Page 9 of Nick

“Julia, we are going to have so much fun. Can you come to my house now?” she called out. There was so much excitement on her face.

“We’ll be over there in a little bit. I still have to show Julia where her room is.”

“I’ll show her,” Laney said as she took Julia’s hand, and they ran toward the house.

“Julia, aren’t you going to tell Daddy goodbye,” Opal said, shaking her head.

She ran back and hugged her me. “Bye-bye, Daddy.” I picked her up and hugged her to me. I’ll call you, sweet pea. I love you.” I kissed her and set her down, and she took off running.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Will it be alright if I leave my car here?”

“Sure, you can put it in that third parking spot. I better get in there. I’ll take that suitcase for you.”

I handed her Julia’s suitcase and watched as she walked into her house. I parked my vehicle and walked to Owen’s. “I’m ready if you are,” I said to Owen who was kissing his wife with his hand on her very pregnant tummy.

“I’ll call you, sweetheart.”

“Okay. Hello Nick. How do you like being back in the United States?”

“Hi Lori. It’s good to be back home. How are you doing? When is the baby due?”

“I’m great, thanks. In six weeks, and we can’t wait until he’s here. We are so happy. Bring him back home in one piece,” she finished, pointing to Owen.

“Bye, sweetheart.”

“Call me when you get a chance.”

We walked out and got in Owen’s truck. “We’re going to pick up Kash on our way. When did you and Opal meet?”

“She came to Italy with Matt. She is the one who talked Julia’s grandparents into moving here. I thought it was you who sent her and Matt to Italy.”

“Oh, I completely forgot about that,” Owen said, smiling.

“If you need help, Opal is definitely the one you want to call. Look, it’s none of my business, but Opal isn’t the type to sleep with and kick to the curb. She is sweet. I know she’s sexy and hotter than hell but she is loved by everyone. So if you want someone to fool around with, please don’t pick Opal.”

“You’re right. It’s none of your business. But I did see her with a guy when I pulled up to her house, so maybe she’s seeing someone right now.”

“Yes, she is seeing someone else. She’s gone out with Jim a few times. You have always gotten any woman you wanted, and I thought you would look at Opal differently because she’s hot. Have you met her sisters? They all look like each other. The only one who looks any different is Ruby. She has black hair. She’s married to Asher.”

“Owen, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not interested in getting into a relationship with anyone right now, so Opal is safe from me. Besides, Julia likes her, and I would never mess that up. So you can stop worrying about Opal.” My mind went to that man who was with her when I pulled up—surely, that was Jim, whoever this Jim was. I was pissed. That bastard touched what belongs to me.Opal is mine. No, she isn’t. What the hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy? Fuck, I am crazy.

“Earth to Nick,” Kash slapped me on the shoulder.

“Sorry, I was wondering if I gave Opal Julia’s suitcase, and I did,” I lied. I wasn’t going to tell him I wanted to kill Opal’s man friend.

“It’s good having you here with us. We’ve been so busy it’s hard keeping up with everyone, especially if they live in another country. Okay, this guy has tried killing his wife multiple times. He slashed her throat, but she lived. She was hospitalized. After that, he ran his truck on top of her car with her in it, putting her back into the hospital. The police haven’t been able to locate him. Her father wants him dead. I can’t say I blame him. This guy was a Green Beret. Her dad thinks he might be hiding at one of his Green Beret buddy’s houses.”

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. “I can’t imagine any Green Beret I know going along with one of their teammates trying to kill his wife, unless he didn’t qualify for the Green Berets and doesn’t give a damn about their reputation. I wonder why he doesn’t just divorce her. Why the hell does he want her dead? It’s not like he’ll get any insurance money if the police are after him for what he’s done.”

Owen looked at me. “I think he’s jealous, and she probably left him because he’s crazy. He figures if he can’t have her, then no one can. Perhaps one of those narcissus nuts who thinks he is a hot rocker or something like that. I knew this guy who was like that. He was a frigging crazy person. He thought every woman he met wanted him.”

“Well, whoever he is, we need to locate him before he kills his ex-wife,” Kash said as he pushed his hair off his forehead.

“I’ve never seen your hair that long,” I said, looking at him. “Doesn’t it bother you?”

---