Once breakfast was over, Blake kissed Nicola and Iris goodbye and left for the office. Traffic was bumper to bumper. By the time he pulled into his parking space, Blake was ten minutes late, something quite unusual for him, and well on his way toward a splitting headache. Killing the engine, he grabbed his briefcase and got out of the car. He shut the door and made his way toward the entrance. When he entered the building, the security guard who was stationed near the doors nodded his head in greeting.“Good morning, Paul,” Blake said to him. “How is your wife doing? The last check-up went well?” The security guard smiled.“Good morning, sir. Yes, she is doing perfectly well now. There will be another check-up in about six months.”“Oh, good! I’m glad to hear such good news! Please, let me know if you need my help in any way,” Blake said.“I will, Mr. Echols. Have a great day, sir!”“You too, Paul!” Blake stepped out of the elevator a few moment
“I want to come too,” Iris said.“No, sweetie.”“I want to come too,” the little girl repeated, stamping her foot. Nicola gazed down into Iris's serious moss-green eyes and tried not to smile. Her expression was one of complete defiance. It was at times like these that the little one reminded her of Blake. Father and daughter hated being told ‘no’.“You can't come with us, Iris.”“And why not?” Iris demanded to know. Nicola held back a sigh.“You know very well why. Your Daddy and I are going to buy your birthday present. And we can do it with you there. It will ruin the surprise. You already learned too much about your ‘surprise’ birthday party.”“But I can help,” she muttered. It was impossible to resist her, but Nicola kept her composure. She knelt in front of the child.“I'm sure you can, sweetie, but Daddy and I want to surprise you. You stay here with Alma.”“No!” Iris thrust out her bottom lip.“You know I don’t like it when you
The next morning, while everybody was having breakfast, Nicola moved the fishbowl from her and Blake's room to Iris's room. She placed it carefully on the bedside table, next to the lamp, and stepped back to look at it. Imagining Iris's eyes lighting up at the sight of it brought a smile to her face. She just knew the little girl would absolutely love the gift. Nicola sighed satisfied, then picked a stuffed toy up off the floor, put it on the bed, and left the room. Nicola went downstairs to join the others for breakfast. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed Albert was not sitting at the table with everybody else.“Where is our chef?”“He had to go to the store to pick up a few things for the cookout,” Blake answered. “Sit down and have some breakfast,” he added then got up and pulled a chair for her.“Thank you so much, love,” she said smiling sweetly at him. Alma fixed Nicola a plate and poured her a cup of coffee, then sat at the table. Nic
“Blake, may I speak with you?” Blake took his eyes off the computer screen and glanced at Daphne who stood in the doorway.“Of course. What is it?” Daphne moved farther into the office.“I need to ask you for a favor…” He arched an eyebrow and waited for her to go on.“I have to take this afternoon off.”“You're not giving me much of a notice, Daphne. May I ask why you need to take time off?” She cleared her throat.“I couldn’t give any notice because I didn’t know myself until a few moments ago.”“Tell me more…”“I have a good friend who is going through chemotherapy. She has an appointment at one-thirty and she wants me there. Her husband usually accompanies her, but he's away on business.” Daphne bit her bottom lip.“She needs me, Blake. I must go.” Blake sat back with a sigh.“I need you, too, Daphne. We’re in the middle of a crucial business deal…” She clasped her hands in front of her and stared at the carpet.
Three days later, Nicola had just put Iris to bed and was on her way downstairs to the living room, when she heard the doorbell. Wondering who it was and what he or she wanted, she hurried down the stairs and reached the large foyer at the same time as Bruce. She told him that she would answer the door.“Then I will return to my chess game,” Bruce said.“Who's winning?” Nicola inquired.“Albert… of course…”“Sorry about that.” She unlocked the door and opened it. Daphne stood there with tears in her eyes.“Sweetie… What… What's wrong?”“He lied to me, Nik,” Daphne croaked. “That son of a bitch lied to me.” Nicola reached for Daphne's arm.“Come inside and talk to me.”“You think you know a person and then something happens and you realize you didn't know them at all.” Daphne dug a tissue out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes. Nicola closed the door.“Come, Daph… Let's go sit down.” She led the way to the living room where they sat on
Blake slammed the receiver in the cradle, swearing under his breath. He had just spoken to a woman from the phone company, who had informed him that there was no way she could trace a call coming from a disposable cell phone. The bastard that called Nicola last night knew what he was doing. Seething, Blake pounded his fist on the desk. Coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup and onto the document in front of him. He grabbed several tissues from the box and dabbed at the piece of paper. If the sick son of a bitch wanted to play games, Blake could play them too. His mind began to formulate a plan, one that would ensure Nicola's safety.“Blake,” Daphne said, entering the office.“What?” he exclaimed, irritated at being interrupted. “I need to talk to you…” He tossed the tissues in the trash bin.“What the hell do you want?”“I n-need…” Daphne broke off. Blake heard her sniff and quickly glanced up. A single tear ran d
Blake was sitting at his desk when he felt he was being watched. He glanced up from the computer screen to find Nicola standing in the doorway. His eyes swept over her and a mixture of love and desire came over him. He locked eyes with her and his heart skipped a beat. Breaking into a smile, Blake held his hand to her and she crossed the room, placing her hand in his.“How long have you been standing there?” he asked.“Not long,” Nicola answered. He pushed back his chair and pulled Nicola onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her jaw.“What is our baby doing?”“She's helping Albert load the dishwasher,” she replied. “What were you doing on the computer?” Blake nuzzled her ear and heard her sharp intake of breath.“I did some research online and found a security agency in the area. I called and they are sending a man over for me to meet with. He should be here any minute now…” Nicola frowned.“That was fast...”
From the passenger seat, Nicola gazed at the passing scenery. It was growing dark, the last signs of sunset fading from the sky. A cool breeze came in through the open window, bringing with it the scent of freshly mowed grass. She enjoyed these warm nights so much. This was her favorite season. Not too hot, not too cold. Closing her eyes, Nicola breathed in deeply and smiled. Two weeks had passed since that awful phone call… Maybe it was just a bad joke, a stupid prank and she just overreacted. Maybe it was time to let Benjamin go and resume her life as it was before that man called. “I have to get you home as soon as possible, Nik…”“Please, Ben, don’t rush… Blake is working late at the office and Iris's in bed, or she should be… if she didn’t drive Alma crazy…” Benjamin switched on his turn signal and changed lanes.“I don't like being on duty after dark. It's more difficult to see everything that's going on around me.”
ONE YEAR LATER… “Bedtime, munchkin,” Nicola said from the living room doorway. Iris, who was lying on the floor, watching cartoons, jumped up and ran toward the door.“Come on, Olaf,” she said to the dog following her religiously almost everywhere.“Did you pick out what you want to take to show and tell tomorrow?” Nicola asked as they made their way upstairs.“Yes, I did,” Iris replied. “I’m taking the seashell Aunt Daph gave me.”“That’s a wonderful idea! I believe everybody will like that. They can put it to their ear and listen to the ocean,” Nicola exclaimed and took her little hand in hers. “Let’s say goodnight to your daddy. He’s in his office.” They stopped outside Blake’s office and Iris knocked on the door.“‘Come in,’” Blake called out. Iris opened the door and entered the room.“It’s bedtime, Daddy,” she announced. Blake checked his watch.“Already? Well… you’d better give me my goodnight hug and kiss.” Nicola smiled.
The next morning, Blake and Nicola entered together the Long Beach Police Department. Paul was waiting for them in there. He showed them the way to the interrogation room where Damien Crewe was about to be brought.“Nik, are you sure you want to be present during this?” the detective asked Nicola after she sat in front of the two-way mirror and placed the crutches near her. “You might hear some ugly things…” Blake watched his wife. Before leaving the mansion that morning, he’d asked her the same thing, afraid Nicola might have a breakdown or something. Her reply was a simple ‘yes’ followed by a soft smile.“Uglier than what I’ve been through? Yes, I’m sure, Paul,” Nicola replied in a determined tone. “I MUST be here. This man took away too much of my sanity, my energy, my time with Blake and Iris. It’s time to face the monster and put an end to this. It’s time to move on with my life.” She looked up at Blake and smiled. She didn’t look stressed or worried
Long after Daphne had gone home for the day, Blake sat at his desk, deep in thought. He was thinking of Nicola and the words they had exchanged in anger. ‘What you’re planning to do is wrong, Blake. And you’re going to lose me. Forever!’ ‘And what about our little girl? What do you think it would do to Iris to lose her daddy?’ Those words were the ones that stood out more than anything in his mind. The idea of Nicola leaving him, walking out on their marriage, and the thought of not seeing Iris anymore, scared the hell out of Blake. More than going to jail for breaking into little pieces the son of a bitch who hurt the woman he loved. The last thing Blake wanted was to lose Nicola and the life they had together.“Echols, you look like you lost your best friend,” Norman said, strolling into the office.“Not yet, Norm, but I could,” Blake replied. Norman arched an eyebrow.“Care to explain that to me?” Blake
A week later found Nicola sitting alone in the living room, gazing out the window. Rain was coming down and beating against the windowpane. While she watched it, Nicola thought about her life before being kidnapped and tortured.“I used to be so happy… Now I feel frightened and depressed…” she murmured. “Thank God for Blake and Iris… They are my reason to get out of the bed every morning.” The therapy was working but not as fast as everyone hoped it would. Still, she kept on attending every session, repeating herself to be patient. “Mind if I sit with you for a while? Bruce asked from the doorway. Nicola gave the cushion beside her a pat. Bruce crossed the room and sat down.“How are you doing, Nik?”“I don’t know… Okay, I guess,” Nicola replied. Bruce reached for Nicola's hand and held it between both of his.“It will get easier, dear. I promise you it will.”“You don't know what I'm going through,” Nicola said angrily. “So don't tell me
“Daddy…” Blake glanced up from the book he was reading and gazed at Iris. She was standing in the doorway with Olaf at her feet, and she had a sad look on her face. He closed the book and placed it on the table next to him.“Come here, sunshine.”Iris ran to Blake and climbed onto his lap. She settled in the crook of his arm.“What's wrong?” he asked.“I went to your room to see Nik…” she muttered.“Okay…”“But I didn’t enter because she was crying… I didn’t want to bother her.” He took a deep breath and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.“I see…”“Daddy, why is Nik crying?”“She is sad. When you're sad, don't you cry?”“Yeah.”“Something really bad happened to her and it’s going to take a little while for her to feel better,” Blake explained, caressing her head. “But don’t worry… She is going to be alright… Everything is going to be alright.”The little girl laid her head on his shoulder.“Oh, okay… I'll paint her a picture.”“This is a great idea. Nik adores
Nicola was released from the hospital a few days later. Before she left, she insisted on finally seeing Benjamin. Since Blake was still pretty reluctant about this painful reunion, to get her way, Nicola threatened Blake to go and stay with Norman and Daphne.“Okay, darling… But let's make this brief,” Blake said, pushing the wheelchair down the long hallway. “I want to get you home as soon as possible.”“I'll try not to take too long.” Nicola adjusted the shawl she wore around her shoulders and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the cuts on her arms throbbing as she moved. Halfway down the hall, Blake stopped and knocked on the door on his left. He heard Benjamin replying and opened the door. Careful not to bump Nicola's broken leg against the door, Blake wheeled her into the room and parked the chair next to the bed.“I was wondering if you were going to come and see me,” Benjamin said to Nicola.“I will leave you two to talk,” Blake said, then kis
The next morning, Blake awoke with an aching back and a stiff neck. Groaning, he slowly rose from the chair beside the bed and rubbed his lower back. After kissing Nicola, who was still asleep, he slipped out of the room and made his way down the hallway to a coffee vending machine. Once the coffee was ready, he took a cautious sip of the steaming liquid, then started walking slowly toward Nicola’s room. When Blake reentered, he found a nurse redressing Nicola's burn. Not ready to face the most devastating and painful proof of her torture, Blake quietly returned to the hallway to wait for the nurse to finish. While he stood there, drinking his coffee, his thoughts turned to last night and anger sprang to life inside of him. The urge for revenge swept over him and he fought for control of his emotions. The time for payback would come soon. Claire will feel his rage… She will…“Blake.” Hearing Daphne's voice, he turned and saw her and Nor
He opened the door and looked out at the detective March.“My wife is ready to answer your questions.” The detective moved past Blake and strolled toward the bed.“Thank you for agreeing to see me, Mrs. Echols.”“It's Nik,” she told him softly.“Oh, alright,” the detective replied. “Then, call me Paul, please.”“Okay. Have a seat,” Nicola invited him. The detective sat down on the chair next to the bed.“Before you get started,” Blake said, glancing down at Nicola, “do you need anything, darling?”“No, sweetheart, thank you. I just want to get this over with. But you should sit down.”“I'll try to make it as brief as possible, Nik.” Nicola turned her head on the pillow and gazed at the detective.“Good… Then, maybe I should tell you right away that I know the name of my aggressor…” Both of them looked at Nicola like she was half crazy. She took a deep breath and watched as Blake was slowly sitting on the side of the bed.“Nik, are you
While waiting for the doctor to come out and speak with him, Blake was sitting in the waiting room. He was leaning forward on the chair, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Every fiber of his being was screaming for him to find the doctor and demand answers to the questions that were eating away at him but he also knew he had to keep his composure… for Nicola’s sake.“Dammit, Nik! I failed you… I promised to keep you safe and look what happened…” Blake kept whispering. “It’s all my fault… I’m so sorry, my love…” Tired of sitting on that damn chair and doing nothing, Blake stood and moved toward the window. While he glanced out into the darkness, he thought back over the past several hours, since Alma’s phone call… ‘Mr. Blake, you must come home… Ben has been shot… and Nik… Someone kidnapped her…’ Her desperate voice on the phone iced the blood in his veins. As long as he lived, he will never forget her chilling, utterly