The next couple of days went by, and Nikita grew to like her new environment. Toll started looking for a new apartment, though, because he knew he couldn't keep her sleeping on a pull out couch forever. She needed her own room.
"What do you think?" he asked as they walked around the place they were currently viewing.
"I like the view," she answered.
"I do too," Toll nodded. They could see Lake Pontchartrain from the main window. It was close to a beach. It was perfect.
"Can we get it?"
"I'll ask when the landlord comes back," Toll promised.
"Okay," the landlord said, coming back on cue. "How's this?" He showed Toll the papers with the rent on it. It was a bit steep, but Toll could afford it.
"I think we'll take it," Toll said, smiling at Nikita.
"Yes!" she fist pumped.
"All right. It'll be ready in a week," the landlord said.
"Perfect," Toll nodded.
"I've always wanted to live close to water," Nikita said.
"Well, now you get the chance to."
She looked at him seriously then, and he felt something in his stomach. Her looking like that reminded him of someone else who used to look at him like that.
"Thank you, Chuck," she said.
"You're welcome," he replied. She smiled again, but her face and how serious it had looked stayed with Toll for the rest of the day.
Elsewhere
"It's not here," Sam said, looking at his boss, Isaiah.
"What do you mean, not here?"
"It's not here."
"That girl," Isaiah said. He was looking down at the dead woman before him. She was the girl's mother. The girl had disappeared with those men. No one had bothered to come bury the dead woman, and the smell was eye watering.
"What should we do?" Sam asked.
"Find them. Quickly," Isaiah ordered. "And burn this. Now."
He stepped out, slipping his sunglasses on. He could hear Sam throwing gasoline around the small house. After a few moments, it burst into flames.
Barney, Lee, and Toll
"Careful with that," Lee said as Nikita pulled out his knife from it's sheath. He chuckled as she examined it. They were alone at Tool's place, Tool being off with one of his lady friends for the evening. Barney was talking to Toll, and Lee was watching Nikita.
"I like ravens," she said.
"Oh yea?"
"Yea. People don't like them, but I just think they're misunderstood."
"Why's that?"
"Someone has to do the scavenging, right?" she said, looking at him. "And sometimes finding discarded things is like finding a treasure." Lee marveled at how intelligent this girl was.
"Who taught you so much?" he asked, curious.
"I had a special teacher. She was with missionaries, and she taught me English and History and Geography. I liked Nature Studies the best, though."
"What happened to her?"
Nikita's face grew dark then.
"She died," she answered quietly. Lee felt his stomach clench.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Without warning, Nikita threw Lee's knife directly into the center of the target on the wall. Lee's jaw almost unhinged, Barney spewed his beer, and Toll just gaped in shock.
"Where did...how did...?" Toll started.
"My father," Nikita answered. "I know how to shoot too." The rage she had felt inside after remembering how her teacher had died was the reason she had thrown the knife. She tried to channel her anger in better ways, but somethings throwing something was the best option. It just happened to be a knife in her hand that time.
"Holy shit," Barney muttered to himself.
"What did your father do for a living?" Lee asked.
"He never told me," Nikita answered. "But he was always gone a lot."
Barney shared a look with Toll. More and more it was sounding like Nikita's father worked for the CIA. That would explain why Church would want that disc. If her father had it...
"Did he ever talk about where he'd traveled to?" Barney asked casually.
"He always talked about Italy," Nikita replied. "He said one day he'd move us there."
"I think I need to call Church," Barney said. "Get some more answers about this."
Nikita went back to coloring at the table, and Toll and Lee just looked at each other, feeling as though this girl was way more experienced than she should be at eight years old.
A Few Days Later
Toll was wrapping up his plates in the kitchen when Nikita came out from his room. She had gone in there to get another box.
"Who is this?" she asked, showing him a framed photo. Toll nearly lost hold of the plate in his hand when he saw it.
"That...that's someone from a long time ago," he answered. Nikita looked at it again.
"You look happy," she noted.
"I was very happy."
"Was she your wife?"
Toll felt his heart rate pick up and his stomach grow nauseous. He worked hard to keep his hands from shaking.
"She was, yea," he answered. "Her name was Lori."
"I am the luckiest girl alive."
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm married to you."
"Did Lori die?" Nikita asked, breaking into his thoughts. He looked at her, finally seeing her.
"She did," he nodded. Nikita set the photo down on the counter, and Toll couldn't stop staring at it. It was why he'd put it away. He couldn't function when all he wanted to do was look at her and take back everything just so that she could still be alive.
"I don't know what this picture is," Nikita said, handing him a smaller photo. "It's too fuzzy. It looks like a little alien or something, though."
Toll held onto it like it was a bomb going to go off. He was shaking now.
"Did she die like my mommy did?" Nikita asked, looking at Lori in the photo again. Toll's breath caught in his throat.
"Yea," he replied. "Yea, she did."
Barney & Tool
"Did you have fun?" Barney asked when Tool came strolling in.
"It's always fun, brother," he answered. "The real question is, did it mean something?"
"Did it?"
"Not as much as I was hoping," Tool shook his head.
"Maybe one day, huh?"
"Maybe. What are you working on?"
"I think Nikita's father was CIA."
"Well that would explain being sent to his front door by the CIA," Tool nodded.
"I wanna know what was on that disc," Barney said. "I'm thinking her father created it."
"If so, then she might know where it is."
"She doesn't know anything about what her father did for a job. She told us."
"And you believe her?"
"I do. There's something about her, Tool. I can't figure it out. She put Lee's knife into the target today," Barney said, pointing. "She knows how to shoot a gun. She was given a tutor through missionaries to get a better education. I'm starting to think there is more going on with her than we originally thought."
"Well, time will tell I guess," Tool agreed. Barney didn't say anything else as he tapped his fingers on the counter top. He wondered if anyone else knew about Nikita and what kind of fresh hell was going to be coming at them once they figured out where she'd gone.
Toll Road
Nikita was sleeping, but Toll couldn't. He was plagued with memories. He took a swig from his beer bottle as he sat on the steps outside his apartment. He worked hard not to get lost in them, but it was difficult. He heard a car pull up then.
"When you call me at this time of night, I can only assume it's about one thing," Caesar said, coming to join him. He sat with his hands folded, hanging off his knees. Toll didn't say anything for a few moments.
"It was my fault," Toll said then.
"No, it wasn't. We've gone over this, man," Caesar said. No one else on their team knew about this but Caesar. Toll had asked him to keep it that way.
"If she had never met me, she'd still be alive," Toll went on.
"Lori did not die because of you," Caesar said firmly. "What brought this on anyway?"
"Nikita found her picture, the one of the two of us."
"Oh shit. She asked questions?"
"Yea."
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. It's my past. I can't escape it."
"It was ten years ago," Caesar pointed out.
"I loved her so much," Toll started. "And our last conversation was a fight."
Caesar had heard this all before, but he knew Toll needed to get it off his chest again, so he just listened.
"I found her painting the baby's room, and I got mad at her because the fumes were not good for her or the baby. I went out to walk it off, and I come back to find her bleeding out from a gunshot wound," Toll continued. "I just..." He pinched his nose, unable to continue. The memory assaulted him full force.
Flashback
"LORI!" he shouted, landing on his knees in a skid from running into the room and seeing her on the floor. "Lori? Lori!" he picked her up in his arms, and she was gasping, blood coming out of her mouth.
"Esther," she said. "Esther."
"No, no, no," Toll said, trying to stop the bleeding. "Lori, hang on." He scrambled for his phone to call for help.
"Esther," she said again.
Toll realized what she was saying. They had been talking about baby names for their little girl recently. She wanted their child to be named Esther.
"All right," he said. "I got it. I got it, Lori, but this isn't over. Hang on."
Lori grabbed his hand before he could dial, her eyes staring into his.
"I'm...sorry," she said, choking now.
"I'm sorry too. I'm so sorry. I love you, Lori. Don't leave me. Come on, Lori!" Toll yelled. Lori managed to reach and touch his face, and then she was gone. The noise that came out of Toll was barely human. He held her in his arms until he heard the sirens. Someone else had called the police after hearing the gunshot. Then everything else was a blur.
Present
"I still don't know who killed her. I had just come back from a mission, so I assumed it was related to that. I never found the killer, and it drives me crazy to this die that I haven't avenged her," Toll said.
"Hard to find out who did it when there was no evidence at all," Caesar pointed out.
"I lost my two girls," Toll said, his voice thick now. "I've spent ten years not caring about what happens to me because I had nothing to live for."
"And now you do," Caesar said, realizing.
"That girl in there is counting on me," Toll said, pointing. "And I can't let her down, Hale. I can't let her down."
"You won't," Caesar said, grabbing his friend's shoulder tightly. "I know you won't."
"She said the other day that the librarian was flirting with me. I can't even think of being with another woman, not after what happened to Lori. I will not let someone else die because of me," Toll said. "I just can't."
"No one said you had to," Caesar assured him.
"What if something happens to Nikita? Huh? Then what?"
"How about we worry about that if it happens," Caesar said.
"I would rather die than let Nikita get hurt," Toll told him.
Caesar didn't respond, but he knew Toll would be true to his word. They sat together in silence for a long time after that.
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