by Rose Nickol
“It’s Nicole, please Mr. Forrest. Would you like something to drink?” Nicole stood awkwardly in front of the couch, not sure what to do.
“No thanks, Nicole. You can call me Darrall or Big Dog. Please, have a seat. We need to discuss a new development and decide what would be the best plan going forward.”
Nicole nodded and sat on the farthest corner of her couch, leaving room for others to sit if they desired.
Darrall grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and set it in the middle of the room facing the window, which Nicole didn’t understand until he straddled it and leaned his arms against the back. The other men stood behind him.
“As I’m sure you’re aware by now, there’s been a new development in the case,” Darrall said as he nodded to the others.
Paul sat perched on the end of the couch opposite her, leaning on the arm, more than sitting, while Monty took the only other chair, her recliner. One of the other men got a chair from her dining table, while the other one leaned against the door jamb.
“Brain, if you could explain.” Darrall continued.
“While I was out, this was placed on my window.” He held out a plastic bag with a note in it.
“After we make a copy of it, we’ll check for fingerprints and send the results to Tampa’s crime lab. They’ve agreed to run any results through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System. I’m not sure what, if any, results we will get. It’s a place to start. Neptune and I have already checked my truck, and everything came back clean.”
Nicole sat holding the note still encased in the plastic bag. “This was Huang. I’m sure of it. He’s trying to scare me off, so I’ll go away.” It was all she could do to keep from wadding the paper up and throwing it across the room.
“I’d normally agree, but it’s almost too soon for a follow-up. He just delivered his first message yesterday. I doubt that he would strike again this soon. He’s gonna want to give you time to react,” Paul said as he stood and took the note from her, laying it on the bar that separated the kitchen and living room before returning to sit beside her.
He sat close, but not too close. He took one of her hands in his and laid the two hands bound together on his thigh.
“My instincts tell me this is something different,” Darrall’s eyes narrowed and focused on their bound hands, but he didn’t say anything.
“Do you know of anyone else that might do something like this?” Monty asked, typing something on the tablet he had pulled out of his pocket.
“It’s got to be Huang. Who else could it be and why would anyone else be warning you to leave me alone?” Nicole wished Paul wouldn’t have taken the note. Maybe if she stared at it long enough, she would see the answers.
“That’s what we are trying to figure out. I want you to think of anyone that might do something like this. Maybe someone who’s paid you too much attention, stared at you too long, or seemed too friendly for the circumstances. It could be someone you know very well, or someone you’ve only met briefly. For some reason, someone is focused on you.”
Nicole shook her head. Between her job and everyday life, she had to know and meet thousands of people. No one immediately came to mind.
“I don’t have a clue. It could be anyone.” She shook her head again.
“Keep trying to think. The next thing we need to talk about is your safety.” Darrall changed the subject.
“Once we get the security system installed here, I should be safe enough at home, right?” Nicole said, gazing at each man.
“I’m not so sure about that.” Paul squeezed her hand. “I don’t like the idea of you being here alone. The Tampa police have a couple of safe houses we can use, or Trident has offered to let us use one of the bunk rooms in their complex on a limited basis. They weren’t set up to be used as accommodations for long term, but if we need something for a night or two, they will work.”
“I’d rather stay in my home if possible. I don’t think Huang will try anything more.” Nicole protested.
“And if it’s not Huang? What if it’s some unknown? We have no idea what they or Huang are capable of. I don’t think it’s safe for you to be here alone.” Paul had moved so that he was facing her.
“I’ll get a gun. I know self-defense. With that and the alarm, I should be safe.”
“Even with the alarm sending a signal to the emergency response unit for the police it could still take up to twenty minutes for someone to get here. How long could you hold off one or more men by yourself, and a gun is only as good as the person behind it. Have you ever owned a gun?” The intense look on Paul’s face almost made her forget the other men in the room.
“I can take lessons and learn gun safety and how to shoot,” Nicole answered defensively.
“All that takes time Nicole.” It was Darrall who spoke this time.
“I’m not sure how much time we have. So far, it’s just one note, but the fact that it was left on Brain’s truck while he was away, tells us that he and you are being watched. We don’t know when or where this person will strike next. Give us a week in a safe house, and if nothing more happens you can return home. While you are gone, we can install the security system and make sure it is running properly.” Darrall stood and took his chair back to the kitchen as if the matter was settled.
Nicole felt the tears of frustration start to burn the backs of her eyes. She refused to cry. “For one week. If nothing more happens, I can go home? No arguments?”
“Yes. One week. Then we’ll re-evaluate. If everything stays quiet, then we’ll discuss the next step.” Darrall moved over and stood in front of her.
“I know all this is hard. Give us time to do our job. That’s why you hired us. Let us protect you and get your son home.”
All Nicole could do was nod. She knew if she spoke her voice would break and she’d be done.
“Why don’t you gather the things you’ll want to take with you while we make arrangements to get you moved. It will take a while to get everything taken care of. Monty will stay here with you while Paul and I are getting everything put in place.” He turned to the other two men. “Phantom, Knight, take off. Trace and Deverne will take over for now.” The two men nodded, and with a smile at Nicole, they left, closing the door softly behind them.
Nicole turned to Paul who had a furious expression on his face. Oh no! Had she done something? Was he unhappy with her? Before she could ask, he and Darrall were leaving.
“Don’t worry,” Monty said. He could obviously read the expression of concern on her face. “Big Dog won’t rip him too big of a new one. No one’s mad at you.”
Nicole bit her bottom lip and nodded, then went off to start packing.
7
Paul knew he was about to get his ass handed to him. Darrall very seldom interfered in others’ lives, but he had a feeling this time was going to be different.
They had no more than set foot in the parking lot when Darrall stopped. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Paul didn’t even bother to act like the didn’t know what Darrall was talking about. “I don’t have a fucking clue.”
“Well, you’d better figure it out and soon. If this is just a fling, you’d better have a rethink. I will not have my men loving and leaving women all over the country. If you are serious about this woman that’s one thing, but if this is just a piece of ass, you need to hit it and move on.”
“Now look! I’ll manage my life any way I feel necessary. I don’t need you to tell me how to handle myself. Nothing will happen without her express consent. I’m not going to go to jail for rape or anything else.” Paul took a few steps towards his truck.
Darrall let out a long breath and followed Paul to his truck. “Okay. I get it. I’m not your dad, and I’m not hers either. I’ve seen things turn bad fast and I don’t want you or her hurt.”
Paul put a hand on Darrall’s shoulder. “I appreciate you looking out for both of us, but she’s not Janice. I’m not going to hurt her or l
et her hurt me. I got this.”
Darrall nodded and headed over to the vehicle he was driving. “I’ll arrange to get you a new rental and we’ll get all the logistics worked out to get her moved to the safe house. Stay here with her until you hear from me or Neptune.”
Janice had been Darrall’s ex-wife. Paul didn’t know all of the story, but he did know that she had hurt the big guy. Darrall had sworn off relationships for the rest of his life. He’d play with a sub at a club and relieve his needs there, but in the years, Paul had known him, he’d never been with a woman more than a night or two.
Paul nodded and went to the truck he had been renting to remove his personal items. He knew Darrall would arrange to have the truck moved and checked for tracking devices before replacing it with something different.
He took a minute to get his head on straight before going back into the apartment. He would take over the protection detail while Neptune did what he did best, cyber tracking to find out who was behind all this.
Nicole looked at the clothes she had put in her suitcase. What did one pack to hide from a stalker or whatever this was? Paul and Darrall still hadn’t convinced her it wasn’t Huang or even Jin trying to get to her.
The talk she’d had with Monty before she started packing had their reasoning making a little more sense, though she had no idea who it could be if it wasn’t Jin or Huang.
She’d met her share of people over the years, but no one stood out in her mind. She didn’t have any ‘jilted ex-lovers’ as Monty suggested. The few relationships she’d had before Jin had all ended amicably, and she was still in contact with one or two of her boyfriends from her college years, not that she’d had much time to date.
The only person she’d hung out with in high school on a regular basis was Nick Sawyer and there was no way he’d do anything like that. She hadn’t even seen the man in years.
Monty suggested she make a list of everyone she could remember having a relationship with, whether it be long term or short. “Even someone you just met for coffee or dinner and things never went any further. You never know what might trigger someone.”
So now while she decided what clothes to pack, she was trying to remember everyone she’d ever dated or hung out with. The list was short. Very short.
She was just putting the last pair of leggings in her suitcase when Paul came into the room.
“How are you doing?” he asked, moving a discarded pile of clothes she’d decided not to take and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Truthfully? I don’t have a clue. My head is a mess. Why is all this happening to me? I’m not a bad person. I try to help everyone I can. I’ve spent most of my life helping others. I left my family to be there for others. What did I do to deserve any of this?” Nicole let it all out. She was tired and scared. She wanted her life to go back to normal. She wanted to go home and mostly she just wanted to see her son.
“I wish I had answers for you. The sad thing is sometimes bad things happen to good people.” He looked at the duffle she’d been packing. “Do you have everything?”
“I don’t know. I guess maybe.” Nicole picked up the pile of clothes sitting on the bed.
“Don’t worry about it. It should only be for a few days. If we have to, someone can come back and get you a few things.” Paul hoped he wasn’t lying to her and this thing was over quickly.
“I guess that’s everything then.” Nicole reached to close the zipper at the same time he did, and their hands met.
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time.
“No problem,” again, they both said at the same time.
“We have to stop doing this,” they said in unison.
Nicole burst out laughing. “Seems like great minds think alike.”
“You got it. And you’ve got this. I know it’s hard, but we’ll figure it all out. I’m just glad we can be here for you. I heard back from some of my contacts at the consulate. When we get to the safe house, I’ll fill you and the others in.” Paul grabbed her bag in one hand and followed her into the living room where Monty was waiting.
8
The trip to the safe house took about two hours, even though Paul had told her it was only a few minutes away from her apartment. They changed cars three different times and took so many twists that Nicole had no idea where they were.
“We had to make sure we weren’t followed,” he had explained as he helped her into the house.
“I doubt anyone would have been able to keep up with all that. I’m not even sure where we are.” Nicole glanced around the small house he had brought her to. It was just a house in a normal neighborhood. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but this wasn’t it.
When they’d told her, they would take her to a safe house, she’d had a vague idea of a super-techy spy house out in the middle of nowhere. This was nothing close to that.
Paul saw the expression on her face. “Not what you expected?” he asked as he carried her duffle towards the back of the house where she assumed the bedrooms would be.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect. This is nice though.” It was. She glanced around. The furniture was plain, but good quality. There was a huge television and what appeared to be a game console against one wall, with a large selection of movies and games.
On the wall opposite the television was a large fireplace. Where the third wall should have been was a large opening leading into the eat-in kitchen. The appliances were fairly new, and the kitchen was more up to date than the living room.
Paul moved from the back of the house and led her through the kitchen onto the enclosed lanai. There were lots of plants, but not much else. When Nicole questioned him about the furniture, he replied. “This area is a little too visible to be used often.”
The back yard was enclosed with a privacy fence that was tall enough to prevent Nicole from seeing any of the houses around them. “I guess privacy would be the top priority.”
“Yeah. It’s kind of important. Come in. I want to show you some special features.”
Nicole followed Paul as he went towards the back of the house again. “These are the bedrooms.” There were several doors along the hallway. He opened the first one on the left. “This will be your room.”
She followed him into the room. There was a queen-sized bed, a chest of drawers along one wall. Opposite the bed was a dresser. Sitting on top of it was a television and control box.
“The house is hooked up to satellite signal and there are a variety of channels for your entertainment.” Then he led her to a door she assumed was the closet.
He entered and motioned for her to follow him. He flipped a switch on the wall and the room lit. “When this door is closed and locked this becomes a safe room. Once you are locked in here, the only people that can open this door are myself and the members of my team. There’s a handprint scanner on the outside to activate and deactivate the lock. No one else will be able to get in.”
“This is one of two entrances to the room. Follow me and I’ll show you the other one.” He headed out of the closet.
She followed him into the hall and back to the living room. He walked over to the fireplace. “Pay attention. You’ll want to remember this.” He placed his hand on one of the bricks and it moved outward.
Nicole moved closer to see as he reached his hand in the space where the brick had been, and she heard a click.
Paul moved back and the fireplace slid to the right. Nicole stepped into the open space and she was back in the closet in the bedroom.
Paul followed her in and showed her how to pull the door shut and lock herself in. “Once you’re in here no one will be able to get in.” He moved over to a box on the wall.
“Emergency lighting is activated whenever the fireplace is opened, in addition to the switch I showed you before. Over here we have an emergency phone that will dial straight to our emergency response unit and notify the local police. Once this is locked, it can’t be opened by anyone who doesn’t have acce
ss.” He reminded her.
Then he showed her how to lift a panel in the floor. There were stairs that led down to a small room. Inside was a set of bunk beds, a small refrigerator and some shelves with a few canned goods and some prepackaged meals.
“This also serves as a storm shelter. It’s not the most luxurious, but will suffice in an emergency situation. It’s a certified hurricane shelter, and there’s a generator in the garage that automatically takes over when the power goes out.
The room was small with no windows, and Nicole could see how it would be useful in an emergency.
Paul led her back up the stairs to the closet. “If you get scared or feel unsafe for any reason, I want you to head in here.” He led her out of the room and took her back to the living room.
9
Nicole had been staying at the safe house for several days and was starting to go crazy with boredom. They guys were great, and she had been having a fun time getting to know each of them.
There was always one man in the house with her and at least one man on the outside. Paul was with her most often, with the other men rotating in and out.
Paul had been with her more than the others and she was learning a lot about him—things she would have never guessed. They had things in common she would have never realized had they not had time to talk.
“It’s the red thread that joins us all,” he told her as they discovered their joint interests.
He had been taking a couple of hours each day to teach her some of his martial-arts techniques. “This will help you strengthen your core, and these moves focus on deflecting the attacker. They are a little more intense than what is taught in most normal self-defense classes. Variations of moves you probably already know.”
They had just finished their session for the day, and Nicole was lying on the floor—where she’d landed again—trying to catch her breath, when Paul’s cell phone rang.
