The Assignment (CLOSED)

[BeachBum25]

"I didn't know who he was to you, but, when I saw you with him I knew that it was wrong for me to come to Vegas. I should have just stayed in LA and did my regular thing. I just wanted to see you, even if I didn't get to talk to you. I just needed to know that you were okay.. physically anyway." He paused.

"In my rush to be your hero, I never thought about your state of mind. I just wanted to be the one that rescued you and beat up the person that was hurting you. I never thought that I should have just held you and told you that we would get through it together. I'm sorry. I guess I let my male ego get in the way. Instead of just being there for you, I wanted to rescue the damsel in distress."

Alex noticed her moving toward the door. He wondered if there was any chance for them. If there was, Nicole needed to stop walking out. "Do you have to go? Can we just talk for a little longer? Maybe sit down and talk instead of standing here by the door?"

Before Nicole could answer, Alex's cell phone rang. It was a work call. He contemplated not answering it, but he had been waiting for this call. "I am sorry. Let me take this. It will only be a minute."

Alex answered the phone and walked to the window of his room; looking out at the fountains shooting water high into the air. He had been trying to get in touch with a woman concerning a special report on corruption in city government. Everyone knew it existed, but nobody had any proof. Alex had decided to start exploring it; trying to see if there was a story there. Yes, once again he had decided to dive into a story as a way of taking his mind off Nicole. Taking his mind off of her was not easy to do.

The influence that Alex had heard about was from the rival gangs in the city. Now, his assistant was telling him that there was someone who was willing to talk to him as long as his identity was never revealed and that he didn't need to testify. Well, Alex wasn't a court of law, so, there was no need to testify, and Alex could certainly keep the man's identity a secret; hell, Alex didn't even want to know his real name. "That's great. Set up a time to meet with him tomorrow. Make it someplace he is comfortable, but that I won't look out of place. Awesome. Great work. I will be back in LA tonight probably. Talk to you in the morning."

Alex turned around, "Sor....." Nicole wasn't there. He walked to the bathroom, not there either. "MOTHERFUCKER." He couldn't believe she left. Well, yes he could. It was more like he was disappointed that she left. He had hoped that they could talk and maybe find a way to try to mend their relationship. Yea, it would have taken a little time, but he hoped. Well, so much for that.

**********************

The next morning Alex met with a man that told an incredible story. It was almost unbelievable what he told Alex, and, if the man didn't provide specific names of people in various government departments who were exerting influence, some willingly and some coerced, then Alex wouldn't believe him.

It was a story of rival gangs exerting influence on the governments in every major city in California, plus Las Vegas. It started with one gang being able to establish influence in the DAs office in LA. When their rivals found out how well that worked, they looked for opportunities in LA city government and then moved on to other cities... just recently extending their reach to Vegas.

This was a story that would take months, maybe even years, to uncover and develop a report about. While sitting with the man, Alex actually had the thought, "Well, this will certainly help me get my mind off Nicole.

Alex had to get ready for that night's news, so, he made arrangements to meet with the man the next day. As he walked the 5 blocks to the network studios, Alex was thinking that this was really a job for law enforcement. If what this man was telling him was true, corruption was running rampant and needed to be investigated. The problem was, who should investigate it. Should it be someone from the state? How about the feds? No, for now, it was going to be Alex. He needed to verify the information, and also find out if there was any level of law enforcement who could be trusted.

*********************

2 months later

Alex was sitting in his office after the evening newscast. He was happy with how it had gone. He was also happy that the teaser for the special report on government corruption had aired during the news. It had come together quicker than he wanted. He didn't have all the details. He hadn't made all of the contacts. There was a lot more Alex wanted to do, but the network wanted to get it on the air. The network execs didn't care about verifying everything. All they wanted to know from Alex was, could he without a doubt say that there was gang influence in government. His answer was, "yes." That was all they needed. The told him to put it together with what he had and go with it. The execs wanted to shock the city, the state, the country with an exclusive on gangs running the cities.

Almost 3 hours after the newscast was over, Alex finally got up from his desk and decided to leave. He was exhausted from all of the work he had been putting into the special report, and that was on top of his regular work on the evening news. He just wanted to get home, shower, and watch the game on television.

He walked into the parking lot and headed for his car. Yes, it was a pain to drive up into the hills with all of the traffic, but he loved his new home, which was built into the side of the hill, and afforded him a great view of the city lights at night.

Gunfire.... from automatic weapons.. multiple weapons. Glass breaking. Bullets hitting all of the cars around him. Alex dove to the ground and crawled under a car. The shots seemed like they lasted forever. It was really probably only 20 seconds. Screeching tires... multiple cars. The shots stopped. Alex grabbed his phone and dialed 911. After disconnecting the call, he said out loud to himself, "What the fuck did I get myself into."

 

[zydrate]

She was an obstacle. The old thoughts creeped back through her bad. She had been sure she worked through but apparently not. When Alex took that call, she heard him talking work... work would always call. And she knew that was the case for both of them... he seemed truly happy with work. Who was she to step in the way of that? He didn't need her broken ass dragging him down with her. She still had a lot to work through. He needed to be happy and the only way, at least according to Nicole, to do that was for her to leave... for a final time.

****
She didn't sleep all night. Instead, Nicole sat at the edge of the bed and just stared at the desk... thinking. She hadn't realized the time and saw it was after 6am. She just wanted to get back to her rental home in Charlotte and get back to work. What else was there to do?

****
"Nothing for another day?" Nicole repeated as she tried to change her flight plans by moving them up one day. "I know, I know..." she listened to the lady on the other end explain why... but Nicole didn't care. "OK, fine, I know, I'll keep my original plans, thank you."

There was a knock at her hotel door as she ended the call. She wasn't expecting anyone... a small part of her thought maybe it was Alex but with the way she left, there was no chance in that.

She didn't bother checking to see who it was, instead, she just opened the door.

"James!" She said, totally surprised to see him, "What---it's early, what are you doing here?" She would have asked him how he knew what room she was in but, why bother?

"Did you have time to think about my proposal?" He walked in Nicole's room, not waiting for an invite.

"Your proposal? You just asked me last night and I gave you, my answer."

"I need you, Nicole. If I were to bring in anyone on this, it would be you. If you need a team to help, then get people you can trust. You said yourself your contract is ending next week. Let it end and come work for me. What is it going to take?"

Nicole sighed and had been leaning against the bar, her fingers drumming at the surface, thinking. What did she have to lose? "You offered three times the pay, but I also need a place ready for me to live along with a separate private office. It has to be in the city and away from the strip but not so far I have to commute from someplace like Henderson."

James seemed satisfied with that, "Done." There was no hesitation because in he knew she was worth it, "Let me know when you're settled by the end of the week. The sooner we start... you know the rest. Remember, you talk to only me. I have no assistants that will be calling or talking to you."

"Fine."

**** 2 months later ****

"I'm pregnant!" Tami screamed over the phone. Nicole had to hold it away from her ear, it was nearing 2am for Nicole but her sister was on the other side of the world, living the life.

"Ohh... really? I mean, that's great Tam, I'm happy for you." Nicole said as she read over some expense reports for the police chief of the LVPD. It didn't matter where one worked, there were reports for everything.

"You don't sound too excited Nicole. You're going to be an aunt." Tami said, sounding hurt.

Nicole sighed and put the paperwork down, "I'm sorry Tam, I am happy for you, really. I'm just really tired from work."

"Yeah, I'm sure... the work you won't, as usual, say exactly what you do."

"Tami, I--" Nicole's security alarm went off, "I have to go. I'll call you later." She didn't give her sister time to respond as Nicole ended the call. She brought the security cameras up on her computer before realizing it was James, leaning against the door code. "What...?" Her office was in the warehouse district of the city. James had thought it would be better that way, the rent on it through invoices would just say warehouse rental, should anyone question it.

Nicole hurried up from behind her desk and rushed to the door. She entered the code and opened the door. Just as soon as she opened the door, James fell against her, slumping and almost bringing them both down. Nicole steadied him to the ground, laying him down gently. She didn't have to ask as she felt the warm flow of blood from his side as she helped him down, "James... " but he had passed out. Almost as quickly as it started, her field training took over and she applied pressure to his wound. She grabbed his walkie talkie and called for help. She could have dialed 911 but that would attract attention as the news hounds and online snoops would be listen. At least this was direct.

Almost in no time, the street was filled with first responders. And of course, Nicole was being questioned. She knew the drill as she kept her answers short and to the point. She didn't offer any other information except what was asked of her. They were sure he would make it as the stopped the bleeding and were able to safely transfer him to the hospital.

Nicole was surprised they didn't ask to look inside the warehouse. Of course, she would have said they would need a warrant...

She asked if she could go but she was held until the lead detective could get there.

Sighing, Nicole leaned against the patrol car and waited. She knew who the lead detective was going to be. She knew of him, but he didn't know of her.

As she waited, Nicole overheard one of the junior officers talking to his partner, "Man, what the fuck is going on tonight, shootings here, Henderson... fucking Barstow!"

"Don't forget LA…. that one wasn’t even a cop..."

"Yeah, some reporter or some shit like that."

Nicole kept her head down, pretending not to hear them. Her stomach dropped when they said something about a reporter... could it be?

"No..." she whispered; it couldn’t be. But for some reason, she felt she was right.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex took his tome crawling out from under the car. He wasn't sure if the shooters were waiting to see if he showed any movement. Then, he heard the sirens and felt safe to crawl out.

Police swarmed the area. The first officer on the scene asked him who did the shooting. "I have no idea, I was walking to my car and I heard shots... a lot of them. Then I heard them hitting the cars and the glass shattering. I hit the ground and crawled under the car."

The cop said to him, "So, you have no idea who would do this." Alex looked at him. "I have no idea who just fired what sounded like a couple of hundred rounds at me, no. However, I do think I know why."

***************************

Alex waited at the desk of a detective. He was brought to the detective bureau in a patrol car. Even if he wanted to, however, he would not been able to drive himself; his car was riddled with bullet holes, all the windows were shattered, the interior was a mess. It looks like he is going to be in the market for a new car.

When the detective came over to the desk, he told Alex that CSI would be out in the parking lot most of the night collecting casings and figuring out where all of the projectiles ended up. "What they have collected so far indicates that the shots came from high powered semi-automatic rifles; most likely AK47s. Somebody wanted you dead. How the hell did you survive that?"

Alex just shook his head. "I have no idea."

For the next 2 hours, Alex spoke to the detective and told him about the special report he had completed, which was going to air soon. He told the detective that the network had just started to publicize it this evening. "Obviously, somebody was watching the news this evening."

When they were finished, Alex thought about what he needed to do next. He didn't feel safe going home. He got an uber to the Ritz. He would stay there for a few days to figure out what he needed to do next. In the uber, he started to return phone calls to some of the network people who had been blowing up his phone. Most of the higher ups were actually excited about it, because it meant Alex was on the right path. One of them asked if Alex wanted to kill the special. Alex told him know; he wanted to go forward with it. Meetings were set up for the following day to determine how to proceed. Alex mentioned to them that he was going to need some type of security at work and at home.

He got a suite at the Ritz. Of course, he did not have a change of clothes with him. He would have to deal with that tomorrow. He undressed and got into bed. He turned on the television and he was the major story on just about every major station. Most mentioned the special that had been promoted during the evening news. "Great, publicize it more."

Alex didn't sleep at all. He laid awake wondering what he should do going forward. "Every story I do now gets me, or someone I love, in trouble."

 

[zydrate]

"Hey, Alex, it's Nicole, I heard what happened and was wondering if you're OK. I'm in LA now and would like to talk about what you're working on. I might have some information for you." It was short and to the point but that was the most difficult call Nicole had to make in a while.

She hoped he would call back.

It was 2 days after all the shootings had taken place and it had been quiet since. Nicole was definitely concered because it all fell into place slowly... well, it was actually really fast but from her view point, it was all falling into place.

James had, in his weakened state, gave Nicole some people he trusted in other cities where the shootings happened. So, for the past few days, she talked with them. Surprisingly, no one gave her a hard time... well, not really, she still had to talk to the Detective in LA.

Which was why she was waiting now for him. James said the detective was OK but might be as forthcoming as the others were.

Nicole hadn't had a goodnight's sleep since that night. Part of it was because of what happened and the other, it was Alex. His exposure of things shoved a big monkey wrench into things. Nicole was upset at first but, there was no real good time to get this all out. Perhaps, she could talk with him and if he was willing, he could share what he found out.

And in exchange, Nicole would do the same.

She waited to talk to the detective and James was right, he wasn't willing to say anything just yet. Not until he was sure of Nicole. And that he would think about it and to call hm tomorrow, so now, all she had to was wait.

 

[BeachBum25]

Things were going to hell. For the next several days, Alex reported on the news about the shootings around the state and out into Nevada. Never did he mention that he was a target of one of the shootings. He simply reported about a newsperson being the target. However, most of the people knew it was him. The local news reports had all mentioned him by name.

Some of the network executives wanted Alex to stay away from the news for a little while. They wanted him to wait and come back on the day the special report started to air. They were worried that whoever shot at him would see him on television and make plans to go after him again. Alex refused. He said that he would not be intimidated. Maybe he was being stupid, but he was not going to be a coward.

He was still staying at the Ritz; the network was picking up the bill. The network was also paying a private security firm to get him from the hotel to the station and back to the hotel. Alex was getting antsy. He felt like a prisoner. He also missed being in his own home; the home that he didn't know if he would ever be able to go back to.

Most nights Alex didn't sleep much. When he did sleep, it was a restless sleep. The one thing on his mind the most was how he was going to go on living in LA. It was bad enough now when the network was just running ads for the special report. What would happen after the report aired? The network wasn't going to have the security detail forever, and they were not going to keep paying for him to stay at the Ritz. Maybe he should just sell the house. Maybe he should just quit his job and go work in some small town on a local station. did he really need to be in the limelight? He was good at it, but....

When his phone rang, he saw Nicole's name come up on the caller id. He put the phone down and let it go to voicemail. Alex couldn't understand why she would be calling him. Of course she probably heard what happened, but what was it to her? She had walked out on him....... twice. If she really cared about him, she would not have done that.

When the phone buzzed and indicated that he had a voicemail message, Alex reluctantly listened to it. Now it made sense. She wanted to talk to him because she thought it might have a connection to something she was working on. She just asked if he was okay to soften the blow of hearing from her out of the blue.

He deleted the message. There was a part of him that said he should be the bigger person and return Nicole's call. There was another part that was hurt by her walking out of him and did not want to contact her. Seeing her would hurt. Yes, he still cared for her. He wasn't sure he still loved her, because she had left him, but he definitely cared for her and seeing her would be painful, especially since all she wanted was info that would help her on a case.

When he got out of bed at 4 the next morning, another night with very little sleep, he stood in the window of his bedroom in the suite and looked out at the city. It was quiet now. Soon it would be bustling and he would be off to the studio to prepare for the evening news. He was spending a lot of time at the studio, because it was his one escape from the hotel.

After getting a shower, he picked up his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. "Hey Nicole, it's Alex."

 

[zydrate]

**** 2AM ****

The location was a little shady and Nicole knew better than to argue on where Detective Lawrence wanted to meet. He had surprised Nicole by asking her to meet him at his place of choice. Of course, it could’ve been a trap, but what choice did she have?

The location was a little hilltop that overlooked a deserted part of the west coast beach, which was a bitch to find, especially when you didn’t know the place.

Lawrence was standing by his car and didn’t take his eyes off Nicole as she got out of her car and approached him slowly. He called out, “You carrying?”

Nicole heard his gravely voice and answered, “No sir.” She wasn’t and yes, it was a big risk to do that but, she needed this meeting to happen.

“You weren’t followed?”

She shook her head as she walked closer to him, “No sir.”

“Sir? You military?”

“Former, yes sir.” And she knew he was too. And he deserved respect.

Lawrence nodded, “James trusts you; he told me so. Was a shame they got to him. Glad he made it.”

“Yes si—”

“Little girl, you call me sir one more time, I’ll kick your ass.”

Nicole had to laughed and held her hands behind her, “Sorry Detective.”

They talked a little more on the personal level and after the detective got a little more comfortable, he had told Nicole that he felt all this shit going down was because of those higher ups getting spooked. She confirmed with him that everything was happening from L.A. to Vegas was all related. This was going to get even more messy if they didn’t do something soon.

“Goddamn news is going to air some fucking special on all this shit. Pisses me off we can’t stop them.”

Nicole nodded, letting the old man vent because she knew what she was going to say was going to piss him off even more. With a deep breath, she looked him right in the eye, “I say let them run it.”

“What did you just say?!”

“Let them run it. Let the news run it. Cause the uproar. It’s an election year for city officials. Why do you think the retaliation? For the publicity! Shoot outs, attempted murders, good cops coming to the rescue, city officials taking the credit. That’s all the news can report right now so let them. But I say, let’s give them names of possible corruption. Let them flush out the bad shit. LAPD doesn’t have the manpower to take down the city government so letting the people vote them out is the only way. The same goes for the other corrupt departments in the cities affected.”

“And James agreed with this?”

“That’s more than like what got him shot. They knew he was on to something which is why he hired me to help him. And even then, we can’t do this alone.”

After another hour or so, it was agreed. Let the media do their job for them.

But that was another problem. Because that meant the heat would be more on those reporting the corruption, which in turn, put Alex in danger once more. And once more, it would be up to Nicole to protect, even if he didn’t like it.

****

4:30AM
Nicole had just gotten back to her hotel and had wanted to rest a couple of hours. She felt she would finally be tired enough to get a decent amount of sleep, hopefully.

She had just removed her jacket when her phone rang. She didn’t bother looking at the display as she answered.

Alex’s voice was on the other end, which made Nicole’s heart skip a beat. She hadn’t expected to hear from him now…

“Alex… thanks for calling back…” she asked if they could meet… the sooner, the better… It was strictly professional but for some reason, she was nervous about seeing him again after their last meeting. She felt so bad about that, just like the first time but again, she wasn't in a good state of mind. But now? She felt she was back to her normal self lately and even then, what she did in the past was probably not fixable. She tried to accept that but deep down, she didn't to...

 

[BeachBum25]

When Nicole answered Bryce's response was curt. "What can I do for you Nicole?" He knew this was not a social call. In his mind, that was long gone. He was wondering what she could need his help with. When they spoke in Las Vegas, she was working in North Carolina. Well, I guess she changed her mind about the guys offer.

He waited for her response. While he did, he could picture her in his mind, her beauty, her wonderful body. He shook his head.

"It will be very difficult for us to meet Nicole. Right now, I am living the life of a captive. I go from a hotel, to the studio, and back to the hotel. I haven't been home since it happened, and I doubt I will ever get to go back to my house. In fact, I am meeting with a realtor in the restaurant downstairs this morning and going to have her sell the damned thing. It's a shame, because I love that house."

Alex knew he was rambling. He tended to do that when he got upset. He was upset with Nicole for leaving him. He was upset with his current situation. He was upset with what he saw as his future... a future that would have him constantly looking over his shoulder.

"Listen, I am sorry to say all that. You called me for something. What is it you want?"

 

[zydrate]

Well, I guess that answers the how you are doing question… At least he’s not yelling, thought Nicole as she let him ramble. “Well, from what I gather, you’re probably safer at home than you are out of a hotel. Whomever is doing this will want to make it public and you’re in the perfect spot for that to happen.”

Too blunt? Probably. At least he hadn’t hung up yet. “I want to talk about this special and what you’ve got so far. Like I said, I have some information that might help.” Or hurt… “That’s all. Nothing more. And no, I will not discuss it over the phone. So, call me when you’re done with your realtor, and we can set up a time before I need to get back to Vegas tomorrow. And if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. But I really would suggest you take me up on my offer. Call me when you have a time and place.”

Ending the call, Nicole realized she had just used her don’t fuck with me voice… as her boys used to call it. “Screw it…” she said, if he didn’t call back, then she’d find him and make him listen. She knew where he worked after all, and she could easily find out where he was staying…

After that thought, she realized, anyone else could find him also.

“Goddamnit…” she huffed and tossed her phone on her bed. There were extremes about this whole thing she didn’t want to cross and knew, if she had to, she would do it in an instant for Alex. Even if he hated her for it afterward.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex listened as Nicole said he would probably be safer at home than in a hotel. He thought about it. He had gone to the hotel that first night because he figured that whoever was after him would also be waiting at his house. It never occurred to him that whoever was after him was watching him no matter where he went.

Nicole said she had information that might help. He didn't need any more information. The special was already filmed and edited; it was just a matter of airing it in 5 parts. Alex knew that what Nicole really meant was that she wanted to get information from him that might help her..

He made no attempt to stop her while she was talking. She was talking to him like he was one of her subordinates. Her attitude toward him had really changed. Right now, she was viewing him as just another person that she wanted to get information from. She was telling him what to do, and trying to steer everything in her direction. It was at that moment that Alex was pretty convinced that there was no hope for the two of them. Up to that point, he had always held out hope. Now, with the way Nicole was talking, that hope was going away.

She mentioned going back to Vegas. So, she had taken the guy up on his offer. Well, Vegas had to be more attractive to her than North Carolina. It would be more excitement for her.

She disconnected the call. Alex put his phone down and got ready for the meeting with the realtor. When he got downstairs, the security detail pointed to the woman waiting at a table in the back. He sat down with her and listened to what she had to say about the house and what she thought the value was. Listening to the value, Alex realized that he would make a lot of money on the house in a short period of time. "Listen, I am still interested in selling, but I am going to hold off for a little while. I have some things to work out, and then I will be back in touch."

The woman thanked Alex for his time and left. Alex told one of the guys in the security detail that he was going to go upstairs and get his bag and then he would be ready to go to the station. He had decided he was not going to call Nicole back. He didn't need anything from her. If she wanted information, she would have to do it on his terms.... she was not going to dictate to him.

As they walked out to the SUV, Alex noticed two cars parked across the street from the hotel. Each car had 4 men in it and all of them were looking in his direction. He pointed them out to the security detail. The security detail that had been reduced from 4 men to 3 in the last couple days. They acknowledged the men in the cars, and one of them picked up his phone and requested a patrol car to come by. They sat in front of the hotel waiting for the patrol car. "Hey guys, we are sitting ducks right now waiting here. Why don't one of you wait for the patrol car, and the others can get me to the station."

Just then, the patrol car pulled up. One of the security guys got out of the SUV and pointed at the cars, which had pulled away as the patrol car pulled up. Alex wasn't feeling that safe now.

Once the conversation with the police officers was finished, they made the short ride to the station. Alex looked around and didn't see anything that his untrained eye considered suspicious. He went into the studio. He had plenty of time to prepare for the evening's news report. He also had plenty of time to wonder about how safe he was and whether he should get out of town, at least until the special report aired... well, maybe until after the shockwaves from the news report blew over.

 

[zydrate]

It wasn’t hard to find out where Alex was staying. It was also surprising that there were only 3 men on detail. They looked good but that was about it. They were eye candy. They had weapons but they were under their suit jackets which were buttoned up. Not smart at all. Even when holstered, it wasn’t like the movies where you could just reach in your jacket and pull out your weapon. It could get caught on the inside lining, which is why, most in a decent security force they had their jackets open or their weapons just in plain view.

They also weren’t wearing vests. Nicole sighed… she was across the street and saw the entire exchange. Why was Alex pointing out the cars? Why didn’t the detail pick up on that?

And why did they all wait with Alex outside while the patrol showed up?

“Yeah, real safe…” She muttered. No one noticed her, but she noticed them. Nicole put in a call to Lawrence to see if he could find out what they found out about the guys waiting outside of the hotel. And to see if he could get a background on the ‘security’ agency used by the news station.

***

Nicole sat at Alex’s desk while he was doing his broadcast. It was surprisingly easy to get in. No one asked her who she was. No one approached her or asked her for any identification. She passed one of the guards and smiled at him, to which he put down his magazine and smiled back, as she walked casually into Alex’s office.

Wow.

She was playing with a pen as she heard him enter. She didn’t turn around when he threw the door open, instead, she just said, in a relaxed tone, “Hello Alex. I got bored waiting for your call. By the way, great security."

 

[BeachBum25]

It was another night of mundane news. Yes, there were the follow-up reports on the various shootings that had taken place and what police investigators were saying about how they were doing with finding those responsible. The only one of the shootings they did not report on was the one involving Alex. Although he knew he was being targeted, and the incident outside the hotel told him that they were not finished with him, he did not want to report on his own shooting and bring more attention to himself. Hell, what was he thinking... being on television brought more attention to him.

As he made his way off the set at the end of the news, Alex talked to a few people about how it went. A producer stopped and gave him an update on a story they had covered the previous week. "Okay, we can do an update on it tomorrow. Make sure I have some video and the copy when I come in tomorrow." He stopped and talked to one of the cameramen for a moment. Alex always wanted to make them feel like they were important. After all, they helped make him look good.

When he walked into his office Alex saw someone in his chair. "Who the ... Oh, it's you. I should have known." He listened to her smart ass greeting. "So, I never hear from you when you walk out of my life, but the moment you want something from me, I am expected to contact you immediately." Alex wasn't sure who he was more pissed at.. Nicole or his security.

"What do you care about my security? It is none of your concern. In fact, the fact that the security is so weak is the only reason you are here right now. So, detective, or investigator, or whatever your title is with your new job in Vegas, unless you have a warrant, I would advise you to leave. I am not going to talk with you about what I am working on... rather already worked on. There is no information you can give me that will help my report. I no you are only here because you want me to help you with your investigation. I am just another witness you want to interview, and I have to tell you Nicole, I am not in the mood to be interviewed."

He took a deep breath. His blood was boiling. He had been upset when she called him and wanted information. Now, she had taken steps to make him look like a fool in order to try to get information from him. Now, he was really pissed off at Nicole.

 

[zydrate]

In a methodical manner, Nicole put the pen back in its holder and stood and turned to face Alex. "I wasn't aware I needed a warrant to talk." She crossed her arms in front of her and shrugged, "I'm not sure I have an official title. I'm just sort of... around, I guess." She didn't raise her voice or match his tone or emotion. She kept it calm and neutral as she just looked at him, thinking... how was she going to approach this.

"I don't want to drag that in with what's going on now... but, you could’ve called me also..." It was true... if he wanted the truth tonight, then she was ready to tell him but now, he considered her his past. It was just at this moment; his life and safety took precedence over their relationship or the lack of...

"I'm going to say what I'm going to say and if you want your 'security' to get rid of me after that, then that's fine, but for now, shut the fuck up. The information I have is not about your report. But rather, the shit your report has conjured up. You run this report, this special, you are going to die. That’s not a threat from but from people I’ve talked to. Rumors I’ve heard. And you think your little security detail there…?” she motioned to the guy still sitting, looking at his phone, “is going to do anything?”

She paused hoping he would let his anger subside, just for a bit, “You don’t want me here, I get it. You don’t want me telling you what to do, again, I get it. But no one else has been researching this shit as much as I have. Its something that started here, yes, but it’s leaked to Vegas and got my boss shot. They are toying with you, and I promise, when your special airs, you better not be in town. Remember, that’s not my threat, its theirs. So, think about it. And perhaps, hire a better security team.”

Nicole took a deep breath, “So, I said what I needed to. Thank you for listening… hopefully you heard me because believe it or not, even though we’re not together, I still care about you…"

And that was the truth.. Nicole was tempted to leave it at that but she waited for him to react or throw her out. It was up to him now...

 

[BeachBum25]

"Well, thank you Captain Obvious." His anger did not lower. In fact, after listening to Nicole, he only became angrier. "Do you think that just because I am not ex-military or that I am not "just around" in the law enforcement field that I am not aware of the danger I am in. Do you think that seeing my car and a bunch of other cars riddled with bullets intended for me didn't let me know that they want me dead? Hell, and that was after the first promo for the special."

Alex took a breath and stared at her. Yes, he had heard her say that she still cared about him. She didn't say loved, she said cared. Hell, she probably cared about a lot of people like her boss who got shot. Alex felt that Nicole threw that in there just to try to get him to relax. At the moment, he didn't believe she "really" cared about him.

Alex wasn't sure what to believe. He just knew that the life that he thought he had... the life with Nicole and his old job... was gone, and his life period might be coming to an end.

"I have spent just about every waking moment since they unloaded hundreds of rounds at me contemplating just how long I was going to be able to live. I have thought of running away and hiding in some Bumblefuck town somewhere and finding a non-descript job and just moving on from this life. I know the security detail they have for me sucks. Hell, they didn't see the 2 carloads of men sitting across the street from the hotel this morning.. .I did, and then they didn't know what to do and kept me sitting there while waiting for the police. What choice do I have? There aren't many security firms that provide protection for private citizens, especially ones who have been shot at with semi-automatic weapons."

He stared into her eyes. "Nicole, you didn't come here to give me a warning. What you just said to me could have been delivered over the phone. You think that just because I don't do what you do that I cannot figure things like that out. You want something from me Nicole. I know it. You want information. You aren't here for me. You are here for work."

Those words coming out of his mouth said directly to Nicole settled Alex down. He had been thinking it since she first contacted him. It had been on his mind since hearing her voice on the phone message. Now that he got it out, it was like a weight off his shoulders.

He sat down at a chair in front of his desk. Pointing to his chair that Nicole had been sitting in; "Why don't you just tell me why you are really here. Ask your questions and we can get this over with." He let out a loud sigh and closed his office door as he turned things over to Nicole.

 

[zydrate]

She had wanted to correct him about the guns being automatics but knew she’d just be pulling at stray hairs… She also knew he was under a lot of stress. Something she was all too familiar with. But at least, she was here for him and helping him… at least she thought so in her mind.

“What I have to say could have been done over the phone, yes. But would you have stayed on to listen to me?” She looked at him for confirmation. “Exactly.”

“Look, Alex, I know that you're used to your lavish lifestyle... And no one is saying that you have to move. I think the stop all of this you just have to not have them air that special. But I know that you're going to anyway because it's part of what you do, I can't stop that, and you already seem to be aware of the danger you're in and no one is asking you to move to some small town and start over because believe it or not they'll find you. I'm not going to lie they will find you no matter what.”

“I'm not here to make your life more difficult than I have in the past but as usual you're going to choose work over everything else.”

Oops…

Nicole sighed. She shouldn’t have said that. She usually was good to keeping herself in check and not letting her emotions get to her while on the job. But fuck.. he wasn’t making things easy, and she knew that coming here… He wanted her out of his life fine. There were no more chances for them… at least she thought from his point of view. She wanted to tell him yes, she still loved him but how would he take that? Not well at all. He probably thought she was just trying to get information from him…

In a way, she was. But she was doing it also to keep him safe.

“You know what? I’m tired of fighting you Alex… I know you talked to someone because you don't do things without sources and what I want to know is who this person is you spoke with so I can talk with them too. That's all I want… well that's all it would like and if you don't want to tell me fine, I get it… I know how the whole source thing works but this person may have more information that is needed for this… problem.”

 

[BeachBum25]

When she said that he was just going to choose work over everything, he almost lost his mind. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean Nicole? When did I ever put work before you? You were always first in my mind. Yes, I blew up when you first told me what you really did, but that had nothing to do with my work. I risked everything for you. I took on a powerful US Sena tor... FOR YOU. I didn't get anything out of it, nor did I want anything.... well, except you."

He caught his breath for a second, but he wasn't finished. "I stuck my neck out for you and you rewarded me by walking out on me... not once, but twice. All I ever cared about since the day I met you ... was you. For a time I thought the feeling was mutual, but I found out I was wrong. Now you have the nerve to say that I was going to choose work just like I had done in the past. That is total bullshit. And here I am, all this time thinking there might be a chance for us.... even if it was only a small chance. Boy was I way off base."

Alex walked over to the small refrigerator in his office and got a bottle of water out of it and took a tiny sip. He was trying to calm down, but was so offended by what she said that he was having a hard time doing so.

"Nicole, you know I can't tell you who my source is. Even if I could, with the way things are, I wouldn't. It is bad enough that my life is in danger every day. Giving you his or her information would only send the message that I don't care enough to protect them. They know what happened to me. They are afraid that people are going to find out who they are. I can't do it. So, if that is what you came for, I am sorry to disappoint you. Unless there is something else you want, or another insult you want to hurl at me, I guess it is time for you to go."

 

[zydrate]

That did it for Nicole. Normally, she was calm and collected, even when getting yelled at by her higher ups in the military. She would approach the situation with a clear head, thinking about the consequences good or bad. And never did she raise her voice.

No… not anymore.

“You never put work before me? That’s rich!” She stood up as she was not going to do this sitting down. “I was always on your mind?! Is that so? Yes, Alex, you took on a senator but I didn't ask you to do that! In fact, I told you not to do anything and that is where you put your work before me and did it anyway when all I wanted from you instead was to be held… to be comforted! And, yes, I will say it---to be paid attention to because I needed you…YOU! I didn't need you to fight my fight for me… I needed you! And you were too focused on your work to see that! I should have said something but why?! Why couldn’t you just see it? You wanted the story. Not me.”

“And you want to know the second time was at the hotel in Vegas… I know that your work is important, and I know that perhaps that call couldn’t have waited but it should have waited perhaps maybe even 10 minutes so we could have talked more but no… you took it and I wanted to understand, I really did! You could have paid attention to me, and I know I sound so fucking selfish right now but all I’ve ever wanted was you… not your wealth, not your status or whatever it is the hell you have!! I just wanted you and you couldn’t even give that to me!”

"Even through all that, I'm still in love with you!" She hastily wiped away some tears as she walked to the door, “But you know what? That’s fine… it’s fucking perfect if you don't want to tell me your source, that I at least get…” she yanked his office door open, “I thought we could talk like adults about this one situation without personal matters getting in the way, but I was wrong! I'll find the source myself.” She left, her heart pounding... she didn’t bother to wait for the elevator and took the stairs instead as a million thoughts raced through her head.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex wanted to go back at Nicole for once again saying he put work first. He couldn't believe that she thought that helping her was his way of putting work first. Hell, there was never a news story about it. He used the threat of a news story to Nicole's advantage, and she said that he put work first. If it wasn't for what he had done, Nicole would have received a dishonorable discharge from the military and would never be able to do the work she was doing now.

Despite being pissed off at her, Alex wanted to follow Nicole out of his office and finish their "discussion." He didn't, though. At that moment, Alex believed that there was nothing he could say that would help the situation. If anything, continuing the discussion would just get uglier. He slammed the door to his office, then opened it.. and slammed it again.

Sitting on the edge of his desk, Alex contemplated what his next moves should be. What should he do about work? He knew there was no way that the network would cancel the special, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could threaten to quit, hell it might not be a threat, but it wouldn't matter, because the special would get ridiculous ratings and bring in millions of dollars in advertising. He was getting tired of the news industry; no matter what he did, nobody was happy, and the one person he really cared about making happy, was the one who was displeased the most with everything that he did.

He took out his cell phone and called his source. He let the source know that the authorities were trying to find him, but that he had refused to give up his source. "They are not going to give up though. So, dump the burner phone you have, and get a new one. Don't contact me, I am sure they will monitor my phone and get your new number." Hanging up the phone, Alex deleted the number of the burner phone.

He walked out of the office and told the security detail he wanted to go back to the hotel. They took him back to the hotel and dropped him off. He went up to his room and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "Now what. Nicole is gone. I hate what I am doing. People are going to be hunting me down once the story airs.. hell, they are already hunting me down.. have already tried to take me out."

Alex stared out the window; shaking his head. He had to make a decision, and make it soon.

 

[zydrate]

“What time do you think he was killed?” Nicole asked Detective Lawrence.

Lawrence sighed, even over the phone, Nicole could tell the old man was tired, “Estimated after midnight.”

Nicole nodded and sighed in response. This wasn’t good. “Well, at least we know who the source is.”

“What about your news friend?”

Nicole was quiet for a minute as she thought of it. “He’s taken care of. That station’s sorry excuse for security has been replaced and will be with him until things quiet down. He can even go home if he wants…”

It had taken a lot of favors called in from Nicole, but she had gotten Alex 24-hour security from a few ‘buddies’ she knew would take care of him—8 total with 4 on standby, each 4 having a 6-hour shift. At least they would know what to do should the shit would hit the fan once the special aired. Which was in 2 days.

She was back in Las Vegas, at the warehouse. She would need to continue with her research no matter what. There was still crap to take care of here in Vegas and she and her team would be needing all the information they could gather so when the time came to bring this to court, they were ready, and James’ department would look good.

Would Nicole get recognition? No. She honestly didn’t want it.

James was doing a lot better. He had been expected to be discharged from the hospital in another week and his wife was happy about that.

**** 4 months later ****

“Can you believe how big I’ve gotten?” Tami said, looking at her-6-month-pregnant-self in the mirror in the entry way of her penthouse hotel room.

“If it makes you feel any better, you still look the same.” Nicole teased her sister.

Tami seemed so happy and that made Nicole happy. Her sister deserved it…. Truly. She and Sean seemed happy.

“How are things going with work… Detective?” Tami asked.

Nicole was still terrible with titles and didn’t care much for it. But at least she was now able to carry a gun legally, “As well as they could be… same ol’, same ol’…”

“So, are you OK, really?”

“Yes! I’m good… just work, home, feed the cat… back to work. I’ve become an old spinster and I’m reveling in it.” The cat that Nicole had adopted…or perhaps it was the other way, it just showed up one day on her doorstep… they sort of adopted each other. Which was funny because Nicole and Tami never had pets when they were younger.

They talked more before Nicole had to leave. Her lunch break was almost over, and she still had other things she needed to take care of before calling it a day…. Then it would be vacation time… which she would be spending at home, sleeping. She had been working nonstop and this investigation here was almost wrapped up.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex noticed the change in security. Hell, someone would have to be dead not to notice the change, and dead is probably what he would have been if it wasn't for the change. He knew that Nicole was responsible for it. He felt safer, but it pissed him off. She did exactly what she accused him of doing. Took things into her own hands and didn't stay around to just be with him.

The special aired and people went crazy. The report laid out the influence that gangs had on local governments. Some of those gangs were affiliated with Mexican drug cartels. The public outcry demanded that government be cleaned up. Random people started turning up dead; many of them government employees, most of them Alex knew had ties to the gangs. This was the gangs cleaning up; making sure that there was nobody who could talk to investigators.

When Alex heard about his informant, he became depressed. He took a couple of days off. He moved back to his house; something that the new security detail was happy about. Alex thought about the fact that he had all of this protection, and the person who was really responsible for the story had no protection and was now dead. It just didn't seem right.

Despite the new security detail, Alex heard nothing from Nicole. He wondered if Nicole had found his informant, and that brought him out in the open and resulted in him being killed. He certainly hoped not.... but it certainly had crossed his mind.

************4 months later***************

He had enough. He had felt like a prisoner for way too long. "This isn't living. I don't go anywhere. I can't go anywhere." It wasn't like he necessarily felt safe. Things had died down a little, but Alex knew that he was number 1 on the target list. He wasn't naive enough to think they would forget about him, Alex just wanted to get back to a normal life.

He had made one attempt at a normal life. He had actually gone on a date with a woman he had seen in a coffee shop that he stopped in every morning on his way to the studio. It was a regular stop for them, which wasn't the greatest idea, but Alex bought coffee and bagels for the detail every morning. The date really wasn't normal though; considering that he had an armed security detail waiting just outside. Well, that, and the fact that the person he wanted to be out with was in Las Vegas.

Alex shared with the network executives that he was going to do away with the security detail. That bit of news was met with mixed reactions. Some of them were happy that the armed men who had been around would be going away. Alex thought some of them would like the publicity that would come if there was another attempt on his life. Others were concerned about Alex's safety. The reason for that was probably that they thought any news of an attempt on Alex's life would bring negative publicity to the network.

When Alex met with the security detail to tell them that he was going to no longer need their services, there were several who tried to talk him out of it. Most of them, however, were happy it was ending. They never really wanted to be his babysitter in the first place. There was one member of the team that angrily protested the ending of the detail. He told Alex he was being stupid and that he would be dead within a week. "I appreciate your concern. It is just that I can't go on like this. I truly appreciate everything that you have done for me." That wasn't enough to satisfy the man who continued to tell Alex he was being an idiot.

Three days after informing them of the end of the detail, Alex met with them for the final time. He presented each of the 8 men with $2000. gift cards to a gun and ammo store. "I know that you guys did this as a favor to someone. I am not going to mention her by name, but I know she was responsible for you being here. You have been awesome. The gift cards are just a small token of my appreciation for what you have done to keep me safe." He looked at the man who had been vehement in his objection to Alex ending the detail. "I know some of you think I am being stupid, and I very well may be, but I need to do this for me. So, guys once again, thank you and stay safe."

 

[zydrate]

"We tried... well, I tried to convince him that it wasn't a good idea to let us go..." Adam told Nicole over the phone.

Nicole sighed, she had just gotten home from work, it was late evening when Adam had called to give the group's daily update to Nicole. She knew Adam tried and also knew how hardheaded Alex was. "Well, we can't make him keep you guys... but the danger isn't over, I'm not sure it will ever be for him. Go ahead and stand down, I owe you all big time."

They hung up and Nicole had just sat down on the couch when Adam had called. She knew Alex probably thought the security detail wasn't necessary but like she was saying, they weren't out of the woods yet.

She looked at her phone and took a deep breath. She still had his number in her contacts. More than likely after that night, she assumed he got rid of hers... Oh yeah, she knew he went on a date--Nicole wasn't sure how to feel about that. She wasn't happy at first when it was reported to her. She didn't feel like she was stalking but it was something Adam casually mentioned that one time. "Well, good for him," Nicole had said even though it did hurt.

Looking at the time, Nicole figured he'd be on the air right now and wasn't able to answer his phone. But damnit, she needed to talk to him. She ended up calling anyway and leaving him a message to see if they could talk over lunch tomorrow. She'd be in the city for something else and wanted to talk... just talk, sit down and talk. She purposely chose Sofia's Cafe, a public place because perhaps that would minimize the raising of voices on both their parts which she was hoping so much to avoid. She said she'd be there and if wanted to join her, he was more than welcomed.

OK, so the part on saying she had something to do in the city was a lie but not really. She'd still take that time to meet with Detective Lawrence to see how things were progressing. She knew it was probably chaos as were things in her department.
******************************

After the 4 hour drive last night and spending the night in a small rented beach house, Nicole was up early but she called Lawrence anyway and wanted to see if he had time to talk to her. He told her to name a time and place this morning. She threw on a jean jacket over her short sleeve top and cut offs before meeting with Detective Lawrence.

The two detectives talked for a while. There were a lot of developments on both their ends and they agreed that this wasn't going to be completely over any time soon.

Perfect.

Later, Nicole was waiting at the café, looking through her phone at some of the files Lawrence let her take pics of. She was casually sipping on her lemon water while waiting on Alex and had seriously doubted he was going to show. She couldn't make him. They hadn't departed on the best of terms...

 

[BeachBum25]

It felt good not to have babysitters following him everywhere. It had been so long since he was able to be really alone. He was, however, nervous. Every time he went out, he looked around trying to see if anyone was waiting for him or was anyone following him. Was it the right decision? Probably not, but it was his decision.

There was no doubt that Nicole knew he had sent the security detail packing. They had probably called her when he first mentioned it. She hadn't called to tell him he was wrong to do it, so, maybe she thought he was making the right decision. He had to laugh at that thought. She didn't think any of his decisions were the right decisions.

He came off the air and into his office after the news report. It was another uneventful evening. There were no new killings connected to the special report; at least none that he was aware of. He looked at his phone and saw that he had a missed call from Nicole. Yes, she was still in his contacts, and would remain there until she came right out and told him she never wanted to have anything to do with him ever again.

He also saw that he had a voicemail from him. That was a surprise. He didn't think Nicole would leave a message. He thought that if she wanted to talk to him, she would just call until he answered. He listened to the message. So, she wanted to meet, in person. Sofia's Cafe for lunch. He thought about it.

The next morning Alex got up early and showered, shaved and got ready to meet Nicole. He had butterflies in his stomach. It had been a while since he saw her or spoken with her. He missed her. He was still in love with her. She was on his mind a lot and he wanted the meeting with her to go well.. no fighting.

When he walked into Sofia's, he saw her sitting at a table. He stopped and just looked at her. Damn, she was beautiful.

He made his way over to the table. Standing in front of her as she looked at her phone. "Hello Nicole. May I join you?"

 

[zydrate]

She had heard his footsteps long before he had spoken, and she smiled inwardly to herself. Nicole looked up and wasn't sure what to do whether to hug him or shake his hand, so she just stayed seated and waved to the chair across her tell him “Hi Alex… please.”

God he looked so good… inwardly, Nicole’s stomach fluttered. She was anticipating this moment since she had called him last night, leaving the message to invite him to lunch. She put her phone down, “I'm glad you came…” Nicole really wanted this meeting to go well between them. Yeah, it was last minute, but it needed to be done. A waiter immediately brought a glass of water for Alex’s setting.

When he left, Nicole was quiet for a minute, not sure how to start... “Alex I... I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I what I said that night, it was stupid, and I wasn't thinking.” She took a deep breath, “I did some research and I figured things out… no one told me that the story with the Senator never went through, and I was too wrapped up in my own world to even think that it did. I had assumed it just went and that's why I avoided everything... the TV… papers, whatever and I just never thanked you for what you did with the incident with Senator McKinsey—and well… thanks to you in, and I mean that in a good way, the threats were dropped but I still chose to leave because I couldn't do it anymore. I felt like a failure that after being caught in that situation I knew I couldn't lead my team anymore with the same confidence that I used to have and that hurt because I really didn't want to leave...”

She paused a slight moment and rested her elbow on the table with her head on her hand, looking down at the silverware next to her glass of water. “I stayed away from you because I was afraid if there was going to be a fallout then I wouldn’t know how it would affect you—like if people found out you and I were together at the time, my thought was, what would that do to your public image? I didn't want to derail your career in any way with my failure and that's why I purposely stayed away...” She took a quick breath and a small sip of her water, “as for that blowout in your office a couple of months ago that was pure frustration mostly with not being able to help you more and then seeing that goddamn sorry security team... it just frustrated me that no one took the job protecting you seriously and I should have stayed… in fact I had wanted to take it over but I assumed you would just refuse so that's why I called in some favors and had that team come down to take over and to be honest, I thought you were going to send them away sooner and it just made me feel a little bit better that you kept them on for as long as you did…. I appreciate that and I know it wasn't easy having them around.” That was harder than she expected but it was finally out, and he could take it as he may...

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex took a seat across the table from Nicole. Alex nodded and smiled at Nicole when she said she was happy he came. He sat quietly and listened to Nicole as she apologized and talked about her reasons for doing things. He remained expressionless. Alex did not want any facial expressions he made to be misinterpreted by Nicole. He truly wanted this to be a peaceful meeting that possibly could mend fences between them.

When she paused, Alex remained quiet. He didn't want Nicole to think he was interrupting her in any way. After a couple of quiet minutes spent looking into her eyes, Alex realized she had said her peace. "Nicole, I think that we were always our own worst enemies. We never really took the time to discuss things. Each of us made assumptions about what the other did or was doing, and made judgements based on those assumptions."

Alex took a deep breath. He wanted to talk with her, but was afraid that she would take what he said as an accusation against her instead of just trying to be open and honest. He finally decided to just put it out there. If Nicole couldn't accept it, it was probably an indication that it was time for them to move on; if they already hadn't.

"Everything that we have had a problem with the other recently has revolved around one of us doing something for the other that we thought would be in the other's best interest. We did it because we cared. When I did something for you, you objected because I did it without talking with you about it, and vice versa. I think we both know why that happened. We each knew the other one was too stubborn to admit they needed somebody else to help them, and too stubborn to accept help that was offered." Alex watched Nicole for reaction. There was none.. yet.

"I am going to use McKinsey as an example. If I had discussed what I wanted to do with you, you would have demanded that I, in your terms, stand down. I knew that was how you would react, and I don't think you can deny that. Did I realize that I was putting my career at risk? Yes, I did, but I was willing to do that... willing to do anything... for you. I know what your career in the military meant to you, even though I only knew about it for a short time. I could tell by the way you handled yourself and your team and how serious you were about your responsibilities. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to keep doing that... if you wanted that. I would have supported you know matter what. My career was the least of my concerns... just you."

Sipping his water, Alex looked around. He had a tendency to speak louder than necessary when talking about a subject he was passionate about. He wanted to make sure people weren't looking in his direction. "I have never had the opportunity to thank you for the protection your guys provided for me. I knew it was you from day one, and I know you were getting reports from them.. probably on a daily basis. Would I have preferred that you were a part of it? Yes, of course, because it would have given us time to talk, but I understand that you have a job to do, and can't be concerned with babysitting me. You did that once already and we saw how that worked out."

He laughed to make sure that Nicole knew he was joking with her. He was still concerned about her taking things the wrong way. "They told me that getting rid of them was a mistake. It probably was... is. I just can't continue to live my life like that. I have thought about moving away from LA, but I come back to something you said before that I wouldn't be safe anywhere. I don't know what to do. I know I am not happy here. The big thing, however, is, that I know I am not happy without you."

Wow, it came out. He had not planned on saying that. It just came out. It was his true feelings. Now the ball was in her court.

Before Nicole could react, shots rang out, glass shattered, people screamed, Nicole and Alex dove onto the floor. Alex looked around. He saw blood. His first thought was Nicole. "Are you hit?" She told him she was not. Then Alex wondered if it was him who had been hit. He felt nothing.. saw no blood from him. It must be someone else. Not a good thing, but not his concern right now. He just worried about Nicole and him getting out of there.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole listened to Alex and everything he was saying. She took in everything he was saying and thought about it intently... When he said he wasn't happy unless he was with her... that made her look up at him, her eyes locking with his... In truth, it wasn't something that scared her but that relieved her because she honestly felt the same about him

She was about to respond when shots suddenly rang out and on instinct Nicole hit the floor as did Alex... good! She heard other patrons screaming in terror and glass shattered around them as Nicole felt a few straight pieces hit her on the leg not covered by the table. She felt a few shards embed themselves in her skin but it was nothing to which she paid no mind to....

Quickly she flipped the table over down so she and Alex were behind it and when he asked if she was shot she told him no--she didn't think so.

"EVERYONE, STAY DOWN! DON'T MOVE!" Nicole yelled over the shots and glass shattering.

Taking a chance and looking around the table, she saw the waiter laying on the floor next to them, his shoulder bleeding. Without thought, Nicole reached over and grabbed the guy the scuff of his uniform collar and dragged him behind the table with her and Alex! The shots kept coming but not as fast as before and by the sound of it they were shots from AR-15s.

Goddamnit!

Nicole yanked the waiter's apron off and used it as a compression to his shoulder. She grabbed Alex's hand and replaced it with hers, "Stay down and keep pressure on it!"

Nicole always had one rule when entering any place and that was to plan an exit--she knew this cafe and had been in it before. It was small and crammed between two office buildings so there were no side exits and the back exit led to an alley which she assumed wasn't covered because this would have been more precise had it been planned out better. No, this was not random shooting but a warning to Alex as a message to say 'Hey, we still know about you and what you did.'

Her phone was lost when she flipped the table over and she wanted to risk it to get it but knew she couldn't. Instead, she felt the waiter's pockets and found his phone and quickly dialed 911. The calls were probably already made but those were from frantic callers that could probably only say that shots were being fired... but Nicole could provide details.

She told the operator that there were a possibility of 4 shooters from both sides of the street and that the weapons sounded like AR-15s. She advise that first responders take extra caution then she hung up before the operator asked for her name.

This was the one time she was glad she didn't have her service weapon on her... any return fire could result in further injury to not only her but the rest of the patrons as well as anyone else on the street.

Faintly, in the background, sirens could be heard and the shots became fewer and fewer, soon they were followed by tires screeching as they drove away. It was then Nicole took a chance and jumped up, grabbed her phone and rushed out the door to see if she could see their vehicles leave the scene...

Nothing!!

There were still people running around, crying and screaming... fuck!

Nicole ran back into the café and to Alex, "We have to go..." she grabbed someone that was closest to them to help with the waiter, "Help is coming, OK? I need you to keep this on his wound until the ambulance arrives, OK?" The lady just nodded.

"They're gone..." she told Alex before taking him by the arm and he hesitated a bit. Nicole looked at him, "trust me." she said before leading him back outside, she unlocked her jeep and told Alex to get in. She didn't want to stick around, all she wanted to do was get him to safety.

In the jeep, Nicole asked Alex if he was sure he was OK.

Then she called Detective Lawrence, giving him a brief run down of what happened. He wanted to know where she was taking Alex.

"Someplace safe--for now. I'll keep you updated." Then she hung up. Nicole purposely took side roads and then the main streets, just to make sure she wasn't being followed. It took twice as long to reach the rented beach house than it should have but it was better to be safe than sorry. Once they arrived, she parked the jeep in the garage and closed it.

She tried to show an air of calmness but wasn't sure how well she was pulling it off. In the living room, Nicole looked at Alex, making sure he was OK. No visible wounds. Some blood splatter but nothing too serious. Nicole knew better than to ask how he was doing. They were just involved in a shootout. But from his face, she could tell he was pissed.

 

[BeachBum25]

He watched Nicole go into military/ cop mode. She was so cool and calm while there was chaos going on all around her. He was impressed with the way she acted. Alex, however, just got angrier and angrier. Other people were being put in danger because of him. He couldn't be in public. He was a risk to other people.

Alex hesitated when Nicole grabbed his arm, but it had nothing to do with trust. He trusted her like he trusted nobody else. He followed her to the Jeep and got in just as she pulled away at a high rate of speed.

"I am fine Nicole. I didn't get hit. Are you okay?" He looked over her for any sign of an injury. He didn't see anything. "This is fucking crazy. People are being hurt because of me. How the fuck can I make this stop? It is out of control babe." He said it without thinking.

Once they were at the house on the beach, Alex began pacing in the living room. He was angry, he was nervous, he was confused. Alex didn't know what to do. He looked at Nicole. "These fucking people. It has to stop. I know I set off a firestorm, but this shit has to stop Nicole. These motherfuckers need to pay for everything they are doing. I wish there was something I could do to make them pay."