Page 6 of Nick
“I wasn’t expecting you to come in today. I’d planned on running the drinks across to Jill’s place, like usual. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always glad to see you ladies. Just wondering about the personal drop in.”
“We’re being nosy.” Tessa grinned at Gracie, the cheeky smile lighting up her face. “Rafe mentioned Nick Vincent was dropping by today, and we wanted to be front and center to get the scoop as soon as they’re finished.”
“Well, I can confirm Nick, Rafe, and Chance were here just a few minutes ago. I can’t tell you what they were talking about, but they got their orders to go and headed toward Rafe’s office.”
“Dang, I hoped I’d get a chance to see Nick, since I’m worried he’s feeling guilty. Last time he was here, at the hospital, it was obvious he felt like Antonio’s getting shot was his fault.” Tessa shook her head. “Rafe said Nick thinks the bullet that hit Antonio was meant for him.”
Gracie let Tessa’s words sink in. If it was true, it might explain the haunted look she’d noted in Nick’s eyes that morning. There was something weighing heavily on the man, that much was obvious. She remembered him slipping from the hospital waiting room several weeks ago, where they’d been gathered, awaiting word on Antonio, hoping the surgeon would bring good news. The last time she’d seen him, he’d simply left without saying goodbye to anyone.
“I don’t know much about him. Of course, I saw him at the vow renewal, and again at the hospital, but that’s about it. Oh, and that he’s one of Ms. Patti’sLost Boys.”
Beth chuckled and turned to Camilla, who suddenly had a gleam in her eye that hadn’t been there before. “You’re the born storyteller. You want to fill Gracie in on Nick?”
Camilla chuckled. “You guys know all this stuff better than me, but I can share what I know.” She blinked up at Gracie, who stood beside their table. “You got a few minutes?”
Gracie chuckled as she pulled up a chair. “For good gossip? Girlfriend, I am always free.”
Tessa and Beth leaned forward, ready to share all they knew about the mysterious Nick. Normally, Gracie loved finding out about everything going on in Shiloh Springs, but she’d been a bit reluctant to ask about the reclusive Nicholas Vincent. She knew his full name because she’d heard Douglas mention it while they’d been in the waiting room at the hospital. And if she was being totally honest with herself, she’d googled him, hoping to find out anything about the tall blond stranger. Too bad she’d come up almost empty.
Emma brought their order over, distributing their drinks quickly and efficiently, and most importantly, she gave everybody their correct order. Gracie thanked her, asking her to man the register for a few minutes.
Serena picked up her coffee and her bag, slinging the large purse over her shoulder as she stood. “Wish I could stay, because I really want to know more about Nick, too. Y’all will have to catch me up later, because Antonio isn’t telling me anything. I’m sure he knows a whole lot more about what’s going on than he’s saying, but for some reason he’s keeping his lips sealed.” She stopped long enough to drop a quick kiss on Patrick’s forehead before heading out the door.
“None of the guys are saying much, to be honest,” Camilla paused, and Tessa and Beth nodded.
“Rafe’s been pretty close-mouthed too.”
“But I was able to get Ms. Patti talking the other day.” She looked at Gracie. “You know he’s one of her Lost Boys, right?”
Gracie nodded.
“You might not remember, back when Joshua and Lauren were being targeted by Winston Brashear. He sent his hitman, right hand guy, whatever you want to call it, after Lauren.” Camilla paused before adding, “That was Nick.”
Gracie’s eyes widened. “What? Wait, wasn’t that some dark-haired, middle-Eastern guy? I seem to recall a big commotion, with Rafe arresting somebody and hauling them into the station in handcuffs.”
Tessa nodded eagerly. “Turned out that was Nick, undercover.”
“Wow.”
“Yep. Nick worked undercover for the Australian Secret Service or whatever they call it down under. Changed his name, his appearance, everything, so he could get the goods on Brashear. Things kind of fell apart for him when Ms. Patti recognized him. That woman,” Camilla glanced around the table at each woman, “she’s unbelievable. She hadn’t seen Nick since he was a kid, when he’d lived at the Big House for only a couple months and was taken back by Social Services. Yet fifteen years later she takes one look at this man, this stranger, and recognizes him.”
Gracie tried to wrap her head around what Camilla had revealed. She couldn’t imagine finding somebody after all that time, although she knew some of the boys who’d come to live on the Boudreau ranch when they were young. Kids out of the CPS system who were given a second chance and ended up not being able to stay had made their way back to Shiloh Springs. Back to Ms. Patti and Douglas.
“Rafe and Antonio didn’t recognize him. Neither did any of the others there, but Ms. Patti knew. Somehow she knew. Even with the dyed hair and the contact lens, her heart knew this was one of her boys. Which, in turn, blew his cover sky high. Turns out he’d been sent by Brashear to kidnap Lauren and baby Daniel, but Nick wasn’t going to do that. He was going to warn them about what Brashear was up to, and figure out a way to keep Brashear from finding out he was working to take him down.”
“And Ms. Patti screwed up all his plans by figuring out who he was.” Gracie shook her head, trying to imagine what Ms. Patti must have felt when she saw one of her boys standing in front of her all those years later. If it had been her, would she have been able to discern the grown adult man from the young, troubled boy? Somehow she doubted it.
“Ms. Patti said it took her a minute because of the disguise, but in her heart, she knew. Knew it was the same Nick she and Douglas spent years searching for, once they realized he went missing shortly after he was taken from their home. That’s not the sad part of this story.” Camilla stopped long enough to take a sip of her drink, and Gracie wanted to shake her, make her keep going. The fascination she felt for the man, who was basically a stranger was something she couldn’t explain, but she wanted to know everything about him.
“Sad part?”
“Uh-huh. We,” she motioned to the other ladies seated around the table, “don’t know a whole lot, which is odd, because we know pretty much everybody’s stories when it comes to their relationships with Douglas and Ms. Patti. But, Nick seems to be a bit of an enigma. What we do know is sketchy at best, but the Boudreaus were told that Nick was being sent back to live with his mother. She’d gone through rehab and supposedly got clean, and the state felt that it was safe to place Nick back in her home.” Camilla made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat. “From what I heard—secondhand of course—Nick wasn’t there more than a couple of weeks before he went missing.”
The bottom fell out of Gracie’s stomach with Camilla’s statement. This sounded all too familiar. She’d know so many kids who’d gone back to live with their parents, after being in CPS custody, only to either end up back in the system or living on the streets. She couldn’t imagine going from a loving home like Douglas and Ms. Patti provided, and ending up back in an untenable situation. It was heartbreaking to even think about.
“The police investigated, though everybody who has seen the file claims calling it any kind of an investigation is a farce. They barely looked, determined he was a runaway and that he’d come home eventually. What home did he have to come back to? One where his father had never been in the picture? Where his mother was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict? I can’t even…”
Gracie drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. How horrible it must’ve been for Nick, especially since he’d gotten a taste of what a real, loving family was like. She thought about the poor little kid he must have been back then, being pulled in every direction, having no control of what he wanted, where he lived. Because she knew if she’d been in the same situation what she’d have chosen, and it wasn’t to go back to her biological parents. Her life hadn’t been a bed of roses, but it sounded like Nick’s life had been a living nightmare.
