The Devil's Revenge (The Devil's Eyes) (27 page)
With Brayden’s birth coming so early, he needs to stay a little longer in hospital care and Kayla right with him. By morning, no doubt our enemies are well aware of our situation. I anticipate every possible attack they may have on my family and unfortunately they decide on the worst. Attacking from every possible direction, Estrella tries to spread us thin. Estrella is hitting us all over the place and slowly pulling away men from Kayla and Brayden. I have a hard time being in both places. I want to stay with Kayla and Brayden but I also need to stay with Nicky, too. I run through every possibility in my head when Samantha finds her way into my office. I assume she is lost but she stops at my desk and fidgets for a time before speaking, “Nick, if you want I can help you with Kayla.”
I laugh before I can catch myself, “Thank you Samantha, but I am sure we can figure out something.”
“I don’t think you understand, if anyone comes I will know if they belong or not. I can sense people, even when they don’t want me too. Ryan said you are worried about people in disguise trying to do harm. I can distinguish who belongs and who is up to no-good.” She waits as I consider what she is saying. “I’m good at it Nick, I did figure out who you were even before I knew you.”
“How did you do that?” I ask, but she simply smiles. “If I do this then I need you to alert someone immediately, not try to do anything on your own.”
“Of course, whatever you want.” I laugh at her easily accepting my terms. “That is funny?”
“Only in the sense my wife would never agree to my terms, she always negotiates …
always
.”
Samantha sets up within Kayla and Brayden’s room, making herself obvious as she stitches booties for Brayden. Even as I left them, I wasn’t sure it was going to work but she nailed three people within hours. The last person came in late, saw Samantha and nearly laughed as he tried to get by her with his poisonous weapon. She tripped him before stabbing him with her needle and distracting him well enough so that one of our men could get to him and cart him away. Samantha has suddenly become quite more valuable than ever thought possible. I am going to have to buy her something nice and admit to Ryan he was right all along. I am sure he won’t gloat - too much. With Samantha’s help, I am able to battle Estrella more effectively.
While we are protecting my home and family, Elijah gets word that they have attacked his. We manage to fight them off, but not before they destroy his father’s grave site. A purposeful attack and effective in getting under his skin. “It can all be repaired. I will help you get somebody to …”
“Shut up Nick, I don’t want to hear it right now.” He stands silent staring at the destroyed landmark with a heavy breath. “You know it is real funny that you are the one to be the father between the two of us, considering your father was a piece of shit and mine was … the best father anyone could have. I should be the father, not you.” I allow him his time to vent, understanding his emotions at the moment. I begin to think it better to let him be, but before I can walk away he lets out a harsh laugh, “What are you going to do Nicky? What are you going to do when she comes back?” He asks with a frustrated expression that eases slowly as he stares at me.
“When who comes back?” I ask him.
“Are you kidding me right now? You really have no idea?” I shake my head. “Franky. With Connor now dead, I am sure there is no reason for her to hide out any longer.” He says to me. “And, now that everyone knows you are alive again.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nick, come on. No way you believed that farce of a funeral, with all those agents standing around? It was a setup. Her father disappeared soon after, that was a sure sign they took her somewhere and hid her. She would have never left him.”
“She isn’t alive. She wouldn’t …”
“She wouldn’t what … leave without you? You were already working your way to the inside of Harvey’s business. You think they didn’t tell her that? I’m sure it scared the hell out of her. She probably couldn’t get away from you fast enough.” With sudden enjoyment, Elijah is in better spirits. “You know Nicky, I have some people that owe me one. I bet they could find her for you.” My sympathy for him quickly fades and I have no desire to talk to him any longer.
“Sorry about your father’s grave, Eli, and by the way stay away from my wife.” I catch him off guard and meet his eyes perfectly. “If you want a different life Elijah, then change it. Don’t try to mess mine up to make yourself feel better.” He grabs my arm before I can get away from him.
“It’s been a bad day Nicky, and you were the first one I could take it out on.” He speaks sincerely, but I am not sure I believe it.
Elijah has apologized to me more than once since our exchange at his home. I pushed everything he said to me to the back of my mind. I have more than enough to deal with right now. We manage to fight off the battles from Estrella while Kayla and Brayden get better under their blind, female bodyguard’s watch. It is a crazy, mad world but somehow we succeeded in keeping my family safe and back home.
Nick escorts Sam back to my room with a wide smile, so I assume things went well for her today. Crawling up the bed to me, she causes me some pain but I don’t care once she reaches me. “Everything went well I assume?” I ask her.
“I stabbed a guy.” She says, with a wild excitement.
I laugh, “Ruthless! He obviously didn’t realize who he was messing with.”
She shakes her head, “No, he didn’t. He thought he could walk right by me and I would never know. But I did know and so I tripped him and then took my crochet needle and …” She motions her actions with a serious expression.
“Well I am scared of you now, so why did I have to rescue you so many times?”
Sam kisses me with a smile, “Because I liked it. It was sexy too. Do you know, when I thought you were watching me I would raise my skirt a little higher and cross my legs for you or unbutton another button on my sweater?” She confesses.
“You are a tease. I thought I was imagining that because you would never let me go any farther than right here.” I say, tickling her and causing her to laugh and cuddle even closer to me.
“Do you think Nick will let me do more work for him?” She says suddenly.
She asks a question I never imagined would come up, and now that it has. I wish it hadn’t. “I don’t think working for Nick is the best idea, baby.”
“Why not? He even said I have been
very
valuable.” Sam sits away from me with a stern expression and now I know she is serious about this crazy idea.
“Baby, you were great for what we needed this time but I don’t like the idea of you getting much more involved. It’s dangerous Sam, and as much as you don’t like to think so you are still vulnerable.” As soon as the last word leaves my lips she rages at me.
“What do I have to do to prove to you I am not a helpless frail woman? Kayla does things. If Nick can let her be involved then why can’t you let me, because I’m blind? I thought you were different than Spence?”
“Kayla appoints herself to missions. She never listens to Nick. That is the only reason she is ever involved. She drives him insane. I am personally happy that she is his worry. But, you are mine and I wish you would trust me when I say this is not the line of work you want to get involved in. It has nothing to do with you being blind, but that doesn’t help. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Sam. You can’t even carry a gun, how are you supposed to defend yourself?”
“Teach me then.” She says suddenly, causing a baffled expression on my face. Sam smirks and feels my expression with her hands. “Don’t look at me that way, teach me how to shoot a gun.” I laugh and she playfully smacks my arm. “I am not kidding. If I can sense people are up to no-good and where they are enough that I can stab them with a needle, then why can’t I sense them enough that I can shoot them?”
“Are you insane? No! Absolutely not, I am not teaching you how to shoot a gun. Don’t make that face at me, I am not doing it.” I insist over and over until she is clear on my position about this matter.
Can’t believe I am doing this, I had to hold onto her while I guided us both to the firing range.
This is so ridiculous.
“You can stop huffing now, we are here so you might as well let me try.” I prepare the gun for her and let her feel where all the important elements are, “So, which side is the front?” I take the gun back from her with a snarl. “You are so easily irritated. Give it back, I was only kidding.”
“You shouldn’t joke about such things. This is a serious matter.” I say to her, just before she grabs the gun from me and starts shooting. “What the fuck are you doing?” I yell at her.
“Wow that felt great.” Sam says with elation. Taking her hands I show her how to hold it properly and verbally give her an idea of what her target is, but she stops me and hovers her hand across the target paper. She says she can tell the differences in the color, and can understand the sizes of what she needs to aim for. It all sounds good, but I am not much of a believer. After setting her target for her, Sam takes aim and shoots. “How was that?” She asks.
“Impressive, nearly dead-on, but next time you might want to shoot your own target and not someone else’s. Sorry!” I yell to the man cursing at us. “Try to aim forward this time, and forward is this way.” I say, helping her rotate in the right direction.
This is insane.
When we arrive back home Nick greets us with an easy smile. “How did it go?”
“As it turns out she is a pretty good shot, if she is aiming in the right direction.” I say with an exasperated sigh. Sam playfully punches my arm but still possesses a look that says she isn’t going to give up on her goal.
“Samantha, why don’t you come help me with the boys and tell me all about your day.” Sam kisses me on the cheek before leaving me to go help Kayla with Brayden and Nicky.
“Do you really think you can talk her out of it?” Nick asks me.
“Out of carrying a gun? Hell yes! She is going to kill me.”
Nick laughs, “Not the gun issue, the working for me issue?”
“I’m going to try. There are better things for her to do and still feel good about herself. I don’t think getting involved with what we do is something she fully understands.”