Hazards on the Hardwood (Hazards and Hijinks) (10 page)

19

Nicholas had busied himself lately by creating different scenarios inside his mind about the news he’d received from Landon Mills. He played it over and over wondering what he could do to help. Sasha and her sister were in danger. He had said his morning prayers and was ready to assist in some way. The baby girl was in extreme danger. If this sneaky Willie character decided to snatch the little girl, who would there be to save her? How would the police go about finding her? New York was a huge city; too many places to hide; and stay hidden for a lengthy amount of time.

How could Nicholas involve himself and still have time to preach and practice for the Lakeside Dance Competition. He had a lot in the “offering plate” today.

Nicholas decided to call Caroline and see if she would be able to help in some small way. She was clueless most of the time to other’s conditions. He was banking on her heart swaying toward assistance either financially or by providing some other form of help to Sasha and her family.

“Hello.” Caroline sounded a little preoccupied.

“Caroline it’s me, Nicholas. Got a minute? I need to run something past you.” He sounded a little anxious. Caroline picked up on it.

“What is it, Nicholas? I’m due at the hair salon in a half an hour. You always seem to catch me when I’ve got plans.”

“I was wondering if there’s a good time for me to drop by and talk to you about something very important.” He was praying she would hear the urgency in his voice.

“Yes, I will be home this evening around five. By-the-way, since I’ve got you on the phone, do you think we could carve out a little practice session? Whatever this matter concerns, it better be really important.” She dismissed him just like that and ended the call.

“She could be so darn stubborn when she had a mind to.” Nicholas was more than a little put out by her terse response.

He fidgeted around for a moment, putting his phone down; he searched for the Lakeside Dance Competition entry form. He had kept a copy for reference, already paid the fee. He needed to drop off his tuxedo at the dry cleaners, before the competition.

Nicholas headed out the door of his apartment, realizing he still had to finish his sermon for Sunday.  He walked to the elevator and started humming as he entered, creating his own “elevator music.”

The door opened into the lobby and he jaunted out the front entrance. The people scurried around him as if he was invisible. It always amazed him that while he lived in such a large city with a teeming population and he could still walk in the local Starbucks and see people he knew. He smiled at the thought. If he timed it just right, today he might see Taffy. She was by far his favorite barista and she was also one of the competitors he enjoyed seeing at competitions.

He walked in Starbucks and Taffy greeted him with a big pleasant “Hello” and it made his day. Taffy was sweet. She always cheered him up. It wasn’t that Caroline wasn’t cheerful, but when she was, it usually involved spending large amounts of money on very frivolous things.

Nicholas didn’t care one bit about fancy clothes, shoes or other designer goods. He was a simple man with simple needs. Taffy appeared to be a lady of integrity, a hard worker and wasn’t hard on the eyes, either.

“Hello Taffy. It’s always good to see your smiling face when I walk in here.” He had a definite attraction to her. Then he thought, “I really shouldn’t act too eager, she might still be that French guy, Francois, her dance partner. He also might be her boyfriend.  It’s best I don’t interfere.” He shook himself back to the current moment.

“Nicholas, how have you been? I was just thinking about you a couple of days ago. I’ve been talking with my friend, Sasha O’Neill, do you remember her?” These words from Taffy struck a chord.

“Yes I know Sasha. She participated in several of the same dance competitions. As a matter of fact, I talked to her recently. She said their family is going through some difficulty with her sister’s ex-husband. Seems the sister’s ex is a bit of a small time gambler from Vegas and he’s threatening to take their baby daughter away from her. Is all that true? He looked back at Taffy.

“Yes Nicholas. I have talked to Sasha and it’s not a pretty situation. She’s found a lawyer and I believe he will be able to help them tremendously. It is tragic to see someone have to basically run for their lives when a determined ex is in the picture. How about that cup of coffee and I’ll try to take a break and visit when things slow down. Can you stick around for a while?”

“Sure Taffy. Here’s my phone number.” Nicholas handed a card to Taffy.  “If you feel comfortable, it would be more private and we could discuss Sasha’s situation further. You sure Francois won’t mind you talking with a preacher?”

“Of course not! Francois isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just my dance partner. He really has no idea what a genuine relationship is. So I just tolerate him and all his drama.”

She was off to take care of the caffeine-starved customers once more. Nicholas chuckled as he watched her work. He’d never really paid that much attention to Taffy but now he was fascinated; and Francois was just a dancing partner…much like Caroline to him!

As he sat there waiting for Taffy to return, he thought it might be a nice idea to ask her out to dinner at a local restaurant. He wanted the opportunity to sit down and really get to know her.

Taffy had a free moment and walked back to Nicholas’ table and quietly asked, “Nicholas I hope I’m not being too forward but didn’t I see you with a beautiful lady named Caroline at the last competition? She was exquisite! Are you two, if I may be so bold, dating?” She had a light blush to her cheek as she asked the question.

“Caroline is my dance partner. We are not in a relationship. She’s caught up in the realm of material things that require money and lots of it! Everything in Caroline’s world begins and ends with a price tag. She is a lovely dancer and has always been agreeable to dance with me. So it works.”

Taffy’s heart jumped a bit as she processed the conversation. Nicholas was a really nice guy.

“Taffy would you like to have dinner sometime with a poor lowly preacher man?” He laughed at his description of himself.

“Nicholas I would be delighted! I have some practice sessions lined up with Francois this week but I’m sure we can “dance” around those!” She giggled.

“I look forward to spending some time with you.”

Taffy quickly wrote down her number and gave it to Nicholas.

“I’ll give you a call later on this week. Also, if you hear anything about Sasha, please don’t hesitate to phone me. I would like to help in some way.” Nicholas was pleased that he’d mustered up enough courage to not only, chat with Taffy, but to exchange phone numbers; a really big step for him.

He had a huge smile on his face and stuck Taffy’s number in his wallet. “I must get going. I have to write some sermon notes for Sunday. I will call you soon.” He got up, smiled and out the door he went.

She was smiling and thinking about Nicholas and what a nice fellow he was. Taffy was going out with a “preacher man.” The thought made her heart thump a bit.

“Now back to work.” She headed back to the counter. Customers were lined up shouting their orders at the other baristas. Today was going to be a crazy busy day!

After work, Taffy headed home. She would need to talk to Francois about a dance practice session. “Ugh! I hate to bother his French highness!”

It started to mist as she arrived home; another rainy evening. She could live with that.

Reaching inside her purse she grabbed her key and let herself into her cozy apartment. With its homey surroundings, she was thankful for comfort. Freshly bought flowers in ceramic vases brought additional beauty to her space; their fragrance greeting her. Framed pictures of her family and friends adorned the walls and shelves. There were fluffy pillows scattered on her plush sofa. Deep reds and oranges suggested warmth and a feeling of peace.

Something suddenly tugged at Taffy’s heart…Nicholas. What was it about him that stirred her inside? “He is just a man.” She thought.

She walked into her bedroom, a haven of gray and turquoise. Plants on shelves provided greenery and an outdoor feel to the room. Her dresser displayed small antiqued picture frames with more family photos. To the side, her walk-in closet stood.  It was suitable for her modest needs. She didn’t have a lot of clothes; separates mostly. She “mixed and matched” a great deal. Economy was the order of the day. There wasn’t a great deal of financial freedom in her life yet. However, she hoped that one day her financial status might change for the better. She was proud that she was such a hard worker. For her, nothing came easy. Every dollar earned was important.

Staring at her open closet she realized she hadn’t seen about ordering a gown yet. It would have to be in an acceptable price range. She’d gotten her paycheck for the two modeling assignments and it was more than she’d hoped for but she still had to be frugal and not go out of her budget.

Shoes were also a concern. Prices of good dance shoes were upwards of one-to-two hundred dollars and more. She closed the closet door and reached for her purse to find her calculator.

Taffy was figuring out her budget when her phone rang.

“Taffy, this is Sasha.” Her voice sounded agitated.

“Sasha what is wrong?” Taffy could hear worry in Sasha’s voice.

“I think that Willie might be in hiding which could be an issue with finding him and serving him the restraining order. He hasn’t shown up outside my apartment the last couple of days. Maybe he’s got one of his gangster buddies to do it for him while he hides.” Sasha was talking in a frantic tone.

“Sasha what do you want me to do? Let me know and I’ll definitely do it! Just name it!” Taffy was loyal to her friends. She would do whatever she could for Sasha and Sophie. And little Zoe, too!

“There’s nothing we can do until Willie is found and the papers are served. We just need to keep a watchful eye out for the snake. The options for hiding in this city are endless. He could be anywhere; even right under our very noses!”

Taffy could hear Zoe crying in the background. “Is the baby okay? I hear her crying.”

“Yes, she’s fine. She probably can sense the tension around our apartment. We’ve been on our guard for a week now. Getting tired of being stuck in here.” Sasha sounded a little fatigued.

“Well if you need me to come over for a bit while you and Sophie go out, I’d be glad to do it.”

“No not right now. But thanks, Taffy. I appreciate your willingness to free us from our confinement.”

“Well give me a call if you change your mind, Sasha. I’ll hop on over. I have finished my shift for the day so I’m free to help in whatever way you want me to.”

“Thanks. I’ll call you if there’s any change in the situation with Willie. Surely they will find him shortly. It’s driving us crazy knowing he’s out there sneaking around.” Sasha ended the call and went to the kitchen to start dinner.

With Willie in hiding, Sophie was even more watchful with Zoe. She kept pulling the curtains back and looking across the street. There weren’t any people except for pet owners walking their dogs or those with places to go. No one suspicious seemed to be lurking around. Then she saw it…a white Suburban parked down the road.  She could see there were two people in the front seat. It close to dusk so it was only shadows that were visible. “Sasha please come here. There’s something I want you to see.”

“What is it Sophie?”

“Look down the street…over there. The white Suburban. Do you think it’s some of Willie’s gangster buddies watching us?” Her voice was becoming shakier.

“Oh my! I think you’re right. I’ve not seen that SUV parked there before.” Sasha was tossing thoughts of what to do around in her brain.

“Sophie we must call the cops immediately. Let them handle this. They can at least, question the guys and see what they’re up to. Maybe they’ll be asked to leave if they don’t have a good reason for parking there. We’re onto them now!”

“Yes Sasha let’s call the police now!”

Sasha got her phone and called the local police. They said they’d send a squad car out as soon as they could. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“The cops are on their way, Sophie. They should be here shortly.”

“Oh thank God! I’m so scared Sasha. I’ve never had to live like this before; afraid to go out, afraid to move. It’s downright terrible.”

Ten minutes later as they peeked out their window they saw a cop car come up the street with lights flashing but no siren. The officers pulled up next to the SUV and confronted the people in the car.

Sasha wished she could hear what was going on. It was hard to see what was taking place as it had turned dark now and the lights on the street did little to help.

Soon after that, another police car pulled up on the other side of the Suburban. Things seemed to be “heating up.” Evidently the men in the car had definitely done something against the law. The officers had them exit their car and stand by the front of the vehicle. It was starting to draw a crowd. Flashlights in the hands of the cops were pointed at the men. They were dressed in hoodies and their faces were somewhat hidden from view. The cops turned both guys around and frisked them from head to foot. That much Sasha and Sophie could see from their window. This was like some kind of television reality show!