Chapter 23
Nicole
I’m fixated on the screen, my gaze lowered as Derrick maneuvers along the flooded street.
The phone rings again.
My first instinct is to press the button to decline the call, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I’ve had good manners drilled into me my entire life, and ignoring this call goes against every fiber in my being.
“Who’s calling?” Derrick’s voice cuts through my thoughts, the hard edge making my nerves all jittery.
The phone rings again, the insistent tone putting my nerves on end.
I tighten my grip as my tummy twists into a knot. I recognized the ring tone immediately and I swear I could melt into this seat. His unwavering gaze intensifies, his shoulders stiffening.
I swallow hard, bracing myself. “It’s my grandmother,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.
The tension in his shoulders eases. “For goodness’ sakes, answer her,” he replies, sounding more understanding.
He doesn’t get it. Well, he doesn’t know about the conversation I had with her before he showed up at my door.
“You give that man whatever he wants, if it keeps you safe.”
I knew precisely what she meant when she tried to convince me to stay. Though it wasn’t exactly to keep me safe, I did give him what he wanted, and my body’s still tingling because of it.
Reluctantly, I press the button to answer and send up a quick plea to the heavens, asking for a little more courage.
It’s the last call I want to take in front of him, but at this point, I don’t have much of a choice.
“Mija,” I hear the distress in her voice before the phone even reaches my ear. “Are you safe?”
“Abuela , ” I automatically switch to Spanish then steal a glance over at Derrick. I didn’t think to tell him she doesn’t speak English very well. “I’m okay.” I swallow hard. “I’m safe.”
“Gracias a Dios.” She sobs, releasing some of her pent-up emotion. “I was worried sick when you cut off the call so quickly.”
“Ay, Abuela.” The guilt of ending the call the way I did, leaving her worried, rushes through me. “I’m sorry, I’m safe, I promise.” I wet my lips, one phrase after another going through my head while my cheeks warm up. “I… Derrick’s here. He came to check on me. Derrick. That’s his name.” Feeling scattered, I manage to fumble every single thing I’m trying to tell her.
“And what happened?” she asks, her voice tight with concern. It’s a natural curiosity, but of course, my brain turns to what happened later. To all the things I could never say to her.
“We talked it out.” I rush through the words while the memory of my headboard hitting the wall replays in my head. Thankfully, he’s oblivious.
“And you told him?” Her voice is laced with worry.
“Yes, ma’am. He’s aware of what happened,” I confirm, trying to sound reassuring.
“Everything, mija ?” She asks as if she needs to make sure it’s all out in the open.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her sigh of relief comes across the line, easing my battered conscience. “I’m so glad you worked things out. You won’t be leaving, then, right?”
We’re going hom e . That’s all he said to me once things cooled down.
“No,” I murmur into the phone, hoping to keep Derrick from overhearing. “I won’t be leaving.”
“He’s keeping you from running away again, isn’t he? You’re staying for him?” The hope in her voice is heartbreaking.
“Yes. I believe in him.” My heart does a little flip-flop. Is it because of the note in her voice? Or is it that I just had a revelation about him, and how I feel about him?
There’s a pause. “Mija,” she says, with concern. “A man who understands what’s happened with you and stands by you just the same, has to be a good man. I’ll pray for him.”
Her words tugged at my heart. “Yes, Abuela, he is.” Despite everything, I couldn’t deny the safety I felt in Derrick’s presence.
“Then I’ll ask for extra blessings for him and his family.”
I choke back the lump forming in my throat. “Thank you. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” While I don’t know anything about his family’s religious beliefs, we can use all the help we can get figuring out what’s going on in his father’s company. “You don’t need me to try sending something?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Don’t worry about me, dear,” she says, dismissing my offer. “I have everything I need. But I’d love to see you next weekend, if you can manage to take some time.”
“I’ll be by,” I promise, with a rush of warmth at the thought of visiting her soon.
“And you bring that man of yours with you,” she adds as if it’s a given.
Oh Lord.
“I’ll make him a big plate of enchiladas suizas ,” she continues, oblivious to my dilemma, “with all the fixings.”
“I’ll see,” I reply, trying to stay as noncommittal as possible. I have no idea how Derrick will feel about meeting my only family.
“I’ll leave you with a bendicion .”
“Thank you.” I add a silent I love you , because those aren’t words I can say in front of him.
As I hang up, I take a deep breath, facing Derrick. He’s engrossed in driving, though there’s minimal traffic, since most residents are home. I’m sure it has more to do with giving me a moment of privacy for the call.
Derrick glances over, raising an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.” I nod, a weight lifted off my shoulders for the first time since learning the truth about myself. “She’s making sure I’m okay and asking if I can visit next weekend.”
“Good.” Derrick nods, his expression pensive. “Is there anything you need for your grandmother?” he asks.
“She’s got everything she needs.” I smile at his thoughtfulness.
“Good. Family’s important.”
After losing nearly everyone that’s dear to me, I can truly understand that.
* * *
Derrick
I reach for her bag off the back seat then shut the door with a soft thud. “In case you’re wondering later, the oven was turned off. I closed it while I was in the kitchen.”
Nicole circles around the side of the SUV, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. Her brow smooths out as she figures out what I’m talking about. “Oh, I was getting my laptop when you showed up.”
It’s my turn to be confused. “From the oven?” I’m not sure if I missed a key part of the conversation. “You were getting your laptop from the oven?”
She offers a delicate, self-conscious shrug, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. “I don’t live in what you’d call a crime-free neighborhood.” I shrug, understanding. “If I have someone break in, I don’t think they’ll bother checking the cookie sheets I have stacked in the oven.”
A grin tugs at my lips. I can’t help but be impressed by her ingenuity. I did a quick check and didn’t see it.
“That’s pretty damn smart,” I confess. “I wouldn’t have thought of that.” Then again, with the security level in the neighborhood where I grew up, I wouldn’t need to resort to hiding the valuables. Then again, I checked the stats on that computer when I was looking into her and it’s not that valuable.
“Maybe I should have brought it along, but the tech you brought to the apartment is much better than what I have at home,” she muses, as if reading my mind.
Her candid remark strikes a chord in me, reminding me of the stark contrasts in how we grew up. At least with replacing the laptop, that’s something I can take care of easily.
Meanwhile, Nicole has started toward the entrance. “Hang on, I’ll help you.” I swing the bag up over my shoulder, intent on offering her support.
“I can manage on my own,” she insists, scanning the surroundings, her cheeks turning pink.
I hesitate, the strap halfway over my head, gauging the path to the apartment. The floor is even and relatively dry in the garage. Once we get inside, we’ll take the elevator, so she should be okay to move around on her own. “We’ll go at your pace.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs, a trace of gratitude in her voice.
We take our time, strolling into the building then over to the elevators. After a quick ride up, the doors open to reveal the runner leading to the corporate apartment. Nicole seems a little uneasy as we step into the hallway.
Once we make it to the apartment, I unlock the door, holding it for her to enter. She steps in ahead of me, but we barely make it inside when my phone rings.
Somehow, I know my plans of laying Nicole out on my bed are going to be put on hold.
I pull my phone, checking the screen while I set her bag down. I grin when I read the name. Pressing the button, I bring the cell up to my ear.
“Hey, bro,” Addler’s familiar voice comes over the line.
“Hey.” I recognize Addler’s voice immediately, despite the loud hum in the background. He must be on the highway. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, we’re just getting back to the apartment.”
“Good. We’re just headed home, too.” He sounds unusually cheerful. “I have Elena with me in the truck.” Ah, the woman he claimed wasn’t “his girl.” That explains the cheer. “I won’t keep you. Just wanted to see if you found anything else.”
“We’re down to the last two ranches, yours being one of them,” I add.
“Shit,” he mutters, clearly not thrilled with the situation.
“And there’s a lot more money involved than what we originally thought.” Though it may not all be on his property. “Think you might be able to take a look around some of the locations where Kelly Oil & Gas has been doing business?”
“What are we looking for?”
“Verification. We need to confirm the work being done on paper is actually being done in the field.”
“Damn it. Simon Kelly’s due to come in tomorrow morning to announce the construction division has been sold.”
“Think you can do it before then?” I ask, considering the urgency.
“We’ve had a few snake incidents over the past few days,” Elena’s voice, slightly muffled, comes through the line. “I don’t know if going out at night would be safe.”
“Not if you want to keep this on the down-low,” Addler admits.
“Fuck.” My frustration builds.
“I can wrangle Ezequiel,” he offers.
“Sage can help, too,” Elena suggests.
“We can’t send her out on her own,” he states.
“What about with Bill?” she quickly counters.
“How about we put her with Ezequiel? We can send Bill to get Simon at the airport. He can figure out a way to delay if needed.”
“That sounds like a plan,” she agrees.
“Damn it. I wish I could help with that.” They’re doing everything for me, while I’m pretty much just sitting on my ass after putting him in this predicament. “Maybe we can still catch a flight down.”
“If you’re willing to come, I can send the plane,” Addler offers generously.
Why didn’t I think of that? I put the phone to my shoulder. “You up for a trip to South Texas?” I ask her.
“Sure,” she replies, the tension in her expression betraying her nervousness.
“Plan on two for the trip,” I reply to Addler.
“Would you be good to go in an hour and a half?”
Glancing toward the bag at my feet, I’m reminded I’ll need clothes for tomorrow, also. “Yeah, that gives me time to pack a change of clothes.”
“You remember that private airport out toward Katy?”
“Yeah, I can find it.” That’s a lot of movement going on in very little time. “Thanks.”
“Think nothing of it, see you in a while.”
We hang up and I turn to find a worried expression on Nicole’s face. “You okay?”
She starts to fidget in place. “I’ve never been on a plane,” she says with a nervous smile.
Another reminder of our different lives. Was this because of cost, or were her parents trying to keep her from getting caught in issues with TSA?
“We’ll be all right,” I assure her. “Though private flights are nothing like flying commercial.”
“I’m not sure I’ll get any sleep tonight,” she says, hugging herself.
I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her. “You’re right on that one,” I say, focusing on her mouth. “But for an entirely different reason.”