Damon (The Protectors #1)(41)
“What do you have to be sorry for?” Mitch grumbled then tried to grin. “Unless you're sorry you saved my ornery ass.” He tried to make light of the situation, but it didn't work. There was nothing light or funny about it at all.
“No, I'm sorry you got dragged into this.” Nicole looked away wondering how her orderly life had shifted to total chaos.
“How did you know?” Mitch turned his full attention on her.
“I got a phone call and he ask me if I thought I was really safe. Then he said he wanted to make me suffer before he killed me.” Nicole felt Damon's hand on her shoulder. She swallowed hard, her eyes conveying the horror she had felt, still felt. “He told me I had five seconds to save you. I saw you standing there and then noticed a red dot on your forehead and well....you know the rest.”
Mitch's eyes widened a bit then he reached over and hugged her. “Thank you.” He pulled back, his eyes soft and moist for a second before turning back to normal. “But don't think that gives you any brownie points Callahan.”
Nicole smiled sadly. “Didn't think any such thing boss.”
After talking to the police Damon hurried Nicole to the car tucking her into the passenger seat. The ride to her apartment was silent. Each of them absorbed in their own thoughts. The only connection was Damon reaching over taking her cold hand into his.
Once at her apartment Nicole pulled out her keys to unlock her door, but as Damon went to unlock it, the door creaked open like in a spooky horror flick. Before Nicole knew what was happening Damon had her pressed into the wall, his back pressed up against her. “Stay put.” He ordered as he pushed the door open wider, his body still blocking hers from any danger.
Peeking around his broad back Nicole got the first look into her apartment and cried out. “Oh my God.” Her apartment was torn apart.
Damon reached around behind him shielding her body with his as he stepped into her small apartment. Closing his eyes he felt with his mind and senses to see if the person who was responsible was still in the apartment. It took only a second to realize they were alone.
Feeling Damon relax slightly she pushed herself around him to see the damage and wished she would have stayed put as he had ordered. Everything was destroyed and strewn all over the floor. Reaching down she picked up the book Pam let her borrow setting it on her kitchen counter. “Why?” Nicole ask, feeling lost.
Damon watched her closely. He knew she was on the edge and was just waiting for her to plunge over. A lesser woman would have collapsed under the shit Nicole had been thrust into over the past week. Week hell, just today. First Mitch and now this.
Dread so strong burned in her chest as she looked over to where Ren and Stimpy made their home and cried out. “Nooooo.” She ran to the shattered bowl searching for her turtles. People had dogs, cats, birds, but Nicole had her turtles that she loved. Seeing Ren on his back laying still under the table their rocky home sat on, she knelt down ignoring the broken glass digging into her hands and knees. Carefully picking him up she prayed he was okay. Turning him over bile pushed to the back of her throat at the words crudely carved into his shell....SUFFER... “Ren, come on...come out.” She taped on the shell which both turtles responded to, but this time instead of his head poking out the turtles long neck flopped forward, the head gone.
Hearing the keening noise coming from Nicole's throat Damon reached down and pulled her up taking the turtle from her. When he caught this f*cking guy he was going to show the bastard what suffer meant. Pulling her into his arms he pressed her head into his chest reaching for his phone. “Jared get over to Nicole's fast, bring Sid and Patrick.” He clicked the phone closed seeing the other turtle laying a few feet away with the word BITCH carved into its shell. Yeah, the bastard was gonna pay.
Chapter 12
Nicole kept busy in the days that followed the break in at her apartment. Slowly her apartment had taken shape to where it looked as it had before with no hint of a break in except for the small table Ren and Stimpy had called home for years. It stood empty, a gruesome reminder of what had happened. A knock on her office door sent the unhappy memories to the back of her mind. “Come in.”
Pam stuck her head in the door, her face showing signs of strain. “Mitch wants you in his office pronto and boss-zilla is in there with him.”
“Great.” Nicole tossed the file she had been updating. Joining Pam in the hall she really took a closer look at her friend. “You okay? Sorry, but you look like crap.”
Pam's eyes shifted before turning back to Nicole. “Yeah, just stuff at home. No biggie.”
Feeling like the worst friend in the world, Nicole sighed. “I'm sorry Pam. I've been so caught up in my own drama that I...”
“Hey, don't sweat it.” Pam stopped her. “It's not a big deal. Just tired and cranky. PMS and all that jazz. Now go on before boss-zilla comes a huntin.”
Nicole watched as her friend headed down the hall, her step not as light as it usually was. Making a mental note to pick up on this conversation after her office visit with Mitch, she turned and headed toward his office hearing his voice booming from behind his closed door. “Ugh....don't want to go in there.” Nicole sighed to the empty hallway. Damon had left on an errand, but Jared was in one of the offices looking through case files to find any clue that might lead them to the master mind behind the blood trafficking. They had added so much security stuff to the building she doubted the US Army could breech the doors.