Page 2 of Nick
Dane eased onto the chair beside Nick’s. “You don’t know that for sure. I know you haven’t been around for a while, but most of us have some bad blood in our backgrounds, and we’ve garnered a few enemies of our own along the way. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but don’t jump to conclusions.”
Nick pulled in a deep breath and scrubbed his hands across his face. He was tired, beyond tired actually. Wrapping up the paperwork on this case, as well as being deposed while he was in Australia, so that he could come back to the States, he’d been surviving on grabbing sleep when he could and gallons of caffeine. He still wasn’t happy with the disposition of Brashear’s case, but it was out of his hands now. Of course, his boss and surrogate father figure, Grant Calvin, had been livid. He’d wanted Brashear’s head on a pike in the middle of downtown. Nick’s lips turned up at the corners, thinking back to the tirade Calvin threw when he’d found out Brashear wasn’t going to be extradited back to Australia. Instead, Brashear found himself at the not-so-tender mercies of the United States government, where he’d accepted a deal to spend the rest of his natural life behind the bars of a maximum-security prison in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table.
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. The number of lives Winston Brashear had destroyed could never be accurately calculated. Nick still felt dirty from having worked with the man for three years, building a case against him for the Australian secret police. While there was satisfaction in having done his job and helping end the tyranny of the despot, it was a sad fact that another cockroach would crawl up to take Brashear’s place.
Before Nick could answer Dane, a physician walked through the doorway of the waiting room, and everyone sprang to their feet. With a quick glance around the room, the doc zeroed in on Douglas and Ms. Patti. Stepping closer to them, he spoke in a hushed tone. While he couldn’t hear the conversation, watching Ms. Patti’s body sag with relief was all the answer he needed.
Antonio would pull through.
As everyone gathered around the happy family, Nick took the opportunity to surreptitiously walk into the hall and pull out his cell phone. Hitting the speed dial for his boss, he waited to hear the gruff voice that was as familiar as his own.
“What?”
He almost smiled. The man never said hello or hi. If you wanted him, called him, it was always “what”.
“We’ve got a problem.”
He could almost hear Calvin’s sigh over the phone. “What kind of problem?”
“Somebody took a shot at me today.”
“I take it they missed.”Not are you alright, what do you need? That wasn’t his style, but Nick knew the older man would give his own life to keep him safe.
“Missed me. Hit Antonio Boudreau. He’s just out of surgery.”
“He gonna make it?”
“Seems like. Wondered if you might have a clue who took a potshot at me?”
Calvin gave a short bark of a laugh. “List is long, ain’t it?”
Nick had to agree. He’d made more than a few enemies over the years and put most of them behind bars. “Who’s out who might be holding a grudge?”
“Let me check. I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, you watch your back. Can’t afford to lose you.”
Behind the gruff response, Nick knew his mentor and surrogate father meant I love you; he just never came out and said those words. He’d shown it, though, over the last fifteen years.
“Thanks. I’m going to stick around here for a bit, make sure Antonio’s going to be okay. Do a bit of nosing around, see if I can get a handle on who might be after me.”
“Good. Let me know if I need to head to the States. You know I’ve always got your back.”
“I do. I’ll be in touch.”
Disconnecting the call, he turned back toward the waiting room, and noticed Douglas standing not far away, watching him intently. Though there was no judgment in his gaze, guilt ate at him. He knew Douglas had figured out the bullet that hit his son had been meant for Nick.
Gracie Medeiros hoveredin the doorway of the waiting room, watching the Boudreaus gathered around in clusters. Read the anxiety and worry on their faces. Obviously, they hadn’t heard anything about Antonio yet, and her heart broke for the family who’d come to mean the whole world to her.
When she’d first driven up to the town square in Shiloh Springs, she’d been broken and lost, searching for a place where she could basically crawl into a hole and lick her wounds. Figure out where she wanted to rebuild her life, starting over with nothing but the clothes on her back, a twenty-year-old piece of junk car she was sleeping in, and a checking account that held exactly eleven dollars and twenty-seven cents. Her life had been in shambles, literally and figuratively, and she knew it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge.
It turned out showing up in Shiloh Springs was the best thing to ever happen to her. Meeting people who didn’t judge her, who didn’t expect her to be anybody except who she really was, had been eye opening. Then she met Patricia Boudreau, or as the locals called her “Ms. Patti.” In her entire life, she’d never met anybody quite like the Boudreau matriarch. Standing barely five feet tall, she was a never-ending ball of energy, running a thriving business, guiding the town with an iron fist in a velvet glove, and holding together a family unlike any she’d ever met. And she envied them, because they each had something she never had—someone who loved them unconditionally and would lay down her very life for them.
Catching Nica’s gaze, the pretty blonde motioned her over, patting the empty chair beside her. She’d heard Nica was home from school for the big family celebration, welcoming Joshua home and his engagement to Lauren Wright, as well as their son, Daniel. Normally boisterous and outgoing, the solemn expression on her face told Gracie things were serious. She couldn’t help noticing the tall stranger seated nearby. Dark blond hair cut short with a little bit of wave to it. Brilliant blue eyes that seemed haunted. She couldn’t help wondering who he was, and how he was connected to the Boudreaus. He wasn’t a local, or she’d have seen him around Shiloh Springs. It didn’t matter, she was here to find out about Antonio, and to see if there was any way she could help.
“Any word on your brother?”
Nica shook her head. “Not yet. He’s still in surgery.”
“What happened? I know it’s probably none of my business, but—”
