“Wow what?” Pam chuckled looking closely at Nicole. “Why are you so flushed? You getting too hot?”
“Yeah, too hot.” Nicole giggled shaking her head. Damn that vamp was going to cause her to have a freakin heat stroke.
The game continued, but Nicole was too busy watching Damon. He hadn't looked at her much since and she willed him to do again. The feeling was outrageous. She knew she wasn't one of those women who needed a man to make her life better, but man, it had felt good and she would like to have that feeling just one more time...dammit.
“Strike!” Sid yelled from behind home plate.
Nicole glared back at him. Crap, she was batting and staring at Damon. What the hell was she doing?
“What?” Sid flipped his mask up glaring back at her. “You want a do over?”
“What in blue blazes are you waiting for Callahan?” Mitch yelled in his annoying coach voice. “Hit the little white ball.”
Glaring at the catcher when he chuckled she got in her ready stance and concentrated on the pitcher. She swung and missed.
“Strike two!” Sid yelled.
“How'd ya like that one Callahan? If you need a more girlie throw I can do that for ya.” He demonstrated by taking a slow step forward like he was going to toss it nice and slow underhand.
“Crap.” Nicole hissed under her breath. A-hole out there was not going to strike her out. “Come on, stop taunting like a girl and throw the ball.” Nicole grinned as Jim's face flushed in anger. Nicole watched the ball all the way in and swung as hard as she could. The bat and ball connected almost taking Blevins head off. Dropping the bat she took off to first then rounded to go to second, but stopped seeing Blevins screaming and yelling heading right for her.
“You did that on purpose.” Jim bellowed as the benches cleared players yelling over each other.
“Jim, you know that's not true.” Nicole chuckled backing away knowing that Jim was just kidding. “Cause if I would have done that on purpose I would have hit ya.” Nicole glanced over to see Jared holding back Damon. She gave him a thumbs up letting him know she was okay. They always ended the games with a bench clearing so both teams got thrown out and no one was really a winner. It was after all a charity event not a regular season game which she played on through the summer.
Soon everyone was laughing walking off the field while the spectators cheered and headed toward the food. Nicole had lost sight of Damon, but saw Jared waiting for her.
“Nice game.” He grinned. “Thought you were going to behead the big guy for a minute.”
Nicole chuckled shaking her head. “Nah, Blevins isn't a bad guy. Just talks a lot of smack and I wanted to take him down a peg or two, not kill him.”
“He went to cool down.” Jared answered the question she hadn't ask, but wanted to badly. “Thought he was going to kill that guy when he charged you yelling.”
“Sorry, I should have warned you guys about the way we end the games. It was a big hit the first time it happened for real when the benches cleared so we all decided to end them all that way having both teams thrown out so no winners.” Nicole waved to a couple of people who walked by. Then she spotted him standing alone. Without saying anything she headed toward him.
“What are you doing over here?” Nicole smiled adjusting her heavy ball bag up on her shoulder.
Without saying a word Damon lifted the bag off her shoulder and slung it up on his. “How much longer?”
“It's going to be a while yet.” Nicole glanced behind her watching the hungry mob attack the food tables. “You hungry? I'm starving.”
Damon glanced at the crowd with a frown. “Not really.”
Feeling disappointment Nicole sighed. “I can't leave Damon, but if you want to then I'm sure Jared and Sid will stay.
Shaking his head, he nudged her toward the crowd. “Come on.” Damon grumbled. “Just don't blame me if I accidentally kill that pitcher.”
Nicole laughed with a cock of her shaped eyebrow. “Accidentally?” Shaking her head at his serious expression she laughed again. “Jim wasn't going to hurt me Damon. I could probably take him with all those fancy moves you've taught me. It was all a show for the crowd and to end the game on an even keel.”
This time Damon's eyebrow cock up into his runaway bangs. “Fancy moves?” Damon frowned. “I teach sensible killing moves to keep you alive, not fancy.”
Rolling her eyes Nicole chuckled grabbing his arm. “Come on before all the food is gone. I'm starving.”
“For as little as you are you sure do eat a lot.” Damon teased.
“You ain't seen nothing yet buddy.” Nicole liked this teasing banter they had going on.
Damon smiled down at her before following her toward the food. The rest of the night was spent talking and eating. Nicole was happy to see that Duncan had brought Steve who was now talking to a girl his age and seemed to be charming her. Yeah, she knew how the poor girl felt. Damon was doing the same thing to her. He was polite to everyone, even Jim who he talked motorcycles talk with.
Nicole heard her phone ringing in her baseball bag and dug for it. Glancing at the number she didn't recognize she flipped it open. “Hello.” When no one replied she pressed her palm against her free ear cutting out most of the noise around her and walked a few steps away. “Hello.”
“So you think you're safe?” The deep voice on the other end hissed.
“Who is this?” Nicole replied, a wicked chill skimming up her spine as she took a step toward Damon
“Do not take another step.” The voice demanded. “Before I kill you I have decided to make you suffer.”
Oh God, he was here somewhere. Damon was still talking, but had turned his body toward her instead of her being at his back. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. “Who is this?” She whispered knowing she wouldn't get an answer, but she did and it was one she would never forget.
“Your worst nightmare.” He rasped with a chuckle. “I will give you five seconds to save your boss.”
Nicole gasped looking desperately for Mitch. “What?” Her voice shook not understanding until she saw the red dot on Mitch's forehead. “Oh God no!”
“One.” The man counted out.
With no thought to anything but Mitch Nicole took off running knocking people out of her way. She heard Damon yelling for her as heavy footsteps pounded behind her. Reaching Mitch she heard the sound a gun shot just as she jumped at Mitch tackling him to the ground. The wooden fence splintering where his head had been. Screams and panic sent people running. A heavy weight landed on top of Nicole.
“Are you hit?” Damon ran his hands frantically over her body checking. “Goddammit Nicole, are you hit?”
It took her a minute to get her bearings. “No.” Nicole shook her head. “I'm fine. Are you okay Mitch?”
“I'm fine.” Shaken, Mitch looked up at the fence which had a huge hole where he had been standing. “What the hell is going on?”
Sighing in relief Nicole scrambled for her phone that had fallen out of her hand landing a few feet away. Shaking so badly she could hardly get it to her ear. “What do you want?” She screamed into the phone.
“For you to suffer.” The voice responded, but before he cut off the connection he added. “Next time I won't miss Nicole.” Damon knelt beside her taking the phone.
Jared rushed up. “Whoever it was is gone.” Jared told Damon as he glanced at the fence, then at Nicole. “You okay?”
For the first time since this whole thing started at Club Zero Nicole wasn't okay. “No.” Her body started to shake from the horror of what had just happened. “No, I'm not okay. This isn't okay. Nothing is okay.” She rambled, standing up on wobbly legs.
Tossing the phone to Jared, Damon steadied Nicole. “Give this to Sid to see if he can find out where that number came from.”
“I need my phone.” Nicole said panicked. “You can't take my phone.”
“I'll give it right back.” Jared replied jogging toward Sid.
; Nodding Nicole glanced over at Mitch who was sitting down at a picnic table looking haggard and shaken. Walking over, Nicole sat next to him. “I'm so sorry Mitch.”
“What do you have to be sorry for?” Mitch grumbled then tried to grin. “Unless you're sorry you saved my ornery ass.” He tried to make light of the situation, but it didn't work. There was nothing light or funny about it at all.
“No, I'm sorry you got dragged into this.” Nicole looked away wondering how her orderly life had shifted to total chaos.
“How did you know?” Mitch turned his full attention on her.
“I got a phone call and he ask me if I thought I was really safe. Then he said he wanted to make me suffer before he killed me.” Nicole felt Damon's hand on her shoulder. She swallowed hard, her eyes conveying the horror she had felt, still felt. “He told me I had five seconds to save you. I saw you standing there and then noticed a red dot on your forehead and well....you know the rest.”
Mitch's eyes widened a bit then he reached over and hugged her. “Thank you.” He pulled back, his eyes soft and moist for a second before turning back to normal. “But don't think that gives you any brownie points Callahan.”
Nicole smiled sadly. “Didn't think any such thing boss.”
After talking to the police Damon hurried Nicole to the car tucking her into the passenger seat. The ride to her apartment was silent. Each of them absorbed in their own thoughts. The only connection was Damon reaching over taking her cold hand into his.
Once at her apartment Nicole pulled out her keys to unlock her door, but as Damon went to unlock it, the door creaked open like in a spooky horror flick. Before Nicole knew what was happening Damon had her pressed into the wall, his back pressed up against her. “Stay put.” He ordered as he pushed the door open wider, his body still blocking hers from any danger.
Peeking around his broad back Nicole got the first look into her apartment and cried out. “Oh my God.” Her apartment was torn apart.
Damon reached around behind him shielding her body with his as he stepped into her small apartment. Closing his eyes he felt with his mind and senses to see if the person who was responsible was still in the apartment. It took only a second to realize they were alone.
Feeling Damon relax slightly she pushed herself around him to see the damage and wished she would have stayed put as he had ordered. Everything was destroyed and strewn all over the floor. Reaching down she picked up the book Pam let her borrow setting it on her kitchen counter. “Why?” Nicole ask, feeling lost.
Damon watched her closely. He knew she was on the edge and was just waiting for her to plunge over. A lesser woman would have collapsed under the shit Nicole had been thrust into over the past week. Week hell, just today. First Mitch and now this.
Dread so strong burned in her chest as she looked over to where Ren and Stimpy made their home and cried out. “Nooooo.” She ran to the shattered bowl searching for her turtles. People had dogs, cats, birds, but Nicole had her turtles that she loved. Seeing Ren on his back laying still under the table their rocky home sat on, she knelt down ignoring the broken glass digging into her hands and knees. Carefully picking him up she prayed he was okay. Turning him over bile pushed to the back of her throat at the words crudely carved into his shell....SUFFER... “Ren, come on...come out.” She taped on the shell which both turtles responded to, but this time instead of his head poking out the turtles long neck flopped forward, the head gone.
Hearing the keening noise coming from Nicole's throat Damon reached down and pulled her up taking the turtle from her. When he caught this fucking guy he was going to show the bastard what suffer meant. Pulling her into his arms he pressed her head into his chest reaching for his phone. “Jared get over to Nicole's fast, bring Sid and Patrick.” He clicked the phone closed seeing the other turtle laying a few feet away with the word BITCH carved into its shell. Yeah, the bastard was gonna pay.
Chapter 12
Nicole kept busy in the days that followed the break in at her apartment. Slowly her apartment had taken shape to where it looked as it had before with no hint of a break in except for the small table Ren and Stimpy had called home for years. It stood empty, a gruesome reminder of what had happened. A knock on her office door sent the unhappy memories to the back of her mind. “Come in.”
Pam stuck her head in the door, her face showing signs of strain. “Mitch wants you in his office pronto and boss-zilla is in there with him.”
“Great.” Nicole tossed the file she had been updating. Joining Pam in the hall she really took a closer look at her friend. “You okay? Sorry, but you look like crap.”
Pam's eyes shifted before turning back to Nicole. “Yeah, just stuff at home. No biggie.”
Feeling like the worst friend in the world, Nicole sighed. “I'm sorry Pam. I've been so caught up in my own drama that I...”
“Hey, don't sweat it.” Pam stopped her. “It's not a big deal. Just tired and cranky. PMS and all that jazz. Now go on before boss-zilla comes a huntin.”
Nicole watched as her friend headed down the hall, her step not as light as it usually was. Making a mental note to pick up on this conversation after her office visit with Mitch, she turned and headed toward his office hearing his voice booming from behind his closed door. “Ugh....don't want to go in there.” Nicole sighed to the empty hallway. Damon had left on an errand, but Jared was in one of the offices looking through case files to find any clue that might lead them to the master mind behind the blood trafficking. They had added so much security stuff to the building she doubted the US Army could breech the doors.
Closing her eyes briefly she sucked it up and knocked before opening the door. “You wanted to see me boss?”
“Yes, we did.” Catherine Ross, aka boss-zilla, replied from behind Mitch's desk tapping the end of a pencil on a stack of files. “Sit down Ms. Callahan.”
Nicole glanced at Mitch who wouldn't meet her stare. He leaned against the far wall staring a hole in the side of Catherine's brown bobbed head. Taking a seat where she could look at them both she remained silent, her sixth sense telling her that she was not going to like what happened in the next second. Looking at Catherine, who had no problem looking her in the eyes, she thought she would be pretty if not for the permanent scowl on her face all the time. She was a short woman, but she packed so much attitude she seemed as tall as Mitch, even though her feet probably didn't touch the floor as she sat in Mitch’s chair.
“I am just going to come to the point.” Catherine began, the taping of the pencil stopped. “You are being placed on a mandatory leave of absence as of this minute. We will hold your job until the danger to you is over.”
“But...” Nicole leaned out of her seat ready to do battle.
“I said mandatory Ms. Callahan.” Catherine's voice was level and sure. “There are no negotiations in this matter. Not only are you in danger, but as the incident the other night at the charity game proved others are in danger also.”
Nicole quickly glanced at Mitch who finally glanced her way. “I'm sorry Nicole, there's nothing I can do.”
“He's right. This is happening and if I feel that there is too much resistance in this matter I have the authority to terminate, which includes, anyone who tries to interfere.” She eyed Mitch with a cock of her nicely shaped brow.
Damon (The Protectors Series) Book #1 Page 14