Chapter 7:

After another hour of waiting in the interrogation room Rae was released with an officer who was at least three times bigger than her. He took her back to the hotel where she packed and was moved to a new room three floors down.

By the time she was showered and changed it was only thirty minutes until the book signing that was suppose to run for three hours with all the author's present. The cop escorted her down to the convention floor and to meet her manager who didn't look shaken after that morning. Cooper apparently had nerves of steel as he assured her that everything was going to be fine. Of course he knew about he last crazy fan to step forward, he was the one who sorted her fan mail so she didn't have to read anything about that time, or something similar. Cooper was a good manager.

Now the middle aged man guided Rae and her tan shadow to their spot in the chaos. As she sat down at the graphic novel booth she could see the already growing line form eagerly with fans. Then the event began. Handshaking, book signing, brief kind words exchanged. The three hours seemed to be never ending, but as the time whittled away the crowds moved on and Rae was able to step away to get some water and a snack before returning to her spot.

Cooper was chatting with the other managers and publishers when she returned. No fans left waiting for her, but there was a small envelope with her real name on it. Her heart froze in her chest as she lifted it and opened it only to drop it with a weak scream.

"What?" Cooper asked rushing to her side with the cop.

"I want to leave," Rae demanded.

The officer lifted the paper and envelope as he reached for his radio. Rae saw his forehead crease as he saw what was on the small square.

I AM GOD. You will pay! was scrawled across a picture of Rae at an interview weeks ago.

Cooper peeked over the cop's shoulder and nodded when he saw it. "Yeah, we're gonna go," he agreed.

The officer radioed in the situation, and his captain had him bring Rae back to the station while the lab sent out someone to investigate the scene. Cooper tagged along, though shortly after their arrival he disappeared with Catherine to discuss the weirder of Rae's fan letters, leaving Rae sitting in a hall with her new bodyguard standing close by.

Rae held her face in her hands as she leaned her elbows on her knees trying to settle her jittering nerves. Her heart was still pounding, legs shaking and her hangover still in full swing. Groaning Rae pulled out her phone hoping to distract herself by going through her messages and organizing whatever she could.

"No way," she mouthed to herself.

She was checking her call history and her eyes zeroed in on a call she made last night, one to a Nick Stokes around midnight. The call lasted just under seven minutes, and Rae had no memory of the call in the slightest. What had her drunken self said? What did Nick say?

Rae groaned again as she dumped her phone into her purse. Worse work trip ever!

"Hey Liberty."

Rae looked up to see Nick walking her way with a tense expression. She gave a small head nod back as he stopped next to her. Nick glanced over at the cop hovering in the hall.

"It's fine Johnson, go take a break," Nick said as he took the seat next to Rae.

Johnson nodded and stepped away.

"How's the investigation going?" Rae asked.

"Catherine's working with a few leads," he answered.

"So you have no suspects," Rae huffed.

"Not yet," he nodded.

Rae flicked her hair out of her face as she stared down at her brown boots. Left leg nervously bouncing as she hugged her elbows.

"Nick, I write fiction about an angsty spy, I'm not a god," she sniffled. "I don't pretend to be one, so why do things like this keep happening?"

Nick's hand landed between her shoulder blades trying to sooth away her fear, but all it did was earn him a muffled sob.

"It's not you Liberty. It's the people out there, these are their choices, and I'm not going to let them hurt you. Not again," Nick swore.

Rae looked up at him with tears trickling down her cheeks. Her blue eyes red and puff, her auburn curly hair a twisted wispy mess from her constantly running her hands through it.

"I called you last night," she sniffled.

Nick slowly removed his hand from her back, straightening his spine as he shifted in his seat. Rae didn't like his reaction, she definitely said something she was about to regret.

"Liberty, we should talk about that later. I have to get back to the lab," Nick said getting to his feet.

"Uh, sure," Rae mumbled.

"Stay with Johnson until we find this guy," he added before leaving.

"No duh," she said.

As Nick made his way down the hall Rae could hear a stifled chuckle that caused a smile to quirk the corner of her mouth.

"Um, thanks for letting me stay here," Rae said as she stepped out of the bathroom. She was running a towel over her hair as she made her way to the couch in Nick's living room.

When Rae was on her way back to her new hotel room a call came in on the radio that someone had broken in to it and the cops had made an arrest. Yet they were convinced there was still another partner, so Rae was moved out of the hotel and Nick offered his place as a safe house. Now Nick was on his laptop in the kitchen staying in contact with his team while Rae curled up on the couch drying her hair with the towel.

"It's no problem," Nick said.

"I like the new place. Spacious," Rae commented.

"Yeah, it's practical," he said.

The awkwardness palatable between them. What had Rae said during that phone call? She had spent the entirety of her long shower trying to recollect that night, but everything after her third jack and coke was blank.

Dropping her damp towel on the arm of the couch Rae stood and walked around the corner into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Once her cup was filled she sat in the chair across from Nick, watching his face crease with stress.

Glancing over the top of his computer, hazel eyes curious, Nick asked, "What?"

Tightening her hold on the glass Rae suppressed the angry butterflies in her core as she pulled her legs under her.

"What did I say last night?" she inquired.

Nick's brows shot up in surprise as Rae's face heated with the impending embarrassment. He closed his laptop like he was preparing for a serious conversation, one that Rae wasn't sure she was ready for.

"You don't remember?" he questioned.

"No, I drank a lot," she shook her head.

"Then does it really matter? Drunken ramblings don't exactly count," Nick said.

"Depends on what I said. Was it gibberish, or do I have to apologize?" Rae replied.

Nick leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh as their gazes locked. The warm glow of sun kissed earth against the cool spring time azure sky.

"Nah, nah," Nick said softly. His southern accent breaking through. "Liberty you said, "I love you,"" he stated. "Along with some examples, but you repeated that several times."

"Oh," Rae uttered.

She fidgeted in her seat as she tapped her thumbs against her glass unable to look away from him.

"And what did you say in return?' she inquired.

Nick smirked as he said, "You didn't give me the chance. You hung up right when your rant ended."

Rae pinched her bottom lip between her teeth as she judged his story, but it sounded too much like what she would do to be false.

"What would you have said if I hadn't been a child?" she asked.

Tilting his head Nick said," Liberty do you really want to get into this now?"

"I do," she nodded. "I'm back in Vegas so I might as well finish what I started six years ago."

Nick leaned forward arching a brow while Rae's pulse increased. This hadn't been how she planned to spend the night, but with all the adrenaline that had passed through her that day Rae felt like taking a risk. One last plunge to sort out the last few 'what ifs' in her life. The maybes dating all the way back to high school, it was time to put them to bed.

"Nick I'm completely sober this time, and I really mean it when I say, I love you," Rae announced.

Everything was silent, Rae, Nick, the house around them. At first neither of them moved, but after a few brutal seconds Rae stood leaving the stunned Nick behind, or at least she tried. When she stepped around him his hand shot out and grabbed Rae's wrist stopping her. Her heart leapt as she dared a glance back at him, and was pleasantly rewarded when she did.

Nick's expression sent a whirl through Rae, her heart racing and her stomach doing anxiously excited flips. His gaze stayed on her as he stood his hand lingering on her wrist as he moved closer.

"N-Nick?" she questioned.

His other hand rose to caress her cheek with large warm fingers. Rae leaned into his palm as she waited for his response, worry starting to form in her gut.

"Me too. I mean I love you too," Nick said from the back of his throat. It was deep and raspy, it was a side of Nick Rae had never seen.

Rae placed her hands against his chest as she chortled a cry. Her forehead joined her hands as a happy sob escaped her. Nick's arms wound around her, holding Rae to him as another sob shook her. It was the happiest and most relieved Rae had felt since the positive review she got when she made her identity known to the public.

Lifting her head so she was gazing up at him her fingers knotted in his cotton shirt, the concern of someone hunting her temporarily pushed aside. There was an unspoken agreement that passed between them before their mouths clashed together like swords in combat. The embrace held a sort of desperation as the two adults stumbled out of the kitchen and through the hall to Nick's bedroom. Rae was in the middle of undoing his belt as she shuffled backwards to the bed, but it was closer than she thought. She fell back onto the mattress with a laugh while Nick finished her work on his pants.

When he was left only in his boxer-briefs Nick joined Rae on the bed hovering over her with a crooked smile. Rae placed her hands on either side of his face tracing the line of his jaw to the curve of his mouth with her fingers while Nick had a hand brushing the hair out of her face. Rae pulled them together engaging in another long kiss that only took them further.

Hours later, the after glow already fading, and Rae peacefully asleep on Nick's shoulder. Nick on the other hand was still awake, arm around Rae's waist and mind still on the case. She may have been right next to him even with him now, but she still wasn't safe until the stalking psychopath was caught.

On the floor Nick heard his phone buzz in his jeans. Carefully Nick rolled Rae onto the other half of the bed then crawled free and grabbed his cellphone and pants. He waited until until he was out of the bedroom to answer it, pants back on.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey Nick, how are things going?" Sara asked.

"Fine. How's the case? Any new leads?" Nick replied. He was walking back to the kitchen to check his laptop.

"Yes. Ramona Walter; Ray compared her handwriting from the threats to the hate mail Liberty received, and they match. Police are out looking for her now," Sara explained.

"Good," Nick sighed.

Just as Nick began to lean back in his chair and Sara started asking a new, more personal question there was a loud rustle around the backside of the house. Nick shushed Sara as he pulled the phone away from his ear to listen for the noise again.

From the phone Sara called, "Nick? Nick, what's going on?"

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