Eliot swore under his breath and they started walking. Nikki stumbled in a pothole and would’ve fallen if Eliot hadn’t caught her yet again.
“Hold onto my arm.”
“I’m okay.”
Nikki couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but she sensed his smile as Eliot said, “Hold onto my arm, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder.”
“You wouldn’t,” she said with a laugh.
“Try me. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve carried you out of someplace.”
“Oh, really?”
“Your 22nd birthday. You had a fight with Derek and were drinking tequila shots with Darcy. At the end of the night, you were facedown on the table. I carried you out and drove you home.”
Nikki covered her face with her hand. “That’s so embarrassing, and I don’t even remember it.”
“Then I won’t tell you about the throwing up in my backseat part.”
“Please don’t,” she said. “But you can tell me about Derek. How long did we date?”
“A couple of years, I guess, though that was off and on.”
She started to ask him more, but they turned the curve and saw the burning building. Jake stood beside a sooty-faced man on a stretcher. The ambulance attendant fixed an oxygen mask on the man’s face and loaded him inside. Nikki saw the EMTs attending to three other men and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe everyone had made it out.
She released Eliot’s arm and hurried over to Jake. He hugged her.
“They’re okay,” he said. “The firefighters got them all out.”
“What happened?” Eliot asked.
Jake wiped a hand down his face. He looked tired and strained under the amber glow of the streetlights.
“Arson. Somebody doused the ground floor with gasoline. Can’t you smell it?”
Nikki hadn’t noticed it until Jake said it, but there it was, underneath the thick, acrid smell of the smoke, the sharp smell of gasoline.
“Who would do this?” Eliot asked. “The building owner bite off more than he could chew?”
Jake shook his head. “Not likely. Mike Bergman is one of the wealthiest men in town. I think this was personal, directed at me.”
Nikki sucked in a breath and Eliot’s mouth dropped open.
“You can’t be serious!” Eliot said. “Who would do this to you?”
Haltingly, Jake told him about the roses, and stunned Nikki when he admitted that his office had been vandalized, too.
“Why didn’t you tell Matt?” she demanded.
“I was so upset, I just didn’t think. And before that, I thought maybe my office had been vandalized before the accident. I really thought the body in the truck was his.”
Matt arrived at the scene along with the fire inspector. He motioned Jake over and the fire inspector took notes as the three of them talked.
Quietly, Nikki and Eliot watched the firefighters subdue the last of the flames. She shivered and Eliot, mistaking the reason behind it, removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Tell me more about Derek,” Nikki said. “Where is he now and could he be the one doing this?”
Eliot looked surprised. “No one’s told you?” he asked.
Nikki shook her head
“Derek’s dead. He committed suicide a couple of months ago.”
***
“Nik.” As he pulled into their driveway, Jake reached to shake her shoulder, then withdrew his hand. He hated to disturb her.
A glance at the dashboard clock told him it was nearly 2:00 a.m. He turned off the ignition and walked around to the passenger side. Nikki stirred as he unfastened her seatbelt and scooped her up in his arms, but didn’t waken. Carefully, Jake made his way up the walkway and unlocked the door.
Stepping inside, he glanced at the new alarm pad by the door and winced.
Dammit, even after what happened today, he forgot to set the alarm.
Jake had been so worried about Hank and the others that he just rushed out the door without sparing it a second thought. It was a wonder he remembered to lock it.
After easing the door shut and locking it, Jake started upstairs with Nikki. He found himself listening for noises and jumping at shadows and hated the fact that this man had made him so uptight in his own home.
He laid Nikki in her bed and tugged off her shoes. Then, Jake brushed a kiss across her forehead as he pulled the soft white comforter up to her chin. Although he felt a little annoyed with himself for his nervousness, Jake checked under her bed and inside the closet before moving on to inspect the rest of the house.
Finding nothing amiss, he set the alarm and wandered back into his den. The message indicator on the answering machine flashed a brilliant red.
Wonderful. Only 12 messages.
Jake pressed the button and flopped into his chair. He stretched backwards and yawned, covering his face with his hands.
Seven of the twelve were from Evan Stephens. Jake groaned. He’d completely forgotten about the modifications. Realizing he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, he retrieved a copy of the building plans from his safe and started to work.
As he sketched out the modification on a piece of graph paper, Jake thought of Hank and the others. Some good men had nearly died tonight because of their connection to him.
His sketching became more violent and Jake didn’t realize it until the point snapped off his pencil. Ripping the piece of drafting paper from his tablet, Jake wadded it up and tossed it in the wastebasket.
Work was the one thing in his life he could control right now, and he had to force himself to concentrate on it. Tomorrow he would meet with Bergman and Jake wondered how the businessman would react to the news that the arson might not be simple teenage vandalism.
Jake realized that maybe he couldn’t even control his work anymore. Who would hire him when some psycho was running around, burning his projects and trying to kill his crews?
He and Nikki had to figure out who this guy was before he wrecked both their personal and professional lives.
***
November 6
The chime of the doorbell jarred Jake awake. Jerking upright, he stared down at the blueprints on his desk before he realized where he was. He stumbled out of his chair to get the door before the noise woke Nikki.
He glanced at his watch. It was barely 7:00 a.m. Jake’s irritation at such early visitors turned to dismay when he glanced out the window and saw the news van. A look through the peephole confirmed his fears.
Sara.
The elegant brunette posed on his doorstep, talking to the reporter. Jake could just imagine what his mother-in-law was saying. Doug stood silently beside her, glancing at the front door. Sara didn’t like to share the spotlight.
Reluctantly, Jake turned off the alarm and opened the door, just in time to catch the last part of Sara’s concerned mother performance. He had to admit, she would certainly look distraught on the six o’clock news. Sara caught his eye and smiled. Jake didn’t smile back.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m most anxious to see my daughter,” Sara told the news crew with a tremulous smile. “I’ve been so worried ever since I found out about the accident this morning.”
Jake rolled his eyes and stepped back inside, leaving the door ajar. Sara and Doug entered a moment later.
“Jake, how are you?” Sara asked in that charming campaign voice of hers, but he could see the dislike shimmering beneath the surface of her brown eyes.
“Just dandy, Sara,” he remarked. “Thanks for caring.”
If she heard the sarcasm in his voice, she chose to ignore it. Doug shook his head apologetically at Jake, but Jake refused to acknowledge him. He was beyond angry at them, not just for not coming home for Nikki, but for not even bothering to call the hospital to check on her in the meantime.
“Where is Nicole and what has she gotten herself into this time?” Sara asked with a frown.
Jake was about to give her a few choice words when Nikki appeared in the doorway. She looked
so innocent and vulnerable that Jake just wanted to shove Sara back out into the yard, before her sharp tongue could cut Nikki.
“Nikki, these are your parents, Sara and Doug,” he said instead, feeling his heart break at the way her face lit up.
“Of course she knows who we are,” Sara told Jake as she shouldered him aside to go to Nikki. “We’re her parents, for goodness sake.” She stood in front of Nikki with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I’m sorry…Mother,” Nikki told Sara with a timid smile. “Most everything’s still blank right now.”
Sara’s eyes narrowed. Jake had never heard Nikki refer to Sara by anything other than her given name.
Doug broke the tense silence. “How many stitches did you end up with, pumpkin?” he asked, moving toward her.
“I-I’m not sure.” Nikki lifted up her hair to show him.
Doug winced and carefully pushed back her bangs to get a better look at the violet-hued bruise on her forehead, and then he hugged her. Nikki clung to him.
“My poor baby,” he murmured. “You could’ve been killed.”
“I’m parched from our trip,” Sara complained. “Why don’t the two of you fix us something to drink and Nicole and I will wait in the den.”
When both men just stood there, she snapped, “Nikki and I will be just fine.” She took Nikki’s arm and steered her toward the den. Against his better judgment, Jake turned and went to the kitchen with Doug trailing along behind.
***
Sara waited until Nikki shut the door behind them to say, “Nicole, I want to know what’s going on. If you’ve gotten yourself into some kind of trouble, just tell me and I’ll do everything I can to help you. If this amnesia thing is an act, please say so.”
“You think I’d fake this?” Nikki asked.
“You tell me. Are you really telling me that you don’t know who you are?”
My name is MP.
The thought flashed through Nikki’s mind, startling her.
What in the world did that mean? she wondered.
“I have contacts at the police department,” Sara continued, “and one of them told me what was going on. Who is this man who broke in here and left you roses?”
“You have no idea how much I’d like to know.”
“Nicole,” Sara said again, this time almost pleadingly, “I understand if you’re pretending amnesia in an effort to save your marriage, but you need to tell me if you are, so I can try to help you. I won’t tell Jake.”
“I would never lie to him about something like that.”
“Honey, I know you love him and would do anything to keep him. So you had an affair and got caught. I understand that desperate times call for desperate measures, but you’re playing a dangerous game and I don’t want you to be hurt. If this man tried to kill Jake—”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Nikki asked, pained. “I’m not playing any games. I don’t know who he is! I wish I did. You have no idea how scared I am for Jake.”
Sara frowned. “If you don’t remember him, why do you care?”
“Because he’s my husband. Because he’s been here with me through this whole thing. If it weren’t for Jake, I would’ve lain in that hospital alone.”
“Ah, so that’s what this is about.” Sara gave her a knowing look. “You’re mad because I didn’t come home right away. Nicole, I tried. I got here as soon as I could. A woman in my position has certain responsibilities. My work is very important.”
“Obviously more important than me,” Nikki said.
“Honey, please quit pouting. You’ve always been so jealous of my work, but I’m here now and I want to help you. Isn’t that what matters?” When Nikki was silent, Sara said, “I’ve had someone look over your medical files.”
She must’ve seen Nikki’s disbelief, because she remarked, “Really, dear! There’s nothing that can’t be bought for the right amount of cash. That’s what I want to do, to talk to this man and find out what his price is. Then you can put this whole matter behind you.”
“Was there ever a time in my life when you believed a word I said?”
“Even your own doctor wrote that it was unusual for you to lose your whole identity,” Sara said, ignoring her question.
“Unusual, but not impossible.” Nikki rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know how else to say it, Mother. I don’t remember any of it!”
“Nicole, I will not tolerate you shouting at me. I knew when you married Jake that it was a mistake, some sort of rebellion. He’s just not our kind. Now you’ve got yourself in this situation – I came here to help you!”
Nikki fought back angry tears. “Help me or help yourself, Mother? Are you afraid this will reflect badly on you in the newspapers?”
How could this woman be her mother?
“Fine, Nicole!” Sara threw up her hands in exasperation. “Have it your way. Just remember, I tried. You’ve never appreciated anything I ever did for you. Even when you were just a girl, you never respected—”
Nikki clamped her hands over her ears. “Get out,” she said.
***
As Jake reached to get some glasses from the cabinet, Doug said, “I’m sorry.”
Jake refused to look at him, instead reaching into the refrigerator to get the pitcher of iced tea. “I’m not the one that you owe an apology to, Doug.”
“I know,” Nikki’s father said. “You have to believe me. I didn’t know how serious the accident was until we got back home. That hag in there made me believe that it was just a minor accident and didn’t even mention the amnesia until we landed in Lexington. Then someone showed me the picture of that truck…how did she get out of that?”
“I don’t know. For once, I’m glad she didn’t wear her seatbelt.”
“The other woman wasn’t either, was she?”
“How do you know that? None of that was in the papers.” Jake turned to face his father-in-law.
“Do you have to wonder?” Doug muttered. “Sara was scared to death that Nikki was riding around with some man and that it would cause some kind of tabloid frenzy.”
“Why would she think that?” Jake’s mind was whirling. It seemed inconceivable that Nikki would confide any details of their marital problems with Sara.
Doug stared down at the floor.
“Nikki called Sara the morning of the accident. She said you’d asked for a divorce.”
“She called Sara?” Jake demanded. “Why didn’t either of you say something? Do you know who the passenger was?”
“No, no.” Doug shook his head. “Nikki called from the truck. She was furious about something and demanded we come home immediately. Sara told her we couldn’t.”
Leaving the glasses on the counter, Jake pushed past Doug and started toward the den. Sara knew something.
It was then he heard Nikki’s voice, raised in a shout. Jake ran to the den with Doug on his heels. Jake threw open the door and saw the tears shining in Nikki’s eyes. He took one look at the volatile expression on Sara’s face and felt his blood begin to boil.
“What did you say to her?” he demanded.
“Oh, Jake!” Sara rolled her eyes. “I was just telling her what a dangerous game this is, but she won’t listen. She’s just trying to punish me.”
“For what? Why did she call you that morning?”
Sara glared at Doug and responded, “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out. She wouldn’t say on the telephone. She threw a tantrum and demanded to see me immediately. I told her that was impossible, that she’d just have to wait until the conference was over. She hung up on me, and now she’s pouting. That’s all this is.”
“Everything is always about you,” Doug said. “Can’t you look at your own child and see that she’s not faking this? Can you not see the difference in her?” He took a trembling Nikki in his arms.
“She’s not mine.” Sara smiled thinly. “She never really was. She’s all yours, Doug. You help her out of this mess she’s gotten herself int
o. As usual, Nicole doesn’t want my help.”
Jake clenched his jaw. “Get the hell out of my house.”
Sara shot him a contemptuous look. “I knew it was a mistake when she married you. I knew it wouldn’t work, that something like this would happen.” She turned back to face Nikki. “When he divorces you, maybe you won’t be so quick to throw my offer to help in my face. You’ll realize your family is all you have.”
Jake moved to stand beside Nikki and reached for her hand. “I love Nikki, and I am her family. She doesn’t need your help. She doesn’t need anything from you.”
“We’ll see about that. Come on, let’s get out of here.” Sara glanced at Doug and snapped her fingers as if calling a little dog.
“I’m staying with my daughter for awhile,” Doug said. “Then I’m calling a cab to take me to a hotel. Would you please instruct Alexander not to unpack my bags? It’ll be easier to collect my things.”
“Oh, really?” Sara said with amusement. “You’re leaving me?”
“You got it, sweetheart. I’ve dreamed about it for years and was waiting until we got back to tell you.”
“You can’t imagine how sorry I will make you.”
“No sorrier than you’ve made me in the last thirty years, I’m sure,” Doug replied.
Sara’s smile evaporated. She turned on her heel and stomped out of the house without so much as a backwards glance at her daughter.
“I apologize to the both of you, for having to hear all that,” Doug said. “I’m sorry she hurt you, Nikki. I’m sorry for all the times I’ve hurt you.” He hugged her and whispered, “I want us to start over. I love you and I want to try to make up for so much, if you’ll let me.”
“I’d like that,” Nikki said.
Jake left them alone to talk. He wondered why Nikki called Sara that morning. Did Sara have something to do with Nikki’s lover? Jake wouldn’t put it past her to hire someone to break them up. Hell, he wouldn’t put it past her to hire someone to have him killed.
“Jake.” Doug’s voice startled him from his thoughts. “Thanks for not throwing me out, too.”
“I just don’t want to see her hurt anymore, Doug.”
“I know and I’m glad she has you. No matter what Sara says, you’ve always been a good influence on Nikki.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Unlike me. But maybe I can change that. I think Nikki and I are on the right track now.”
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