Disclaimer: See chapter 8
Disclaimer 2: Small shootout to Castle. If there is crime in NYC, Beckett and Castle would be on the case. They are only visiting and won't return. I don't own them either, but like to let them in on the action.
Rating: PG – 13 for mention of violence
Pairing: Nico/Dani
Beta: Olfactory-Ventriloquism – thank you for all the help. Any errors that are still here are mine.
Note: I've given The Hawks' stadium/practice field/compound the name The Woodlands. It is because NR is based on The Jets who play at The Medowlands and because hawks hunt in wooded areas (woodlands). The name will appear from time to time.
Ch. 10 – The Voices Of Reason We Forgot
By
Lattelady
Trying to live and love,
With a heart that can't be broken,
Is like trying to see the light with eyes that can't be opened.
Yeah, we both carry baggage,
We picked up on our way, so if you love me do it gently,
And I will do the same. – From the song Glass
4:30 AM – Saturday January 14, 2012 – one week since TK was shot
The acrid scent of a spent fire tickled Nico's nose. He turned over restlessly, trying to escape what he knew came next, but he wasn't quick enough. Distant weapon's fire echoed through his sleep. He heard men, women, and children screaming as they died. The huts around the mission hospital were no protection from bullets, machetes, and enraged soldiers. Their intel had been faulty. His team had arrived too late. A well-planned and organized rescue mission had dissolved into a clusterfuck.
He gripped his rifle and sighted through his scope at the carnage that was taking place below him. Hundreds of rebels took revenge on the infidel and her followers.
"Do it, Careles." Pittman's voice was a harsh whisper beside him. "Take the damn shot, or not, but we gotta regroup. Dying is one thing, but useless dyin' is no way to go out."
It was too late for the graying, female, medical missionary, whom they had been sent to evacuate before the tiny country burst into revolution. A huge man was slowly stabbing her while his compatriots held her down. His knife rose and fell to the sound of the woman's screams, as he sliced into her pale skin, careful to hit only non-vital areas.
Nico concentrated on his heart rate, his timing had to be perfect. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His finger caressed the trigger, and he pulled gently once…a thousand feet away, the woman crumpled and was silent. He resighted and got off a second shot. Her tormentor's head shattered into a mist of blood and bone. It had all happened in less than three seconds. The men around the dead woman reached for their weapons and exploded in anger. They had been deprived of their entertainment and their leader; someone had to pay.
The little village had already been under attack when they arrived, the civilians were being slaughtered. The SEALs had been ordered to take extreme care when dealing with indigenous personal. Command preferred this mission be rescue only. That all changed when Nico fired. The men around him took their cue from him and rained weapons' fire and explosives down on the frenzied mob that was coming their way, but they were out-numbered and fifty klicks from their extraction point. There was going to be hell to pay.
The quick staccato vibration of plastic on wood pulled Nico out of his nightmare. He gulped in air and quickly wiped sweat from his brow. Moments, later he reached for his cell with one hand and his Glock with the other. Just in case….just in case, his mind repeated the warning.
"Careles," he answered. His voice was as calm, as if he were sitting at his desk in the basement of the Woodlands, though his hands were shaking.
"Boss, it's Tony." The older man's words were hushed so he wouldn't be overheard. "Sorry to wake ya."
"What have you got?" It cost the dark haired man to sound normal, contained, and in control, but it was what he did. It was how he kept himself sane when the memories returned.
"It's not good. Got a tip yesterday that there might be trouble at Danny Martello's, been staking out his condo ever since. About five minutes ago Solstice's night manager went up and came out puking up his guts. Damn, the cops just arrived…in force." Tony glared from his doorway-hiding place. "Gotta make myself scarce. I'll get back to you when I have something solid."
"Shit!" Careles muttered succinctly and leaned back against the couch in Dani Santino's living room. He looked toward the fireplace and the last of the dying embers from the fire they'd had the night before. The scent had been his trigger. It was what caused his sleeping mind to spiral into the past. "Jesus." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His weapon and cell gripped tightly in each hand, unwilling to let go of either until his mind cleared. He'd thought he'd left that problem behind years ago. Fireplaces had never given him an issue before. Hell, he used his regularly in the winter.
Stretching, he stood and headed for the shower off the kitchen. He had bigger worries than a few old dreams. If he were a betting man, he'd lay odds that Martello was dead. Tony's call had complicated his day tenfold.
After his shower, he inspected his image in the mirror over the sink. He picked up his razor and neatly shaved away his usual stubble. Nico was almost positive that before the day was over, he was going to have a visit from the cops. It helped to appear clean cut. If things were as bad as he suspected, he'd be near the top of New York finest's list of people of interest. He'd seen Martello on Thursday and had been looking for him on Friday. Yes, he was going to be questioned. Shit!
He dressed quickly in his last clean shirt, a dark green button down, and pulled on his black jeans. With luck, Dr. Santino would be awake soon. He would be out of there as soon as Ben Tiller arrived. Hopefully, Tony would have more information before that. He didn't want Dani hearing about Martello on the news, if it was as bad as he suspected.
Dani came into the kitchen in jeans and her over-sized Hawks sweatshirt. Her hair was drying in damp tangles around her shoulders. This morning, she'd showered and put on a light touch of make-up, before facing her houseguest. It almost made her feel human, again.
"'Morning." She yawned. "How'd you sleep?" She smiled, pleased that last night she'd slept in her own bed, without any dreams coming to haunt her. Nico made her feel safe, even if he'd insisted on the couch instead of the guestroom. At least this time she'd given him bed linens, a pillow, and a blanket. He didn't have to make do with a throw cushion and his raincoat.
"Fine." He figured it was the truth. His sleep had been uninterrupted until he'd been woken from his nightmare.
"Thanks for making coffee." She poured some into the mug he'd left for her beside the machine. "What are you making?"
"Breakfast." He chopped onions and went on to red peppers and mushrooms.
"You handle that knife like a pro." She stood beside his shoulder, amazed at how fast he cut up vegetables into neat even slices. "Oh yeah, you said something about working at a salad bar?" She was fishing, and they both knew it, but it got her nowhere.
He shrugged, letting her form her own conclusions. He'd gotten his skill with a knife at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. He could do lots of things with it; chop veggies, dress game, filet a trout, or a person. His hand faltered, and he fought the pictures from his dream. He'd told himself he had only been trying to ease the woman's suffering, but it didn't work. It never had. Death was death, and he had delivered it, not only to the medical missionary, but to his team, as well. Only Pittman and he had survived to get to the LZ, and he had been unconscious. Just because he was standing in a nice suburban lady's kitchen, cooking her breakfast didn't change a thing. He could kill as efficiently with a blade, a side arm, or rifle. In fact, he didn't think there was a household tool that he couldn't use to…"
"Nico?" Dani had been speaking his name, but he'd been far away.
"Onions," he whispered as his voice cracked, though the onions had been chopped a while ago. His mind had drifted to a different life, a different man, at least he hoped he was different.
"Okay," she nodded, willing to accept his excuse for the moment. He'd given her space when she needed it. He deserved the same. "You want toast or an English muffin?"
"What have ya got to put on it besides butter?" He put the vegetables into the sauté pan with some olive oil and began breaking eggs into a bowl. He didn't bother asking her how many she wanted. He was feeding her at least two.
"Honey, cinnamon sugar, and black raspberry jam." She looked in the fridge to be sure the kids hadn't finished up the last of the jam. "Ooops, I had black raspberry jam. One of the kids put the jar away empty." She grimaced, unsure if she should be pleased Ray Jay or Lindsey had remembered to put the thing away or upset because they hadn't bothered to check to see that it was empty.
"Still, a tough choice," he grunted and added some seasoning to the eggs and began beating them with a wire whisk, until they were foamy. "You willing to share? We could split two muffins. Put honey on one and cinnamon sugar on the other. That way we each get both."
"It sounds like a plan." Dani separated the muffins and put them in the toaster. She quickly set the center island for two and poured orange juice. It was nice to have help in the kitchen. She brushed the thought aside, knowing this would never happen again.
A few minutes later, they were eating companionability across from one another.
"Mmmm, that's good." Dani took another bite of her omelet.
"It's the dill that makes the difference." He watched to be sure she was eating and not pushing her eggs around her plate. The night before, they'd picked up Ethiopian food and they'd had a floor picnic in front of the fire. She'd relaxed considerably, as dinner had progressed, but it hadn't taken an expert to tell she'd hardly eaten all day and was still badly shaken from what had happened. This morning she was doing better. He wanted to be sure she was fed before he had to bring up Martello.
"I never realized the advantages of a man who could cook." She smiled and sipped her coffee. He looked nice, sitting across from her in a casual dark green button-down with sleeves rolled between his wrists and his elbows. "Somehow, it doesn't fit the picture of the hardboiled head of security for the Hawks." Then she remembered the gun attached to his belt, and the gentler image wavered and cracked.
"Even a hard boiled head of security has to eat."
"And here I thought you had a restaurant for every night of the week. You sure know where all the good ones are." She took a bite of honey covered English muffin and chewed before she went on. "You knew about Axims. A lot of people who live on Long Island don't realize they can get good Ethiopian food this side of the East River. The kids and I love it."
"I may live in Manhattan, but I work in the outskirts of Queens. It forces me to… uh…diversify? I'm glad I chose well. It was a toss up between steak from the new steakhouse that opened not far from the Woodlands or a local hole-in-the-wall with a menu that wasn't quite so boring. Since you were sleeping so soundly…" They both remembered how startled she'd been to wake-up with her head on his shoulder, as he double-parked in front of the restaurant. "I got to decide." His eyes were laughing as he spoke.
Dani was glad to see it. He'd looked…odd this morning. If he hadn't already told her he'd slept well, she would have been sure he'd had a bad night.
"You," she giggled and shook her finger at him. He was dissing Matt and she loved it. It made him human, but she was sure if she mentioned it, he would grow distant and cool. He hated to have people know there was another side to Nico Careles. "Oh, I meant to ask you last night, do you know what happened to my earrings from Wednesday evening? I found the plastic bag with my jewelry in my purse, but one was missing?"
"Dr. Browning took care of that." As much as he'd wanted to help, he'd gotten as far as removing her bracelet and realized it was too intimate…too much like undressing her, so he'd stopped. "What did it look like?" He squinted and tried to remember, but he'd been too worried about her physical state to notice.
"It's a three-inch, slinky, mesh triangle, covered with clear crystals." She took another bite from her muffin and tasted honey and butter on her tongue. "Jeanette gave them to me before she left. They have more sentimental value than anything," she sighed and licked honey off her fingertips.
"I'll check my car and loft." He had a vague relocation of a cool weight brushing against his wrist, as he'd shielded her face so Danny Martello wouldn't be able to recognize her.
Nico kept on eating and tried not to look at her mouth. Protection shouldn't carry the undertones of desire, but with her, he was helpless to prevent it. He was sure she would taste like honey, cinnamon, and coffee, with a trace of dill. It was a relief when his cell vibrated on the counter beside him. "I have to get his." He picked up the phone and walked into the living room. "What have you got, Tony?"
"Martello is dead. Someone shot him at close range with a large caliber whatever. My guess is a .45, 'cause his brains were scattered all over the wall ten feet from where the body dropped."
"Shit." Nico rubbed his eyes and carefully looked out the front window. Ben Tiller was in his usual spot ten minutes early. "Have reporters picked up the story?"
"Nope, not yet, but cops and a meat wagon early on a Saturday morning in Midtown are drawing a crowd of joggers, so the vultures won't be far behind. I got a friend at the 12th Precinct, who helps me out from time-to-time. His station caught the case. The detective in charge is still goin' over the scene. The uniforms are keepin' the place zipped up, but once they bring the body out, there will be no keepin' it quiet."
"Keep me posted." Nico's day had been shot to hell, and he was going to have to do the same to Dani's, before she heard it on the news.
"Marshall Pittman should keep to civilized hours." She grinned at him as she cleared their dishes.
"That wasn't Marshall." Nico had grown cool and serious in the few minutes he'd been on his cell. Dani blinked at the change in him. With one call, his softer side was gone. She wondered if it had ever really been there or if she had imagined it because she'd wanted that part of him to exist.
The silence in the room and the way he was intently watching her made fear creep along her spine. "What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Dr. Santino-"
"Are Ray Jay and Lindsey all right?" She cut him off. Maybe if she said the words it would make them untrue.
"They're fine. As far as I know, your children are fine, Dani…" He reached for her hand across the island. Once again, she was being dragged into the darker side of his world, and she didn't belong there. "Danny Martello is dead. It happened late Thursday night, or early Friday morning."
"What?" The words bounced against her eardrums. She listened to them echo over and over again until they finally made sense. The man she remembered from Solstice was young, somewhere between her age and Nico's. He couldn't be dead.
"Danny Martello-"
"I…uh…heard…you," her voice broke and she closed her eyes, suddenly feeling light headed. "I just didn't understand…"
"Dani?" Nico called out, as he moved quickly to her side. She'd gone white as a sheet. With one arm around her waist, he helped her to one of the island stools, pushed her head down between her knees, and crouched beside her to keep her from falling.
Their conversation from Thursday night raced though her head. Martello had been gambling. He owed a lot of money to someone…someone…and Nico was here at her house wearing a gun. It clicked into place and she began to shiver.
"He was killed," it wasn't a question but a certainty.
"According to a very reliable source, yes."
"How?" She tightened her hands on his shoulders and buried her face against his skin.
"Dani, you don't-"
"I do need to know," she insisted.
"He was shot." Nico hated that a week earlier he'd used the same words about Terrance. At least their friend was still alive.
"Jesus." She hugged him tighter, and he returned the embrace. It wasn't something between friends, but neither of them would admit it was anything else.
"I'm okay now," she mumbled against his neck. He knew she wasn't, but keeping her close was too dangerous, so he helped her sit up and took a step back. "Does this have anything to do with what happened to me? Is it why you're wearing a gun?"
Nico felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. How could she hold him like she had, if she thought he was involved? All the while a tiny voice, he refused to listen to, whispered in his ear, 'run away to fight another day. It's what we do in the SEALs'. It's what had cost him Gabrielle before she met Marshall. It was what he was doing now by looking for hidden meaning in Dani's honest question.
"Dr. Santino, if you want to know if I killed him or had him killed, you should ask, not beat around the bush." His eyes had gone almost black, not the smoky she'd been seeing lately, but dark cold holes in his face. "Especially since I went to such pains to be sure you knew I was capable of doing so."
"That's just crazy," she exploded off her chair and backed him against the far counter, catching them both by surprise that she could move, so quickly, so soon. Dani dug her nails into her palms to keep from shaking him silly. How could he think that she'd doubt him? "That wasn't what I was asking and you know it. Stop trying to twist my words. I know you didn't kill him."
"How do you know that?" He pushed. He was angry that she would have such faith in him. It was underserved. He couldn't deny that the thought had crossed his mind, while waiting for the results of the rape kit from Dr. Browning, though he hadn't known who or where to point his anger. When the tests were negative, and he knew she hadn't been touched, simply drugged, his focus changed. Her safety became paramount. He liked to think he'd left the adrenaline-driven Navy SEAL behind him over two decades ago, but last night's dream lingered, maybe that part of him was still there just under the surface, waiting for an appropriate trigger. If the tests results had been different…he didn't like to think about the ramifications for either of them.
"I just know," she insisted, though he'd grown strangely silent.
"Not good enough." He glared. He wanted to shake her confidence, as much for his peace of mind as for her safety. She was too damn naïve, and his world was too dark. If she was going to live and work in the buffer zone between, which was the Woodlands, she needed to understand a few facts of life.
"Okay then, you said it was Thursday night or early Friday? Well I was on the sofa not five feet away from you. You couldn't have gotten out of the house without me knowing about it."
He simply smirked, his eyes dark and unreadable like he was laughing at some private joke. It made her feel young and stupid.
"Stop that," Dani yelled and gripped the front of his shirt. "Just stop it." Her eyes filled with tears and she knew she was going to break if he didn't stop pushing her, and then she saw it, a flicker of…some…deep emotion…worry, guilt, she wasn't sure what. It happened too quickly.
"Dr. Santino, you seem to have forgotten who you are dealing with." He tipped his chin to the left and stepped into her, throwing her off balance. All that kept her from falling were her hands digging into his shirt and the tight hold he had on her waist. Part of him was furious that she would put blind trust in a man like him. The other part was fighting a battle to keep from lowering her to the floor of her neat suburban kitchen and showing her exactly how bad a downtown man could be.
"I…" she gulped. Then she remembered Jason Coogan and how Nico had protected him. A shadow of doubt made her shake her head, trying to deny a partially formed idea that was fighting it's way to the surface. "I...just…do…but," her whisper was hoarse with dread.
"Ask it. Go ahead and ask the next logical question." He goaded her, "Come on Dr. Santino, ask the question!"
"Did you know how this would end? Wasn't there something you could do to stop it?" Her words were like slivers of ice that shot into his chest. He could read the doubt that filled her eyes. He'd wanted it there but hadn't expected it to cut so deeply.
"I knew Martello was playing games with a very dangerous man, a man to whom he owed a great deal of money, a man not known for his patience, but we discussed all that the other night."
"Could you have saved him?" she gasped.
"His death was set in motion long before I became involved, long before Danny put that drug in your drink." Nico dragged her back to one of the stools and forcibly sat her there, before taking two steps back. "Martello knew whom he was dealing with. His only real chance, when he got in so deep, was to turn state's evidence and hope for the best."
Dani shook her head, exhausted and disheartened. "Help me understand. How is he different from Jason Coogan? That's not the advice you gave him."
"Jason is the son of a personal friend and came to me for help. Martello is nothing to me." He folded his arms, putting a wall between them. He was damned if he was going to explain the difference between the men Jason was indebted to and the one Danny Martello was stupid enough to use as a bookie. That was more information than she needed. "When I talked to him, he denied any culpability, wasn't the least bit sorry for what happened, and didn't in any way seek my assistance or advice."
"So you just-" Dani tried to interrupt, but he kept right on going.
"I'm not finished." He glared at her. "I'm not a mind reader. As you saw, the evidence I had against him was purely circumstantial. As much as I believe he was the one who drugged you, there is the possibility he didn't. Recently, I've been a bit busy, taking care of people I'm directly responsible for. I can't be expected to wrap protective packaging around every one who lives in the five boroughs, to save them from their own stupid actions. I don't have the manpower or the inclination." He was being unnecessarily cruel. It was out of character. He blamed it on the return of his nightmare and the almost obsessive need he had to protect the doctor from the world he lived in.
Nico reached for his sport coat on the back of his stool and slipped into it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to elsewhere. Ben Tiller is outside if you need anything. Xeno and Kevin will be along shortly. If for some reason your security isn't up and running by tonight, I'll arrange for Ben to stay." He picked up his go-bag and headed for the door.
"Nico, wait," she called after him.
"I've waited long enough. There is nothing more to discuss, Dr. Santino." When he closed the door behind him he was spared the sight of Dani laying her cheek between her arms and sobbing in frustration while she beat her fists against the counter. Her momentary temper tantrum only made her feel worse. As her mind whirled, she forced her body to relax and rested her forehead and hands on the cool marble in front of her. She was confused and hurt. Nico could fix anything, she'd been sure…she'd been so sure…why had he made her doubt him?
Nico was right. He was an hour into catching up with his paperwork when the reception desk phoned saying Detective Beckett and her partner were looking for him. He closed down his computer and took a deep breath. He'd had trouble staying focused all morning. That could not happen when he was talking to the detectives.
"Sue, have Herb bring them down. Tell him to use the tunnels," he ordered as he reached for the tie he hadn't bothered to put on when he'd changed into one of the clean suits that were in his office closet. He was having the police taken down the stairs in the lobby instead of the ones by the auditorium. They would go through the catacombs in the basement, and miss the heart of the facility: Coach's office, Connelly's training area, the locker room, auditorium, and lounge where players might be congregating. Tomorrow, The Hawks went up against the San Francisco Forty-Niners. They didn't need any distractions.
It took an hour, but the police were finally gone. Nico agreed to bring his .45 in for ballistics testing by Sunday at noon, since it was locked in his gun safe in Manhattan and he was working in Queens. He'd kept Dani's name out of the conversation and he didn't think Det. Beckett would bother them again. She was smart and already knew Martello was in financial trouble with the wrong person. Nico's visit to Martello and the fact that he had a carry permit for the same caliber weapon Danny had been killed with was simply a loose end that needed tying up.
Detective Kate Beckett sat in her car beside her partner, Richard Castle. They were stuck in traffic, going back to the City, on the Queensboro Bridge.
"What's your take on Careles?" Kate asked as Castle rifled through the file they'd accumulated.
"Given his military record, he has the ability, but he didn't do it." He shook his head, shuddering slightly. "If he'd been our guy, no one would have ever found the body." He told her earnestly
She nodded in agreement as she slipped into the next lane to make it a few feet closer toward Manhattan.
Dani paced her house like a caged lion. After, once again, allowing Ben to drive when she met with Terrance in the City, she was at loose ends. She had wisely canceled a number of appointments for her practice. It had been a hard decision. Diving into other people's problems helped her forget her own and was exactly why she needed to take time off. With the exception of Terrance, she'd cleared her professional schedule for a week.
She slumped in her desk chair and counted on her fingers. Four in the afternoon in New York meant it was ten at night in Madrid. Dani tried for the forth time that day to call Jeanette. She really needed to talk to her, but her friend wasn't picking up. The calls were being routed directly to voice mail. The first three times she left a message, the forth she hadn't bothered. Unsure what to do next and filled with nervous energy, Dani rearranged her already neat desk. That was when a plain white business card caught her eye. "Damn," she muttered and dialed the number on the card.
"This is Dr. Danielle Santino, I'd like to speak to Francis Ignatius Carmichael."
"I go by Iggy. What can I do for you?"
"Nico Careles, suggested I get in touch with you…" Her voice gave out, and her eyes filled with tears. Damn that man for making her care about him and then cutting her to pieces with doubts.
"He told me to expect your call, Dr. Santino and that you've got a busy schedule. I'll work you in. Not to worry about that." He had a deep, rich, voice that reminded her of molasses on a warm summer day.
"I've had a woman's self-defense class already. I don't want to waste your time." She sighed softly. She really didn't want to do this and refused to exam why. That was what told her it was necessary.
"The Lieutenant mentioned you'd had one of those girly excuses for a class. But this is different. You won't be wasting my time. 'Sides, if he thinks it's necessary, then it is. The man can be a pain in the…uh…neck, but he's usually right."
"Lieutenant?" Dani muttered under her breath. Iggy sounded like he was another of Nico's connections from the service. They all seemed to think and act alike, but she was still hurting from their argument and was tired of him managing her life. How dare he make her believe he was different…how dare he make her care…"He's not always right," the words flew out of her mouth before she could contain them.
"You go girl, fight back." Iggy laughed, slow and deep. It sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well-aged whiskey barrel. "He didn't warn me you were a feisty one." Not many women argued with the Careles charm. Carmichael was more interested than ever to meet Santino, though he was sure he knew what she looked like; at least 5'9", model thin, and cool and calm as you please, though it sounded like this one had a bit of temper. Nico had never brought his female companions around for instructions, before. Iggy figured the Lieutenant liked to do his own instructing, and those women usually wouldn't be willing to grace his sweaty establishment. Maybe this one was what the man had said she was, simply a member of the Hawks organization. "For the first few classes, wear comfortable clothes and a pair of sneaks. We'll be doing a lot of work on the mat. After that, we'll see how you progress."
Xeno and Kevin finished the work on her security system by four-thirty. Once they'd gotten all the new coaxial cable run, the job had moved along quickly. There were neatly mounted cameras, monitors and keypads in specific places throughout the house.
Kevin was giving the doctor instructions on how to operate the system, when the front doorbell rang.
"Wait, Dr. Santino, check the monitor. It's why the cameras are there. Do you remember the sequence?" he asked.
"I think I've got it." Dani punched in some numbers and watched as a familiar blonde head and laughing face appeared on the screen in front of her. "It can't..." she gasped and took off like a shot. "Jeanette?" Santino threw open the door and stared, afraid that if she reached out to hug her friend, she would discover she was hallucinating.
"Hey there, Romano, wanna go scope out some guys?" Jeanette laughed, using her greeting from high school.
"What…how?" Dani gasped and fell into Jeanette's welcome embrace. "What are you doing here?"
"Someone called me Thursday evening," she laughed, so glad to see Dani again. "He said he thought you needed some company." She pointed to the driver of a black Lincoln that was backing out of the driveway.
"Nico?" she asked her friend. "He contacted you?"
"Yeah, Babe." Jeanette smiled, though happy tears filled her eyes. "Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious not only called, he arranged for my flight and wouldn't let me pay for it."
"His men call him boss, and I think it goes to his head." Dani whispered, wanting desperately to talk to him, but he didn't look back or slow down. In seconds he was around the corner and out of sight.
Later that night, Dani and Jeanette were curled up on Dani's bed. Stories had been exchanged and repeated over a bottle of 2009 Nicole's Vineyard Pinot Noir.
"You can't ever tell Augusto, but I really miss California Reds." Jeanette held up her glass between her eyes and the bedside lamp. "Spain has nothing like them," she laughed softly.
"You're in love with him aren't you?" Dani leaned against her pillows and tried to relax.
"You know me, I have flings; I don't fall in love. But if I did, yeah, it would be him." Jeanette would tell her friend about the three-caret diamond ring that was in her purse, when things calmed down. Tonight was about Dani.
"It's all right. I'll miss you like crazy, but you deserve your white picket fence and two point five children. If he's the one who makes you happy, then go for it."
"Ha…that would be a white picket restaurant, and children? I don't know. We'd have to talk about it. I've never really understood how that point-five works." Jeanette turned her head so she was facing Dani. "But since we're talking about love, what about you?"
"What about me?" She shrugged. "Trainer-man was a one night stand that I tried to imagine was more. J.D. was fun, but no, there was no future. After what happened the other night, I'm a little off men."
"What about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious?" The blonde had been waiting all evening to ask that question.
"Nico?" Dani pulled back and wasn't sure what to say. But this was why she'd been trying to call Jeanette all day. No one understood her like her friend, and she'd missed that.
"Yeah, Nico. I've known you a long time, Dani Romano Santino, and I've never seen you this twisted up and it's not just about what happened at Solstice. I read man trouble in your eyes, worse than when you tossed Ray the Bastard out. So if there isn't someone else out there you haven't told me about, then I gotta assume it's your knight in shiny black armor."
"That's just it." Dani shook her head. "Nico and I are friends of sort. We work together, and…well…there's more. Yes, I think he's attractive…I mean I could really….well… I don't know…but…Aw hell, he's in love with someone else and before he left here today, he did his best to make me hate him." She blew out a relieved breath that she'd finally found the words to say what needed to be said.
"Hmm, very interesting. Now, Dr. Santino I think you need to put your therapist hat on and figure out what all that means." Jeanette got up and stretched. "Sweetie, as much as I'd love to keep on talking, it's four in the morning in Madrid and I've been up for over twenty-four hours. Get some sleep and things will look better."
"Night, Jeanette, I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too."
After her she heard the guest room door close, Dani picked up her cell and contemplated the question Jeanette had posed, but no answer was forthcoming. She scrolled through the months of texts that had accumulated from The Hawks head of security.
Across the East River, on the island of Manhattan, in a loft on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, Nico Careles was reading his electronic copy of The Keys To Rebecca. It was a book he enjoyed, but he wasn't sure why he'd chosen a Ken Follett he'd read before, when he had a number of others, by other authors, waiting to be opened for the first time.
He put his iPad on its shelf in his nightstand and picked up the earring he'd found buried under his pillow when he'd gotten into bed. He held it by the delicate hook that would attach it to a woman's ear and shook it, making the three-inch slinky triangle dance, so the Swarovski crystals caught the light. It embodied the woman who owned it, sleek, shiny, delicate-looking but stronger than it appeared, and never his.
Nico's cell pinged and he checked his messages. It was from Dani...Dr. Santino: 'Why?'
He smiled slightly and contemplated her many-leveled question. "Because it is in your best interest," he muttered. Before he could change his mind, he deleted the text, without responding to it. He put the earring and phone down and turned off his light.
He needed to sleep. Tomorrow was a new day and he was back to watching the world instead of participating in it. It was what he did best and no one got hurt.
TBC