“Now here’s where you’ve got to trust me to be your warrior. I’m going to calm you down, okay?” he reached toward her flaming hand.
Nicole jerked her hand out of his reach. “Wait, you’re going to get burnt if you touch me.”
“Not unless you want to hurt me. You control this Nicole, and in time you will learn to tame it, but until then you’re going to have to trust me. I promised I would never use my power to hurt you. You can take my word.” He reached again for her hand.
Nicole closed her eyes and tried to focus on calming down. The power was so strong inside of her. It was itching to get out and she wanted to give it its chance but she knew now was not the time. She felt Luke’s hand settle on hers as he slowly laced his fingers with her own. A cooling sensation started to flow into her palm. Slowly it worked its way up her arm then spread across her body like a soft blanket. The tranquility she remembered from the last time Luke touched her settled in. She grasped his hand tightly as he began rubbing small circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. Nicole could feel the start of a new fire kindling deep within her. Not again, she gave herself a mental slap and opened her eyes. She flashed Luke an appreciative smile then let his hand go.
“You good?” he asked.
“Yes, let’s do this….and thanks again.” They were coming to a stop in front of the airport. Luke had not slowed the car during her melt-down and she was grateful.
They both bounded out of the car and into the airport. Luke flashed his badge to the airport employee who was yelling, “Hey, you can’t leave your car there!” They pushed their way inside past the swarm of travelers. Nicole began scanning the area for gate numbers.
“This way,” Luke said as he started running.
Nicole followed, shoving aside anyone who stepped in her way. It was a sea of people and she was determined to part them. Every gray-haired man stood out like a beacon to her eyes. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest. She knew the flight would be starting to board any second and they were just passing Gate Three. “Thirteen more gates to go.”
She stopped in her tracks and doubled over. A deep pain was pulsating from her spleen. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think, time just stood still. Then she heard a scream ahead of her and people started to run. An image of her dad lying on the airport floor overtook her for a second. Nicole forced herself to move forward, knowing that James needed her. Each step brought tears to her eyes as hot pain shot through her body. She watched as Luke veered off to the right. He was running at inhuman speeds. Shit, the pain is making me hallucinate.
Nicole continued forward following the sounds of murmuring people. The pain was still sharp in her side but she kept moving. She spotted a group of people huddled around something. A shift of bodies allowed her a glimpse inside the circle “Damn it, that’s my dad!” she shouted pressing through the onlookers. She fell to her knees beside him. James had a bloody hand pressed against his stomach. Nicole could see the handle of a knife between his fingers. “Oh God, Dad hang on! I’m here. Someone call an ambulance!” she glanced around trying to spot Luke but he was nowhere to be seen. “Where did you go?”
“Nicole you’ve got… to get out of here.” James said between pained breaths. “He knows about you, baby. They are going to kill you.”
Suddenly, medical and security people hustled into the center of the group. Nicole backed up a little to let them work on James. He was so pale and the hand she held was cold. Blood was starting to pool on the floor around him. Panic and desperation filled her as her mind raced in every direction. She didn’t know what to do or say. The tall, thin paramedic next to her was asking her questions but she could not open her mouth to answer. Numbness had set in, causing her mind to lock down. “Don’t let him die,” was all she could get out. God, please don’t let him die.
*****
The beeps of the heart monitor were soothing music to Nicole’s ears. The steady rhythm put her worried mind at ease…temporarily. She watched with mesmerized eyes at the rise and fall of her dad’s chest while he slept.
The past six hours had been utter hell for her. The paramedics had stabilized James as best as they could at the airport. Then they transported him to the nearest hospital where he underwent emergency surgery that lasted four hours. The doctor came out of the operating room soon after finishing the procedure and told Nicole her dad was a lucky man. He said if it had taken ten minutes longer for them to stop the bleeding, James would have been dead.
The door to the hospital room opened and a short, round nurse eased into the room. She gave Nicole a kind smile as she made her way over to James and began checking the bandages that covered most of his stomach.
“Has he woken up for you yet, dear?” she asked in a whisper.
“No, he hasn’t even moved.”
“Well, it’s best that he sleeps right now. Plus he’s on some strong pain medication that will keep him out of it for quite a while.” The nurse looked over at Nicole with a concerned look on her face. “Honey, did they catch whoever did this to him?”
“Not yet,” she sighed. Luke had tried. That was what he was doing when he left her. Luke had seen Ronald running out of the airport at the same time the pain hit Nicole. Turns out, Ronald wasn’t just some hired hit man or street thug. He had speed and strength that matched Luke’s. His head-start had given him the advantage he needed to escape.
“Well, I hope they do. We don’t need bad folk like that running around.” She laid a comforting hand on Nicole’s shoulder then left the room.
“If you only knew, lady.” Nicole shot a weary look at the closing door then leaned back into her chair. “How did things go so wrong? Just a few weeks ago all I had to worry about was getting to work on time and how to avoid going clubbing with Kat.” She blew out a long breath as she ran her fingers down the length of her hair, pulling tangles loose as she went. A soft knock at the door drew her attention away from the mass of knotted curls.
“Any change yet?” asked Luke as he closed the door behind him. He was carrying a McDonald’s bag and two drinks.
“No, nothing yet. The nurse just left. She said he’d be out of it most of the time because of his pain meds. Probably for the best. I’m sure he would be hurting if he were awake.”
“Here, you need to eat.” He handed her a burger and fries, then sat a drink at her feet. “It has been a long day for you and I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? You didn’t make this happen. Some maniac tried to kill my dad, not you.” A touch of that fire started to burn inside of her again at the thought of Ronald driving that knife into her dad.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t catch him. I saw him running out an employee’s access door but I knew it would be hard to catch him once I realized that he was a warrior too.” Luke ran a hand through his dark blond hair as he paced the small area. “I don’t understand what’s going on. There shouldn’t be any warriors left that had a vendetta against your family. We wiped them all out!”
“It’s okay Luke. We will get him if he dares to show his face again, even if I have to burn him to a crisp myself.”
“I’m sure you will get your chance. I don’t think he’s going to give up this easy.” he stopped pacing and looked into Nicole’s eyes. His face became hard and tight. “You need to be trained Nicole. It’s time you stopped letting the power own you. You have to learn to use it when you need it.” He paused then squatted down in front of her. “Trust is the only way this will work.” He placed a warm hand over hers then slowly laced his fingers into hers. “I am your warrior Nicole. You can trust me with all of this, everything you need, if you will just let me in.”
His gaze ran deep into her soul. Nicole felt a longing for Luke to hold her, to wrap her in his arms and never let go. She wanted so badly to give in and just let him be her everything. For so long, she had denied herself any chance at this life. A life she had told herself over and over again that she could never enjoy. All I have to do is trust him. Trust tha
t he’s true to his word. Trust that he isn’t using his powers on me and what I feel for him is real. That thought had her looking down at their intertwined hands with suspicion.
“I can’t tell you I trust you completely...yet…that will have to be earned.” She pulled her hand out of his. “If this is going to work, I mean if you’re going to train me and I’ve got to trust you, then you have to keep your hands to yourself. I need to know what I’m feeling and thinking comes from my own mind,” she whispered.
Luke let his eyes drop down to his hands, staring at them as if they were something new to him. After a few seconds, he returned his hazel eyes back to Nicole’s, then nodded. “I understand. I am your warrior and I will do this however you want. I swear I will not touch you again unless you’re in danger.” He stood and walked to the chair against the far wall. He sat and began to eat his burger.
A feeling of emptiness crept into Nicole’s heart. Why do I have to be such a bitch? She questioned herself as she started opening her own burger. She could not remember the last time she had eaten, but she was not hungry. Stress tends to kill any appetite. A soft moan from James drew her attention away from the tasteless food.
“Dad, I’m here.” she whispered near his ear as she patted his arm.
“Nicole” he said in a hoarse gasp. The pain was obvious in his drawn up face and white knuckled fist. He was blinking his eyes in an effort to open them.
“Are you hurting, Dad? Let me get the nurse for you.” His hand grasped Nicole’s arm when she turned to leave.
“No,” he moaned “Stay.” The heart monitor sounded in rapid beeps reiterating his request.
Nicole could tell he was having a hard time staying awake. His eyes kept closing as he tried to focus on her face. His hand started to lose its hold on her arm as sleep began to overtake him. “Don’t worry Dad. I’m not leaving you alone.” She held his hand between both of hers as she talked and kissed it gently. “Luke is here too.”
“Luke” he said groggily.
“Yeah James, I’m here. Don’t worry, nobody’s getting in here without going through me first.”
James rolled his head to the side to make eye contact with Luke. He opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to form words that never were uttered. He took a deep breath then he mumbled, “Don’t leave Nicole alone.”
Luke’s eyes met Nicole’s for a few moments then went back to James’, “You have my word.”
Nicole did not doubt for one second he meant what he had said. He was bound to her by his word. She watched James’ face relax as he surrendered to sleep again. His heart monitor settled back into the soothing rhythm of slow beeps. She leaned back into the uncomfortable chair, her mind a jumble of thoughts. Dad has no trouble trusting Luke. He has always been a good judge of character. Maybe with time…
*****
“Dad, it’s okay. You’re dreaming again.” Nicole shook him gently. She had woken to James screaming and thrashing about in his hospital bed, a common occurrence for the past three days. His doctor called it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but she didn’t need a label to know he had been through hell. It was written on his face every time his eyes opened.
“Nicole, you have to be careful. They are coming for you.” James held her hand tightly with tears shining in his eyes.
“Who is coming for me?”
“They want to use your power and if you won’t help them they will kill you. That is why I was taken. They knew you would come for me.” Tears rolled down his cheek dripping onto his blue hospital gown.
“How did Ronald know Luke and I were there?”
“His cell phone rang minutes before you got there. He didn’t say a word to the caller. He just listened, then hung up. He stood frozen like a statue staring across the airport for a long time. Next thing I knew, I was on the floor with a knife in my gut and Ronald was gone.” He shifted so he was sitting higher in the bed wiping away the tears with a shaky hand.
Luke sat up on his cot, hair disheveled from his feeble attempts at sleep. He rubbed his face then stretched, yawning. “That means Ronald had help. Someone warned him we were coming. He must’ve waited to see if he could get to Nicole but when he sensed another warrior he made his escape.”
“He could feel you were with me?”
“Yes, we can do that. It gives us an advantage in battles, making it easier to coordinate attacks but it’s no good if your enemy is a warrior too.”
“Okay, then who warned Ronald?” asked Nicole.
“Someone who knew where you and Luke were headed,” chimed in James as he pushed the button to lower his bed back down.
Nicole stared at Luke as she processed James’ words. The list of people who knew they were heading to Birmingham was small. Everything happened too fast for word to get far.
A soft knock at the door caused Nicole to jump. Her nerves of steel had faltered the past few days. Luke walked over to the door, opening it a small bit before letting the guest inside.
“Hey, I thought y’all would be hungry so I picked up breakfast.” Kat stood in the doorway holding two bags from some restaurant Nicole had never heard of.
Nicole’s heart sunk as she thought about her best friend being among the people who knew her whereabouts the day James was stabbed. She didn’t want to think it was possible for her best friend to betray her, but her police instincts told her she wasn’t above suspicion. Unable to approach the subject, she just smiled at her friend as Luke took the bags from her.
“Thanks Kat. You’re up early today.” Luke talked as he pulled foam containers out of bags and placed them on a small table in the corner.
“I’ve not been sleeping well.” she shrugged her shoulders dismissively. “I thought y’all would need fresh clothes and bathroom supplies so I packed a few things for you.” she walked over to James and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind but I used the spare key to get in and I also watered your plants while I was there.”
“Thank you Kat, you’re very thoughtful. Laura would roll over in her grave if I let her plants die. She loved those things.” James chuckled, then grimaced in pain from the movement.
“It was no trouble.” She pulled the blanket up over him as he settled into his pillow.
Nicole didn’t know what to say to Kat or how to approach the subject with her best friend. She knew it was going to hurt Kat if she asked questions about what she did after Luke and she left to rescue James. A large lump formed in her throat causing her to swallow hard. Surely her gift would have clued her in if Kat wasn’t what she seemed.
“Kat do you have your cell phone with you?” Luke asked. When Kat started digging around in her oversized purse, Luke gave Nicole a quick wink.
“Yep, here.” she placed a small pink phone in Luke’s hand.
“Thanks, I need to check in at the police department but my phone is dead.” He placed his hand on the door handle then turned back to Nicole. “Don’t leave this room while I’m gone, okay?”
“Sure, no problem.” Nicole wanted to follow him outside so she could ask what he was up to, knowing Luke had charged his phone yesterday, but she forced herself to stay. She did not like leaving the fate of her friendship in his hands, but she didn’t have a choice.
Kat placed a plate of food in Nicole’s hands then she sat down with one of her own. James had fallen back into a comfortable sleep. The medication made it hard for him to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time. They sat eating in silence as the heart monitor drummed out a slow steady beat.
“So what’s bothering you? And don’t try to tell me nothing because we have been side by side for far too long for you to lie to me. I know you too well.” Kat gave her a soft smile then took a bite of her scrambled eggs.
“I’m just stressed out. It’s hard when you know someone is lurking around waiting to clip you.”
“Did y’all figure out what Ronald wanted with your dad?”
“Seems it was a plan to lure me to Ireland but
we don’t know why.” Nicole was hesitant to divulge any more information. She needed to be sure Kat was still the friend she knew and loved. She concentrated on listening for any signal from Kat’s mind that would tell her to beware.
“Ireland, what the hell is there? You’ve barely been out of Alabama. How could someone know you in Ireland?”
Nicole shrugged her shoulders. The sound of Luke opening the door stopped her words in her mouth. He laid Kat’s phone on the table in front of her, and then uncovered a plate of food.
“Well?” Nicole eyed Luke trying to coach cryptic information out of him as he dug into his breakfast.
“Not anything to tell you. There hasn’t been any information on Ronald yet. They are still trying to find out who tipped him off. They called the car rental place and got his cell phone number so they can trace all the calls. Now all we can do is wait.” he sighed, then went back to eating.
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