Chapter One-Hundred-Ninety-Six
The next day Nick woke up to find himself lying on the porch where he had fallen asleep with Ashley and his siblings. He looked down to find Dakota lying on top of him in his sleeping bag and Ashley lying next to him with her head rested against his shoulder while Sarah had fallen asleep next to her in her sleeping bag. The girls had come downstairs in the middle of the night while everybody was sleeping with the company of Laney. Nick, Ashley and his siblings were all still awake and were just sitting there talking. Nick carefully lay Dakota down beside him so she was lying next to him in the sleeping bag and he kissed Ashley’s forehead softly before gently lying her head on her own pillow and he got up being extra careful not to wake anyone. He flinched slightly at the sight of Marcus who was sitting on a bench reading. He had not expected him to be sitting there. Marcus looked up from his book when he heard movement.
“Morning Nick.”
“Did you sleep at all? I hope you didn’t sit there all night watching us sleep…”
“Yeah I slept but I wish I hadn’t, it was a big risk. I had to trust that Laney and Q were both watching over you guys upstairs.” Nick shook his head.
“You guys do too much for us.”
“It’s our job.”
“When we’re touring yes, but we asked you to do this as a favor. You shouldn’t deprive yourselves of sleep.”
“We usually take turns keeping watch. There is always somebody watching the cameras while the other two sleep. We’ve trained ourselves so that we only need 3 or 4 hours of sleep each night. It’s cool.” Nick shook his head and he went over and gave Marcus a big bear hug.
“It’s not right. We should have a security guard appreciation day for you guys, you do so much.”
“It’s hardly a job to us anymore. We’ve all fallen in love with Ashley; we’ll do anything to make sure she stays safe. And Kori and Ellie.”
“I’m sure they all would tell you to get some sleep if they knew what you were doing to yourselves. Ashley especially you know how sensitive she’s been lately about people risking themselves for her.”
“We’re fine Nick, don’t worry about us,” Marcus insisted and he hugged the younger man back. Nick pulled away and shook his head in disapproval though he did not argue anymore. But he knows he will be running this by the other guys later.
“Is anyone else awake yet? Jackie went to bed right? I swear she is as bad as you.”
“Yeah, Brian and Riley forced her to go to sleep around two. Brian, Harold, and Detective Stabler are awake though.”
“So I guess it’s make your own breakfast day then?”
“Denise said before she went to bed last night that she would wake up in the morning and make breakfast. She is going to wait until the Doroughs get here though so that they can have some as well. Harold has made coffee though,” Marcus explained while holding up his fresh cup of coffee at the last part.
“I’m gonna have to go get some when the girls wake up.”
“Go get some now, I’ll be here.”
“Marcus…”
“Go.” Nick sighed.
“Oh all right, but I’m not staying gone long.”
“Okay,” Marcus replied while chuckling a little and Nick opened the door and went inside the house. When he got inside he started to head for the coffee when he suddenly noticed the looks on Harold, Brian, and Detective Stabler’s faces.
“What’s going on?”
“We just got done watching the news and Olivia just got a phone call.”
“And?” Nick asked becoming even more worried.
“A man was found dead last night in a pond in the woods…”
“What does that have anything to do with us?”
“It was our guy,” Detective Stabler answered this time. “He matches the finger prints on the window and the evidence he left behind when he shot Abbie. Sean killed him. He’s in Kentucky Nick.” Nick’s eyes widened in horror.
“Are you sure? Maybe he had somebody else do it…”
“It was Sean Nick, we’re one hundred percent sure.”
“How?”
“We know Sean’s style, we know how he likes to kill.” Detective Benson answered as she suddenly entered the kitchen and heard what was last said. “He tried to drown Ashley and failed, he tried to drown Kori and failed…and he drowned Cole Anderson and succeeded.”
“In a pond?”
“He sat there and held his head under the water until he just couldn’t breathe anymore and gave up. There is also a bullet wound to the back of his head. He made sure he was not going to recover,” Detective Stabler explained.
“This isn’t good. I don’t like this…I felt safer knowing he was far away from us,” Nick rambled to himself as he smoothed his fingers through his hair nervously. Brian went over and wrapped his arms around him.
“It’s going to be okay Nick-“
“You don’t know that for sure! What if he comes after Ashley next?”
“Him and what army?” Detective Stabler questioned. “I didn’t come all the way up here for nothing you know, I’ll be damned before I let him step one foot inside these gates. Q, Laney, Marcus, Fin, and Olivia I know will all be willing to help and Ashley has her pepper spray and can defend herself too if needed.” Nick shook his head.
“She is not leaving this house now, there is no way.”
“You weren’t this scared when we were in Florida,” Brian pointed out.
“He wasn’t pissed off like he is now. He left us alone and made us feel safe and now he is attacking us every five minutes. How do I know he isn’t going to try and run us off the damn road?” Nick vented. “And what about Ellie? He’s royally pissed off at you for buying her diamonds, what if he goes after her? What if he hurts Kevin next? You warned Kevin right?”
“Kevin is asleep right now but we plan on telling him as soon as he wakes up.” Detective Benson’s phone suddenly rang again and she flipped it open and placed it to her ear and she began talking to whoever called.
“Nick we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure Ashley and Ellie are safe,” Brian reassured.
“But what if that’s not enough?” Nick asked, his eyes watering up some.
“Nick you’ve stayed strong all this time and you need to keep doing so now or else Ashley is going to panic too.” Detective Stabler insisted. “If she really is doing so well like everybody has been telling me, then the only reason for that is you.”
“I’ve had nothing to do with it…she’s just gotten confidence that’s all.”
“And how do you think she got that confidence?” Brian questioned. Nick shrugged.
“From you, showing her how loved she is. You’ve changed her for the better Nick. She looks up to you when she feels at loss. If she sees you breaking down now she’s going to as well.”
“I just have a really bad feeling…and if I do, she’s most certainly going to, you know her instincts. Something bad is going to happen.”
“Nothing is going to happen. We’re not going to let it. Why don’t we get you some coffee? That’s what you came in here for right?” Brian questioned and he led his best friend over to the coffee. Detective Benson got off the phone then and Detective Stabler looked at her curiously.
“What was that all about?”
“They just discovered a note that Sean left on Cole. It was in the lake though by the time they found it.”
“What did it say?” Detective Stabler questioned, and Brian looked over at them as he rubbed his hand over Nick’s arm in attempt to keep him calm.
“It said ‘how many people are you willing to let die because of you Ashley? ’” Detective Stabler shook his head.
“I know what he’s trying to do and it’s not going to work. Ashley is not to hear about that note.” Nick insisted. Brian nodded.
“She won’t Nick I promise. Drink your coffee and try to calm down okay? If she wakes up and sees something is wrong with you she’ll want to know why. You know her.” Nick finished pouring his coffee and he went over and sat next to Harold who patted his hand on his back in comfort.
“How’d you sleep?” He asked, trying to change the subject.
“Pretty good,” Nick answered. “It was nice to sleep under the stars. Though I woke up with a four year old ontop of me this morning,” he added and he couldn’t help but smile at the memory of finding his baby ontop of him.
“So the kids woke up huh?”
“Mhm…I knew they wouldn’t last. Dakota has never slept anywhere without me in her life – and when she was forced to while I went away on tour, she slept with Riley.”
“Except for when she insists on sleeping with me,” Brian added as he sat next to Nick, glad that they were on a subject that makes Nick smile. They sat there talking for thirty minutes and then they suddenly heard the back door open. They all turned to look at it to see Ashley come in still rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“Nicky?”
“I’m here baby,” Nick replied, inwardly cursing at himself for forgetting that he had left her and the kids with Marcus. She went over to him and he wrapped his arm around her waist as she stood next to him. She bent down and gave him a peck on the lips assuming he was still scared of Detective Stabler but he kissed her back with such passion that it proved her wrong. When they pulled away she rested her forehead against his and scrunched up her nose some.
“You have coffee breath.” Nick chuckled.
“Harold made it. Want some?”
“No thanks,” Ashley replied being sure to sound polite as she does not want to hurt Harold’s feelings. But she has never liked real coffee she prefers Starbucks coffee.
“I’m craving chocolate. I think I want chocolate milk this morning.”
“Help yourself sweetie,” Harold insisted. “Jackie bought lots of chocolate milk for the kids.” Ashley went to the refrigerator, opened it up, and she pulled out a Nesquik milkshake bottle. She then also got out a glass and she went over and sat in Nick’s lap before hugging her legs to her chest and putting the glass on the table and she opened it up and poured her milk in it. Nick smirked and wrapped his arms around her and he hugged her tight and kissed her forehead softly.
“Are the kids still sleeping?”
“No, Sarah and Dakota are playing on the swings outside with Marcus watching them.” Nick shook his head.
“They better enjoy it while it lasts.” Brian shook his head smiling.
“Are you really going to make them do chores all day Nick?”
“Mhm, I am. I am sticking to my word.”
“It’s thanksgiving Nick…don’t make them work all day.”
“I won’t. When they’ve finished all of their chores they can play, but they’ll have to find their source of entertainment without toys.”
“You’ll be surprised what a kid can come up with when all they’ve got is their imagination for a source.” Ashley pointed out as she rested her head against his shoulder and snuggled up with him. She is not used to waking up without him at her side to snuggle with. Ashley looked over at Detective Stabler then who she had noticed was watching her and Nick and she looked at him curiously.
“Did the CSU team find out who that guy who attacked Jackie was?” she asked suddenly. Detective Stabler looked at Nick to answer the question as he was better at that stuff then he was and Nick tightened his arms around Ashley.
“They did…”
“Well, who was he?”
“Cole Anderson.”
“Oh my god…” Ashley replied softly.
“Did you know him?” Nick questioned while rubbing his hand over her back.
“Mhm…I’ve seen him before. He’s never touched me but Sean threatened to let him before…he was scary looking.”
“Well, he is one more scary face you don’t have to worry about seeing anymore,” Nick reassured and Ashley looked at him curiously.
“He’s dead.” She gaped at him.
“Dead?”
“Mhm. Dead. Sean had someone do it for him,” Brian spoke up before Nick could respond as he was better at twisting the truth around then he was.
“How?”
“That doesn’t really matter baby does it?”
“It does to me…”
“They drowned him and shot him in the back of the head.” Ashley rested her head against his shoulder and snuggled into him even more and he hugged her back as he kissed her forehead softly.
“That sounds like Sean’s style…” she spoke softly. “Sean had a thing for the water…”
“Yeah?” Nick asked, noticing Detective Stabler suddenly looked intrigued and was silently telling him to encourage her to keep going with his eyes.
“He…he used to threaten to drown me all the time before he actually acted on it. H-he used to take me to this place…but I never knew where it was because he blindfolded me…”
“What did he do to you at this place?” Nick asked encouragingly. He wrapped his arms firmly around her in hopes of comforting her because she had slowly started to rock back and fourth in his lap as she hugged her legs to her chest and tears were rolling down her cheek. He can tell she’s been holding this in for a very long time.
“He…he would attach me to something everytime I was bad, and he would dunk me under water and hold me underneath it for a few moments before pulling me back out…he did this repeatedly until I said sorry and he felt I meant it…”
“What thing? Did you know what it was baby?”
“No…I don’t know…” Ashley answered while breaking down into sobs. “He had me blindfolded…it…it was some kind of m-m-machine…”
“Okay…okay…shhh you don’t have to tell me anymore, you did good…” Nick reassured while rubbing his hand over her back and rocking her in his arms. He got up with her then and he carried her out of the kitchen after grabbing up her chocolate milk and Marcus rushed in.
“What’s going on? Why is Ashley crying?”
“Nick just got her to reveal some very important information…something Sean used to do to torture her.” Brian answered. “He didn’t even ask for it…she just started talking about it.”
“What place do we know of in Florida that has water and some kind of machine?” Detective Benson questioned. Detective Stabler shrugged his shoulders not having a single clue and everybody else looked just as puzzled. Detective Stabler pulled out his phone.
“I’m going to call the captain,” he announced and he got up and walked into the living room.
“Maybe Kori will know what she’s talking about…you know? Maybe she’s been there before when she was working with Sean.” Detective Tutuola suggested. Detective Benson nodded.
“Maybe…we’ll ask her when she wakes up.” Marcus went over and stood in the open door and he kept on eye on the kid while he listened to the Sean-Talk going on in the kitchen.
~*~*~*~*~
When Nick had gotten upstairs he sat down on the top of the stairs with Ashley cradled in his lap as she had finally calmed down some. He set her chocolate milk down safely next to him as she slid her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder and he sat there rubbing his hand over her back.
“I know that was hard for you baby…but I’m so proud of you. I love it when you talk to me about what happened to you because even though it’s tough it helps you in the long run.”
“I want him caught Nicky.”
“We will catch him baby I promise you. We’re trying very hard.” He reassured and he sat there holding her close to him as he rested his chin lightly on top of her head and he sat there hoping his promises aren’t empty ones.
“He’s here in Kentucky isn’t he…” she asked softly, and he watched as she placed her hand over the pocket that he knows she keeps her pepper spray handy. “And he killed Cole.”
“Yes.” Ashley looked up at him and she saw for the first time the fear that he had been trying to hide all for her.
“Let him come after me. I’ll be ready when he does.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
