Page 70 of Resilient Rhythms
I lift my eyebrows, waiting.
“Bran was arrested last night,” Dad says.
“They never should have released him in the first place,” Mav mutters.
I gasp, surprised. Then, I shake my head, confused. I thought his father wasn’t posting his bail. At my bewildered expression, Dad continues.
“His cousin Eric posted his bail,” Dad explains, flicking a wrist. “He’s running for office and, from what I gathered, thought it would be best to deal with this situation quietly. He wants to keep it out of the media.”
“Stand-up and honorable, my ass,” Mav scoffs.
“The Burtons will be changing their strategy after Branson’s most recent arrest,” Dad says dryly.
“What happened?” I ask, giving Mav a grateful smile when he places the hot mug down in front of me. His hand rests on my back and I like the weight of it; I like knowing he’s anchoring me to this moment and more. He’s my steady in the storm we’re both wading through.
“Well,” Dad says, looking at me. “Remember when I told you about Isabel?”
“Yes,” Mav says. “Kenny explained your history with Bran’s mother.”
Dad sighs. “When Isabel moved to Massachusetts, she was pregnant with Bran. She was a housekeeper for a family friend of the Burtons here in Boston. Last night, not even twenty-four hours after Eric posted Bran’s bail, Bran was arrested for stalking. And the woman who reported him is the granddaughter of the man whose home Isabel kept when she moved to Massachusetts all those years ago.”
“You’re kidding,” I hiss.
“I’m not,” Dad states. “Bran is on some sort of vendetta. Once I figured out the link to Isabel, I knew his attack on you was personal. But I can’t figure out what the hell his motive is. Is he lashing out for attention? Is he doing this to ruin his father or for his mother’s memory? What the hell is his reasoning? But for him to attack and hurt you, again, and now to be caught stalking Kaitlyn, it’s personal. There are too many connections for it not to be.”
“And that helps your case,” Mav says quietly.
“Jesus,” I breathe out, shocked to my core. I didn’t see any of this coming. I couldn’t have predicted this outcome if I had a magic eight ball at my disposal. Too many twists and turns and connections. “This is insane.”
Dad snorts. “Yeah, it’s something all right.”
“So, Bran is currently in jail?” I ask, taking a sip of tea to ease the dryness in my throat. It feels a little better each morning. “Really in jail?”
“Yes,” Dad replies. “They’re holding him, most likely without bail since your attack and Kaitlyn being stalked happened so close together. I doubt anyone from Bran’s family will try to pull strings or bail him out now either. His father is good family friends with Kaitlyn’s parents so that’s another complication.”
“We need to talk to Laura,” I whisper. “We need to know what our next move is.”
Mav nods. “I agree.”
“I’ll call her now,” Dad says, pulling his phone from his pocket. While he dials the law office, I cradle Mav’s hand in mine and swivel on my barstool, thinking.
I glance down at my abdomen, envisioning my little baby growing there.
Everything is different now.
Mav pulls me into his side and kisses my cheek. “I love you, beauty.” His words cause tears to spring to my eyes.
“I love you, too,” I murmur, hoping he truly knows how much his support means to me. And I hope he still feels that way when he learns about our baby.
NINETEEN
MAV
Helpless isa feeling I’ve experienced a lot over the past year. When I couldn’t save Mckenna from her demons and ended up smothering her. When I lamented my existence during my early days in rehab. When I learned that Bran put his hands on my beauty, again.
But there is a particular type of helplessness that washes over a man when he watches the woman he loves vomit. Repeatedly.
She’s stressed. That has to be it. She’s a nervous wreck, wondering how this thing with Bran is going to play out. I thought his being behind bars would put her mind at ease, but instead, Mckenna’s been restless, distracted, and…sick.
