13

I blinked. His face blurred in front of me. His bluish-gray eyes were like two points I could focus on to regain my bearings.

Jake said someone had broken into my apartment while we were gone and ransacked the place. The thought of someone inside my home scared me, I couldn't lie.

Had they planned to go in while I was at work? Or was I just lucky not to be at home? I couldn't wrap my head around the scenario, but I realized that someone was serious about hurting my mother and probably even me.

But stay with Jake? In his home?

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, and he stared at me for a moment but finally nodded.

There was something happening between us, there was no use denying it. My heart raced whenever he looked at me. I worried that these feelings I was developing might be based on some messed up Stockholm Syndrome. Or maybe I was shallower than I thought and this yacht was making me feel something I hadn't felt before.

Or maybe it was the way he covered my wrists or massaged my aching feet. Those feelings were the most confusing of all. Stockholm Syndrome and being shallow, I could understand. Having someone take care of me for no other reason than to make me feel better. This was strange territory to me.

"I want to see my place first. Then decide where I will stay."

He pressed his lips together. "I don't think you should see it the way it is now. It may be an image you can't forget."

"I once traveled across state lines to see a man put to death in the name of justice. There are some things I will never forget. I don't think this will be one of them."

His face froze, and he nodded. "Death stays with you," he said softly and looked away. "It's like a cloud of poison in the air. And it doesn't matter how much you try to wave it off, it lingers in the recesses of your mind."

Jake's eyes cooled from the embers they were only a few minutes ago and I shivered. Something told me this man had seen a lot of death in his lifetime. Perhaps he'd caused it, too. I was starting to think Jake wasn't just a bodyguard. Or at least not his whole life.

He stood from the ottoman and extended a hand to me, gently helping me off the couch. "Get your things. We'll be at your place soon."

***

Jake had parked his large black SUV at the marina after he followed the ‘kidnappers' here. We walked towards it and I couldn't help thinking how I'd watched this truck drive off only a few weeks ago and thought I'd never see it again.

Now I sat inside it.

It smelled new, like fresh leather and laundered carpets. There wasn't a speck of dust on the dashboard or fingerprints on the large screen.

The drive home seemed much shorter than before. It was only thirty minutes from my apartment in Wellington.

When we pulled into my street, my hands shook. It was involuntary and I couldn't seem to stop them either.

Jake's steady hand covered mine, and the tremors subsided. "Thank you," I whispered.

"Anytime."

There was another black SUV parked in my driveway. "Who's that?" I asked.

"That's Will's car."

"Will's your business partner, too?"

"Yes."

I climbed out of the truck and slowly walked up the driveway.

My heart raced with each step that drew me closer. When I nearly stumbled on the first step, thanks to my shaky legs, Jake was there to steady me.

My front door was open, and a man stood inside, but I paid him no attention. My eyes were glued to the scene in front of me. It was my apartment, but it looked nothing like it.

Couch cushions were strewn across the room, along with pillows and blankets. Every book in my beloved collection was scattered onto the floor, along with broken glass and torn pieces of paper. Cupboards and drawers were left open and even picture frames were thrown to the ground.

Glass crunched underneath my boots as I walked towards my bedroom. This room was no better than the others. Clothes covered the carpeted floor, articles from both my dresser and my closet. My lamp had been knocked over and my bed sheets removed. Even the mattress had been pushed over.

"They were looking for something," I said when I felt Jake next to me.

"Yeah, we think so, too."

"But what could I possibly have that they would want?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I will find out."

I looked around the room and down the hallway. It looked as though a tornado had stormed through the house. And my heart sank. "This is going to take me forever to clean up."

"No, it won't, because you will not be the one doing it."

I turned to Jake. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm hiring a clean-up crew to tidy the place." He surveyed the apartment. "Repairs will be needed and perhaps even a new couch and bed. I will take care of it all. I don't want you worrying about anything."

I wanted to argue, but it was exactly what I needed. I didn't have the strength in me today, especially after everything, to fix this all on my own.

"I'll book a room for you at the Ritz for two days, since you didn't want to go to my place. It's close to your work and I'm familiar with the layout. There's an adjoining room, so I can be close to you if need be."

The Ritz. I stayed there once when I was younger and my mother took us to New York for a work trip. I remembered it fondly. So, I nodded in agreement.

"Ms. Adams?"

I turned toward the male voice. "Yes?"

The man had long brown hair that nearly reached his jaw. He had a scar over his left eyebrow, making him look older, but he couldn't have been much older than me. He had the same creases around his eyes as Jake's but his eyes were light blue, not gray. He wore a suit and tie and stretched out his hand for me to shake. Fresh scratches covered the top of his right hand and I couldn't help but stare.

He smiled sheepishly.

Then it hit me. "Did I do that?"

He shrugged. "I'm sorry about earlier. It was all Jake's idea and the blame should be entirely on him."

His boyish smile and remarks endeared me to him. "I guess I should apologize for the scratches, but I won't." I winked at him, and he chuckled.

I shook his hand, and I thought I heard a growl somewhere behind me in Jake's vicinity.

"Are you ready to go, Nikole?" he asked behind me.

"Yes," I said, at the same time Will replied, "Not yet."

"Why? What's the holdup?" Jake asked.

"There's something I need to show Ms. Adams. I haven't even had a chance to discuss it with you yet, Jake."

"What is it?" I asked.

"We found this note on the desk by the window."

Will handed me a lined piece of paper that was ripped out of one of my journals. Written in blue ink was the message, "Next time it will be your head smashed into tiny pieces if you don't give us the drive."

"What drive? What is he talking about?"

Will pursed his lips. "Well, we were hoping you would tell us."

I shook my head. "I don't know what it means. Have you tried asking my mother?"

"Christian is with her now. We'll follow up and see if she knows anything about a drive."

"I'll come with you," I said.

"You will?" asked Jake.

"Yes." I turned to him. "As an attorney, I'm a pretty good investigator. And besides, my mother doesn't open up to anyone, barely even me. If you have any hope of getting information from her, you'll need me."

Will nodded. "All right, then. Ms. Adams, lead the way."

***

The three of us stood at my mother's door and waited for her to answer. I sensed Jake behind me as Will stood by my side.

A moment later, my mother answered the door. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right, Nikole. When I heard about the break-in, I nearly had a heart attack. Come in, come in."

"Thanks, Mom. And, um, I had no intention of upsetting you. It's not like I had planned for this to happen."

"No, no. Of course, not. You just know how sensitive I am."

My mother was the least sensitive person I knew. She was driven, hard-working, and tenacious, but sensitive, not really. But I let it go.

"What are the police doing to find the guy?" she asked when we sat down at the dining room table.

Will answered first. "Well, you know about the note. They are running tests for fingerprints, but we suspect he wore gloves. Is there anything you can tell us about the message? Do you know what it means?"

She pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't."

My mother's brows furrowed, and I watched her fidget with a thin gold bracelet on her wrist. She knew something, but she was keeping it from us.

"Jake, can I speak to my mother alone?" Jake's eyebrows pulled together, but he pushed his chair back and tapped Will on the shoulder. "Let's wait outside for a minute."

I knew from Will's frown that he wasn't pleased to be dismissed, but whether he trusted Jake or because he didn't have much choice, he stood and walked out the door.

When I heard the door close, I turned back to my mother. "What's going on?"

She didn't try to act coy, which was a relief.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Mother, you were the one that hired these bodyguards. You obviously think this is serious, and I'm starting to think the same now that my entire home is upside down and broken into tiny pieces. Now that I'm involved, I think I have a right to know who's behind this."

"I don't know who's behind it!" she shouted, but looked down and grabbed her bracelet.

"But you know something."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Maybe."

"Then why not tell Jake and Will? They're your men. You trusted them enough with my life. Is this more important than that?"

"No, of course, not. It's just…"

"What?"

She turned and looked at me. "I swore an oath."

I shook my head. "You swore an oath to protect some criminal who is now stalking you and breaking into my home?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not the one protecting her stalker!"

"I am not protecting him. I swore an oath to keep any briefings with the CIA secret. So, I can't tell Jake or Will what I know because if the White House were to find out that I leaked this information, my career would be over."

"Your career? That's what you're protecting? That's your priority right now?"

"Don't put it like that, Nikole. Don't be a child. You know the way the world works. I hired these men to protect us and they're doing their job. I will cooperate with the police, but I will not break protocol or give away any government secrets. Not for anyone."

Not even to protect me. She didn't say those words exactly, but it was pretty darn close, wasn't it?

"Fine. But I won't stick around and wait for the next time this man decides to write another note."

"What do you mean? Aren't you planning to stay here?"

I watched her closely. "Jake had suggested that."

My mother's forehead softened, and a small smile curled her lips. "It would be great to have you back under my roof, Nikole."

The words made me angry. They were not malicious, and I knew she meant them well, but I also knew it meant that she could control what I did and where I went, whom I spoke to and whom I didn't. She had done it my whole life. I wasn't kidding when I said I would never live with her again.

"I won't be moving back in, no. I'll be staying with Jake."

She frowned. "The bodyguard?"

"Yes."

The thought of being in a hotel room alone wasn't comforting. I thought back to the way Jake steadied my arm when I needed someone to help me up the steps. While I'd never seen Jake's home, I imagined it would be more comfortable than a hotel room. Besides, I wanted to be as far away from other people as possible tonight.

"Do you think that's a good idea, Nikole? What sort of message would that send living with a strange man?"

"Message? Message to whom? Your constituents? The papers? I don't care what they think, only you do. And I think it will be the safest place for me right now."

She crossed her arms. "Fine. But try to keep it as low profile as possible."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't planning to shout it from the rooftop."

Realizing I wouldn't get any other information from my mother, I pushed back from the dining room table and opened the door for Will and Jake. "We're done. You can come in now. Thanks for waiting outside."

Will walked through, but Jake stopped and stood in front of me. He tilted his head. "Is everything all right?"

I licked my lips and glued on a smile. "Everything's fine."

He watched me for a few seconds, and then said, "All right. We should go so you can get some rest."

"Thank you," I said, then turned to my mother and Will. "I'll see you both later."

I turned and walked out the door and into the hallway. I wasn't na?ve; I understood there were confidential meetings between government personnel. I guess I'd always imagined that if it would ever come down to it, she would choose me.

"I have your laptop and some clothes for a few days," said Jake when he joined me in the elevator. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, that should be fine," I said, looking straight ahead, still consumed in my thoughts. "Oh, and I won't be going to the hotel."

He sighed. "Nikole, it won't be safe at your place."

"I know. That's why I've decided to stay with you at your place."

His head snapped in my direction. "What? You're coming home with me?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

He swallowed loudly next to me and crossed his arms. "No. No problem at all."