28. Olivia #3
She looked around. The bartender was at the far end. The two men who had been trying to flirt with them were suddenly very interested in their drinks. No one was going to help.
Little Frankie let go. A bruise was already forming where his hand had been. He and the other man walked out as if nothing had happened.
Olivia's hands began shaking uncontrollably as the shock of what had happened overwhelmed her, before they'd reached the door. Tears blurred her vision as fear mixed with relief at their departure, emotions tumbling over each other.
"Do you know them?" Lauren said, her voice trembling.
"They work for Mark's brother." Her voice came out thin. "They confronted Nicholas and me before. That's when Nicholas got security for both of us. But then Nicholas said it was handled. He said there was no need for security anymore."
The bartender drifted over, looking guilty for the delay. "Is everything alright? Should I call security or the police?"
Olivia shook her head. The police wouldn't stop Little Frankie.
She looked at Lauren. "I want to call Nicholas. But he doesn't want to talk to me."
"Olivia, don't." Lauren grabbed her hand firmly. "He told you to call him for anything—anything at all. I would say this qualifies. And he may be in danger too."
Olivia swallowed. "You're right."
Her fingers fumbled. She pressed his name. It rang once, twice, then voicemail. The sound of his recorded voice nearly broke her open right there at the bar.
"Nicholas, I'm so sorry to bother you, but I need to talk to you. Something happened with Little Frankie. I think you should know. Call me when you can."
They sat in stunned silence, ordered another drink, and waited.
Five minutes. Ten.
Her phone buzzed.
Nicholas.
She answered before the first vibration ended, standing up and stepping away from the noise.
"Olivia, what happened? Are you okay? You sounded upset." His voice was low and full of quiet anger in a way she'd never heard from him before.
"Oh, Nicholas, I'm so scared." Her voice broke on the last word.
"Tell me what happened."
She told him everything. The grip. The bruise already forming. The threat about the lawyer and what he would do to her face. The smell of cigarettes. She poured it out until she was breathless.
"Stay right where you are," he said. The authority in it was absolute. "You and Lauren stay at the bar. I'll call you back in a few minutes."
He hung up.
Less than five minutes later, two men in sharp black suits walked into the bar. They moved through the crowd with a quiet purpose that had nothing to do with a Friday night out. They came straight to her.
"Olivia?"
"Yes."
"We'll stay close until we're relieved. Please relax. No one will bother you."
She let out a breath for what felt like the first time in an hour. "Thank you." She looked at Lauren. "Nicholas sent hotel security. He said he's calling back."
Lauren raised an eyebrow. "You still think he doesn't care?"
Olivia felt the first fragile flicker of something—maybe hope. It was too early to name, but she could feel it.
The phone rang.
"Okay, Olivia, listen to me." Nicholas's voice was focused and controlled, with something dangerous underneath.
"I'm so sorry this happened. I should never have pulled security when I left.
Jim and Dan are on their way to you right now.
They'll be at the hotel within the hour. Please don’t go anywhere without them until this is settled.
They'll take you to work, pick you up. Anywhere you go, they will drive you.
And don't even think about telling me you don't need them.
" He paused. "I won't let anything happen to you. I told you that, and I meant it."
The tears came then, hot and fast, breaking through everything she'd been holding together for two weeks.
"Nicholas, I love you."
Silence. Heavy and thick, stretching across the three hundred miles between them.
"Let's get through this," he said finally. His voice had shifted—just a fraction, something softer underneath the certainty. "And then we can discuss that. Just know I'm here for you."
"Thank you."
"I need to go—I have some things to take care of. Text me when Jim and Dan arrive so I know you're safe."
"I will."
She sat back down. Tears were still on her cheeks, but something new appeared on her face: tentative, warm, and completely real.
"What are you smiling at with those tears?" Lauren asked. "They must be happy tears."
Olivia wiped her cheeks. "I think they are. He said he wouldn't let anything happen to me." She paused. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he does care."
Lauren hugged her without ceremony. "It seems clear to me."
Thirty minutes later, Olivia caught two familiar faces in the bar mirror—moving through the crowd with the particular unhurried confidence of men who knew exactly what they were walking into.
Jim reached her first. "Olivia. We're here. You're safe."
"Thank you," she said. The weight finally lifted from her chest, fully and completely, for the first time all evening.
They stepped to the side, eyes already scanning the room. Lauren leaned in close.
"I assume they belong to Nicholas?"
Olivia smiled.
She didn't need to say a word.