowly sucks in her bottom lip and then massages them over each other. "Yes, Jack."

"Good girl." I'm so damn hard that I could take her in the middle of the room standing straight up, but it's not the time or the place. And just in case I need a reminder, John comes rushing up to me, headbutting my crotch. "Fuck," I grunt, swallowing the pain.

Nora giggles and snorts while trying to get John off me, but he clings to my leg. "Sorry. He's feeling a bit clingy, I guess."

"No, he used to do that a long time ago, but he was shorter so it wasn't a big deal."

"I'll be back, and be a good boy for Mommy because Jack plans to put a baby in there soon." I toss her a wink over his head. It's not something I should be thinking about since I don't know shit about her; however, I can't help myself. The way her messy ponytail sits on her head makes me want to fist it in my hands as I slide up behind her and drive my thick cock deep into her tight cunt. It's fucked where my thoughts are going, especially with my little brother clinging to me, but my little felon has me twisted.

"I've got to go. We're burning daylight." We exit the house, and I tell Shamus, "Take the second vehicle and go buy five suitcases. Anything else we'll pack later. We don't need to take the whole damn house. She can put it on the market, or we'll treat it as a mini-vacation spot. Although, I can't imagine choosing to stay here over a lavish hotel downtown. Afterward, I expect you to promptly return and keep an eye on her."

I'm going back to the hotel to dig into the rest of her profile and John's former nanny. As soon as I'm in my room, I call my contact who wanted to speak to me earlier, but I was busy. "This is MacNamara."

"I have some interesting details about Ms. Harrison, or should I call her Nora Fieri. She's the daughter of Enrico Fieri." Fuck. My mind spins and I stumble back, falling onto the chair. "MacNamara, you still there?"

"Yeah. What else you got?"

"She got the money for the house via an inheritance from her grandparents after running away and changing her name. There doesn't seem to be any contact between her and her family."

I don't doubt it. If they knew where she was, they'd marry her off to another family. An involuntary growl rips from my chest. The thought of someone else getting to touch her infuriates me so intensely that I slam my hand down on the window ledge.

"You okay, Boss?"

"Yes," I snarl. That's why she fucking ran away and changed her name. They were forcing her to get married to me. My Nora ran off rather than being married to me. That knowledge stings, but I try to remind myself that she was a little girl back then and had to be afraid of getting married to a stranger and maybe had dreams of something more.

Damn it, that's why she looked so familiar. I never met the younger Nora, but she has the same eyes as her brother, who I've done business with more than once. "Is there anything else on her?"

"No. Do you need something else, Boss?"

"Yes. I need you to look into a Julia Sanchez. She would have lived next door to the Fieris in Chicago. Remember—everything is discreet, and get back to me as soon as possible."

"Sure." After the call ends, I send over his payment. Then, I gather my things and check out of the damn hotel. What am I going to do with my little Fieri?

Then, it hits me: what if that bastard was involved in taking my brother and sending him to his sister? I call the bastard. "Fieri," he answers.

"This is Jack MacNamara."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"So, I just realized that your sister isn't married yet. Where is she?"

"Why the fuck do you care where my sister is? She's not involved in our lives anymore." His temper shoots through the roof fast.

"I'm just curious. After all, I had her offered to me as a wife years ago, and maybe it's time I start looking for one. I'm not getting any fucking younger."

"That's good and all, but my sister's off fucking limits. She doesn't want to marry into our world. Besides, that was our fathers making that stupid deal. Neither of you wanted it, and she deserves to be happy." What the fuck? I'm fucking insulted.

"Who says she couldn't be happy with me?"

"You can't make her happy because the last time I checked on her, she had a boyfriend."

I growl inwardly. "Well, you haven't checked recently."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means that I happen to have met your lovely sister, and she and I hit it off very nicely, although I didn't know she changed her name. She failed to mention that little detail when she was keeping my brother from me."

"What? No. She wouldn't. Don't you dare hurt her."

"I wouldn't dare harm her, but if I find out that you had anything to do with his kidnapping, I'll forget that we ever had an alliance or that you're her brother." I end the call and leave the hotel room with my things. Getting to her house and into her bed is a priority because after John's asleep, I'll be sliding between her legs and marking my territory. Everyone will know that Nora Fieri belongs to Jack MacNamara.

Still, there's one more thing I need to grab to complete the package deal.