Nick, p.10
NICK, page 10
“She’ll never speak to me again if she knows I’m the one…”
“Right now, she’s in a hospital bed, bruised and beaten,” Vanessa said. The words caused Nick’s father to flinch. “And I have no idea what condition she’ll end up in next time when she goes to a prison for hardened criminals.” She blinked in disbelief. “You do understand what that means, don’t you? She might never walk out of there alive. Or never walk again. Her ribs have been bruised.” Vanessa reached for her cell phone and then tapped on the screen. She pulled up what looked like the doctor’s report.
“Can I speak to her?” he asked.
“She’s not technically allowed visitors right now,” Vanessa said. “I could most definitely arrange a phone call.”
“The problem is that she can’t exactly speak right now,” Nick interjected. His father flinched again. The man looked like he was taking blows.
While his father was there, Nick figured he should ask about the shooter.
“Any idea who might try to shoot me?” he asked.
“I heard about that,” his father said before raking his fingers through thinning hair. His face dark and wrinkled from too much time in the sun. He shrugged. “If I had any information, I’d track the bastard down myself.”
“The last thing I need is another Firebrand locked up in county,” Vanessa warned.
His father’s lips compressed into a thin line that Nick recognized as intense anger. The two of them might not have been close in the past, possibly never will be in the future. However, Nick appreciated that his father had his back. It was good to know he could be counted on when the cards were down. He’d snapped to judgment about the man not being there for his wife, Nick’s mother.
“I understand,” his father said, putting a hand up to calm Vanessa. “Mark my words, if anyone comes at this family, I’ll take them down with my bare hands if that’s all I have to work with.”
“I don’t need to hear you say this,” Vanessa said. “And neither does Nick.”
“You’d have to put him on the stand,” his father deduced.
“That’s right,” she said. “Let’s all agree to let the law do their job.” She shot a look that made certain they understood and wouldn’t argue. Vanessa had always been strong, and stubborn.
“You have my word,” his father said with conviction.
“I’m serious,” she said. “My hands are full defending Mrs. Firebrand.”
“Understood.” His father gave a slight nod. The way he clamped his mouth shut told Nick that his father would do what needed to be done.
“Besides, the shooter was going for me,” Vanessa said.
“You don’t know that,” Nick countered.
“Odds are,” she said. “Which is a big part of the reason I’m here right now and…” She swiped her hand down her robe as though presenting it. “Why I’m wearing this. My change of clothes is at the motel.”
Nick’s father studied Vanessa. Then, he shifted his gaze over to Nick, where it lingered for a few uncomfortable seconds.
“I see,” he said.
Nick would put up an argument as to why this was the safest place for Vanessa right now but he’d be figured out. There would be no enthusiasm in his voice. As much as he and his father might not be close, Nick was no liar.
“Tell me more about what happened,” his father said.
“There isn’t much to it,” Nick confirmed. “We were at the park across the street from county lockup. Morgan didn’t think it was a good idea for me to drive in the state I was in after learning about Mother. So, I listened to him and headed over to the park to cool off.”
“I was already there, thinking that I would give your sons time with their mother before I headed inside to speak to her,” Vanessa said. “We weren’t talking more than two minutes when a wild shot was fired from somewhere decently long range. Nick knocked me down to protect me, landed on top of me. The bullet nicked a nearby garbage can. Law came running out of the building. End of story.”
“And they haven’t caught the shooter,” his father said.
“Not to my knowledge they haven’t,” she confirmed.
“Doesn’t seem like the law is very competent,” his father pointed out.
Vanessa picked up her cell and made notes in one of the apps. “Good point. How can we trust anything they say or do?”
“They’ve messed up the cases so far,” he said. “And were unable to protect my wife while she was in their care.”
“You should know that I filed a motion today to move the trial to a bigger city,” she said. “I requested Houston because I know we’ll get a more sympathetic jury there.”
“Would my wife be moved as well?”
“That’s the idea,” Vanessa said. “I’d like to get her out of here, where there’s too much gossip. Folks are tried by the jury of the grapevine in these parts.”
“True enough,” his father concurred. “What can I do?”
“Let me set up a visit with your wife,” Vanessa said. “It might be a phone call.”
“Which would be better than nothing,” he was quick to say.
Nick had pegged his father all wrong. Had he snapped to judgment about other people in his life too?
Vanessa was finally getting somewhere in building a defense. She had Jackie Firebrand’s background to work with and law enforcement incompetence. Those two factors would be powerful in the right jurors’ hands.
Again, she needed the change of venue to be approved. And soon. How long before someone else got to Jackie Firebrand?
“I need to go public and I don’t know how to do that without disrespecting your wife’s wishes,” Vanessa said, figuring she was about to get a whole heap of pushback.
“No way,” Mr. Firebrand protested. “It might send her back into a depression the likes of which she may never return from.”
“We have to, Mr. Firebrand. Otherwise, she might rot in a prison for the rest of her life. That is what’s on the line here.”
“Do it,” Nick said, interrupting the headstrong battle that was about to break out. “Do what you need to in order to keep her safe.” He turned to his father. “The medical report is bad. Read it. But it’s nothing compared to witnessing it. Seeing those stitches, the swelling, the black eyes.” He stopped, took a deep breath. “It’ll turn your stomach.”
Vanessa let those words sit heavy in the air like a rain cloud before a storm.
“Okay,” Mr. Firebrand finally said. “Whatever needs to happen.”
“I’ll do my best to get your wife’s permission before I leak anything,” she said. “And if I think of a better way to handle all this in the meantime, you’ll be first to know.”
He stood up, shook her hand and then his son’s, and then said he could show himself out.
By the time he left, light was peeking through the slats in the miniblinds.
“I need to check on a few things and I should probably throw a load of laundry in,” Vanessa said. She couldn’t run around in the bathrobe all day.
“What’s on the agenda today?” Nick said.
“Good question,” she said. “Let me think about the next steps.” She tapped her index finger on the dinner table. “Why can’t I think straight?”
“Not enough coffee?”
“Come to think of it, I didn’t finish my first cup,” she said, pushing up to standing as he turned toward the machine. “I got it.”
“Where are your clothes?” he asked. “I can toss them in the washer.”
There was something incredibly attractive about a man who knew how to take care of himself and everyone else.
“I left them in the bathroom,” she said. “And thank you.”
“No problem,” came before he disappeared out of the room.
The washer kicked on a few minutes later, the sound echoed from down the hall. After pouring a cup of coffee, she returned to her seat. The image of a shirtless Nick throwing in a load of laundry was sexier than it probably should be. The kiss they’d shared held so much promise. Sex with Nick, no doubt, would be the best in her life. He had a quality that made her relax enough to be herself around him. To be truly free. Finding that kind of love before her sixteenth birthday had scared the hell out of her.
Was that the real reason she’d listened to her father? She’d seen her entire law school future go up in smoke, because it would be so easy to live on the ranch with Nick Firebrand? Even now, she felt more at home here than in her own place in Houston.
Would she have thrown away her future to be with Nick? The threat had been enough to scare her into walking away and never looking back. Until now, a little voice in the back of her mind pointed out.
The annoying voice was right. She’d taken on the case, in part, because she was curious about what happened with Nick. Was he married? Did he have kids?
Not that it mattered because, despite the heat in the kiss, Nick would never take her back. Did she even want him to?
12
Dressed and ready for whatever the day brought, Nick rejoined Vanessa in the kitchen. She looked a little too right sitting there in his home. The image of her looking like she belonged here stamped his thoughts. Shoving the unproductive thought aside, he refreshed his cup of coffee.
Vanessa’s gaze was intent on the screen.
“Did you decide what you want to tackle first today?” he asked.
“No,” she said, “but I do have an update on your mother. The news is good. She’s breathing on her own, requesting water, and the doctor is feeling good about her making a full recovery. The doctor warned it would take time, though.”
“That is good news,” he said. Finally, there was something to be happy about. “Is she able to talk?”
“Not much and the doctor wants her to rest,” Vanessa said. “The nurse did say your mother perked up after our visit yesterday.”
Vanessa glanced up as he smiled. When she smiled back, his heart danced.
It was also confused. The kiss, the passion, none of it meant anything beyond the moment. Were they still attracted to each other? The answer was clear. Yes. But that didn’t mean they should act on it. The kiss had been a mistake. Well, hell, he couldn’t call it that when it had felt like the most right thing he’d done in ages.
Still, nothing could come of it.
“I’m glad our visit helped,” he said, redirecting his thoughts back to his mother. It gave him a whole lot of satisfaction to know he’d made a difference. Should it, though? What kind of fate would she be waking up to? His mother was going to get better so she could likely live out the rest of her life in prison. Damn. When he thought about it in those terms, it gutted him.
Hearing about her background explained a whole lot about why she drank like she did and closed herself off. She’d never once been physically abusive to Nick or any of his brothers as far as he knew. And he would have known. Someone would have mentioned it by now. Speaking of which, the others deserved to know about their mother and her background. As much as he wanted and needed to protect her privacy and right to be in charge of her own story, the others should know what was going on before the public.
Could he call a family meeting, minus Rowan? Nick couldn’t blame his brother for ditching the family. Would Rowan have made the same choice if he knew about their mother?
“What are you thinking?” Vanessa asked, interrupting his train of thought.
He looked over at her only to realize she’d been studying him. “That my mother is facing a whole heap of trouble and that she also deserves to be warned before her story is out there.”
She nodded.
“I knew it before,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong. But now? Seeing her? I realized that maybe I’ve been avoiding visiting her because it was going to be too hard for me to see her in jail.” He put his hand up to stop her from consoling him. “That’s on me.”
“You’re human, Nick. When are you going to realize that?”
He issued a sharp sigh. “I’m a jerk. In the worst way. I’ve been sitting back judging my mother for her actions, instead of trying to understand how the hell she got there in the first place.”
“When the truth is being kept from you to protect you, it’s not your fault that you didn’t know,” Vanessa argued. It was tempting to believe her, to let himself off the hook.
“I appreciate what you’re saying, Vanessa. “But—”
“Don’t do that to yourself, Nick. You’re one of the best human beings I’ve ever met. Believe me, in my line of work, I’ve been around and seen more than you can imagine. I won’t let you beat yourself up. I was around back then in high school. Remember?”
He nodded. He was listening. Not that he was sold yet.
“It wasn’t your job to figure out your parents or understand their demons,” she said. “On the outside, your mother was cold and only cared about money. I saw it too. Everyone did. It’s the reason defending her is going to be a challenge. The trial could go on because of it. Your mother has a complicated past. Your father used to be a jerk. There was no reason in the world to believe they loved you. Your dad was always too busy competing with your uncle and your grandfather was the worst of it. By leaving you and your brothers alone, your parents actually gave you a chance to decide who you wanted to be without their influence. I think that’s a very good thing.”
Vanessa was clearly a good lawyer. He couldn’t deny the fact she made sense.
“Look at you and your brothers,” she continued without missing a beat. “I can’t think of better people. You all turned out to be good men. You’re all honest, decent, caring individuals.”
“The jury is still out on Kellan,” he joked, needing to lighten some of the tension.
Vanessa cracked a smile. “Okay, definitely not Kellan. He’s overbearing and bossy.”
“He got a divorce,” he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she quickly said. “I didn’t know. That was awful of me to say.”
“Now, he’s frustrated, overbearing, and bossy,” Nick teased.
They both laughed. It felt good to laugh.
“When did life get so complicated?” he asked as he leaned against the bullnose edge of the granite countertop.
“Wasn’t it always?” she asked on a sigh. “It was for me, at least. I had to finish high school fast so I could get into the right college, which would lead to the right law school. I can’t say that I had much of a childhood. I definitely didn’t have a typical high school experience. I never even went to prom.”
“No, genius,” he teased. “You graduated a full year early and I couldn’t ask you to my senior prom because you didn’t live here any longer or talk to me once you left.”
It was almost like the fun was suddenly sucked out of the room. He hadn’t meant for that to happen.
“Hey, don’t…I didn’t mean for that to come out the way it sounded,” he said to her.
She clamped her mouth closed.
“You’re right though,” she finally said. “I had my reasons.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself,” he said. “We were just kids. I need to let go of all that and give you a break.” He meant it. She didn’t need to be reminded of what they’d shared and lost.
Vanessa studied the rim of her coffee cup before lifting it to take a sip. She set it down gently. “Walking away from you was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life. Talking to you would have made it so much worse. You keep talking about being a bad person. How’s that for selfish? I didn’t return your calls because I was afraid that I’d call my mother to pick me up and come running back. Because the sound of your voice was enough to make me want to forget law school and stay right here in Lone Star Pass for the rest of my life.”
“Would that have been so bad?”
“Not if it worked out,” she said. “I looked at my parents’ track record and wondered if that meant I was cut from the same cloth. As an adult, I see all the holes in that theory, believe me. But back then, I was convinced marriages always ended. I talked myself out of finding out what we had because we were too young for such a big love.” She paused a few beats. “Did you ever think the same?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “It was scary to me too. The difference being that I wasn’t going to be giving anything up to be with you. And, to be honest, I never would have allowed you to give up law school if that’s what you truly wanted. I was proud as hell that you graduated high school early, even if it meant I had no prom date. But those were the ideas of a kid. No one knows if we would have worked out or even been good for each other.”
“People change, right?” she asked but the question was rhetorical.
“Couples grow apart when they meet in their twenties,” he agreed, despite having a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that the two of them would have gone the distance. She was right, though. There was no way to find out without actually trying it.
“You were scared of what we had too?” she asked, looking genuinely surprised at the admission.
“I’d be a fool not to be,” he confided. “You were right when you said it was a big love for such young people.”
“The wild part is that if anyone could have made it work, I would have bet on us,” she said. “That thought and a dime is worth about ten cents at this point.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I won’t argue there.”
Not knowing if they could have gone the distance was a whole lot worse than giving it a shot and missing, in his book. Plus, who knows? They might have actually gone the distance.
Vanessa had a lot of regrets in her life, none bigger than walking out of Nick’s life. Who knew what her life might be like if she’d turned around and come back to Lone Star Pass like he’d asked her to in his voicemails?
Being on the outs with her mother didn’t help. Looking back, it was such a confusing time. If Nick came into her life now, she would know what to do with the feelings she used to have for him. Still had?
