Resisting Nicole

Chapter One

“Please, Tony, I’m beggingyou. P-put the knife down.”

Nicole’s voice shook as much as her hand. To steady her grip on the gun, she brought up her sliced arm, keeping her eyes on Tony instead of watching her blood drip onto the white bedroom carpet. Her neck, collarbone, and the right side of her breast burned from the downward slash he’d managed when she’d come out of the attached bathroom not expecting this volatile about-face from before she’d taken a shower. My fault, not his. She kept repeating that to stay focused. Otherwise, she would give in to the pain and despair of his condition.

A week ago, the doctors had warned her, Tony, and his siblings his brain tumor was growing again, and how that would impact his mood swings and cognizance of his surroundings. When Tony bought her the gun six months ago, right after his diagnosis, neither of them could have known how soon she would need to use it to defend herself against him.

“What do you want? Money, jewelry?” he sneered, advancing with a maniacal glint in his dark eyes. Waving the large blade stained with her blood, he acted as if the gun she held was of no consequence. “How did you get in my house? I-I have...” Tony frowned, his face showing confusion before the pain-induced rage returned and he lunged for her.

Nicole cried out and jumped back to avoid another agonizing injury. Now she was cornered between the bed where they had shared so many hours of pleasure and the window with a view of his beautiful landscaped yard. Shaking inside and out, she prayed he would become lucid again soon.

“Tony, it’s me, Nicole. I live here with you, remember? We went to the lake yesterday and picked up your favorite pizza on the way home.”

When these paranoid memory lapses first started, his doctors told her to remind Tony of recent events. That had worked until today. For the last thirty minutes, she’d tried everything she could think of, starting with their afternoon spent sailing, Tony’s favorite pastime, and going back three years to when they first met. She hoped repeating yesterday’s excursion would trigger his recognition long enough for Nicole to grab her phone out of her purse lying on the chair.

“You’re lying. I don’t know you.” He brandished the knife then gazed at the red-stained blade with a confused frown, paying no attention to the gun or her for several moments.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Nicole tried to slip by him, inching along the wall until she came to the window. The sun had still been shining when she’d come upstairs, but now, nightfall darkened the room, casting everything into shadow.

“You do know me, Tony. I’m Nicole. ” Her arms turned heavy, aching, the cuts burning like acid and making her nauseous, but she didn’t dare let her guard down. That’s how he’d gotten her neck and shoulder.

Praying for strength, she took in the weight he’d lost since he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. His six-foot-four, two-hundred-fifty-pound frame had shrunk rapidly, the tumor growing at an alarming rate, much quicker than they were first told. The faster he declined, the more his siblings fought with her over his care. She was physically and emotionally drained but wouldn’t walk away when he needed her most.

His face cleared, and he looked at her with lucidity. “Nicole? My head hurts.”

“I know,” she said, breathing easier when he started to lower the knife. “Let me get to the phone and call for help, Tony. They can give you something for the pain.” She realized her mistake right away, forgetting he didn’t trust anyone during these episodes.

“No!”

Tony lunged, coming at her with the knife raised. With nowhere to go, fear and self-preservation took over, and she pulled the trigger the same moment searing pain engulfed her left side. He gazed at her in stunned surprise that changed to profound relief before collapsing against her and then to the floor, his blood-soaked chest not moving. Ignoring her own injuries, she went to her knees, sobbing, not willing to accept she’d killed the man who meant so much to her.

“Oh God, no, please. Tony, don’t die, please don’t die,” she begged, searching for a pulse but already knowing she wouldn’t find one. Ignoring the agony of her injuries, she scrambled up and crawled across the bed then fumbled in her purse for the phone.

The rest of the evening and night passed in a blur of shock and pain for Nicole. Even doped up on meds, she couldn’t forget the look on Tony’s face, that split second of peaceful calm and love before he died in her arms. She’d held his hand when the test results had come back and they listened to the specialist lay out his prognosis, and then argued with him when he called his attorney and gave her medical power of attorney. She’d never wanted the responsibility of choosing life or death for anyone, let alone someone she cared about.

Now, it didn’t matter, since she killed him.

Nicole rolled over in the uncomfortable hospital bed and gazed at the unappealing skyline of downtown Chicago. She supposed, if someone liked city views, Chicago had some of the best, or so she’d heard growing up. Hailing from the wrong side of the tracks in the poorer part of the city, she never shopped or ate anywhere near the high-rises outside her window until she met Tony Renaldi of the Renaldis. Tears pricked her eyes as she recalled bumping into him as she walked out of the animal shelter with a dog in need of exercise.

***

“OOOPS, SORRY.”

Nicole looked up at the man she hadn’t seen just outside the animal shelter’s door. He was dressed in an expensive three-piece suit, and she took him for a bigwig at one of the corporate headquarters a few blocks away, the exact type of man she had no use for. Now that she’d apologized, her first inclination was to rush by him as he held the door open, ignoring anything he had to say. There was no time in her day to waste on polite chitchat with anyone, or to indulge in flirtatious come-ons, which she suspected he was about to start when he smiled.

Gritting her teeth, she’d stepped past him when he surprised the heck out of her and asked, “Hey, is this fella up for adoption? He’s just what I’m looking for.”

“You were going inside?” She thought he’d seen her at the glass door. Sam, the mixed-breed stray with a wiry black coat and floppy ears, pressed closer to Nicole’s leg. “Yes, he is, but he’s very timid and needs a quiet home.”

The man squatted down and held his hand out to Sam. “I live alone, so it doesn’t get much quieter. Good boy.” He praised Sam for sniffing his fingers then straightened and pointed to her name tag. “Do you volunteer a lot here?”

“When I can, and I need to walk him. If you’re interested in Sam, tell Linda at the desk.”

Nicole pivoted and started toward the corner crosswalk, her curiosity piqued, but not enough to linger. He surprised her again as he joined her instead of entering the shelter. Most men walked away when she didn’t follow their cue and engage in conversation or show interest in them.

“Do you mind if I tag along to get to know him better first?”

She cast a quick glance his way and noticed his attention was on Sam and not her. Now her curiosity needed appeasing. “No, but judging by your appearance, you could likely afford a pedigreed dog or one of the fancy doodle designer pets. Why do you want a mutt?”

They stopped at the crosswalk, and he pushed the button before focusing on her with his head cocked. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?”

Smiling at him for the first time, she replied, “Just the opposite. My mother was always telling me what you see is usually what you get. That went doubly for people.”

The Walk sign lit up, and he didn’t say anything else until they reached the park on the other side. “So, you pegged me for a spoiled rich guy and are cynical enough to question why I’m slumming at the local shelter?”

Nicole shrugged. Let him believe she was shallow and judgmental. What did she care? He took the leash from her, switched it to his other hand, and clasped hers, saying, “It looks like I’ll have to convince you both I’m a nice guy worth getting to know.”

***

NICOLE HELD OUT HERbandaged arm, remembering the man who had been worth getting to know, not who he had become due to circumstances beyond his control. Tony spent an hour with her and Sam that afternoon then filled out the adoption papers before leaving. After learning he was the youngest of the elite, wealthy Renaldis, she’d tested his sincerity in wanting to get to know her when he asked her out. She would never forget her astonishment when he agreed to meet her at Bob’s Pizza, a small, family-owned pizzeria located in her old neighborhood. He’d arrived wearing jeans and a Mets T-shirt, looking genuinely happy to see her, leaving her no choice but to admit she was wrong to stereotype him. Tony Renaldi had been the nicest, most down-to-earth guy she’d ever met. She’d loved living with him, his unwavering support and encouragement these last two years while she finished college, and the way he stood up for her against his siblings constant attacks.

“No charges – no way in hell! Let me in there, damn you! I want that bitch who killed my brother to face me.”

Speaking of Tony’s siblings. Nicole sighed and sat up, wincing at the pull on the stitches in her shoulder and side. Natalie, Tony’s twin, was always the most vocal about her disapproval of Nicole and Tony’s relationship. She hated sharing her brother with anyone, especially someone she deemed so unsuitable for both Tony and the Renaldi name. She strained to hear what the nurses were telling Natalie, then a deeper, more authoritative voice seeped through the door.

“You’ll have to come with me, ma’am, and I insist you keep your voice down.”

Natalie’s arguments faded, and Nicole assumed security was escorting her out. When the police knocked and entered with her doctor a few minutes later, she figured they had explained the circumstances of Tony’s death, at least what she remembered telling them last night in the emergency room as pictures of her injuries were taken. She recognized the dark-haired, blue-eyed detective who had taken her statement, recalling the comfort of his compassion and assurances.

“Ms. Wells, do you remember me from last night? Detective Washburn.”

“Yes, I do, Detective. I heard Tony’s sister.” She switched her attention to the doctor who’d visited her earlier that morning. “When can I leave?”

“Today, if you’d like. You can have your stitches removed in the ER or by your doctor at a follow-up in two weeks. I’ll send you home with antibiotic and pain med prescriptions.”

The doctor wrote in her chart as Detective Washburn came up to the side of the bed. “I hate to tell you this, but the family is going to give you grief over their brother’s death. We already have a report from Tony’s oncologist, who verified the tumor and his escalating violent behavior due to the growing pressure in his head. Your injuries confirm you acted in self-defense, and you’re cleared of any wrongdoing. I have to ask, though, why you stayed, given the risk?”

Nicole tensed, finding the inquiry offensive, forcing herself to remain calm and unaffected before answering stiffly, “I don’t walk away from people I care about when they need me the most.”

They both gazed at her with a measure of respect, the detective sighing then squeezing her good shoulder. “Society would be better off with more people like you, willing to make sacrifices for others.”

Uncomfortable with praise, she shifted on the bed and turned her head toward the window again. “Yes, well, as it turned out, my staying didn’t help Tony. Just the opposite.”

“Or maybe it was a blessing he went fast instead of dying a slow, painful death,” the doctor said, closing her chart. “I’ll sign your discharge papers. Take care.”

Detective Washburn waited until the doctor left before telling her, “Natalie has been escorted out, and Michael and Douglas left with her. At least they tried to get her calmed down and under control, and showed no animosity toward you when I explained Tony’s attack. You have every right to refuse to see them, but I would advise you to move out of Tony’s house as soon as you can.”

Michael Renaldi, the eldest, had been the least vocal about objecting to her relationship with Tony, treating her with detached politeness, as if his little brother’s affairs were of no consequence. Douglas flat-out ignored her, and Natalie was in her face every chance she got. From what she recalled last night, the detective had thought it best to inform the family of Tony’s death early this morning instead of after midnight when he’d left the ER.

“I plan to,” Nicole replied, relieved not to face Tony’s siblings today. “My parents will pick me up when I’m dismissed and help me. I’ll be out later today with our dog.” She hardened her tone. “I won’t leave Sam.”

“If any of them make a stink about that, let me know.” He handed her his card. “Call me if they give you trouble. Otherwise, take care of yourself, Ms. Wells.”

“I will. Thank you, Detective.” She would start by vowing not to get emotionally involved again. She hadn’t been in love with Tony but couldn’t imagine the pain of losing him, especially under these circumstances.

All Nicole wanted now was to get Sam and heal at her parents’ house before making a decision on where to go from here.

***

“DAMN IT, MICHAEL, YOUmight be the oldest, but you can’t boss me around anymore. Let me go!” Natalie Renaldi yanked her arm out of her brother’s hold and swiped at the tears cascading down her grief-ravaged face.

Michael glared at her, his emotions in as much turmoil as his sister’s, then cast a look around the hospital parking lot, relieved no one stood gawking at them. Opening Natalie’s car door, he gestured toward the driver’s seat. “At thirty-two, I should not have to drag you away from making a public scandal of yourself. Your teen and college years were bad enough. It’s a good thing Susan overheard you on the phone telling one of your friends you were going to confront Nicole. I’m making an exception, this time, due to the circumstances even though I warned you not to come up here. Go home or return to my place and have a say-so in the funeral arrangements.”

“Your wife has always been nosy.” Fisting her hands on her hips, she sought Douglas’ help. “Are you really going to side with him and let her get away with killing our brother?”

“I’m siding with Michael right now, agreeing we should move this conversation someplace private. Come on, sis,” Douglas cajoled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We were prepared for Tony’s death, albeit not this soon or this way.”

Douglas, who went through life taking nothing seriously, had been quiet since the police called them together first thing this morning. Maybe too quiet. Michael worried about all his siblings and the family name. So far, he was the only one married with an heir, his son, Jerod, who’d just turned three. Before Tony’s medical diagnosis, he’d figured his youngest brother would eventually delegate Nicole to mistress status and marry someone more suitable for the Renaldi name, so he’d left Tony alone.

“Fine, for now. But I will confront that bitch, and I can promise you this – she will pay for what she’s done. Dad taught us all to hunt, and no prey has ever escaped me.” Natalie got in her car and shot out of the parking lot with tires screeching.

Michael rubbed the back of his neck then pressed his fob to unlock his car. “If she doesn’t show up at my place, call her. She listens to you more than me,” he told Douglas over the hood before sliding behind the wheel.

Settling on the passenger side, Douglas replied, “I doubt she’ll listen to anyone right now. They were close.”

“Yeah, I know.” Not only as twins, but there was a ten-year gap between him and his youngest siblings, two separating him and Douglas. Yet he remained closest to his longtime girlfriend, not his wife or brother. He gave a mental shrug. It is what it is, he’d always believed, and wasn’t about to change now that he’d reached forty-two. “She needs time, but the arrangements won’t wait. We’ll handle them, with or without her.”

“And what if Nicole is there? Do you want me to talk to her before then?”

Michael started for home, groaning at the thought. Seeing Nicole Wells at the service would be akin to lighting a firecracker under Natalie. “Yes, in a day or two, after everything is finalized. His will won’t be read until afterward, but I doubt Tony changed anything. Fred never mentioned him making any changes.”

“Fred’s an attorney bound by confidentiality first, not friendship.”

***

“TRUE. I’LL GIVE HIMa call, if for no other reason than to be prepared. That news would derail Natalie.” Michael didn’t need anything else to rile his sister.

“Let’s hope Tony knew enough to keep his holdings in the family.” Douglas shook his head, as if befuddled. “I’ll never understand how he could be so happy staying home all the time with one woman. That’s so contrary to the Renaldi men.”

Their father and uncle were never faithful husbands and didn’t hide that fact from their sons. If their mother or aunt had known, they never let on, the same with his wife, Susan. “Tony lived his life by a different set of values. I always admired that about him.” Michael would miss his little brother. He was the best of them.

***

NICOLE LIFTED THE LASTbox of things she’d left in the bedroom she’d shared with Tony after moving in with her parents six months ago and took one final look around, her heart still aching. She couldn’t believe Tony had changed his will and now this was all hers, along with everything else that was in his name only. He never let on about doing that, swearing the Renaldi lawyer to silence until he showed up at the door a day after her hospital dismissal and she was debating where to go from here. She could only imagine the reaction from Michael and Douglas, surprised she hadn’t heard from them about it. Natalie remained vocal in the press, claiming she got away with murder, citing the inheritance as motive. Nicole had become numb to her accusations.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

Ooops, spoke too soon.

Douglas entered the room and reached for the box, but she stepped aside, irritated and curious all at once. “I’ve got it, thanks. What are you doing here?” Of the three brothers, he was the best looking with his chestnut hair worn long and curling around his nape and his flirty blue-eyed gaze. She’d never met anyone more conceited.

“Straight and to the point. I admire that.” He smiled and ran his fingers down her bare arm.

She didn’t move fast enough that time and hated his creepy touch. “That’s funny,” she stated, heading toward the door. “You wanted nothing to do with me before today. If you don’t mind...”

Blocking her way, he brushed her cheek with his knuckles, his look and voice cajoling as he replied, “Come on, baby, don’t be that way. Or are you playing hard to get?”

Nausea churned in Nicole’s stomach, and she resisted the urge to kick him. Instead, she stomped out of the room, speaking over her shoulder. “Get out of my house, Doug.” Except for Tony, the Renaldis hated it when she called them by the shorter version of their names. But then, Tony hadn’t been a pompous ass like Doug.

Without warning, Nicole found her arm in his bruising grip, his cold, contemptuous look replacing his teasing leer. “You may have fooled my little brother, but neither Michael nor I are as gullible. If you want to keep all this”—he spread his free arm out to indicate the spacious house—“I suggest you be as nice to me as you were to Tony.”

She tried to pull out of his hold, resisting the urge to tell him the house was already under contract with a Realtor, but he tightened his hand with a scornful laugh. A shiver of unease crept down her spine, his behavior so contrary to his usual indifference toward her, she didn’t know how to respond. Luckily, she didn’t have to.

“Get your hand off my daughter.”

Nicole caught the fleeting surprise in his eyes as Doug dropped his hand and turned to face her father coming up the stairs. “Your daughter, huh? So, you’re the one responsible for raising this money-grubbing bitch.”

A small smile flitted at the corners of her dad’s mouth as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and they exchanged a quick, conspiring glance. “I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter. Now, as she said, get out of her house.”

Douglas spun on his heel and stomped down the stairs without a word, his rigid back talking for him.

“I’ve never seen him like that. People handle grief in different ways. Maybe that’s his way.” Nicole shrugged, hefting the box in her arms to gain a better hold.

Taking the box from her, Carl Wells said, “Don’t make excuses for the likes of him. I should have thrown your charitable intentions in his face. Is this it?”

“Yes, and I’m not just pointing out how uncharacteristic his behavior was.” Strolling with him toward the stairs, she added, “I’m glad you didn’t mention my plans to give most of the money away.” Nicole favored her father with the same black hair and blue eyes, but her penchant for stating her mind in blunt terms came from both her parents. It made for stimulating arguments, especially when her brother came home on leave from the Navy.

When they reached the foyer, he faced her at the door. “You’re sure about all this, including moving so far away?”

Nicole smiled to ease the concern reflected on his face. “Yes, and Wyoming isn’t all that far. As I said when I bought the property, if it doesn’t work out, then I know I’m welcome back here.” She stretched up and kissed his cheek then opened the door. “I’ll get my purse and be right out.”

Grabbing her purse off the staircase newel, Nicole took another sweeping glance of the house where she’d spent so many pleasurable months and said a silent final goodbye. She hoped to find peace and a way to forgive herself for taking Tony’s life where she was going. Time would tell if she could.