“Look, I'm trying to apologize. I admit it was all my fault. Youâ”
“Funny way of apologizing. Grabbing me and pushing me out of the restaurant.” His voice was petulant, reminding her of a three-year-old.
But this mess was all her fault. She needed to be gracious. Find a way to appease the guy. “I agree. I overreacted, but I didn't want to cause a ruckus in the diner.” She extended a hand. “I really am sorry. And just to show you how sorry, I'm going to go back inside and pay your bill. OK? Lunch is my treat.” Her gaze moved towards the alley across the street.
He shrugged. “Well, I didn't getâ”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man across the street. A man with a gun aimed in their direction. She pushed the kid down and then tackled Lucas to the ground as well. Her gaze stayed focused on the man.
The gunman's eyes widened for a moment before he ran.
Jumping off Lucas, Nikki sprinted across the street.
The gunman was too far ahead. She'd never be able to catch him. Forcing her legs to move faster, she cut the distance between them.
At the end of the alley, he turned right. Nikki lost sight of him. She increased her speed. This was the reason she worked out faithfully. In her job, fitness made a difference. At the end of the alley, she turned right but stopped.
No gunman.
Her gaze scanned the area.
The light turned green and a dark van drove through it. He couldn't have gotten into that van and driven away.
She was only a few seconds behind him.
Two young boys walked down the steps of the library.
She yelled across to them. “Hey, did you boys see some guy running down the street?”
With wide eyes, they both shook their heads.
He couldn't have disappeared.
She'd seen him turn right. She walked across the street to the boys. After taking a few deep breaths, she asked, “Are you sure?”
“Nope. We didn't see no one, ma'am.”
When had young boys started calling her ma'am? “Anyone.”
“What?” The boy seemed confused.
“âWe didn't see no one' is not good English. It's âwe didn't see anyone.'”
“What are you? An English teacher?”
“Never mind. Are you sure you didn't see a man come out of the alley?”
“No. That van did pull away as we were coming out of the libary, but we didn't see no oneâ¦anyone running.”
“It's library with an
r
.”
“That's what I said, ma'am. Liba
ry
.”
“How many people were in the van?”
“One.”
The other boy spoke up. “No, I thought I saw another person. On the passenger side.”
The first boy shrugged. “Don't know. If he says it was two, it probably was.”
“OK, thanks.” That van must have been waiting for the gunman. That made sense. Two men, one in a getaway van. This whole thing seemed planned, not spur-of-the-moment. But Lucas's visit hadn't been planned. What was going on? Picture taking was one thing, but a man with a gun?
That wasn't a game.
****
Stunned and more than a little embarrassed, Lucas moved to a sitting position. One minute he was talking to Nikki and the kid. The next he was on the ground.
Nikki had charged him as if he were the quarterback in a championship game; then she'd run off. What had gotten into her?
The crowd around him had grown as people realized who he was. Everyone stared and a few pointed. Others had their cell phones out. No doubt wondering why a US congressman was sitting on their sidewalk. He stood up and brushed off his pants. “Everything's fine, folks.” Then he walked over to the kid and held out a hand.
The young man got up and took his offered hand. “What is wrong with that woman? Does anybody know her name?”
Lucas smiled. “I'm sure she has a logical explanation.”
Misty nodded. “He's right. Nikki would never assault someâ”
“You do know her name. What's her last name so I can tell the cops?”
Lucas put a hand on the young man. “Let's forget about that, shall we? She was trying to protect me, that's all.”
“Protect you? She pushed you down harder than she did me. She's a menace and needs to be stopped. I want her arrested.”
“There's no reason to do that. I'm really sorry she pushed you down, but as I said, she was only trying to protect me.”
“She can't go around pushing people. This is America. We have laws against people assaulting other people for no reason.”
Some of the people in the crowd nodded their heads in agreement.
Lucas needed to disperse the crowd before it turned into an angry mob who decided to go find Nikki and bring her to justice.
“You're right, this is America and she shouldn't have acted that way. I agree one hundred percent.”
The crowd nodded.
He lowered his voice slightly, allowing his gaze to move from one person to another. “But this crowd reminds me of another crowd. A crowd where Jesus picked up a stone and told them to throw it if they were without sin. Not one took Him up on that offer.”
They were listening.
“Now, I'm not Jesus, but I am asking for a little generosity of spirit for the woman. She really was trying to do the right thing. And just as all of us do from time to time, she didn't do it quite the right way.”
People nodded and turned to go on their way.
Misty walked up. She leaned close and whispered, “You should have been a preacher, not a politician.”
The young man glared at Lucas. “Those were nice words, but I still want her arrested.”
As if on cue, a cruiser pulled up.
A moment later, Nikki was walking out of the alley and towards them.
Lucas hurried over to her. “Nikki, what happened? Are you OK?”
Her expression was grim. “I saw a man with a gun. He was aiming at you. Lucas, someone wants you dead.”
10
Someone wants you dead.
Lucas heard Nikki's words but couldn't believe she was right.
“Did you hear me?”
“I heard you. I justâ¦that doesn't make any senseâ¦Are you sure?”
The policeman stepped out of his cruiser.
“Oh, great.”
“Don't worry. I'll handle this.”
“Let's get this over with.” Nikki was resigned.
They walked back to the scene.
“Oh, you decided to come back, didja?” The young man turned to the officer. “I want her arrested. She assaulted me.”
“I wasn't trying to assault you. I was trying to keep you from getting shot.”
Lucas didn't let his concern show. He needed to diffuse this situation fast. But she could have been killed. What was she thinking when she ran after a man with a gun?
“I didn't see no man with no gun.” The kid brushed the hair out of his face.
“Well, I did,” Nikki countered.
“She's just making that up so she won't go to jail.”
The police officer said nothing.
“If that was the case, then why did I come back?”
He glared at Nikki. “I don't know. Probably because you're crazy.”
The officer looked at Lucas. “What about you, Congressman? Did you see a man with a gun?”
“My back was turned the other way. But if Ms. Kent says she saw a man with a gun, then she did.”
“You need to contact the FBI.” Nikki looked at the officer.
“FBI?” The officer raised his brows in inquiry.
“Lucas McMann is a US congressman. A threat to his life is nothing to minimize.”
“If you want me to contact them, I'll be glad to do so.” The officer turned to Lucas. “She's right. We don't want anything happening to you. Even if you didn't see the gun.”
“What? You don't believe me?” Nikki asked.
“It's not that I don't believe you, ma'am, but there's no proof.”
“He's right,” Lucas said.
“So, you don't believe me either.” Her jaw tightened.
“I didn't say that.”
“You didn't have to. Do whatever you all want.” She walked away.
“Aren't you going to arrest her?” The young man asked, outraged.
“How about I pay for you and a friend to go out to dinner and you walk away with a good story? Just think, you quite possibly stopped a bullet intended for a congressman and the gunman ran away.” Lucas kept his tone conciliatory as he pulled out his wallet and peeled off three one-hundred-dollar bills. “This will be enough to take your girl to a nice place and get a bottle of wine for your trouble.”
The young man paused, looking at the cop.
The officer's face was noncommittal as he waited for a decision.
“OK.” The young man snatched the bills, stuffed them in his pocket, and walked away. A moment later, he turned back. “You're a nice guy. I'll vote for you in the next election.”
“Thanks.” Lucas looked at the officer. “Are we done?”
“Unless you want me to contact the FBI.”
“Not necessary. Thanks so much.”
Nikki was halfway down the block.
Lucas hadn't meant to hurt her but he wanted to keep the stalking under wraps for now.
In case it's just me and I'm crazy.
He couldn't just let her walk out of his life feeling angry and betrayed. He jogged down the block. “Wait for me, Nikki.” He caught up with her as she reached her car and put a hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged the hand away. “Go away, Lucas.”
“I'm not going away, Nikki.”
“That's OK. I am.” She rummaged for her keys.
“I didn't say I didn't believe you. And for the record, I do. I was only saying there wasn't enough proof to get the FBI involved.”
“You hired me to protect you, and then you fired me.” She slid the key in the door lock. “I'm good at my job and you just allowed an audience to believe I am incompetent.”
“First of all, I didn't hire you to protect me. I hired you to find out if I'm being stalked. And it seems you found that out today.”
“A man pointed a gun at you today.” She gave him a serious look. “Aren't you concerned about that?”
“Of course I am. But there were three of us on that sidewalk. So technically, we can't be sure I was the target.”
“Really. You think it could have been me or that kid? It was pretty obvious the officer didn't believe I saw anything.”
“I believe you.” He smiled. “I know what it's like not to be believed. I've been there. I've been living it for months. But we need to talk.”
“You fired me. We have nothing to talk about.”
“I wasn't exactly honest with you back there in the diner.”
“Really? What a shock that is.” She turned from him. “We've been down this road before too.”
“Give me a chance, Nikki. I'll tell you everything this time. No secrets.”
She glared at him for a time. Then she nodded. “Fine.”
“Your sister's house.”
She shook her head.
“You want to come to my house?”
She shook her head.
“Then the lake house it is. It's very private.”
She nodded and looked at her watch. “I'll meet you there at four.”
“Let's make it six and I'll provide dinner.”
“This is business, remember? Not a date.”
“I know that.”
“Six is fine.” Her eyes scanned the area as if expecting to see another hit man. “Be careful. This is not a game, Lucas. Someone wants you dead.”
11
Lucas stepped out of his car. The dogwood and mountain laurel were in full bloom. The front yard was sprinkled with pink and white blossoms. Of course, they weren't here to admire the scenery or to reminisce about their past.
An assassin in Maiden? It didn't seem possible. But he trusted Nikki with his life. The last email message flashed into his mind.
Someone will die if you repeat the same mistake twice.
What mistake? And who would die? The game had taken a nasty turn.
He popped the trunk on his mother's car and pulled out the picnic basket filled with fried chicken, sliced tomatoes, cheese and crackers, and some cupcakes. Did Nikki still love chocolate? Just because they had serious matters to discuss didn't mean they couldn't have a nice dinner as well. She'd be aggravated, but he didn't care. He had to break through that angry exterior she'd built up. He unlocked the door.
He'd set up the picnic supper outside. He moved through the house and onto the deck. Still a beautiful view. Even though they called it the lake house, it was more like a large pond. With the mountains and trees as a backdrop, the sun shimmered off the water. He took a deep breath, appreciating the beauty, the solitude, but mostly God.
As he laid out the food and the plates, he debated with himself.
Nikki had asked if she was hired again. A part of him wanted to say yes, because she was a very capable investigator. On the other hand, he didn't want to put her in danger. After the email and the gun incident, it seemed risky. Weighing the pros and cons, he decided he wouldn't ask her. He would simply tell her the truth and let her make her own decision.
He placed a small vase with flowers in the center of the table. Very nice. Candles would make it perfect. He headed into the kitchen to hunt for some.
****
Nikki sat at a table in Bethany's living room with her laptop, trying to focus on the computer screen. Lucas said he'd believed her, but now she understood why he'd started questioning himself and his sanity. They had to talk, and she had to keep him safe. If he hired her back.
“I don't know why you won't let me help you.” Not looking up from her tablet, Cassie whined as she sat cross-legged on the sofa. “Computers are kind of my thing.”
“It's not necessary. I'm just browsing. I'm not looking for anything that important.” Not exactly true. She wanted proof. If it was some sort of internet game, she should be able to find information about it. Games didn't usually involve guns and getaway vans.