I pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I know. One of the things I love most about you is your desire to help others. You did as much as you could. Maybe that small gesture will encourage her to seek help.”
He nodded against my chest, his arms tightening around me. We stood there for a moment, until he heaved a deep breath and let go of me.
I scanned him as gently as I could, searching for signs he might erupt again. “Are you still up for heading to Kensington?” I asked.
“Yes, definitely.” He smiled, and I’d finally succeeded in getting us back to our plans. “Maybe I can find a replacement for one of the cars I lost as a kid.”
We made it to the car and Nick settled in the passenger seat. Almost immediately, his hand drifted to rest onto my leg. The simple contact was a tether that kept us linked. My presence calmed him but this was escalating faster than I’d anticipated. Next time I might not be there to deescalate things.
I pushed those fears aside. I couldn’t keep Nick calm if I was upset. Until I could tell him the truth, Nick’s safety required I remain in control. I hoped Uriel didn’t make me wait too much longer.
Nick
Isat at my desk, staring at the die-cast metal cars Henry and I found at the antique store long enough that my computer screen switched to the screen saver. It didn’t matter, I’d already made my numbers for the morning and half the afternoon. When I concentrated on work, all the sounds of the office faded into the background. Now that I’d stopped to take a break, every sound seemed amplified. I even heard Ms. Alma dressing down a rude analyst who thought his college degree allowed him to give her work.
Listening to her put the jerk in his place would’ve made me smile, except she sat on the far side of the elevator banks. In a different department. Beyond the noise from my department. It was as if my hearing honed in on her voice and filtered out everything else. That had never happened before. It shouldn’t be possible.
I picked up one car, and saw each detail with a clarity I hadn’t noticed when we examined it in the shop. It was still in good condition, but I saw damage I could’ve used to get a better price.
The voices of other colleagues replaced Alma’s voice. Some were on work calls, one was arguing with her boyfriend, another was talking to their credit card company, and one guy was justtold he had cancer. I didn’t recognize his voice, but I knew he wasn’t in my immediate area.
Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temples attempting to shut out all the voices. The more I tried to stop the noise, the more I focused on them. It was like saying don’t think of a purple elephant and it became the only thing you pictured in your mind.
I logged back into my computer, hoping to get lost in work again. Laughter from across the room jolted me out of the case I’d just opened. I heard new voices, but one specific conversation pushed itself ahead of the others.
“Are you sure?” a male voiced asked.
“Yes,” another male said. “I saw the due diligence request, but it's still a secret.”
I focused on my cars again. The two Henry bought me were the best of the five we found. The cars didn’t qualify as genuine antiques, but they were vintage toys. They weren’t valuable, but that didn’t matter. Henry planned the afternoon to help me find new cars. That made them priceless to me.
I reached for my coffee cup to see if I had any left, and I felt a tingle in my arm and fingers. The paper cup backed up a couple of inches as my hand approached. I quickly snatched it, but then my monitor flickered.
A chorus of “what the fuck?” and “you’ve got to be kidding me,” type comments swelled the cubicles around me. Seeing my computer reboot, it was clear the power fluctuation affected more than just my system.
Putting my coffee down gingerly, I stared at my hand. I didn’t find any sign of whatever caused the prickling sensation.
“What the hell is happening to me?”
“Nick? Are you alright?”
It was a good thing I’d put my coffee down, because I jumped in my chair. Brenda stood in the opening to my cubicle.I expected her to laugh or be smug she’d startled me, but she examined me like I was growing tentacles or something.
“Jeez, you scared me,” I said.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.” She sounded sincere, which might be the most bizarre thing. “Is everything okay?”
I considered telling her about the strange occurrences, but she’d never believe me. Worse, she’d tease me about it for weeks. I pointed to my computer. “The power winked out for a second and I lost what I was working on.”
“Yeah, I heard others complaining.
Since others were griping about lost work, it was an easy lie to sell. “I'm just frustrated, because I was almost finished with that case and need to start over.”
Brenda must not have believed me because she silently stared at me. Finally, a few seconds later, she blinked. “Good thing your numbers are so good this week. Not everyone’s so lucky.”
If that was supposed to console me, she needed to work on her pep talks. “Thanks for the pick me up speech.”
“Hey, when you lie to Auntie B, you don’t get sympathy.”
