“You can set up shifts.” She turned to Dylan pointing again, sternly. “I don’t know who you are, but I’m not going to tell this young man he can’t visit her anymore. If the two of you are all she has, you’d best start working together.”
She put her hands on Dylan’s shoulder. “I’ll leave the two of you for a few moments, but you will have to decide on shifts. I’m making an exception in your case; but if you can’t get along- – neither of you will have the extended visitation rights. Do you think you can work together?”
Dylan looked up at Bradley and nodded. Brad nodded back.
“Okay, I’ll give the two of you a half hour, but there better be no trouble.” She ducked out of the room.
Dylan walked over to Nicole and took her hand. “How did this happen, Brad? What happened to my baby?”
Chapter 3
*Bradley*
“Dylan, Steve had been stalking Nikki for months.” Bradley walked over to the bed next to him.
“I’m going to destroy that weasel. I should have never let her move in with him.”
“When she realized he was dangerous, she asked Emily to bring Jess to stay with her parents so Jessica would be safe. She didn’t want anything to happen to her daughter. I let Nikki move in with me ‘cause she had no place to stay. Steve had swindled her out of all the money you gave her.”
“I should have been here for her. I can’t believe all of this happened while I was at work on the pipeline and I had no idea.” Dylan walked to the other side of the bed brushing the hair away from her face. “But how did she end up here? I just talked to her…I just talked to her, and she was fine.”
“Nikki came to work at the club. She wanted to get off early and I figured it would be okay. They had locked up Steve and he couldn’t do anything to her.” Bradley shook his head. “I warned her to be careful because she had that one damn headlight out, but I really thought she’d be fine. I told her to call when she got home. I remember staring at the phone. You know how time stands still when you are waiting for a phone call.”
Dylan shook his head and Bradley began reliving the night. A man had entered the club, making his way to the bar. He was out of uniform, but Brad recognized him from the arrest the night before.
“What can I get you?” Bradley set a napkin out in front of him.
“A vodka and tonic.”
“Hey, I know you. You’re that cop that that arrested Steve last night, right?”
“Steve?” The cop questioned as he lifted his drink.
“Yeah, that guy that you arrested the other night; the one who murdered the mechanic.”
“Oh yeah, it was the wrong guy.” The officer said, taking a sip as he hunched over his glass.
“What do you mean it was the wrong guy?”
“They didn’t have enough evidence to hold him.”
“Wait, what? So where the hell is he?” Brad became frantic.
“I don’t know. I guess they released him this afternoon.”
“What? Shit, Nicole!” Brad jumped over the bar. “Pete, I need you to close up for me. That psycho got out of jail this afternoon.” He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“Is there anything else I can do?” Pete asked.
Brad yelled as he ran to the door. “It takes me about 15 minutes to get home. If you don’t hear from me—tell that man. He’s a cop. Have him radio it in. I don’t want her to be out there alone. I’ll call you when I know everything is fine.”
Bradley jumped in his truck and sped down the highway.
I should have never let her go! Why did I ever let her go? He smashed his hand against the dashboard. The dark road appeared vacant. He searched the side of the road for abandoned cars. There were none. Please God protect her, don’t let her die. He’d never prayed, but knowing that she may be in imminent danger, he felt it was a good time to begin.
Bradley shook himself out of his memory and looked at Dylan, feeling guilty.
“I promised her nothing would happen to her. I’m so sorry! I promised her she would be okay. The lack of cars on the road could be a good thing, I remember thinking. Maybe she arrived home safe by now, but I still had that gut feeling something was wrong. How could I have let her down like that? How could I have let her go home alone? I kept beating myself up.”
“How could you let her go home alone?” Dylan interrupted.
“If I’d known Steve had been released I never would have let her leave, Dylan. If only the officer had come in a few minutes earlier.”
Memories haunted Bradley again; he could smell the new leather scent of the air freshener that swung from the rear view mirror.
He saw the drunken teenagers playing chicken on the highway. The tires screeched as one of them rammed into the back of the other car to overtake it. What a jerk. His eyes darted back to the drag race. Then he realized the car in front had only one headlight. Nicole? But she’s driving on the wrong side of the highway. She wouldn’t be going that way. He squinted to see what type of car skidded in front. It was too far. He knew one thing- – the other car was a truck. It finally hit him, Steve’s truck.
The truck rammed the car on the side, trying to push the vehicle off the highway, and the car swerved out of control for a moment upon impact.
She wouldn’t be heading that way, unless she was trying to lose him. He needed to get over just in case. Nicole? Where was the next exit?
“WHERE IS THE NEXT EXIT?” He desperately searched for a way to turn around. He pressed the gas. The highway seemed endless. How could he get there in time?
He yanked the steering wheel, pulling the truck over the packed snow separating the two highway roads. The wheels got stuck in the snow and he had to rev his engine and rock his truck backward and forward to get free. He grew frantic. I’m going to be too late.
The tires squealed. He finally broke free of the snow and made it to the other highway, where the truck had pulled over on the side of the road. He slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop. He couldn’t see Nicole’s car. Bradley jumped out of the truck and ran to see what had happened. He entered the darkness. Against the white snow, he saw Nicole’s car- – crushed close to the bottom of the slope.
The full moon glistened on the snow like a spotlight helping Bradley make his way down the mountain. The branches smacked his face as his feet seeped into the freezing snow. Rushing down the steep incline, he slipped but staggered to his feet.
Her car. He ran to it…empty. Where was she? His chest tightened as he heard the wicked voice echo through the trees. “You little whore, thought you could escape me.” Brad cringed at the thought of her alone, trying to get away from that monster. He made his way through the woods, running frantically toward the voice.
“You little slut! You are going to die now!” Finally, the moonlight revealed Steve over take her stride. The monster grabbed her body and threw her against a tree. Nicole picked up a tree branch and smashed it against Steve but he overpowered her, swiping it from her hands and driving it into her ribs.
Bradley tried to run faster, witnessing Steve land a heavy punch to Nicole’s face. He watched her fall to the ground—broken. “Noooooo!” Brad screamed hoping his voice would startle Steve and he would turn away from her. The deep snow, like quicksand, trapped his feet and slowed his gate.
Brad heard his own voice began to crack as he told Dylan the story. “He beat her so badly, she became too weak to move. I had to save her. It was horrible. I watched as he used the knife to slice open her clothes. Cutting her skin--it excited the sick bastard. She just lay there. Her body was still.” Bradley clenched his teeth and swallowed, trying to hold back the anger, suddenly overwhelmed with grief. Tears stained his face as he looked at her lying in the hospital bed.
“She lay there almost naked, in a pool of blood. I gasp
ed. He spread open her thighs, and started fumbling with his pants. I grew hysterical. He couldn’t rape her. I lifted him off her and fought him but somehow--he kept making it back to his feet. Steve grabbed the ax from his bag. He slashed me and I fell to the ground. He hit me, I was bleeding. The ax crashed down again and I rolled nervously to escape the blade. I got trapped next to a fallen tree--nowhere to roll, nowhere to go.
“Steve lifted the ax to decapitate me. Nicole. Nicole shrieked. He turned to look at her.” Brad’s voice began to quiver. “Her broken body somehow stood, covered in blood. He forgot about me and pulled out a Dagger. He threw the knife. It hit her chest. Dylan, the knife…hit her chest!”
Bradley shook, gasping in air. “I’ll never forget her scream. Steve disappeared into the woods as I ran to her. She lay there motionless; I held her limp body and screamed as if my voice would bring her to life.” Bradley turned back to the hospital bed, his voice fragile, his feelings exposed.
“I am sorry Nicole, I’m so sorry.” He paused for a moment, placing his head in his hands. He rocked back and forth, admitting, “I heard the sirens, I heard the dogs, I had to bring her to safety. They had to save her. There was no heartbeat, there was no breath. I begged them to save her Dylan, but she was dead. They used those paddles to restart her heart. It didn’t respond.” Bradley paused. He swallowed, staring off into space; it became too much to bear.
“My God! I totally fucked up! I totally fucked up!” He began trembling as his eyes blurred, gasping, “I tried, Dylan. I tried.”
Dylan sat there in shock, as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” Brad broke down.
Dylan grabbed Bradley. They embraced, sobbing in each other’s arms. They looked at her motionless body in the hospital bed. The annoying beeping at least reminded them that she was alive. They were rivals--both wanting to win her heart. But they were allies as well. Both would do anything to give her a second chance at life.
“We are all she has.” Brad sobbed.
Dylan embraced him in tears. “We are all she has.”
Chapter 4
“What we really need is to fall in love with our best friend. If only we could be so lucky.” ~Nicole Obsession and Sacrifice
*Bradley*
A few days later, Bradley walked into the hospital room, handing Dylan a newspaper. The headlines read, “Serial Killer Still On The Loose.” “This is the private detective that Steve’s wife hired.” Brad reached in his wallet and pulled out a business card he found in the club. “Detective Jackson.” Nicole had left the card by the phone.
“We thought the detective brought Steve to jail. Nicole had arranged to meet him the day she went back to the house to get her things,” he said fiddling with the card, “but the officer never showed up…or maybe…he did.”
Bradley pointed to the article. “They identified his body. He’s the stabbing victim they found last week.” Brad showed the name on the card matched the name in the article.
“We tried calling him, but he never answered.” He looked at the newspaper in Dylan’s hands. “Now I know why. This guy Steve is really dangerous, Dylan. Do you know how to get in touch with Chris? I haven’t been able to talk to him since all of this happened. I can’t find Nicole’s parents. I can’t find her daughter, Jessica. This sicko is still out there. And he has Nicole’s address book.”
“I haven’t talked to Chris since I left for the slope. He’s still on that contract and under the radar. I think he comes back in a few months.”
“We really need his help.”
“What about Emily, she’s Nicole’s best friend, did you call her? She’d know where Jess is.”
“All the numbers and contact info I have for them are disconnected. I remember Nicole saying something about her parents having to go into hiding ‘cause her ex tried to kidnap Jess. And Emily went somewhere to take care of her dad. I don’t know where to start.”
“They haven’t called? No one has called?”
“I had to unlist my number because of Steve. Last night was the first time I’ve been to the club to work. Pete’s been covering for me. You know the bartenders aren’t the best at taking messages.” Brad ran his hand down the IV stand. “Before the assault, Emily called the bar and Pete told her Nikki was fine. He told her she was safe and had gotten out of Steve’s place and that Nikki would call when she had a chance. He didn’t think to get her number. Emily called again yesterday to see why Nikki didn’t come home for Christmas and Vlad didn’t realize anything had happened. He heard you just got back in town and told Em that Nikki must be with you. That idiot! I hope she calls back soon.”
“We have to find a way to get in touch with them.”
“We really do. I’m sure she’ll call back. Dylan, an officer showed up yesterday to see if Nicole had woken up, he wants to talk to you. You knew Steve better than I did. You spent more time at his house. He said he’d stop back in to talk with you sometime soon. He’ll either stop in or have the receptionist page you. You can talk in the cafeteria.”
“I only met him a few times, I didn’t like him. I can’t believe I let Nicole stay with that monster. I knew it was a bad idea.”
Brad looked at the hospital bed. “How is she doing?”
“The same. I can’t go back, Brad. I can’t leave till I know she’s okay.”
“You’ll lose your job on the Northern Slope.”
“I’ve got some money tucked away. Nicole doesn’t have insurance. Did you know that? I don’t know what the policies are at the hospital, but I want to make sure she gets the best of everything. I’m having her moved to a different room.” He pointed to the curtain dividing the room in half. “They moved that person in here last night. Nicole needs a private room. I’ll pay for everything. If it means saving Nicole, I’ll spend every dime I have.”
Brad pulled aside the curtain and saw an older woman in the bed beside Nicole’s, lying unconscious.
“Some Christmas huh?” The white walls did little to reflect the spirit of Christmas. Not that either one were in the mood to celebrate. “I can’t imagine what is going on in little Jess’s mind. She must be wondering where her mommy is. We were going to fly to Maryland to see her. I keep hoping this is just a bad dream.” Dylan stood up from the chair, “Brad, Nicole’s registered under Jane Doe. What is that about?”
“The officer thought it would be best if Steve thought she didn’t survive. That way he wouldn’t try to kill her again. That’s why it hasn’t been on the news or anything. How did you find her?”
“Pete told me, and that nurse, that nurse—the nice sassy one, she must know her real name, she’s the one who told me where she was.”
“Vera?”
Dylan nodded.
“Yes, Vera has been wonderful with her. She’s also been like a psychiatrist, I’ve told her everything.”
An older nurse entered the room. “Only one visitor at a time, boys.”
“Yeah, yeah…I’m leaving.” Dylan stood up as the nurse came over to the bed to change the IV bag and check Nicole’s vitals. “I’ll be staying at the Hilton if you need me.”
“You were planning on staying at my house when you got back from the slopes. The room is yours.”
“I don’t know; things are different now.”
“Save your money, Dylan. We’re in this together. Besides, we won’t see much of each other anyways, since one of us will always be here.”
The new nurse repeated. “I’m going to need you to leave now sir. Only one visitor per patient in ICU.”
“I’m leaving.” Dylan grabbed his coat and began walking toward the door. “Are you sure, Brad? I almost killed you.” He lifted his eyebrow.
“You still have a key, right?”
Dylan nodded.
“I’ll see yo
u this evening. Go settle in and get some rest. I’m sure.”
Bradley watched as Dylan left the room. The nurse filled out her chart and then got out of the way so Brad could sit beside Nicole’s bed.
“Everyone misses you at the club. Work’s not the same without you. It is so hard to see you like this, Nikki.” He didn’t know if she could hear him, but he found comfort, pretending she could. “You’re feisty and full of life. You have to pull through this. I know you can!” He took off his coat and draped it on the chair.
“Do remember when we first met? I thought I’d never see you again then, too. I figured you were just a beautiful girl that I happened to meet in an airport. Then you came through the door of the bar that first time--there you were walking toward me as if in slow motion, your chestnut hair gently flowing behind you like a waterfall. You had tried to hide your hourglass figure, but as you walked your hips swayed in the jeans that were trying to confine them.” Brad shook his head, almost embarrassed. “I turned away and pretended I didn’t see you. I almost died when I found out you were going to be working for me.” He straightened the vase of flowers next to her bed.
“I don’t know why I never told you. I guess I figured I had no chance, but every day I came into work, hoping it would be slow so you would hang out by the bar. I started having my barbecues so I would have a reason to invite you over. Even if we weren’t a couple, I just liked being around you.
“When Dylan walked over and asked you to go in the hot tub, I figured you would. It was bad enough all the girls loved the band members because they were musicians, but the guys spent hours in the gym as if they had nothing better to do with their time. For some reason, girls die over all those bulges in their bodies claiming to be muscles. They dwarf guys like me who have to work for a living. Dylan was a good friend, but when it came to girls, there was never any contest. Once he entered the room, I had to throw in the towel. There was no hope for me.
Obsession and Sacrifice (Alaska #2) Page 2