Black Pearl (14 page)

“Merde!” Raul cursed into the phone in his native Portuguese. He was almost as pissed as Nikola, when he was told about Marcus’ blackmail.

“He sent the pictures through email, you said?” Nikola could hear Raul already pressing keys on his keyboard as he pulled up all of Marcus’ information. There was no one better than Raul when it came to security and tracking someone down. Since Raul already knew Marcus’ information, he began trying to hack into his computer.

“I hate to say this, but I’m going to need access to Devyn’s email account. It will make this a lot easier,” Nikola sighed. He hated the idea of having to tell her that Raul was helping him. He knew she was still embarrassed about being filmed. He would do anything in his power to save her any shame or embarrassment. He knew his friend wouldn’t look down on Devyn in anyway. This was not her fault.

“I figured. Meet me at my place in thirty minutes.”

“On my way.” Luckily, Raul was in town this week. He usually divided his time between Atlanta and Rio throughout the year. Hanging up with Raul, Nikola made two more important phone calls. The first call was to the Chief of Police. Nikola let him know he needed to meet with the man within the next two hours over a serious matter involving one of his officers.

Despite the Chief’s busy schedule, he assured Nikola he would be in his office in ninety minutes to meet with him. When a powerful a man like Nikola Collins calls and demands a meeting, everything is dropped. The next phone call Nikola made was to the Captain of Marcus’ division. He wanted the Captain to personally drive Marcus to their meeting with the Chief. Nikola knew it was an unorthodox request, but he didn’t care and he let the Captain know this was not a request, nor was he to let Marcus know where they were going or who they were meeting with. Nikola had the Chief of Police call the Captain also to back up his request. Once off the phone Nikola packed up his things to head back to his condo and the woman who held his heart. 

Nikola arrived at his building at the same time as Raul. When he entered his condo, he found Devyn in his living room, still in her work attire, pacing the floor. The look of worry on her face made him want to hit something. At the sight of Nikola, her lips turned up faintly and she rushed to him, only to stop when she saw Raul emerge from behind him. He saw the nervousness on her face as she bit her bottom lip. He went to reassure her, but Raul beat him to it.

“Hey beautiful. I see you’re still stuck with this loser. Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.” Raul said as he embraced her, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. Nikola saw some of the tension Devyn was holding evaporate. He brought his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Babe, Raul and I need some information.”

She looked nervously between Raul and Nikola. “What kind of information?”

“We need access to your email account,” Nikola watched her eyes widen at the realization they would need to see the emails Marcus sent her. She began to shake her head.

“It will help us access his computer. I promise you it will be all right.”

“Devyn, there is no one better at hacking and tracking than me. We will get this son of a bitch and make him pay,” Raul intervened.

Devyn looked at Raul as if searching his face to see if she could trust him. Nikola knew the anger etched on Raul’s face mirrored his own. He felt the moment Devyn decided to give them what they needed, because her shoulders slumped slightly in his arms. She nodded. “Okay.”

Nikola released her as Raul pulled his laptop out of his briefcase and set it up on the dining room table.

“How many emails has he sent to you?” Raul asked.

“Um, about eleven or twelve. The initial one he sent and then one every day since as a reminder of what he would do if I didn’t stay away from Nikola.” Nikola’s jaw tightened. This bastard not only blackmailed her, but was having her stalked and sending daily threats. He was definitely going to destroy him. 

“Okay Devyn, just sign into your email account here,” Raul said turning the laptop to her. Nikola saw Devyn hesitate. She obviously didn’t want anyone to see the photos. Nikola moved in closer.

“It’s okay,” he whispered in her ear as he reassuringly massaged her lower back. Blinking, she nodded and quickly logged into her email.

She pointed to the folder she’d placed all his emails in. “Excuse me,” she said before standing and rushing out of the room. Nikola looked at Raul.

“Go. I got this.” Nikola hurried to his room after her. He found her sitting on the side of the bed. When she looked up, he saw her eyes reddened from tears. She began to wipe her face.

“I’m sorry. I just…I know it’s not my fault and I shouldn’t be ashamed, but I can’t help it,” she sniffled and turned from him.

Nikola turned her to face him. “The shame is not yours. You put your trust in someone and he betrayed you. He’s a coward and a son of a bitch and he’s going to regret the day he ever tried to hurt you.” Nikola relaxed when Devyn stepped into his arms and let her head fall on his chest. They stood like that for long moments until Raul knocked on the door.

“It’s done. We should go.” Raul yelled through the door.

“Where are you going?” Devyn asked looking up at him.

“We’re going to handle this. I will only be gone for a few hours. I will be back as soon as I can.” Devyn nodded. “Okay.”

“There’s some food in the fridge, but if you want to order anything use my card. Your favorite bubble bath and bath salts are right where you left them. You should take a bath and relax. Try to get some sleep. I can tell you haven’t been sleeping,” he waited for Devyn to nod before kissing her forehead again and turning to leave.

He found Raul packing up his laptop in the dining room. “You got it done?”

“Yup, his hard drive has been completely wiped out. Anything saved on there, won’t be recovered. I’ve already sent two of my best guys to go over and check out his apartment and search from top to bottom for any videos and we’re looking to see if he has any security deposit boxes or any other place he would hide copies. Hopefully he’s not too bright and only has the videos on his hard drive.”

“And your guys are good?” Nikola knew Raul only hired the best, but he still had to ask just to reassure himself.

Raul nodded. “If anything’s there, they will find it. You have my word,” Nikola nodded.

“We have a meeting to attend.” Nikola not only needed Raul at the meeting to show the Chief what he found on Marcus’ computer, but also to serve as a buffer. Nikola wasn’t sure he wouldn’t kill the man as soon as he saw him.

“Mr. Collins, I am sorry and truly disappointed that one of my officers would engage in such despicable behavior,” Chief Wilson apologized to Nikola. He had just finished telling the Chief of Police of Marcus’ actions and how he threatened the woman in his life. Raul provided the evidence in the form of the emails that were sent to Devyn.

“What are you going to do about it?” Nikola asked sternly.

“He will be suspended immediately, and pending an investigation will be terminated, and we will begin a criminal investigation.” Just as Nikola was getting ready to respond, the Chief’s phone buzzed.

“Chief, Captain Weber and Officer Thomas are here to see you.”

“Send them in, Darlene.”

As soon as they entered the room, Nikola looked over at Captain Weber, who was about five inches shorter than Nikola, his sandy blond hair was balding and he had a pot belly. Behind the Captain stood Marcus Thomas. As soon as Nikola saw him, his hands tightened into fists. Raul stepped closer to Nikola, in case he needed to stand in front of him.

Ordinarily, Raul would let Nikola beat the shit out of this asshole, but not in front of the Chief of Police.

When Marcus saw Nikola, his eyes widened and darted away not making eye contact with anyone in the room.

“Officer Thomas, there have been some serious allegations made against you.”

“I don’t know what this guy told you bu–,” Marcus tried to defend himself, but the Chief waved him off.

“We have been shown enough evidence to indicate that you not only videotaped your sexual exploits with someone without their consent or knowledge, but also used those videos to threaten this woman. Now, usually I would give my officers the benefit of the doubt, but I’ve seen the evidence. Effective immediately, you are suspended without pay. Pending an investigation you will likely be terminated and could be looking at criminal charges. Please hand your Captain your badge and gun,” the Chief said in a harsh manner.

“This is bull–.” He paused when Nikola took a step towards him, but he was stopped by Raul.

“Officer Thomas, don’t make this worse on yourself. Hand your Captain your badge and weapon. Now.” Marcus knew he was busted. Eyeing Nikola, he took out his weapon and handed it and his badge to Captain Weber.

“I am thoroughly disappointed in you, officer. Your job is to protect the people of this city, not be the very thing they are afraid of. No officer under my command will get away with this type of behavior. Captain Weber, thank you for bringing Officer Thomas down. You both are dismissed.”

Weber nodded and quickly hurried out of the room, but Marcus had the audacity to eye Nikola before walking out. Nikola thanked Chief Wilson for his time and the Chief gave his assurances to Nikola that the situation would be handled and personally overseen by him.

On their way downstairs, Raul got a call from his two men informing him they found backup copies of the videos in a safe in Marcus’ apartment. They were able to easily bypass the safe’s security lock and retrieve all the videos. Raul was sure that was all the copies the man had. He’d looked into the man’s finances and found Marcus was heavily in debt to some loan sharks and was probably looking to make a payday from the videos. His team didn’t find any outside bank accounts or safety deposit boxes Marcus may have had. He’d lost any leverage he had over Devyn. Nikola nodded when Raul relayed all this information to him.

“Good.” Was all he stated as they exited City Hall. They’d taken separate cars. Raul pulled off, heading for his own office to retrieve the tapes his men found and destroy them.

“You’re going to fucking regret this,” Nikola heard from behind him. He turned to see a very pissed off Marcus. He must have chosen to wait for Nikola outside.

Nikola saw red. “I see you think you still have some leverage here. You’re done. We have all your videos – even your copies. I warned you to stay away from Devyn. You’re too fucking dumb to listen to sound advice. Stay the fuck away from her,” Nikola glared at the man.

He wanted Marcus to swing at him, just one swing, so he would have a reason to beat the living shit out of him. But Marcus’ next statement made Nikola’s control snap.

“Devyn’s not worth it. She’s a fucking whore, a bit–,” before he could finish his vile tirade, Nikola sent a quick left hook to the side of the man’s face, then grabbed him by his throat and slammed him into the brick wall behind him. Marcus struggled to breath.

“Don’t ever say her fucking name again. Don’t follow her. Don’t contact her. Don’t even fucking think about her. I’m being nice by letting you off with being fired and possibly being arrested, but you don’t want to fuck with me or what’s mine. I will end you,” Nikola tightened his grip on Marcus’ neck as a warning, before stepping back and shoving the man aside.

Nikola left him standing there, gasping for air. He had more important things to tend to, like the woman waiting at home for him.

Devyn awoke to kisses on her cheek and jawline. The familiar scent of cologne and a smell that could only be Nikola enveloped her. She smiled and reached for him before she even opened her eyes. After Nikola and Raul left, she took his advice and made a bubble bath and added some lavender scented bath salts. After she soaked, she used her favorite moisturizers, which were right where she left them as Nikola said they were. She rummaged through his drawers to find her favorite West Point t-shirt and put it on with a pair of panties that remained in the drawer he had given her in his room. She could have put on her own clothes, as she had plenty at Nikola’s but she reasoned that his were more comfortable. She had climbed into his bed and fallen asleep. 

Looking in Nikola’s eyes, she felt calmer than she had in the last week and a half. He nuzzled the side of her neck and she moaned.

“You smell good. Did you take a bath?” He asked.

“Yes. Where did you go? Did you see him?” Devyn knew Nikola was well aware of who “him” was. Devyn didn’t even want to say his name.

“I did.”

Nikola proceeded to tell her everything that happened. He reassured her that Raul cleared all the videos off Marcus’ hard drive and his team retrieved all the copies that were made. When she asked if they were sure they gotten all the copies, Nikola told her he was certain. Nikola also informed her that Marcus had hired a private investigator to follow her, which is how he knew her whereabouts for the last week. Raul had his men personally speak with the PI, and gotten all the information he had on Devyn and destroyed it.

Nikola pulled Devyn onto his lap. She sagged in relief against Nikola’s chest.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I will always protect you,” Devyn leaned into Nikola’s chest.

“I met him when I was twenty-three.” Nikola’s grip tightened, but he didn’t say anything, so she continued.

“I thought he was charming and strong, and would love me. In the beginning he was kind, sweet and attentive. I didn’t realize at the time he was a little too attentive—telling me what to wear, who to hang out with, even how to style my hair. That went on for two years. When we moved in together, he became even more possessive. If I didn’t get in from work by the time he thought I should be in, he questioned where I was or who I was with. He would accuse me of cheating on him in one breath and then say no one would want me in the next. He said I was too fat, not attractive enough. That went on for three years. One day I came home early from work and caught him in bed with another woman…in our bed, he wasn’t even sorry. He was angry at me for being home early. He was so irate he grabbed my arms and squeezed them so tight…”

“Did he hit you?” Devyn could hear the danger in Nikola’s voice. She shook her head.

“No. He pushed me against the wall and squeezed my arms while we argued. That was the day we broke up. I went and stayed with Mercedes for a few weeks until I found my own place. When I went back to the apartment we shared, I found he destroyed much of my stuff that was left. I took what I could, all the while he was berating me, and I left. I blocked his numbers, email and all social media. That was the last time I saw him until the night of the gala.” Nikola wrapped his arms even tighter around Devyn’s waist and she nuzzled his neck.

“Thank you for taking care of me and don’t tell me not to thank you. I need to say it. I just...thank you for not being him,” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and pulled back. Nikola wiped away the few tears she shed.

“Thank you for trusting me,” he said. They sat in silence for a few moments until Devyn’s stomach growled. They laughed.

“When was the last time you ate?” Nikola asked.

Devyn had to think about it. She had been so depressed over the last week, eating had been the last thing on her mind and her appetite dwindled significantly.

“Last night, I think.” She saw the concern in his eyes.

“What do you want to order?” He asked.

“How about Thai?”

Forty minutes later they sat at the dining room table and ate an assortment of Thai food, including spring rolls, shrimp pad Thai, and Tom Yum soup with chicken. Devyn sat in Nikola’s lap as they ate. It was as if he couldn’t let her go or stop touching her. After more than a week apart Devyn couldn’t get enough of touching him either. Feeling satisfied, she put her fork down and pushed her plate away.

“Done?”

“No.” Devyn shook her head.

“I’m still hungry, but not for food,” Devyn purred as she toyed with a button on his shirt.

She watched as Nikola’s eyes filled with the passion she had become so used to. Taking control, as he usually did, he brought her mouth to his for a scorching kiss. In one movement, he lifted Devyn and carried her to the bedroom. Devyn giggled as he threw her on the bed. Devyn watched as he discarded his clothing quicker than she’d ever seen before.

She eyed him as he climbed over her and kissed her forehead first, then her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her chin, and finally her mouth. Devyn lifted her hips when she felt his hands at her waist, tugging at her panties. She pulled his t-shirt over her head and flung it on the floor.

Devyn spread her legs when she felt Nikola’s shoulder nudge them apart. He positioned his face at her pussy and inhaled deeply.

“I’ve missed your scent so much,” he licked her pussy lips and made a guttural sound deep in his throat. 

Devyn threw her head back in the pillow as Nikola ate her like a starving man receiving his first meal in weeks. She thrashed her head on the pillow and called his name over and over. Before she knew it a powerful orgasm ripped through her body. She gripped the sheets tightly, as she came down from her climax. When she opened her eyes, it was to see Nikola staring down at her. She smiled, pushed him to the bed, and slid down his hips. She grabbed Nikola’s rock hard shaft and rubbed it against her pussy. They both moaned at the contact.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said before sliding down his shaft.

Devyn began riding Nikola with a sense of urgency and all the emotion she’d experienced over the past week.

“You feel…so good...baby.” Nikola panted as his fingers dug into her hips. He slid both hands up to cup her breasts and squeezed. Devyn moaned. She placed her hands over his on her breasts and continued to ride him hard.

“God, Devyn, I love you so much,” Devyn paused at his admission.

Her racing heart sped up even more as she looked in his eyes. Nikola smacked her ass.

“Keep going,” he commanded.

Devyn smiled. “Say it again.”

“I love you.” He repeated the words over and over as Devyn rode him, bringing them both to climax. Devyn collapsed onto his chest breathing heavily. She climbed off of him and laid her head on his sweaty chest. He wrapped his arm protectively around her.

She looked up at Nikola, saying, “It doesn’t count, ya know.”

“What doesn’t count?”

“You can’t tell me you love me while we’re having sex.

He glared at her. “Is that right?”

“Yes, you have to say it again tomorrow with a clear head for it to count.”

He squeezed her butt. “Okay,” was all he said before putting his head down and snuggling her even closer to his chest.

They both took off work the next day. They went out to breakfast the following morning. When Devyn’s order arrived, the words “I LOVE YOU” were spelled out in her favorite strawberry syrup over her pancakes. She looked at Nikola who wore a dazzling smile.

“Does this one count?”

“Yes,” she grinned and nodded. For the rest of the day, Nikola couldn’t tell her he loved her enough. Devyn knew she felt the same, but held back. The best part was he didn’t seem to expect her to say it back. He allowed her the time to come to grips with the magnitude of the feelings she had for him. He gave his love freely and asked for only her in return. Devyn knew he owned every ounce of her heart.