by Heather Rae
“Precisely why all contact should go through my lawyer, Detective.”
“We can place you into protective custody. There will be an arrest with your statement, and of course a trial,” he explained.
“I’m sure of it. Now if you don’t mind, Detective, I’ve been away from my children long enough. You have Mr. Michaels’ phone numbers. I’ve told you everything I know. May I leave now?”
“Certainly, Miss Miles.”
“Please give my regards to my father, Detective, although I’m sure he has been behind that wall of glass since I sat down. Have a lovely day.”
I held my head high and refused to cry as I walked out of the police station. Tucked in the confines of Mr. Michaels’ car, we headed towards his home.
“Are you ok, Nikkia?”
“No, but I will be.”
“You did a very brave thing.”
“I probably signed my own death certificate.” I glanced out the window as we left the city behind. “But it needed to be done.”
“You’ll be safe with Matt.”
“Yeah…safe with Matt…in the mountains…” With a man I didn’t know.
“He will protect you, Nikkia, and your children,” Mr. Michaels said, voice sure as ever.
The little belongings that I had were packed into the back of Matt’s SUV. After a round of tight hugs and kisses, I loaded TJ into his seat and Kiandre strapped herself in next to her brother. It had been a long and exhausting time. I just wanted to get to where we were going before I changed my mind altogether. What I had agreed to, what I was about to do, was probably the most spontaneous decision I had ever made in my life.
“I need a woman,” Matt blurted after we had finished our meal at the diner.
“What?!” I laughed.
“Oh that didn’t come out right,” he laughed, his eyes warm. “I need a female to help me at the gym with the self-defense classes.”
“Yeah, I am probably not your best candidate.” I shook my head.
“Actually you are perfect for the job.” He reached for his mug of fresh coffee.
“And this would benefit me how?” I dumped sugar into my brew.
“You learn techniques to protect yourself. I will pay you, in addition to free room and board.”
“I’d be living with you?! Have you lost your damn mind?!”
He was crazy, insane! And I was too because I had been considering his ridiculous proposal!
“I’m a highly trained marine. What better protection could you ask for?” He raised his brow at me.
“Oh, I don’t know; the lady pistol I carry, maybe?”
“You go to the police, Nikkia. He’ll be arrested. There will be a trial. He’ll be angry. The potential for retaliation against you is high,” Matt said quietly.
“You sound like your uncle,” I replied and sipped my coffee.
“My cabin isn’t far from here. We can swing by before returning to the house. You can check it out for yourself before making any type of decision,” he shrugged, his gaze never wavering from mine as he drank his coffee.
Matt had settled the bill, left a hefty tip then held the door open to the diner. In the SUV, he backed out and waited for me to tell him which direction to go.
“I don’t need to see it. Let’s go back to the house because I need a minute alone to think,” I said and glared out the window as we headed back to his uncle’s home.
I closed my eyes and allowed my head to fall back against the headrest.
“Momma?” Kiandre interrupted my thoughts from the backseat.
“Yeah, baby.”
“Does the place we’re going to have internet and cable?”
Matt laughed and slapped his large hand on the steering wheel.
“What made you think it didn’t, Kiandre?” he asked.
“Momma said we were going to the boonies.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and shook my head.
“I didn’t say the boonies.” I bit the inside of my lip.
“You said the sticks…same thing.” Kiandre grinned and tapped Matt on his shoulder. “So is there cable and internet?”
“Of course there is. I have a pretty cool game room, too, with a huge TV and a couple of horses,” Matt said offhandedly, as he watched her face light up in the rearview mirror.
“Um…ok. Momma, did you know Matt had horses?”
“No, baby, I did not,” I sighed.
Already Matt was winning over my daughter. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He winked at me and I responded accordingly… I shot him my middle finger.
We drove a few minutes past the diner then Matt turned off to the right on to a side road. We went along maybe a half of a mile before veering off to the right again. The road was smaller, recently repaved and led straight to the cabin.
“THIS is what you call a cabin??” I really had not been expecting the beautiful home we had pulled up to.
“Um, yeah. It’s made of woods and sits in the middle of the ‘sticks’,” he shrugged and slammed the truck into park. “It’s a cabin.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said and bit my lower lip.
“Let’s go inside and I’ll show you around,” Matt said and unlocked the front door.
Almost everything was wood from the highly polished floors to the high rafters. Matt turned to the wall and punched in a code on the box, disabling the security system. The house was constructed with an open floor plan, the living room being the focal point. The windows offered up a magnificent view of the woods behind, and opened up on to the deck.
“It looks unbelievable when it snows,” he said as he strode by. “Kitchen is this way.”
The kitchen, considering I enjoyed cooking, was a dream. The paneling was light and appliances stainless steel. The countertops were a beautiful marble, and afforded more than plenty work space. There was a rear door that led out to the patio as well as a mud room.
“I fish and I hunt,” he smiled faintly. “The fridge, freezer and pantry are all fully stocked. Mabel did some shopping for me ahead of time.”
“Oh,” I said. “That was nice of her.”
“I have some great neighbors. You’ll find that the people who live here in Pine Crest are wonderful.”
TJ was tugging on my hair as Kiandre and I followed Matt through his home. Once he pushed open the door to the massive family room, my daughter cared less about the rest of the house. Lined along one wall were arcade style games. There was a pool table, air hockey table, the newest video game system, and a massive TV.
“Wooooowwwwww!” she squealed in delight.
“Go ahead and have fun, Kiandre,” Matt said. “I’m gonna show your mom the upstairs.”
“This is just too cool!” she said, fascinated by the pinball machine.
I shook my head and followed Matt out of the room. He stopped at the top of the stairs and motioned to the door at the right.
“That’s my room,” he said, proceeding down the hall. “This is a linen closet, a bathroom and this room is the next largest and I figured you’d like it. There’s a private bath with huge garden tub.”
He pushed the door open. I didn’t go in, couldn’t make myself. It was spacious and absolutely stunning. He opened the last door, what would be the kids’ room. Compared to the scale of their rooms at home, this was almost triple the size. There were two sets of bunk beds, as well as two identical drawer dressers, and a small desk with a pink tablet awaiting Kiandre.
“You didn’t have to do all of this, Matt,” I said as I switched TJ to my other hip.
“My uncle adores you, Nikkia. All three of you deserve a little bit of happiness, as well as a break,” he frowned. “I’m gonna go get your things out of the back. Feel free to roam around.”
Matt left me standing in the middle of the children’s room. No, I would not cry. I stepped out and paused outside of what would be my own personal space. I stepped inside the room, which smelled like mangos and coconut, and began strolling acro
ss the light wood floor to the huge king-sized bed that sat between two large windows.
It was covered in an embroidered, eyelet trimmed down comforter. I trailed my fingertips across the softness and smiled faintly. Then I sat down with TJ He entertained himself with one of the throw pillows and I fell back against the softness.
“Stop being a bitch, Nikkia…for a moment at least…” I muttered as I stared up at the beams of wood.
Matt had ordered a few pizzas later on rather than waste two hours cooking in the kitchen. He pulled up a movie to play on the huge television suitable for Kiandre. After it ended I glanced at the clock.
“Ok, lil’ chick, it’s been a long day. Let’s go get settled in bed,” I said and slung TJ up in the air.
“Ok Momma.” She jumped to her feet then before walking out of the den, she threw her arms around Matt’s neck. “Thank you for letting us stay with you!”
“You’re welcome. If you go to sleep fast, tomorrow I’ll show you the horses,” Matt winked at her. “Night Kiandre.”
“Good night, Matt!”
That night had been the fastest night ever Kiandre had gotten ready for bed. She pulled the comforter up to her neck as I bent to give her a kiss. TJ could hardly keep his eyes open as I put a fresh pamper on his butt and zipped him into a pair of pajamas. He slurped at his bottle, eyes drooping as I dimmed the lights and quietly stepped out the room.
I returned back to the den to clean up our pizza mess to find that Matt had already taken care of everything. He was in the kitchen, putting the leftovers in the fridge. An open beer sat on the counter.
“You have another one of those?” I asked, eyeing the longneck.
“Sure thing.” He snagged one from the fridge, popped the lid with the pad of his thumb and passed it to me. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a beer girl.”
“And why’s that?” I asked and took a long drink from the bottle.
“You look more like wine or Cosmo type.” He smiled then chugged his own beer.
“I like to think my tastes are varied, except of course in men,” I said before sipping.
“Meaning what exactly?” His brow creased as he eyed me.
“Meaning I always make poor choices, even when I think I’m making a good choice,” I shrugged. “Anyway, I wanted to thank you again.”
“No need to. Like I said, you’ll be helping me out after you get settled in good,” he said and picked up the deadly looking knife on the counter.
He quickly sliced the pizza boxes down to a smaller size and pushed them into the recycle bin just inside the mud room. He rinsed off the knife, flicked it closed and shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans.
“What?” he asked, catching me watching his movements.
“Nothing. Again, I thank you very much. I hope we don’t interfere in your life too much.”
“I think life will be just great.”
We finished off our beers in silence. I then excused myself and went up to my room. I didn’t typically take baths, preferring showers, but that night I filled up the huge tub with hot water and a cap full of bubble bath that I found in the closet, and then I submerged my exhausted body deep into the bubbles.
Ready for bed myself, I stood at the windows and stared out into the dark sky. I offered up a silent prayer for the Michaels, the Campbells, the power and strength to keep my children safe, and for Matt Collins. I knew in my heart I had done the right thing, but I was unsure about my current living arrangements.
~~10~~
In the coming days, Matt had shown us around town. Every Saturday morning, the area growers had a market at the park across the street from city hall. When the weather wasn’t acting bipolar, the park would show two movies in the amphitheater on the first Friday of each month. He had taken us out to the stables, and introduced us to his horses Star, Grudge and Boss. Kiandre was thrilled over them, especially when Matt offered to teach her how to ride.
I, on the other hand, was petrified of the animals. They were beautiful creatures, magnificent beasts. However, they were powerful and huge. Matt explained to Kiandre that if she respected the horse, it would in turn respect her as its rider.
“It’s kind of like making a new friend,” he had said.
“I get it... like you and Momma.” She smiled and nodded.
“I guess if that is how you wanna look at it,” he laughed.
I bit my tongue and watched from the fence with TJ hitched on my hip. Kiandre hadn’t been far off the mark in comparing Matt to the physical size of a horse. I gave TJ a bounce as I listened and observed the lesson on how to tend to the horse’s needs.
After two weeks of me taking over his kitchen, cleaning an already spotless house and being completely bored out of my mind, I decided it was more than time for me to be doing something constructive. I prepared a pot roast with small new potatoes and baby carrots, and a nice salad in addition to a pan of baked apple cobbler.
“Everything was delicious, Nikkia,” Matt complemented and rubbed his stomach.
“Thanks,” I said then sent Kiandre off with TJ to bathe. “What time is your class tomorrow?”
“Noon, why?”
“Because it is about time I start earning my keep around here,” I said and stored the leftovers.
“I think you do more than enough as it is,” he responded and carried the stack of dishes to the sink.
“Right, but you said you needed a woman for your class. It is time for me to show up.”
As Matt rinsed the dishes, I lined them neatly into the dishwasher. He didn’t say anything and his silence annoyed me.
“If I don’t get out of this house on a regular basis I will go insane, Matt, do you hear me?” I bent over the dishwasher and squirted the gel into the dispenser.
“Yes I hear you,” he replied tightly and cleared his throat.
“I am better off taking my chances at home if I’m gonna be confined inside!” I slammed the door shut and turned the dial angrily.
“I just thought you’d want some time to adjust to your new surroundings. Be comfortable around me.” Matt leaned against the sink.
“I wouldn’t be here if I thought you’d do some harm to me and my children! But I swear Imma be the one to go psycho pretty soon!”
I stormed out of the back door. Outside I let out a scream of frustration as I leaned over the railing.
“Can I come out there with you?” Matt asked from the door.
“It’s your place,” I snapped and rolled my eyes. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I should have realized you were more than ready to go to the gym with me. A person can only stay hemmed up in the house for so long.”
I turned around to face him. I met his gaze and just stared into his mocha eyes for a moment.
“You have been more than nice to me, Matt, and to my kids. I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”
“I’m a big boy, Nikkia, I can take it. Do you think you can be ready in the morning by 10?” he asked and looked away from me.
“Yeah, um…”
“The kids can come too; we have a babysitting area. The sitter staff is actually seniors from the college that majored in Early Developmental Education. They all have certifications, so TJ will be fine. Kiandre can hang out there, as well, or check out some of the other activities we have.”
“Okay.”
“Tomorrow’s class starts at noon and runs until 1:30; then there is a second class at 2:15. I can either give you the schedule for the rest of the month tonight or tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow will be fine,” I answered.
“Great. Make sure you wear something comfortable that you can move around in freely,” he suggested and turned towards the door.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?”
“I really am sorry for snapping at you. I didn’t mean it.”
“No worries, Nikkia. No worries at all.”
Matt disappeared inside the house and I didn’t see him again until the mornin
g. I had a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him. I sipped my tea and regarded him as he fixed his to-go mug.
“So you ready to do this?”
“Yup, don’t take it easy on me either,” I said and rinsed my cup out at the sink.
“No intention of it, love.” He winked and strolled out of the kitchen.
We stood on the thick mats spread across the floor. The first two rows of benches were filled with women of various ages. Matt had immediately gained their attention as he peeled off his tee-shirt and tossed it aside. I glanced at him as he spoke.
“Ladies, this is my friend Nikkia. She’ll be helping me with some upcoming classes.” He stepped behind me. “First lesson of the day, ladies, always be prepared.”
We hadn’t discussed anything prior, but when I saw the flesh of his arm, I knew he had planned to grab me from behind. His forearm wrapped across my chest and he pulled me roughly towards him.
I stomped my foot onto his and spun free as his hold had loosened. I plowed my fist into his gut, the air rushing out of his lungs unexpectedly.
“Lesson two, never underestimate the other person,” I smiled.
“Shit…” he groaned and took a moment to recover before proceeding with class.
Before the second class started, Matt caught me by the elbow and led me off to a corner. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at him. I tried to ignore how the ribbed tank fit across his chest and abdomen like a second skin. I somehow forced my mind to focus on the words that he was speaking and tried not to imagine what the rest of his body looked like.
“Are you paying attention?” Matt snapped his fingers just short of the tip of my nose.
“Of course,” I lied.
“You could have told me you were gonna punch me,” his lips thinned.
“You coulda said you were gonna sneak me,” I shrugged.
“I underestimated you, Nikkia.”
“My father made sure I knew a few things to protect myself. Too bad I didn’t always listen or else I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“So are you planning to blame yourself for the rest of your life?” Matt folded his arms over his chest.
“No, I hope to put it all behind me at some point but it ain’t happening any time soon,” I answered honestly.