Page 1 of Nick

Chapter 1

As I’m sitting in the guest bed talking online with Fawx, a message pops up. No one should be able to enter our secure chat. I ask if he sees the message too, and he does. I let him trace it to its source before opening it. After he's confirmed it’s from the hacker Patrick is using, I open it. The first thing I see is a photo of Shortie. There’s a man I don’t recognize in the background with a gun pointed at her.

Patrick: Nick, did you think I wouldn’t find out about witness protection? That won’t save you or the girl. Come home to me, and I’ll leave her alone. You and I have unfinished business.

Fuck. I’m going to Tennessee, and there’s a damn leak in the local FBI office. Maybe I can get some answers first.

Nick: What am I missing?

Patrick: I thought you were smarter than this, son.

Nick: Answer and I’ll come.

Patrick: I arranged for Beth to get hooked on drugs again. I made sure Ben’s letters reached Summer.

Patrick: I am Lily’s father. I had the results switched so that John was listed as the father, hoping he could get the money. I would have left Summer alone if he had won, but at least she suffered because of the case.

Patrick: See you soon.

Fuck. He’s been manipulating so much I didn’t know about. Fawx is still online with me, so I remind him about the promise he made to watch out for Summer and help her if she needs him. He offers to monitor Tennessee and me too, which I appreciate. Logging off, I get up and grab my bag. Packing the basics, I call a taxi, then go into Z’s office and write a letter to Summer and Troy and leave them on the island. Deciding it’s best to wake Z, I quietly open his door and slip inside with my duffel bag.

He’s immediately awake when the door clicks. “Nick,” he says, turning on the bedside lamp.

I press my finger to my lips and go into his closet, and he follows. Closing the door, I turn on the light. He sees my duffel bag, and understanding dawns. “What happened?”

“He reached out through a chat room. If I go to him, Summer will be safe. He knows about WITSEC. He made sure Beth overdosed, was helping Ben get the letters out, and is Lily’s father, not John. The trial was a setup to get money.”

Zander stands there, stunned for a minute, sighing wearily, then nods. “What do you need?”

“Cash and a burner phone.”

He opens the safe room and hands me a wad of cash, a phone, and an extra charger. “Are you sure you want to do this, Nick?”

“No choice, Z. She comes first, always.”

“Thank you for keeping her safe. I’m sorry, Nick,” he replies. He genuinely looks upset.

Nodding, I put the phone in my pocket, splitting the cash between myself and the duffel bag. “I knew I'd have to deal with him again. Keep vigilant for a while yet. Let Ceres stay with Summer. If nothing happens after a few weeks, then you should be fine. It was always me he wanted revenge on. I wrote letters to Summer and Troy. They’re on the island.”

Z pulls me into a hug. “I know about the new deal with the FBI you and Troy arranged. Stay safe and stay alive until you can return home. Do you have a plan?”

“Figure out who his boss is, then kill him.”

“Timeframe?”

“Probably months. He won’t trust me now.”

“Reach out to any of us if you need help. I meant it, Nick. You’re being heroic enough; no need to push it further. Promise me.”

“I will, but most likely you won’t hear from me at all until it’s over.” Checking my watch, I see it’s time to leave. “I have an Uber to catch at the end of the driveway. Keep her safe.” I walk out of the closet and out the front door. Time to start my old life again.

I had to wait an hour for a bus to take me north from Charleston and 2 hours for the next bus with too many stops in between. I just switched buses again to get to Knoxville, Tennessee, and I’m fucking tired. When the bus pulls into the last station, I get off and head into the building. Looking for a camera, I find one facing the ticket counter and stand in front of it, glaring at the lens for a few seconds before leaving. That should alert the bastard’s hacker I’m here.

Going outside, I see a 24-hour diner down the street, so I head there and grab a booth. The server fills me up on coffee while I wait to be picked up. After half an hour, I order another coffee with a burger and fries. Patrick is busy, or is making me wait on purpose. Doesn’t really matter which.

I haven’t stopped to think too hard about where I am. Reuniting with Patrick was inevitable. I had hoped the reunion would be brief, me simply shooting the bastard, but that choice is gone. Now I need to navigate my old life while keeping my real family safe, especially Shortie. It would be so much easier if it was just the asshole, but he has a boss now that I need to worry about. Hopefully, the boss is an idiot too, but my luck has never been that good.

Shortie will be upset and sad today, but with time she'll understand why I had to do this. Z and the guys will support her and Gabby. This is minor compared to what she's already been through, so I have no doubt she'll be okay. I should've told her I loved her in the letter I left her. I've known for a while how I feel, but I want to say it in person the first time.