Take the Money and Come

Chapter 15: Touching Heaven

Chapter 15: Touching HeavenTrying to stay occupied, she'd just arrived home after her umpteenth dinner with Callie. Pacing back and forth across her living room, Sarah knew she wasn't ready to settle down for the night. Fortunately, she had paperwork left to fill out at the children's center, and she figured the evening air and exercise would help to set her mind and body at ease. Throwing on a jacket, she headed out the door and down the stairs to the lobby, breathing in crisp coolness as she walked outside.

Starting down the street, she didn't notice the quiet footsteps that fell in step behind her a moment later. Caught up in the memory of a late night walk she'd taken along the beach with Nico, she didn't hear anything but the memory of ocean's waves until the footsteps were no more than two feet behind her. Her mind springing into the present, she sped up, moving briskly toward her destination. It was only another block and a half away; if she could just stay ahead of the footsteps a little longer, she'd be safe inside the center in less than five minutes. But as her pace increased, so did the footsteps behind her, closing the short distance fast. She couldn't stay ahead without launching into a full run, and so that was precisely what she intended to do. But as her foot left the ground to propel her forward, hands caught her around the ribs, thrusting her backward against a hard chest and pulling her out from underneath the streetlights. She opened her mouth but a hand was there, stifling her scream, and the hand on her ribs pressed her back harder.

“There's no need to be in such a hurry,” a voice whispered menacingly. “All alone?...You look like you could use some company,” he continued, the hand that held her against him moving to unzip her jacket as his arm continued to hold her still.

She kicked back at the stranger but he caught her calf between his legs, and now she had no way of trying to defend herself.

“You look far too buttoned up. Let's make you a little more comfortable.”

The stranger's sinister intentions were clear as his fingers moved from her now-open jacket to the buttons of her shirt beneath. Sarah shuddered as she fought futilely against her assailant's restraints. She knew what he was going to do to her and there was no way for her to escape. Before panic overwhelmed her, she forced her mind somewhere else, escaping in the only way she could as she let images of Nico fill her mind.

In the next second, she fell to the ground as her attacker released his hold on her suddenly. Looking up, she could see that his arm was twisted behind his back as he whimpered in pain. But louder, she could hear an almost feral growl coming from behind him. Sarah knew who it was before she could see him; the timbre of the growl, his scent wafting toward her, and she breathed a rugged sigh, knowing he had saved her.

And then she saw the steely glint of a knife, all of a sudden pressed up against the man's throat. Her rescuer leaned forward and she could see him then. The deadly look in his eyes told her precisely what he meant to do, and she couldn't be responsible for that, no matter how vile the man was.

“Nico, no,” she whispered.

She watched as he gritted his teeth, at the same time lowering the knife. His hand disappeared and when it returned he was shackling the man's wrist, yanking him toward a nearby street sign and securing him there.

“Handcuffs?” she wondered aloud almost comically in her hysteria, finding them an odd accoutrement for his particular job.

“They come in handy,” he answered quietly, shrugging his shoulders and muzzling the man with duct tape before he returned to her.

She could tell that he was trying to appear calm, likely to diffuse the situation as much as he could, but the tension in his body was evident. He knelt down, helping Sarah to her feet, his eyes perusing over her body looking for signs of injury. She was so thrown off-guard by the traumatic encounter that she didn't think to hide her rounded belly until it was too late. His eyes settled there and all the relief that she had felt fled.

Nico was silent for a long time. Her mind reeling, Sarah had absolutely no idea what to say. He was never supposed to know...now what was she supposed to do?

“I couldn't tell you, Nico,” she whispered finally, nothing but the truth coming to mind. “I couldn't be with you and worry about you, and worry what our child might one day grow to become.”

Still, he didn't say a word. She'd rather he get angry, yell...anything other than the silence and the unreadable expression on his face.

“I knew Lorenzo had been here, but he wouldn't tell me what happened,” Nico spoke, his eyes still fixed on her pregnant belly.

“Nothing happened. He surprised me, but he didn't lay a finger on me.”

“I know. He'd be dead if he had,” Nico stated plainly. “But I had to come. I had to make sure you were alright.” Pain and anger flickered through his eyes, both of them thinking back to the scene he'd interrupted just a moment before. “I know I'm a monster, but when it comes to you, Sarah...”

“I don't think you're a monster,” she argued simply.

That shocked him into silence.

“I understand why you have to do what you do. I thought being away from you would make it easier; that I wouldn't watch the news or read the newspaper with my heart in my throat. And I thought that what I felt for you would fade over time. But it isn't any easier and I don't love you any less...”

“Did she say love?” Nico wondered incredulously.

“But it doesn't matter what I feel. You don't have a choice in what you do, right? Will this baby? Will our baby have a choice? Or will he be lead right down the same path?” “I can't change your world, Nico. God I wish I could, but I can't. But I can give your son or daughter the life you wanted.”

Nico was silent, his mind processing rapidly, but it was so much. First seeing Sarah there, trapped in the arms of that vile bastard, and in the next moment, discovering she's carrying his child. Just then, he remembered back to something Lorenzo had said a few days prior.

“Maybe one day you'll retire,” his brother had told him as they stood on the docks, waiting for a shipment to arrive.

“Guys in our profession don't generally retire,” he'd answered back.

“No, but things happen, Nico. And guys in our profession die all the time,” he'd replied, looking him dead in the eyes. At first, he had thought it was some pitiful, “be grateful you're alive” speech. But now, he was beginning to realize what his brother had really been saying.

There was only one way out of his line of work. The only way he'd be free to be with Sarah was if he ceased to exist...or at least, if everyone who knew him believed he no longer existed. He had no doubt now that Lorenzo had found out Sarah was pregnant when he was here, and he'd also devised a plan to ensure Nico could be there with the woman he loved and their unborn child.

“You hear about the chartered plane that went down the other day?” Lorenzo had queried casually a little while later. “Some big guy had learned to fly and decided to deliver some goods himself. It was a mess, really. Hell, they couldn't even identify the body, can you believe it?” he'd continued.

About twenty minutes later, his brother climbing into the passenger seat next to him, he'd inquired off-handedly, “You got your pilot's license a while back, didn't you?”

“Yeah, why?” Nico asked, perplexed by his brother's curiosity.

“No reason,” he'd answered, and that had been the end of it, both of them turning their attention to the task at hand.

But Lorenzo hadn't been passing the time with useless conversation; he'd been giving Nico the ultimate solution. All he had to do was stage his death and he could be with Sarah. But had she really meant it when she said she loved him? Or was she trying to talk her way out of a bad situation? No...he could tell by the look in her eyes that there was no deception there. Despite what he was, she loved him.

They would have to leave here though. There was no way for him to stay in the country and not risk being discovered. Would she go with him? Could he ask that of her?

“Sarah...,” he began carefully. “What if there was a way?” He didn't want to give too much away just yet, pressuring her into a decision she may come to regret.

“Don't you think I've tried to think of something...anything?” she answered, pain and frustration evident in her tone. He just hadn't realized how hard this had been on her...that all this time, she'd been hurting, too.

“What if it came at a cost?” he continued, trying to gauge her responses.

“I would do anything to go back and freeze time in Boca Raton, Nico, I would. Just you and me there forever...but there's nothing I can do...”

“Maybe not. But there is something I can do.”

Her head shot up, so much hope in her eyes.

“But the cost is big,” he cautioned, wishing he didn't have to. “You would have to leave here, Sarah, permanently.”

“I don't understand.”

Nico took a deep breath. “The only way for me to get out is to die.”

“No!!!” she responded automatically.

“It's OK,” he smiled. “They'll only think I'm dead...”

It didn't take Sarah long to figure out where he was going with this, understanding dawning in her eyes quickly.

“I don't have much money saved up,” she started thinking aloud. “But we'll make it by. I hear you can live on very little in some cities in South America. Near a tourist area, maybe? I could get work as a housekeeper...or maybe my nursing could come in handy.”

Just like that, she was on board, and her arms were around him in the next second. He had worried she'd have a difficult time making a decision, but apparently he'd been wrong. Still, as he pulled her closer, Nico couldn't help laughing at her assumption they'd be living like paupers.

“What?” she looked at him quizzically.

“I was thinking more along the lines of Venice, Monaco...how about Fiji?” He smiled as her perplexity grew.

“But the banks...you can't leave a paper trail,” she told him.

“Do you remember that mattress we put to such good use?” he queried, a wicked smile on his face as she nodded, confusion furrowing her brow. “It's hiding about half a million dollars right there in the center,” he explained, enjoying her look of surprise. “And it's only one of about a dozen hiding places I have.”

Sarah's jaw dropped.

“What can I say? I don't trust banks...there's crooks everywhere, you know? And then there's the IRS who wants to know where it came from in the first place,” he teased before his lips came down on hers. He moved gently at first, but Sarah had been desperate to feel him for so long, urgency coursed through her, mingled with arousal and her lips demanded more. It was a long time before either of them came up for air.

Sarah couldn't believe what a drastic change of events had taken place in the last few moments. It was happening so fast, but she knew without a doubt this is what she wanted. She didn't need time to sort it out—which turned out to be a good thing given how quickly Nico intended to put his plan into action.

“I'm going to take you back to your apartment, and you're going to stay there for the next two days,” he began, still holding her close against him.

She opened her mouth to object, figuring there had to be some way she could help, something she could do...

“Sarah, please. I have a lot I have to do in a hurry, and I can't be here. If something were to happen to you...” he whispered harshly, motioning to the handcuffed slime a few yards away that he'd apparently knocked out cold.

She nodded.

“Stay and pack. As soon as it's over, I'll be here. But, Sarah...are you sure?” he asked emphatically, not wanting her to regret the decision later.

“I'm sure, Nico,” she told him, kissing his lips once more. This kiss was different, and in it she conveyed every ounce of emotion she could, letting him know wordlessly that she could never want anything else more.

He took her home then, leaving only after she'd promised again to stay indoors until he returned. And he did, almost forty-eight hours later precisely, and Sarah was ready, her bags neatly packed by the front door. She had been ready to go not more than an hour after he'd left, and spent the better part of two days pacing back and forth across her apartment excitedly. Now, as he stood in front of her, waiting for some sign that she was ready, Sarah didn't hesitate. Throwing her arms around him, she kissed him, unable to resist the opportunity to touch him, taste him, even in their haste. She released him after a moment, reaching down to grab her bags.

“Are you sure, Sarah? You can still change your mind,” he told her. He'd gone ahead and given up every aspect of the life he'd known, and still he pauses to make sure she's on board. Nothing in the world could make sure change her mind.

“Of course I'm sure, Nico. I love you,” she told him simply.

He was silent for a moment, assessing her gaze, and then he nodded, grabbing the bags she'd been reaching for and heading back out into the hallway. She followed without hesitation, sliding into the passenger seat of his car when they walked out of the building's front lobby.

“So...where are we going?” she asked, feeling the thrill of a new adventure tremor through her.

“What would you say to four weeks on a private island in Fiji while we figure out where in the world you'd like to call home?” he asked, a husky timbre in his voice.

A month of nothing but the two of them together on a private island? Images flooded her mind of the countless hours she'd spent naked in Nico's arms, and suddenly heady arousal coursed through every inch of her body; so much that Sarah didn't think she'd be able to wait until they reached their destination. She'd always wanted to join the mile high club anyways.

THE END

Billionaire Romance

Big Spender

Kathleen Hope

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Tipping Her Conscience

Chapter 2: Returning the Favor

Chapter 3: Strange Propositions

Chapter 4: Erotic Images

Chapter 5: Engaging the Enemy

Chapter 6: Too Close

Chapter 7: Fire and Flames

Chapter 8: Secrets