Restoring Hope (32 page)

Nic turned and looked at Hope’s sleeping form, the images of their passionate sex the night before, still fresh in his mind. It shocked him how much he craved her, wanted her, and loved her in such a short amount of time. A little over a month had passed since that night in the garden, and it felt like he’d known her forever. He was that comfortable and in tune with her, and sensed her moods and how to comfort her as if he’d been married to her for years. She’d fit right in with his parents too, like she’d known them for forever, and both his parents had loved her on the spot.

When God closes one door, he opens another his mother had always said, and as near as he could see, this was God’s way of opening another door for them both. He knew they both had issues to overcome, Hope more than him, but he figured they could overcome just about anything together.

Turning onto Royal, Nic pulled in front of his condo and turned off the Jeep. Hope’s tiny body was resting against the door, so he leaned in and placed a kiss to her neck, waking her.

“We’re home, angel,” Nic whispered into her ear. Hope stretched and looked around them, surprise on her face that she’d slept the whole way.

“Bed,” she mumbled as her head lolled to the side landing on his shoulder. Nic kissed her head, then got out of the Jeep, walked to her side and opened the door. She stumbled out, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked to the stairs. When they reached the bottom, he bent down and picked her up, carrying her to the top and then placing her on her feet as he fumbled with his keys. Once inside, Hope stripped her clothes as she made her way to the bedroom, Nic chuckled at her as he picked up each article of clothing as he followed. When he rounded the door to their room, he found Hope lying face down, naked on top of the covers. Being the kind of man that he was, he decided she’d slept long enough in the car and stripped himself bare, climbed on the bed, and ended the day on a very high note.

Nic smoothed the hair from Hope's neck and kissed her gently as he leaned in to say goodbye. He had a million meetings scheduled for that day and had to be in the office early. Since he’d called Rose and told her he was whisking Hope off for a few days to take her mind off John Cummings, Hope had to work today, and he wouldn’t see her until tonight. Wanting to see the sky-blue of her eyes before he left, he kept kissing and nipping her neck, his second favorite part of her body, until she opened her eyes.

“Hey,” Hope mumbled her eyes blinking open.

“Hey yourself, sleepyhead, you feelin’ ok? You seemed to be worn out.

“Yeah, just tired. All the excitement of the past few weeks is catching up with me that’s all.”

“I’ll try and leave your body alone so you can get some sleep,” Nic replied as he nipped her neck, “Tomorrow,” he finished as his hand made its way up her leg.

“Don’t you have work?” Hope giggled, batting at his hand.

“Mmm,” he mumbled his mouth still nipping at that damn spot on her neck; it was like a siren’s song calling to him whenever he got near it.

“Nic, work,” Hope husked out a little turned on, but knew he needed to leave.

“Right, leaving,” he whispered, and then kissed her, but she’d ended the kiss before it set fire to something he couldn't finish. Nic put his forehead to hers, closed his eyes and mumbled, “Later, angel,” then he stood and walked out of the bedroom, turning once and smiling at her before she heard him exit the condo.

Leaning back and staring at the ceiling, she knew she needed to get up and take a shower so she could run errands before work. So, she crawled out of bed, and hit the shower, worrying at her lip the whole time. She'd been so happy these past two days, but this constant threat hanging over her head was making her sick. She needed John out of her life so she could protect those she loved and her second chance at happiness.

Knee deep in blueprints, Nic reached for his ringing cell and saw “Hope calling.” Smiling at the much-needed distraction, he swiped the screen.

“You’re just the distraction I needed.”

“Nic,” Hope shouted then rambled, “I couldn’t find one of my shoes, and I went downstairs to my condo to look for it and it’s destroyed.”

“Your shoe is destroyed?”

“The condo. Oh, God, he’s here, he’s found me hasn’t he?”

“Where are you?” Nic asked as he grabbed his keys heading for the door.”

“Upstairs, I locked myself in when I saw the mess.”

“Call 911 I’m on my way. Don’t open the door to anyone but me or the police, do you understand?”

“Okay, I’m setting the alarm. I’ll see you when you get here.”

“See you in ten, angel,” Nic replied quickly and then ended the call.

When he arrived ten minutes later, the police were there, so he stepped inside his downstairs condo and his jaw tightened at what he saw. Anything that could be had been destroyed. A crowbar he’d kept in a closet lay on the floor and used on the walls. There were so many damn holes it would be easier to tear the sheetrock off and start over. The words cunt, whore and bitch had been painted on the walls with leftover paint, and a chill ran through him. Needing to see Hope with his own eyes, he flew through the door and rushed up the stairs to find the door ajar. He pushed through the door shouting “Hope,” and found the condo empty. Intense fear the likes he hadn’t felt since Chelsea disappeared threatened to paralyze him until he heard Hope’s soft voice on the stairs calling, “Nic are you up there?”

He was so relieved to hear her voice he didn’t check himself before responding, and when he made it to the top of the stairs and looked down at her beautiful face he shouted, “I told you to stay inside till I got here.” Hope’s face fell for a second then she narrowed her eyes and snapped back “You told me not to answer the door to anyone but you or the police, the police got here before you, so I answered it.”

As he made his way down the stairs, his heart still beating too fast, he could tell she was pissed. The officer standing next to her cleared his throat and stepped to the side as Nic got to the bottom step and looked down on her. He put both hands on his hips, she put hers on her own, and they both held the other’s eyes. Shaking his head, he broke the stare first, mumbling “Stubborn woman,” as his hand snaked out, grabbed her at the neck and kissed her.

“You scared the shit out of me when you weren’t in the condo,” Nic mumbled against her lips. Realizing he was worried when he couldn’t find her, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.

“Sorry, I was around back with the police.”

“They find anything?”

“No, but they think it’s some kids who’ve been vandalizing in the area. They were one block over when I called and got here two minutes later.”

“How’d they get in?” Hope flinched and then took a deep breath.

“I kinda forgot to close the window in the bathroom.”

Nic chuckled at first and then he threw back his head and laughed. Twenty minutes ago he thought John Cummings was in town, five minutes ago he thought she was gone, so he figured laugh now or put her over his knee—but the way he was feeling it would be both.

Chapter Twenty-Five

There were days in Nic’s life if he'd looked back at them and really thought about them, he’d have known there was a sign of things to come. A forewarning in his mind that told him it was going to be a life-altering day. The day Chelsea died, before he got a phone call saying that she had escaped from the rehab facility, he’d woken with tightness in his chest. He’d ignored it, waved it off as stress and gone about his day. Today was the same.

The day before the police had assured him the damage to his condo was vandalism and that kids were responsible, so he’d accepted their conclusion and let Hope drive herself to work. This morning when he woke, he’d had the same tightness in his chest as he did the day Chelsea had died and he should have listened, should have taken better precautions than he did.

Since they’d heard John had disappeared, he’d been insistent Hope not leave the condo without him except for work. He’d made her call when she left for work and call when she arrived. He’d gotten an eye roll from her, but she complied on the threat of retribution. Though, to his estimation, she enjoyed his punishment. He was thinking about that punishment with a smile on his face when his cell rang. He was trying to finish his day and get to The Bayou for a meal and visit with Hope, so he grabbed the phone without looking at the caller ID assuming it was Hope.

“Beuve,” Nic answered as he stuffed papers into his briefcase.

“You got dat’ girl in your bed?”

“What?” Nic answered but paused his actions as Rose repeated her question.

“You need to let Hope outta’ your bed, I got food dat’ needs cookin’.”

“Rosie, are you saying Hope isn’t at work?” Nic asked.

There was a pause on the line and then she shouted “T-Hope not wit’ you?” The tightness in his chest doubled, and he absentmindedly rubbed his chest as he looked at the clock.

“She was supposed to be there at four,” Nic snapped as he grabbed his keys and started walking towards the door. He’d missed the fact she hadn’t called to say she was leaving for work.

“I know what time she supposed to be here, da’ question is, where
is
she,
mon ami
?” Rose shouted with panic in her voice.

Nic had the phone to his ear as he hit the stairs, not wanting to wait on the elevator. He traveled down the three flights quickly, and burst through the exit to the parking lot heading to his car. Rose had yelled in his ear the whole way to the bottom, and once she stopped her rant, he told her “I’m heading to the condo to check. Call me if she shows up.”

He didn’t wait for a reply, just hung up on her as he lowered his large frame into his Mercedes and headed towards his home. He dialed Hope’s cell, but it went straight to voicemail. Then shouted, “Fuck,” as he got stuck in a traffic jam. The knot tightened more as he pulled in front of the condo, and her Jeep wasn’t there. He hit redial on her number as he ran up the stairs hoping she’d left a note of some kind, but found nothing when he searched.
Where the fuck was she?
Grabbing his phone
Nic called Rose back, and she answered immediately.

“Tell me you found her,” Rose shouted.

“She’s not at the condo.”

“Call da’ police.”

“And tell them what? That she’s late for work?”

“Tell dem’ dere’ a madman on da’ loose and she can’t be found.” Nic tightened his jaw at the thought of that sonofabitch and answered, “Right, on it.”