25. Chapter 25
I’m beyond fucking pissed at what this asshole has put sweet Mary through these past nine years, but I’ve got to rein it in. There’s no doubt in my mind that Stephan will say shit to get under our skins and I refuse to lose my cool. I won’t do anything to jeopardize helping Mary get free of this shitbag so that she can live her life with Patch. Like she was originally supposed to.
Stepping between Bear and Dragon, who are standing on either side of Mary’s door, I’m relieved that Thor brought more men with him since we figured Stephan would be here as soon as he could. I’m also relieved that Thor put two of his biggest men on the door as soon as we arrived. Intimidation factor is a real thing and I know Stephan’s not in his prime anymore. Seeing both of these bulky, muscled men protecting Mary is going to both piss him off and scare the piss out of him.
I step forward until I’m standing behind my dad and a little off to the side. A moment later, Dixon is at my side. Movement behind me tells me that Thor is right behind us as well. Even though I know we’ve got the backing from the Chief to be doing what we’re doing, I can’t help but be nervous. Based on what Mary has told us, when Stephan feels threatened, there’s no telling what he’ll do. And he better not hurt any innocents in the process.
As the elevator doors part, Stephan emerges and advances straight toward us. I keep an eye on him, but at the same time, my gaze finds Theresa, the head nurse on this floor. I tilt my head to the side and she nods back before discreetly going around to the other nurses and in seconds, it’s just us and a pissed off Stephan in the nurse’s station.
“Get the hell out of my way, Morgan. I need to see my wife.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that,” Dad replies. His voice is calm and level, but I see the tension running through his body.
“What?! Why the fuck not? That’s my wife in there,” he shouts angrily as he points toward Mary’s room behind us.
I’m not sure how he knew which room was Mary’s, unless he took our presence to mean it was hers.
“And what are these thugs doing here? Maybe they were the ones that hurt my Mary. Get these lowlifes out of here. I’m bringing in my own guards to protect her,” he leers as he looks down his nose at Thor, Bear, and Dragon. Behind me, I feel their anger growing and I swear the aura of danger that normally surrounds them drastically intensifies at Stephan’s false accusations.
Dad moves forward a step. “You will be doing no such thing. These men are following my orders, which come directly from Chief Cane. You are in no capacity to refute his orders. Not to mention, I know for a fact that you have a restraining order that was served to you this morning. You aren’t supposed to be anywhere near Mary or your children.”
Stephan swings his arm out, madly gesturing behind us as he spews more nonsense. Worried that he may try to take a swing at one of us, I grab his arm and slap a cuff on his wrist before grabbing his other arm. I take great pleasure in hearing the clicks of the cuffs around his wrists. It takes him a moment to realize what just happened before he starts struggling in my arms, trying to get away from me. We shuffle a little and Dixon steps forward to grasp his other arm. When both of us have a tight hold on his arms, Stephan’s anger rises so much his cheeks start turning red.
“Uncuff me, Officer! Instead of going after me, you should find the asshole that broke into my house and did this to her! Mary needs me to take care of her! She has several mental conditions. Whatever she told you is a lie, dreamt up from her delusions.”
A humorless laugh escapes me and I shake my head. Dad steps forward and it’s then that I realize in the shuffle, we’ve shifted so that my right shoulder is near Bear and I can see into Mary’s room through the crack from the door. Her eyes are wide with panic, but then her face hardens and determination fills her.
There’s that spark I remember.
Mary’s always been one of the sweetest people I’ve known, but if you ever crossed someone she loved and cared about, you’d quickly be introduced to her backbone of steel. Dad’s voice has me turning my attention back toward the asshole in my grip.
“Actually, we already know who is responsible for Mary’s current condition. Not to mention past injuries.”
“And you made our search all the easier by coming to us instead of making us look for you,” I tell him and smirk internally when I see his eyes go wide with the realization of what he’s done.
“Stephan Hayes, you are under arrest on charges of domestic abuse against your wife and your children. You have the right to remain silent…”
I tune out Dad’s voice and focus on Stephan. With every word, his face grows redder and I share a concerned look with Dixon.
Unfortunately, Stephan takes that exact moment to lunge at Dad and my grip slips slightly.
In an instant, Bear’s hand clasps Stephan’s shoulder and helps us halt Stephan’s momentum, but not before his forehead makes contact with Dad’s nose. Dad had tried to pull back when he realized what Stephan was going to do, but it was too little too late.
“You’ll pay for this, Morgan,” Stephan hisses, and Dad levels him a hard glare as he takes the handkerchief from Thor and holds it to his bloody nose.
“Looks like I’ll be slapping on two other charges on top of your domestic abuse charge. Resisting arrest and assaulting a Police Officer. Also, as stated earlier; by coming here to the hospital, you are in violation of the restraining order that you were served earlier this morning, which will be going on your record.”
Stephan struggles in our arms again, and I shake my head at how much of an idiot he’s acting like as he tries to lunge for Dad again.
“For being a Deputy Police Officer, you sure are making a lot of stupid mistakes right now. Don’t forget that we’re in Wisconsin. That little stunt you just pulled by assaulting a Police Officer is considered a Class H felony. You face up to a maximum of six years in prison, $10,000 in fines, or both if you are convicted, plus a three-year confinement, followed by three years of extended supervision.
“On top of that, if for some reason you’re released before all of this goes to trial, Wisconsin has a no-contact law. You are required to avoid contacting your victims after being released from police custody. Which means Mary and your three children, who are very much still alive. And on that topic, since we’re talking about charges, we’ll be tacking on fraud charges for submitting false death certificates for Asher Lucas Hayes, Isaiah Brayden Hayes, and Cassandra Allison Hayes as well as collecting hefty life insurance policies on all three of them.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Mary’s jaw dropping in shock as her hand goes to her mouth. Seconds later, tears spill down her cheeks as Alli wraps her in a hug.
Stephan stills in our arms before he huffs. “You have no proof of any of that. You’ll regret arresting me and bringing these false accusations forward. You’ll see.”
The elevator nearby dings but I don’t take my eyes off Stephan, worried that he’ll try to pull another stunt.
“Morgan, I can take it from here with Hughes,” someone says, and I immediately relax when I hear my friend’s voice, Oliver Jones.
“Thanks, Jones.”
As I relinquish my hold on Stephan, worry swirls in my gut as Stephan calls over his shoulder as Jonesy and Dixon lead him to the elevator. “This isn’t over! You’ll pay for this! You’ll all pay for this! Mary’s my wife—I have a right to see her! You have the wrong person! Whatever she’s told you is a lie due to her mental illnesses!”
Shaking my head, I turn back toward my dad to see Oliver’s twin brother, Max, in front of him inspecting his nose.
“Your nose doesn’t seem broken, but you’ll have a hell of a bruise for a while.”
Dad tilts his head toward the room, but I pause when the elevator dings again and groan internally when I see two men step off surrounded by four bodyguards.
Don Antonio Vasquez and one of his sons, Lorenzo.
Standing to my full height, I cross my arms over my chest and plant myself in front of Mary’s door.
“We have your back,” Thor says quietly behind me, and I ever so slightly tilt my head to indicate I’d heard him.
The Don’s bodyguards eye us warily when they stop a few feet in front of us, but none of them say a word. After seeing that we aren’t moving, Don Vasquez steps forward.
“If you would kindly move, I would like to see my granddaughter.”
I cock an eyebrow at him, but before I can say anything, Patch is at my side, glaring the Don down as he steps forward, almost toe to toe with him.
“Why? So you can whisk her away? Give her back to Stephan, the asshole who bought Mary from you and your fucking son? The asshole who has been beating and abusing her for the last nine years? The man who took away the woman who was carrying my child and who I was going to ask to marry me? Why the fuck should we let you anywhere near her?”
Even though I know Patch is beyond fucking furious, not once does he raise his voice, though it is cold and deadly. Far colder and deadlier than I’ve ever heard before.
Well, scratch that.
I’d heard it once before.
The night Mary was kidnapped and Nikos was killed. The night where he thought I had had a hand in her disappearance.
Confusion mars the Don’s face. “I don’t know what you are talking about, son. Mary left to marry the love of her life, Stephan. They’ve been happily married ever since. We haven’t been in contact due to the nature of Stephan’s job, but as soon as I’d heard that she’d been hurt, I came straight here.”
What the fuck?
“I don’t know where you’ve been getting your information, asshole, but none of that is true,” Patch damn near spits out.
The lines of confusion etch deeper on the Don’s face, and I almost believe he’s telling the truth.
“Luke, let him in. There’s only one way to settle this, and I’d rather it be in the privacy of a room rather than shouted in a public hospital ER.”
Mary’s voice and words have Patch tensing before his gaze narrows on the Don.
“You try anything at all, and I will make sure you endure everything she has. Every bruise, broken bones, bruised ribs, fractures, concussions, and cuts. Everything she’s suffered at Stephan’s hands these last nine years, you’ll experience tenfold.”
With that, he turns and stalks into Mary’s room.
I don’t know if this is a good idea or not, but we also need answers.
Is Don Antonio Vasquez a part of all of this?
Or is Diego Vasquez and Stephan behind everything?