by A. L Long
“I told them that I didn’t know and that you left no forwarding address. I figured it was none of their business.”
Opening the door, I looked down the steps and as far as I could down the alley. The only thing I could think about was, “What if someone followed her here from New York?” I had a pretty good idea who was asking about me. It had to be some of my uncle’s men. Seeing that there was no one around, I closed the door and walked over to where Nikki was sitting. Even though she was my best friend, this was something that I couldn’t share with her. The last thing I wanted was for her to be involved in my problems, and also what would happen if they ever found out that she knew where I was.
Sitting beside her, I pulled her in for another hug. “I’m so glad you’re here, Nikki.” I didn’t know what to tell her about my situation, but I knew that I needed to make up something fast. Looking over at the small end table, I saw a magazine that I purchased because of the front cover and the story that was tied to it. It was then that my cover-up began. “I had to get away from New York because of who my father was. He owed some people a lot of money and they have been looking for him for a long time. They think I may know where he is. This may be why they came to the coffee shop looking for me.”
“Oh God, Paige. Are you in danger?” Nikki questioned, looking in my eyes for answers.
“It’s not me that they want, at least I don’t think so,” I answered.
“What if they want to hold you for ransom or something? You see it in the movies all the time. Girl gets kidnapped in exchange for payment.” Nikki said.
“Nikki, come on. Now you are being too paranoid.”
“Just saying, Paige,” she argued.
~****~
It was getting close to noon, and I still hadn’t heard from Hawk. I didn’t want to wait around the apartment for him, so Nikki and I decided to check out the town. There wasn’t really that much to see. It would probably take all of an hour to see the sights. Locking my door, we headed down the steps only to be greeted by a gorgeous man dressed in dark jeans and a gray t-shirt. Looking over to Nikki, I could tell she was goggling over Hawk. Nudging her side, I brought her back to reality as I introduced them. “I didn’t know when you would be coming back, so we decided to check out the town. This is Nikki. Nikki, this is Hawk.”
Hawk extended his hand and said,”Nice to meet yah.”
Nikki just stood there unable to speak. As she was still holding onto his hand, Hawk smiled. “I’m gonna need that hand back, doll.”
I could see the red on Nikki’s cheeks as she quickly pulled her hand away. “Sorry.”
“Not a problem,” Hawk said. “I wanted to know if Paige wanted to go to the lake and have a picnic, but since you're here, I’d like to extend the invitation. If that’s okay with you, Paige.”
“That sounds great. I’m sure Nikki doesn’t have any immediate plans, “ I replied.
“Good, it’s settled,” Hawk announced.
Hawk led the way as we followed behind. Nikki was slobbering more than I was at the sight of his tight ass. It was going to be fun seeing what was going to happen at the lake with her. Nikki was gorgeous. It surprised me that she was working at a coffee shop instead of modeling. Even though she was gorgeous and could have her pick of any man she wanted, she was very shy when it came to them. It was like she got tongue-tied whenever she was around them, almost intimidated by them. This was why it didn’t bother me that she goggled over Hawk the way she did. I knew she wouldn’t do anything other than take in his oh-so-handsome features.
Hawk pulled up to the lake about fifteen minutes later. The view of the lake from the car was spectacular. I couldn’t wait to get out and take in the full view. Once we were completely stopped, I swung open my door and flipped the seat forward so Nikki could get out. The air out here was much different than the air in town. It was so crisp. It reminded me of back home, where the palace was close to the ocean. That was about the only thing I missed about Kierabali.
I stepped up to the water and took a seat on a large rock while looking out over the water. In the distance I could see a couple of people in a small boat who looked to be fishing. Everything about this little town was so different than the big city. There was no rush. People seemed more relaxed. I turned my body to see that Hawk was already busy spreading out a blanket on a grassy area while Nikki went to grab some more things from Hawk’s car. Pushing off of the rock, I went to where Nikki was to see if I could offer her any help. It was then that I noticed a black SUV parked off the road about 50 yards away. My heart began pounding so hard, I thought I was going to pass out. The only thing I could think of was to try and make an excuse to leave. I had a funny feeling that whoever was in the SUV was not there to enjoy the scenery.
CHAPTER NINE
Paige
The minute Nikki looked over at me, she knew something was wrong. Angling her body my way, she looked over to where my eyes were and saw the black SUV. With a slight nod of her head, she asked, “Friends of yours?”
“I think I might be in trouble, Nikki. I need to get out of here without Hawk getting suspicious,” I replied.
“So you need an excuse or something.”
“Yeah.”
“I will only do this for you, but you have to tell me what is really going on with you, Paige.”
“I will tell you everything, but for now I really need to get out of here,” I began pleading as the SUV began to move up the road towards where we were.
“Okay, here goes nothing.” Nikki said, before she contorted her body in such a way that it looked like she had popped her shoulder out of place.
With a small wink she screamed, “Holy fucking crumb cakes!”
Playing along, I said, “Oh my God, Nikki, are you okay?”
I said it just loud enough that it got Hawk’s attention. Dropping everything he had in his hand, he quickly jogged over to where we were standing. I was glad the the trunk door was still open, hiding what really went on with Nikki’s shoulder. Hawk was beside us in a split second trying to figure out what was happened. The minute he looked at Nikki, he could see that she was hurt.
This was my cue. “Hawk we need to leave. Nikki needs to see a doctor.”
“Tell me what happened?” Hawk asked.
Looking to Nikki, I waited to see what story she was going to conjure up. “I tripped over my damn shoelace and fell against the roof of the car. Damn that hurts,” she hissed, holding her shoulder while showing a look of excruciating pain on her face.
Hawk believed her little act. She should be nominated for an Academy award for her performance. I tried not to laugh as Hawk helped her to the front seat by making sure that she didn’t do further damage to her shoulder. I watched as Hawk rounded the front of the car while I finished gathering the picnic items that he had laid out. The trunk was still open, so it didn’t take me very long to throw everything inside and get in the car behind the driver’s seat. Taking a quick look over my shoulder, I could still see the SUV coming towards us. With a quick breath, I said with panic, “You better hurry, Hawk. I think Nikki is going to pass out.”
I was thankful that she saw my fear and began acting like she actually was going to pass out. I could feel Hawk increase the speed of the Mustang as he stepped harder on the gas pedal, passing the SUV. I didn’t get a good look at who was inside, but whoever was in the SUV must have sensed something, because they came to a complete stop, throwing dirt behind them. As we got further away from them, I noticed that they weren’t moving. It was like time stood still. It didn’t make sense that they wouldn’t be following us.
Turning my focus to the front of the car, Hawk’s gorgeous eyes were staring back at me through the rearview mirror. I wondered how long he had been staring at me. My question was answered when he said, “You’ve been looking back at that black SUV since we left. Somebody you know?”
At that moment, my heart sank into my stomach. Thank God for Nikki: once again, she saved the day. “ Hawk, can you
pull over for a second? I think I’m going to be sick.”
Hawk immediately cranked the wheel and pulled the car over to the side of the road. Before Nikki had a chance to open her door, Hawk was right there to assist her. This was my chance, I took another quick look over my shoulder, just to make sure the SUV hadn’t moved. When I couldn’t see it parked the last time I looked back, I began to scan the area to see if I could see it. It was nowhere, at least not where I could see it. Once again, my heart fell to my stomach. It was then I realized there was nothing I could do, no matter how hard I tried to avoid what I knew, in the back of my mind, was going to happen, I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and decided to let whatever was going to be, be.
Closing my eyes and praying for the best, I heard Hawk get back in the driver’s seat and pull away from the side of the road. Maybe I had been anxious for no reason. When I left New York, I was very careful not to leave anything behind that pointed to where I was going. The only person who knew anything was Nikki, and I trusted her with my life.
~****~
When we got to the hospital, Nicki was checked in and taken back to one of the ER rooms. I was glad that they weren’t very busy and she was helped right away. One thing I wasn’t glad about was Hawk and I were left alone in the waiting area. Taking our seat beside each other, I knew by the way his jaw was clenched, he wanted answers. There was no way I was going to say anything. The longer we sat in silence, the longer it gave me time to think about what I was going to say to him.
“You need to tell me why you were so interested in that black SUV out at the lake. I find it pretty strange that an expensive vehicle like that would be there in the first place,” he grilled.
“You know what, Hawk, I was thinking the same thing. I was watching it to see where they were going,” I tried to say convincingly.
“Somehow, that doesn’t sound very convincing. No matter, I got the plate number when we passed them. I’ll have one of the guys run it for me,” Hawk advised.
“One of the guys?” I questioned.
“Yeah, from Jagged Edge Security,” he began. “I work there.”
“Crap, crap, crap,” I thought to myself. If he finds out who the vehicle belongs to then he will know who I really am. Shrugging my shoulders, I tried to act cool. “Doesn’t matter. Who cares, anyway?”
Before Hawk could comment, a nurse came through the ER doors with Nikki walking right beside her. The way she looked was as if nothing had ever happened. Walking up to her, I gave her a light squeeze, letting her know how much I appreciated what she did.
“She’s all set. The doctor just popped her shoulder back into place,” the nurse advised.
I waited for Nikki to sign the necessary documents while Hawk went to go get the car. I knew I had some explaining to do the minute we got back to my apartment. I just wasn’t sure how much information I was actually going to share with her. I knew I was going to need to do some explaining on why I lied to her in the first place.
As we walked outside the hospital, Hawk was already waiting for us. His tall, muscular frame was leaning against the fender of his Mustang while his cell was to his ear. I had no clue as to whom he was talking with, but I found it a little strange when he ended the call as soon as he saw us. Pushing from the car, he opened the passenger side door and waited for us to get in. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t very happy. Before I slipped into the passenger seat, I looked at him and asked, “Is everything okay?”
Leaning in, he kissed me on the forehead and said softly, “We need to talk.”
Even knowing that I was finally caught, just the sound of his voice next to my ear made my heart sing and my panties wet. Looking into his eyes, I tried to see if there was something behind them that would tell me if he was concerned or angry. When he brushed his hand along my cheek and said,” Buckle up,” I knew it was definitely concern on his face.
Taking hold of the seatbelt, I draped it over my shoulder and snapped it into place. Nothing more was said as Hawk pulled away from the front of the hospital. Looking out the window, I kept wondering what was going to happen when we got to my apartment. All I could think about was the interrogation I was going to get.
It wasn’t long until we were there. My mind was reeling a mile a minute. Hawk turned down the alley on the side of the Hell’s Gate bar. Stopping just in front of my apartment, he looked over to me and said, “I need to take care of a few things, then I am coming back and we are going to talk.”
“About what?” I asked, trying to play dumb.
“About what you are hiding from me,” he replied.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hawk. I have nothing to hide from you.”
“We’ll see. I’ll be back.”
Hawk leaned over and gave me a kiss on the lips, which just about had me leaping over the console to take him right there. If it wasn’t for Nikki in the backseat, I would have done just that. Opening the door, I pushed the seat forward and waited for Nikki to get out. I watched Hawk drive away, still feeling the slight tingle from his kiss on my lips. Nikki grabbed my arm to get my attention before she pulled me to the steps to my apartment.
“Come on, Lucy, you have some ‘splaining to do,” Nikki hinted.
I knew all too well I had some explaining to do. I just didn’t know where to start. I just hoped that I was making the right decision to tell Nikki the truth.
~****~
“So that’s the whole story. I’m sorry I lied to you about my dad and all that,” I said.
“So let me get this straight. You are a princess from some island in the South Pacific, and you ran away from there because you were suppose to marry some guy you have never met, and now you think your uncle, who has basically everything to gain, is here to find you and take you back,” Nikki explained.
“Yep, that’s about right,” I said. “I’m begging you, Nikki, please don’t tell anyone my secret. You have to promise.”
“Pinky swear,” Nikki said, holding up her hand with her small finger sticking straight up.
Entwining our fingers together, we shook on it. Leaning over to me, Nikki gave me the biggest hug and said softly, “You are my friend, Paige, Princess Isabelle Moraco of Kierabali, I will take your secret to the grave with me. What if Hawk finds out who owns that SUV?”
“I don’t know. I guess I will just have to wait and see what he actually finds out before I decide on what to tell him. I’m afraid the more people who know about me, the more I will be putting them at risk. My uncle will stop at nothing to get me back to Kierabali. I think he would even have someone killed if they got in his way.”
“Oh my God, Paige, you told me everything. Am I in danger?” Nikki asked with fear in her eyes.
“I don’t think so. Unless you tell someone. Then I might have to strangle you,” I said, trying to act serious.
“That is not funny, Paige.”
The more I thought about what Nikki said, the more I regretted my decision to tell her the truth. I knew my uncle all too well. He was a ruthless man. His only concern was having the power to rule over Kierabali. It didn’t matter how many people he had to hurt to get whatever he wanted. He was capable of anything.
CHAPTER TEN
Hawk
After dropping off Paige, I went back to the motel to see if there was any more information on her. I wanted to make sure my full attention was on the information that Peter found out for me regarding black SUV that suddenly showed up at the lake. It was definitely not a vehicle you would find in Stillwater.
When I got to my room, I noticed that the door wasn’t locked. I knew there was no way in hell that I would have left the door unlocked. Going to the trunk, I opened it and pulled my Magnum from the hidden compartment I had built on the the side. I was pretty sure that whoever broke into my room was more than likely already gone, but there was no way I was going to take that chance.
Slowly pushing open the door, I held my gun up. As I peeked around the corner,
I could see whoever got inside did a number on the room. Everything was torn apart. The things in my duffel bag were scattered on the floor. Every drawer was pulled open or laying face down next to my things. Even the mattress to the bed was flipped over. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I had a pretty good idea it had to do with the SUV at the lake. Placing my Magnum between my waistband and the small of my back, I pulled out my cell and called Peter.
“I hope you have some info for me bro. My motel room has been ransacked,” I cursed.
“Yeah. You’re not going to like what we found out. That SUV is registered to some international diplomat,” Peter began. “What would an international diplomat be doing in Stillwater, Hawk?”
“I don’t know, but I am going to find out. There is something strange about this whole thing. I think it has something to do with Nikki, Paige’s friend. The SUV showing up just after Nikki came to town is a little too coincidental. And the fact that Nikki got hurt or at least seemed to be hurt is starting to make sense. I think she wanted to get as far away as possible from that SUV. I’m going to be having a little chat with Paige. In the meantime, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to do a little search on Nikki as well,” I suggested.