Nic

by J. M. Stewart

  He cocked a playful brow. “Have I told you recently how beautiful you look?”

  The tenderness and slow-burning heat in his gaze had her stomach in a riotous mass of butterflies. The evening air held a chill, but the warmth of his body infused hers, heating her from the point of contact inward. “Have I told you recently how amazing I think you are?”

  Nic bent his head, brushing his mouth across hers, his kiss light and electrifying. “Stay the night, you and Lacey. Ella is dying to have Lacey over, and I miss sleeping wrapped around you.”

  Anna’s face flushed hot. She gave an emphatic shake of her head. “Nic, we can’t with the girls in the house … ”

  “Just sleeping. Funny how much better I sleep with you there.” He tugged her imperceptibly closer, and his voice lowered to a husky murmur between them.

  Anna relaxed, lost so easily in the heat playing between them, and smiled. “Ditto.”

  He kissed her softly again then pulled back. “You hungry?”

  She nodded. “I could eat. I know Lacey ought to be starved by now. She’s been too excited to eat.”

  Ella skidded to a halt beside them. Despite her pirate garb, pink and purple fairy wings covered her left cheek. She tugged on the hem of Nic’s shirt then stuck her hand out, pointing a finger across the way. “Daddy, balloon?”

  Nic turned his head, gazing in the direction she pointed. A clown making balloon animals stood toward the edge of the park. “How about we go see Uncle Luc and Aunt Liz and get some dinner first?”

  Ella’s lower lip popped out. “Balloon.”

  Nic shook his head. “Oh, I’m a sucker for the lip.”

  “And she knows it.” Anna laughed. “How about I take the girls to get balloons and you go get us a table?”

  Lacey shook her head, sliding her hand into Nic’s. “I want to go with Nic.”

  “It’s settled then.” Anna smiled and held out her hand to Ella. “Looks like it’s you and me, sweetheart. Shall we?”

  Ella’s little face lit up. She slipped her hand into Anna’s and skipped across the park. Anna loped into a slow jog to keep up with her. The clown handed a giraffe to a little girl dressed as a vampire and looked up as they approached. His gaze locked with hers, and Anna stopped cold several feet away. Eyes so dark brown they were almost black collided with hers, his gaze piercing and intense. The smile he gave her next made her skin crawl. The familiarity of it sank hard and cold in her stomach.

  It had to be a trick of the light. At a little after six p.m., the sun had already set.

  The man turned to Ella. “How’s about a puppy? I bet you like puppies.”

  Ella grinned and nodded, but the movement around Anna stilled.

  “Stupid little bitch!”

  “I will find you.”

  Tony’s angry voice filled her head until it was all she could hear. Her heart thudded so hard she feared it would burst from her chest as she watched the clown’s hands twist the balloon into a shape. This wasn’t right. Tony couldn’t make balloon animals. Could he?

  Breathe. Just breathe. It’s just a trigger, that’s all. Just panic.

  The clown held out the finished balloon dog to Ella. He lifted his head and stared at Anna. A grin spread slowly across his face, a gesture so oddly dispassionate it made an ice-cold chill travel down her spine. It had to be a trick of her mind, another memory lodged loose. Like the man at the restaurant, whose laugh had sent her running to the office in tears, or the guy in the car she’d passed. Except something familiar about this clown wouldn’t release its grip on her.

  Her gaze locked on his, she reached out to Ella, her hand shaking in the air like a leaf blowing in a strong breeze. “Ella, baby, let’s go. Let’s go find Daddy.”

  Ella frowned, a mixture of fear and confusion popping into her big eyes. When she didn’t answer or move, Anna scooped the girl into her arms, pivoted, and hightailed it in the opposite direction as fast as her wobbly legs would carry her.

  “See you around, kitten.”

  The name stopped her dead in her tracks a couple feet away. Her blood whooshed in her ears, and dizziness washed over her as the world tilted on its axis. Only one person had ever called her kitten.

  Tony had found her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Anna moved on instinct. She needed to get Lacey, pack their belongings, and leave town. Where would she go this time? Was there anywhere safe where he wouldn’t find them?

  In the distance, a man’s laugh echoed through the dense night air and broke the haze in her mind. Nic. Anna came to a dead halt and looked up, following the sound. Ten feet or so beyond her, he sat at a picnic table with Luc, Liz, and the kids. They laughed in a family moment, the kind she’d begun to love.

  To escape Tony, she’d have to leave this happiness behind. The first real family either of them had ever had. All the joy she’d had in her heart these past months withered before her eyes. But if she stayed, Nic would pay the price. Tony would use her love for these people against her as surely as he breathed. He’d take them from her any way he could.

  She turned her head. Ella still clung to her, her face buried in Anna’s shoulder. The clean scent of baby shampoo wafted over her. She stroked a hand over the back of the girl’s hair. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. The clown really scared me. Silly, huh? To be afraid of clowns?”

  Ella leaned back in her arms and held up her balloon animal. “He make me a doggie.”

  Tears pricked Anna’s eyes. She’d miss this sweet little face, Ella’s forever smiles and her incessant chatter, but if Tony ever hurt her ….

  “He did, didn’t he? He made you a nice balloon. I tell you what.” She set Ella on her feet. “Why don’t you go show Daddy?”

  She watched Ella’s trek to the tables with a heavy heart. When Ella reached his side, Nic lifted his head. His gaze collided with Anna’s and concern erupted across his face. “Something’s wrong.”

  Heart hammering in her ears, she ignored Nic for the moment and moved toward the opposite end of the table. First and foremost, she needed to protect Lacey, to have her baby girl in her arms. If Tony came for Lacey, tried to take her … No. She wouldn’t let that happen.

  When she didn’t answer, Nic murmured something to Ella then rose, reaching Anna’s side before she’d even rounded the table. One large, warm hand closed around her arm, stopping her momentum. “Hey. What’s the matter?”

  One peek at those warm amber eyes and the tears she barely held in check washed down her cheeks like an unstoppable river. His face blurred before her and any semblance of a put-together façade crumbled.

  Somewhere close, a balloon popped, and Anna jumped. She glanced around at the faces of strangers, waiting for Tony’s cold eyes to emerge. He could be any one of them. He could be anywhere. Even as she stood right next to Nic, the pain of the bruises Tony had left behind last time seemed to swell beneath her skin. That hospital visit was one she’d never forget.

  She managed to squeak the words past the lump growing in her throat. “He’s here.”

  Nic hooked her around the shoulders and drew her to him. The tenseness in his arms and rigid body stance spoke volumes. He held her tightly against his chest, his voice rumbling beneath her ear. “Where?”

  She drew a deep breath, took a moment to fill her lungs with his scent and let the peace it gave surround her. Took a moment to commit his smell to memory, along with the solid feel of his body against her, his arms around her. She wanted to take these memories with her when she left, to get her through the long, dark, ungodly lonely nights to come.

  Then she lifted her head and met his gaze. “The clown with the balloons. He called me a nickname only Tony ever called me. Kitten.”

  Nic pulled back, his eyes darting over her face. Alarm scattered across his features then disappeared a breath later. He cupped her face in the warmth of his palms and drew his brows together, his gaze piercing and intense. “Uh-uh. You’re not alone, Anna. Do you hear me? Whatever it is you’re thinking
, don’t forget that. You have me now.”

  Her lower lip wobbled, and her heart clenched until she thought it would crack open wide from the pressure. Nobody in her life had ever said those words to her, let alone made her believe them. She had no doubt Nic would give his life for her. Exactly why she couldn’t let him.

  She shook her head, a tear escaping down her cheek. “If I stay … ”

  Panic flashed in his eyes, there and gone like a lightning bolt touching ground. In another flash, Nic bent and covered her mouth with his. He crushed her to him, his kiss hard and encompassing, and she melted into it, into him. For a few brief moments, she became lost in the ferocity of the absolute desperation moving between them. Even Nic, strong and calm as she’d always known him to be, was shaking as hard as she was.

  When he released her, his intense gaze worked her face, but his hands had yet to release her head. “You feel that? It’s you and me. If you give in to him and run, you give him exactly what he wants. To make you afraid. When you came to Angel Bay, what did you hope to find? You told me the first night we met. Do you remember?”

  She wasn’t sure she’d ever forget. “Home. I wanted a home. To find a safe place to raise Lacey. Somewhere she could find friends and be happy, just be a kid.”

  Nic’s voice lowered, but the ferocity of his expression, the absolute panic in his eyes, didn’t abate. He stroked a hand over her hair, soothing, tender and vulnerable. “Did you find it?”

  His face blurred before her. “Yes.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest so tightly she could barely draw a breath. “Then fight for it, baby. I’m right here with you every step of the way. If he comes, he’ll have to go through me. You aren’t alone anymore.”

  After a long moment, he pulled back enough to meet her gaze. His hands stroked her back, light and soothing, but she didn’t miss the way his fingers continued to tremble.

  “We’ll keep the girls within sight at all times, but don’t let him ruin this. We were having a good time. This is the first time I’ve seen Lacey with such a carefree smile since you two ended up my restaurant three months ago. Don’t let him ruin this for her. Don’t let him ruin it for you.”

  She could only nod, and buried her face in the warmth of his chest, let the solid feel of him wrap around her. No other person in her life had ever told her she wasn’t alone. Nic actually made her believe it. He was right. If she ever wanted to be truly free of Tony, she had to fight for what she’d found. Except she couldn’t ignore the thoughts nagging at the back of her mind.

  Several days after Tony’s last beating, she learned the man who’d dared to flirt with her had ended up in the hospital as well. Muggers had jumped him and beaten him nearly to death. Or so the newspapers had said. She knew the truth, because Tony had taunted her with it.

  What would he do to Nic? She wanted to hold on to Nic and never let him go, but if she loved him, shouldn’t she want to protect him, too? To protect Ella?

  • • •

  An hour later, Nic stepped into the space behind the food tables. Luc stood alone behind the counter of the three-sided buffet. Nic folded his arms and waited while his brother handed a plate of spaghetti to a woman and a small girl. When they left, Luc turned and copied his stance.

  “What’s up?”

  Nic blew out a relieved breath, grateful his big brother knew him so well. He and Luc had always watched out for each other. Gia’s illness and death had connected them. Now, he thanked God for it, because he needed his advice.

  “How did you know?” He turned his gaze to where Anna sat with Lacey, Liz, and baby Samuel around the picnic table. He let the night wash over him, hoping somehow it would soothe the awful thoughts running rampant.

  Luc stood silent a moment, and Nic wondered if he’d have to explain, but Luc drew an audible breath and blew it out.

  “I found out Liz was pregnant. Then you called to tell me you’d found Nonna. Her death put things into perspective for me.” Luc shifted beside him, his gaze burning into Nic. “You have to find your reason.”

  Nic turned his head, meeting Luc’s gaze. “My reason for what?”

  “What makes it add up in your head? The certain something that tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt she’s worth the risk.”

  “What was yours?”

  Luc gave a slow shake of his head. “I loved Liz, but we were worlds apart. She lost her husband over in Afghanistan two years before.”

  Nic nodded. “I remember you telling me.”

  “She didn’t know if she wanted to start again. When I told her I loved her, she didn’t know if she could love me back, so she ended things and I let her. Then Sam told me she was pregnant. Suddenly, it wasn’t about me anymore.” Luc shrugged then looked over at him. “What’s got you all tied up?”

  Nic turned back to the street, watching for a moment as a little purple fairy skipped past the tables. “I’ve been here before. I married Jen thinking I’d grow old with her. Then one day she decided she couldn’t take it anymore and walked out.”

  “And you’re waiting for it to happen again.”

  “Some part of me is sure it will. It’s too easy with Anna. She feels …. ” He shook his head, unable to find the right words. He didn’t know how to describe what Anna made him feel, didn’t know if it would make sense to anybody else, and didn’t know if he wanted to admit it to out loud.

  “Like she’s a part of you?” Luc’s voice came low and full of an experience you couldn’t fake.

  Something in Nic relaxed. “Mmm.”

  Luc nudged him with an elbow. “That’s not a bad thing. When the time comes, you’ll know. That’s all I can tell you. One day it’ll just make sense.” Luc drew a deep breath and released it. “It was like it had been there the whole time, and everybody else had seen it but me.”

  “How’d you change her mind?”

  Luc turned sideways to look at him, his gaze solemn. “I refused to give up on her. Why the twenty questions?”

  “Anna’s pretty sure she saw her ex at the festival. She’s scared, and I think she’s planning to run. She was on her way out when she approached the picnic table earlier, and she’s been distant and withdrawn ever since.”

  Luc’s mouth opened, but his words never got a chance to leave his mouth. Liz stepped into the booth beside them. “Then don’t give up on her.”

  Nic faced her.

  She smiled, soft and apologetic. “Forgive me for intruding on a private moment, but if you ask me, the best thing Luc did for me back then was refuse to give up on me. Falling in love with him terrified me. So did being pregnant again. I pushed him out of my life, and he showed up anyway. I needed him, and he knew it. That was my moment, when I knew. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Nicky. Give her time but don’t allow her to push you away. If she’s as scared as I think she is, she needs someone to hold her up.” Liz winked at him. “You tell her I’ll teach her to shoot, to learn to protect herself.”

  • • •

  Nic pulled the car into the last available spot in front Anna and Beth’s apartment building and shoved the gear into park. Despite the girls being asleep in the back seat and Anna’s presence beside him in the passenger seat, tension and too damn much silence filled the car’s interior. Despite his determination not to allow her ex to ruin the evening for the girls, Anna had remained silent and withdrawn all night. So when both girls began to fall asleep sitting at the picnic tables, Luc had loaned Nic his SUV. They’d stopped at Anna’s apartment to gather enough belongings for the night.

  Now, as he came around to her side, unease nagged at his gut. Anna exited the car when he opened the door but wrapped her arms around herself, her expression lifeless and withdrawn.

  He was losing her. He wanted to tell her he’d put himself in harm’s way for her, but it wouldn’t do any good. Whatever went on in her head, he suspected it wasn’t something he could help her with. He’d be there to support her, to let her know she wasn’t
alone, but she had to do the hard work herself.

  He’d never felt more helpless.

  He leaned back against the passenger door and held out a hand to her. “Talk to me, Anna.”

  To his relief, she took his hand. When he pulled her close, she leaned on him and buried her face in his chest. “I’m just scared. I’ve been here before. I’ve been running for more than three years now because when he wants something, Tony’s like a dog with a bone. He’s obsessive, he doesn’t give up, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. The fact that he’s followed me here proves it. Until he ends up dead, I don’t know if I’ll ever truly be free of him. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder.”

  He tightened his hold on her, resting his chin on the top of her head. “You’re not alone any more. Wherever you and Lacey go, me and Ella go.” He kissed the top of her head. “Go pack a bag so you and Lacey have clean clothes. We’ll come back tomorrow after work to get the rest of your stuff. I’ll call Sheriff Decker when we get home.”

  If he remembered correctly, she had a restraining order against her ex. His experience with the women’s shelter told him there wouldn’t be much they could do except wait, but they’d both sleep better tonight if law enforcement was at least on the alert.

  Anna nodded and pushed off his chest, but he stopped her before she pulled away completely, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her softly. He hoped to remind her he wasn’t the enemy.

  She kissed him back, soft, lingering, then crossed to the stairwell and climbed the two flights to her third-floor apartment. He watched until she disappeared inside her door, then turned to peek at the girls in the car behind him. Both were still fast asleep, safe, sound, and content.

  He turned back around and leaned against the car to wait. Trees around the outskirts of the building rustled in a soft gust of wind. A dog barked and a heavy apartment door closed with a thud, but otherwise, the night was silent. Serene.