WindSwept Narrows: #13 Charity, Faith & Hope

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  Nico stepped onto the concrete, swearing softly when she carried a couple cartons to the unopened elevator doors. Setting his jaw, he would have moved to the back of the SUV except for the sudden tug on the belt at the back of his jeans. He turned, backing against the SUV when she moved in front of him. With the boots on, the top of her head came to his chin, her face tipped and eyes watching him closely.

  “Charity…”

  “Hmm…you didn’t shave…” She remarked, noticing for the first time.

  “I usually don’t on weekends.”

  “Can I ask a favor?” She brushed her palm over it, grinning at the single brow he arched. She tipped her head to the side. “Would you…you know…like you did last night…” a sharply drawn breath caught in her chest when he did as she asked, the roughness on his cheeks and the feeling of his teeth along that tendon made her body come to alert. “Oh…wow…no shave weekends are good…” she said, drawing in a breath and straightening up to meet the teasing gleam in his eyes.

  “Glad you approve,” he chuckled, tension easing a little until she spoke.

  “Why didn’t you approach me before I was beaned with a rock, Nico?” She saw the answer flare to life in his eyes immediately, his jaw firmly set in a stubborn line that also had his pulse thumping in his throat. “Don’t want to talk about it…” she guessed softly, her hands on the open edges of the waist length jacket he wore. Winds came off the Sound, lifting and tossing the straight hair around. She reached up and brushed some from the edge of his glasses. She held up the key.

  “You go up….it’s on the left…only two per floor,” frowning at the memory but continuing, one finger on his lips when he opened his mouth. “Open the door and block it for me. I can manage these. And it wouldn’t be smart to argue with me…remember my hobby…I could kick your ass,” she told him with a wink.

  Nico wasn’t sure how she managed to ease the uncertainty inside him but he leaned over, his teeth nipping her ear as he whispered. “I’m not worried…I know your weakness.”

  “Oh, that is so wrong,” she murmured, listening to his laughter as he went to the elevator, kicking a couple of the cartons inside even when she told him to leave them.

  Charity emptied the SUV and waited for the elevator, loading them easily inside. She had packed them light so she had no problem scooting them over the hardwood floor and into the large, open apartment. She looked around at the stack of broken down boxes.

  “I think you’ve been doing this for a few days, Charity,” Nico commented from the kitchen. “You obviously stocked the kitchen, too.”

  “I remember thinking how grand it would be to watch the storms coming off the Sound when Danielle showed it to me,” Charity said softly, crossing the floor and putting her bare palm against the double paned wide glass patio doors.

  Nico had wandered through the large apartment, dropping the foil packets he’d put into his pocket onto the nightstand in the master bedroom. He moved behind her, leaning his cane against the patio door and putting his hands on her waist, his feet spread for balance.

  “You can’t force it, Charity,” he told her firmly, his mouth down on her neck. “I saw you wincing when you touched your head outside. Is it bothering you?” He saw the stubborn frown creasing her full lips. “Hmmm…it’s not infected. It’s just the tenderness from the bruise. Just be easy on it for a week. It’s only been two days.”

  “I know…I suppose we both…” She stopped and leaned back in his arms, careful about keeping most of her weight on her own feet. “You didn’t approach me before because of your leg.” She felt him stiffen, her hands on the strong arms that surrounded her from behind. “Please don’t withdraw from me, Nico.”

  Chapter Nine

  He closed his eyes, his lips resting against the side of her head. “You go through so much…mental mess when you wake up from something like that. I saw so much of it in others…bouncing from anger to hatred to denial…”

  “What happened?” She asked softly.

  He drew in a long breath. “I was out with a patrol because word had come back about a security checkpoint that had some casualties and needed medical help ASAP. It was a mixed group of us, some from England, some Belgium…we got four of the security people who had been brought to the checkpoint for treatment triaged and on their way to the city when the barrage began. We lost one of the medical people almost immediately.”

  Charity turned in his arms, leading him to sit on the sofa, turning his shoulders to lean into her arms this time. She heard the anguish and anger in his voice, the gruff low vibration that made her heart ache.

  “Depending on where you are, the doctors are shielded from a lot of the action side of things. I was one of them. I was due to rotate in four months when the barrage began. I woke up on the medical ship almost a day later,” Nico brought his hands up to cover each of hers where they rested on his shoulders.

  “I can’t imagine the things that go through the heads of all those soldiers when they wake up…or how many of them wish they never opened their eyes again,” she said softly, kissing his brow.

  “Six months of physical therapy…some counseling…lots of anger and even more rationalization that you’re one of the lucky ones,” he said flatly. “But in the back of your mind, no matter how confident you think you are, there’s words of doubt…words of what you can’t be now because of it…”

  “I watched you working those weights. And I’ve felt the rock hard muscles you sport under that lab coat, mister…you’re not fooling me…” Charity said with a chuckle. They sat quietly for a few minutes. “You almost gave up being a doctor, didn’t you? Because of the balance thing…”

  “I’m still working on building up strength and endurance,” he explained. “Like falling asleep on your sofa the other night. I get tired quicker than I used to…”

  “We both seem to have patience issues,” she commented. “I’ll get you some vitamins and herbs to take. I bet you push yourself harder than you used to, Nico.”

  “I started talking to Anya about a position over six months ago,” he said quietly. “She worked very hard to convince me I shouldn’t give up what I love so much…that the clinic needed people who truly cared and wanted to be there. She had the cart waiting for me outside the dorm the first day I started there. I was just going to drive…they made sure there are extra stools around the ER and clinic rooms. It’s been a learning curve on my part more than theirs, I’ll admit that.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t quit,” she told him, kissing his cheek. “Who would have stitched me back together? Kept all those pesky little fireflies locked inside,” she said with a laugh when he pushed himself higher and turned to face her. “I’m really glad, Nico.”

  “I made a stop when we left the gym,” Nico told her, his blood beginning to heat at the fire he saw burst in her eyes. “What are your work hours, Charity?”

  “Seven to four…sometimes I work out at lunch. For the next three weeks, I have the review on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.”

  “Then we could ride in together,” he murmured, trailing his tongue along her throat.

  “Oh…we could…are those your hours at the center?”

  “They are…”

  “I have a mover coming on Thursday,” she straightened up, blinking at her own statement. “Good grief…where did that come from?”

  “I noticed the computer,” he mentioned, turning and standing up with a stretch before reaching for his cane. “Maybe you should turn it on and see what you can learn,” he saw her nod slowly, following her to the desk and computer she had set up on the other side of the room. He perched on the stool she carried from the kitchen, his leg stretched out before him.

  “So you never thought much about being part of a couple,” she said while they waited for the computer to finish loading, glancing over and watching his face.

  “Not for a very long time,” he admitted honestly, meeting her eyes. “I guess I need to adjust my thoughts, huh?” />
  Charity felt the grin growing on her face and just nodded.

  Nico shook his head an hour later when they moved to the kitchen. Her fingers had immediately known the password to the few places she went and she stared for several long minutes at the file she opened with her resume outlined. There were no emails from her family in the program she used, most just girl chatter with her friends at the resort and some that appeared to be from friends in San Francisco.

  What little sun there was had vanished as night set on and they enjoyed the salad and roast chicken before cleaning up and heading to the bedroom, laughing and falling together to the surface of a bed filled with rumpled blankets and pillows.

  Nico wasn’t sure where the first half of the week had gone. Slowly, he had moved some clothing to Charity’s new condo. Gradually his laptop and a box of books had gone with them on another night. He sat on a comfortable stool in the lounge, watching the review and feeling the tension in his lower body. The woman definitely had all the right curves, he thought, tipping up the cold bottle and taking a deep swallow.

  There were more people than the first time again, all the tables and stools taken and silence falling over the lounge when the lights dimmed for her opening song.

  One man in particular caught his attention. Very high dollar suit, he stood off to the side. He never looked anywhere but the stage once the show began. That in itself didn’t bother Nico. Charity and the other girls were very good at their routine and the song was enthralling. But his eyes were only on Charity. Other men in the audience found her appealing, but not like this one, he thought with a little frown.

  Nico’s eyes followed him when the first song was over. He checked his watch and moved to stand at the end of the bar, his cell phone out and voice low. He continued talking until the lights dimmed once more and Charity’s voice filled the lounge without music or even breathing, Nico thought, listening to the lyrics that she sung with chilling clarity. Each one of her second songs had been different. The opening strains had been done in complete darkness, the lights suddenly flaring brightly and the dancers filling the stage with the lively music.

  Once again, the man moved to the side, his cell phone raised and several photos snapped off, his gaze never leaving Charity. She had taken his advice and used wigs, this one short with blond curls that shook around her face.

  Nico sat back and waited. Charity was going to meet him in the lounge, they were going to get a few more things from his apartment and then head home. He thought about the word home, unsure when he began thinking of building a home with Charity in the center.

  He watched her come around the corner, red hair fluffed and back in her jeans and tee shirt. Men followed her with their eyes but she only saw him, her smile bright as she took the palm he held out to her.

  “Thirsty?” Nico asked, carrying her fingers to his lips.

  “I am…a very large water with tons of ice, please, Gail,” Charity fit easily between his knees, her hands on the edges of his jacket.

  “You have some admirers,” Nico nodded to the well dressed man a little older than them both, quietly approaching from the side. Charity followed his gaze, shrugging. “Don’t know him?”

  “No whispers from the fireflies,” she returned with a grin, lifting the glass from the bar top and draining half the cold water.

  “Miss St. James?” His voice was low and level, dark eyes going from Nico to Charity. His palm came up steadily. He’d seen the news reports. He wasn’t sure if she’d recovered anything about his involvement in her life. “Dominic Matthews, I represent your late grand-parents.”

  Charity took his palm. It was warm and firm. Honest, she thought instantly, nodding slowly. “This is Dr. Nico Setopoulis. But my name is Charity Colton.”

  “My apologies,” he said smoothly, his palm up to shake hands with Nico. “Do you think we could go someplace quiet and talk?”

  “We can go to my apartment,” Nico said when Charity nodded slowly, draining the rest of her water and inhaling slowly.

  “You can follow us,” Charity pulled keys from her pocket and walked with Nico to the exit, aware of the tall brooding man striding at their side. “You’re an attorney?”

  “I was. Your grandparents estate is the last one I have to finish,” he said quietly, a set of keys in his palm and aimed at a large dark four door car.

  Charity drove to the dorms, aware of the lights of the expensive vehicle behind her. She parked and waited with Nico at the gate, the wind whipping the long overcoat Dominic Matthews wore around his legs. He went through the gate last, letting it lock and following to the apartment.

  Charity wedged herself into the corner of the sofa, hands beneath her thighs to keep them from shaking. She watched him pace for a minute, one hand up and on his neck.

  “Have you been in touch with your father?” He finally asked, looking from one to the other.

  “Sunday for a very unproductive conversation. He sent a police detective to strongly suggest I return to San Francisco,” Charity answered. “So after the police left…I called…I’m not sure why. I can’t remember him. I’ve only got bits and pieces back since last Friday morning.”

  “I saw the news piece,” he said with a nod. “I’m sorry. I’m strongly suggesting you not go to San Francisco, Miss Colton. You live in one of these units? It’s good. Secure,” he nodded in approval.

  “Why do I need secure? What in the world is going on?” Charity demanded, the barest hint of a tremor in her voice.

  “Your grand-parents left everything to you. Everything. Their hotels, the houses, their complete portfolio of stocks and bonds,” he shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “There was a lot of infighting between your two uncles, your father and your grand-parents. Let’s not mention their children.”

  “There are three hotels,” Charity said without thinking. “One in Seattle, one in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco. They sit on prime property and they wanted to sell them to…oh, god…” Blue eyes swung to the dark eyes pacing above her. “You introduced me to Logan and Cade…”

  “And you did the rest. You relocated and decided on a job in the kitchens because you said you like people,” Dominic moved to one of the stools and leaned back, one foot hitched on a lower rung, the other on the floor. “Then you filled in for one of the dancers in the review.”

  Charity frowned at him. “I was beaned before the first show with me in it. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to live my life in hiding because of some…” her hand was up and on her mouth.

  “Now that speech sounds familiar,” Dominic said dryly. “For what it’s worth, you’re right. They found you before the review. Your uncle’s and father thought there would be a fair division of the wealth when your grand-parents died. But there was a severe break between them as far as…ethics and morals were concerned.”

  “They wanted to set up a sale of those properties to some group out of Las Vegas,” Charity stared at him but saw something else in her mind. “They’re gangsters…”

  Dominic winced slightly and sighed. “You know, I’ve tried breaking you of using that word…but, yeah, they are…and they aren’t happy that your relatives can’t produce what they agreed to, even if it wasn’t theirs to sell.”

  “So I don’t only have money grubbing relatives intent on my demise, now I have gangsters after me…this just keeps getting better and better,” Charity threw herself to her feet, moving to stand at the patio doors, her hands flat on the cold glass.

  “Okay…they don’t want you dead,” Dominic told her firmly. “You’re no good to them unless you’re alive. If anything happens to you within the first year after your grand-parents death, everything is liquidated and divided among a large collection of charities, a list you helped them create. Your grand-parents had established an allowance for each of them that you’re responsible for distributing, that’s part of my business.”

  “The easy thing would be to just give them the damn hotels,” Nico said angril
y. Somehow he knew his girl never did things the easy way.

  “It’s always the easy thing to give in,” Charity said as if talking to herself. “And I considered that. There’s a lot of information not on my resume,” she said quietly.

  “A lot of things,” Dominic agreed quietly.

  “You suggested I simply sign the property over to them,” she said, turning and sliding over the sofa next to Nico, her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I was such a pain.”

  “I’ve never thought of you as a pain, Charity,” Dominic said, his granite features pulled into a crooked grin. “Okay, maybe a little…like a little sister you wish you could turn over your knee. Instead, you found buyers on your own and it’ll be a couple weeks for everything to be final.”

  “So there’s some pissed off people out there…why insist that I return to San Francisco though? What’s the point if there are pending sales of the properties? Is it about their allowances?”

  “There’s nothing you can do about their allowances. It’s an annual dispersal and there is nothing they can do about that, unless they convince you to raise it for them. You also strongly suggested they find smaller, more budget smart places to live,” Dominic chose his words carefully.

  “They aren’t family, generational homes,” she said thoughtfully, her palm on her lips, eyes wide. “I sold them. All of them.”

  “Unlike your relatives, you realize their allowances can not be maintained if they aren’t reined in on the spending,” he told her, nodding slowly. “I was at several meetings where you tried explaining that the money was not self replicating. They don’t believe you and think you’ve become unstable because of the loss of your grand-parents,” he said the last words slowly, watching the dawn of his meaning in Nico’s eyes.

  “Unstable?”

  “They’d get control if she was committed?” Nico asked, his jaw tense and teeth clenched. “That isn’t easy to push through these days.”

  “With enough money you can buy the right judge and physicians to back you up,” Dominic told him tonelessly. “Having themselves appointed her guardian would put them in control of what they believe she’s holding back from them.”