3

Wow. Nikki really could take care of herself.

Lucas had to fight the urge to help. That probably wouldn’t make her agree to work for him though. He’d hoped she’d be over their mangled teenage romance, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Promise or not, if it looked as if she was in danger, he wouldn’t sit there and do nothing.

A police car with flashing lights pulled in.

Good. The cavalry had arrived.

As the officer stepped out of his car, Lucas did the same.

The officer moved towards Nikki and the couple. “Break it up.” The officer turned to the man. “Back up a few steps, sir.”

“I’m not the one causing the problem. It’s her.” The businessman pointed at Nikki, then at the woman who was still on the ground. “She assaulted my friend. Arrest her.”

The officer glared at Nikki.

“He stole my camera.” Nikki spoke in a calm voice. She must be used to this type of situation. “And she attacked me first. Pulled my hair.”

The officer walked over to the woman on the ground, his gaze clearly on her thigh. Her tight red dress had moved up several inches during the wrestling match. He helped her up. “Are you all right, miss?”

“I suppose, but…”

“What’s going on here?”

Macy launched into a tirade.

Nikki stared hard at Lucas and then shook her head. Why wouldn’t she let him help?

“Look, I can explain, Officer,” Nikki said. “If you would just listen to me.”

“I’ll get to you when I get to you.” He turned back to Macy, who was making quite the show of brushing herself off. “Are you sure you’re all right, miss?”

“I guess so. She knocked me on the ground.” The woman pouted, but then gave Nikki a smug look as if to say, I win.

Lucas had heard enough. He wouldn’t let Nikki get in trouble when she hadn’t been at fault. She’d just have to be angry that he interfered.

Another cruiser pulled in as the officer turned to Nikki. Lucas decided to wait another moment to see what would happen next.

“She attacked me first.” Nikki’s tone was reasonable.

“I’ll let you know when I want you to talk.” The officer glared.

As the other officer stepped out of his cruiser, Nikki smiled. The man winked at Nikki as he walked up. “What’s going on, Sam?”

“Apparently, this woman assaulted these people, Rob.”

“Really. That doesn’t sound much like Ms. Kent.”

“You know her?”

“She used to be on the force. Now she’s a law-abiding private investigator serving the fine people of Jacksonville. I doubt very much if she assaulted anyone unless she was attacked first.”

“Oh.” The younger officer’s face turned slightly pink. “I didn’t know.”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll handle this,” Rob said.

“No problem.” The first officer walked back to his cruiser.

Macy didn’t look quite as smug

Rob turned to Nikki. “What’s happening?”

“He stole my camera and attacked me.” Nikki pointed at the businessman. “Then she jumped on my back.”

“That belong to her?” Rob asked Stanley.

The man nodded.

“Then I guess you should give it back to her, don’t you think?”

“But she took pictures of me. She had no right to do that. Make her erase them.”

“There’s nothing illegal about her taking pictures.”

Lucas grimaced. Unfortunately, the officer was right. It wasn’t against the law to take someone’s picture, especially a public figure like himself. But did that mean people had the right to stalk him? Maybe he shouldn’t have come to Nikki. She made a living taking pictures of people who didn’t want them taken. Nikki might not see anything wrong with what was happening.

The officer took the camera and handed it back to Nikki.

“She attacked my girlfriend.”

“I defended myself,” Nikki said, her tone calm.

The girlfriend pointed at Nikki. “This is all her fault. She had no—”

“I’m sorry you got caught having a little fling with your boss. But you had no right to attack me,” Nikki interjected.

“We offered her money,” the man grumbled.

The officer cracked a smile. “That probably didn’t go well. Ms. Kent, you have the right to press charges. If you want to.”

“Are you kidding me?” Stanley sounded astonished.

“I warned you.” Nikki smiled. “I’ll give you a break. Besides, after your wife gets through with you, you probably wouldn’t be able to afford the fine anyway.” She pointed at the girlfriend. “And he sure won’t be able to afford you.”

The blonde held her head up proudly. “I’ll have you know I love Stanley. Not his money.”

“Good thing. Since Stanley won’t have nearly as much after the divorce.”

“OK, you two are free to go.” Rob nodded at the couple. “Next time you don’t like something someone’s doing, walk away.”

Stanley nodded at the officer and then glared at Nikki. “You don’t think it’ll make any difference, do you? My wife will forgive me. She always does.” Stanley stomped off with Macy hurrying behind.

Lucas now had no doubt Nikki was the one who could help him—if only he could talk her into it.

****

Nikki moved towards Robbie’s cruiser. “Thanks, Robbie.”

“Not a problem.” He followed her. “You’re looking good these days, Kent. I haven’t seen you around in a while. Where’ve you been hiding yourself?”

“Been busy, and I’ve given up the bar scene.” She lowered her voice, not wanting Lucas to hear their conversation. Her life was none of his business.

“Hey, I heard you broke up with Don. You ready to finally take your chances with me?” He leaned against the hood of his cruiser.

“Sorry, Robbie. No relationships—at least not for a long time. It’s time for me to get my act together.”

“Oh, come on, Nikki. But I see you’ve already found a new vict—I mean, guy.” He laughed.

“Very funny.”

“The problem is you haven’t found the right guy.” He grinned. “You never know, he might be right here in this parking lot with you and you don’t realize it.”

“Very subtle, Rob.”

“I thought so. Give me a jingle if you change your mind. And stop getting into fights.”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Nikki opened his door for him.

He slid into the driver’s seat. “Be good and be safe, Nikki.”

“You do the same, Robbie. I only deal with cheating husbands who don’t want to get caught. You’re the one who deals with the real criminals.”

“That’s for sure. See you around, Nikki.” He held his hand up to his ear. “Call me.”

She laughed and then got into her own car. “You’re still here.”

“I told you I wasn’t leaving until you listen to me. But let me say that was quite impressive. It made me even more determined to hire you.” Lucas grinned at her.

“It’s part of the job.”

“I can’t believe you managed to handle them. I wanted to help. But since you told me to stay in the car, I did.”

“You didn’t exactly stay in the car.”

“I wanted to be ready in case. I can see I came to the right person for help.” He smiled that charming smile. “Are you ready to listen now?”

In answer to his question, she leaned over and turned the radio on, but not quite as loud as before. “I need to decompress.”

“I can understand that. You and that officer seemed very chummy.”

“Really?”

“Sorry, just an observation. Decompress away.” He turned the radio up another notch and sang along.

Was Stanley right? Would his wife really forgive him? Nikki didn’t have that much forgiveness in her. Which was exactly why she wasn’t married anymore. Forgiving someone always seemed like giving them permission to do it again. But the Bible was clear. Forgiving others was part of being a Christian. She probably could learn to forgive for the little things. But the big things? That was a whole different story. She’d need God’s help for that. She gave a sideways glance at her passenger. Forgiving him didn’t seem possible. But then again…with God all things are possible.

Back at her office, she shut off the car and looked at Lucas. “I appreciate that you came all this way, but politics are not my thing. I am not the right person to help you.” As if that was the reason she was refusing. Not the fact that he’d broken her heart and ruined her life.

To be fair, she’d done her own share of ruining with one failed marriage, but still…

“This isn’t about politics. It’s about me.” He stared at her with those pale blue eyes.

“Oh, please. If it’s about you, it’s about politics.” She heard the bitterness in her voice and didn’t like it. She left Lucas sitting in her car and went into her office. When she sat down at her desk, the sticky note caught her gaze once more. I can’t do this, God. I really can’t.

The bell above her door tinkled.

“Are you ready to listen now?” Lucas was persistent, probably one of the characteristics that made him a good politician.

She glared at him. “Why would I do that?”

“I could say because we cared about each other once, but I don’t think you’re in the mood to hear that. So how about because you love this country?”

“Excuse me?”

“You couldn’t even sing the national anthem all the way through without crying.”

Her face warmed. She couldn’t believe he remembered anything about her, let alone that. “And what does that have to do with you?”

“I’m not saying what’s happening to me is a threat to national security, but there is a possibility that it could be. After all, I am a US congressman and might be a senator soon.”

“Appealing to my patriotism?” She had to give him credit. “You’re pulling out all the stops, aren’t you?”

He grinned at her. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“I would.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the yellow sticky note. She was beginning to hate that word. “If I listen, will you go away?”

He nodded.

“OK, I’ll listen. Then I’ll tell you no.”

“Way to keep an open mind, Nikki.” He grinned as he sat down. “Can we talk about—?”

“No, we can’t.” He hadn’t cared for the past sixteen years, and he didn’t care now. But he needed something from her, so he was willing to pretend if it meant she would be more agreeable. “Do you want to tell me what your problem is or not? I’ve got other things to do today.”

“Better yet, I can show you. If you look me up on social media, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

She typed in the address he dictated.

****

Nikki wasn’t the insecure teenaged girl he’d known. She was a beautiful and confident woman who wasn’t afraid to tell him what she thought. She didn’t seem to be the least bit intimidated by the fact he might become a US senator.

Two of her best qualities had been her sweetness and her honesty. She was still honest, but he wasn’t so sure about sweetness after the scene he’d just witnessed. No one bullied her these days. He didn’t think even his father would have the nerve. If his father could see Nikki now, he’d be impressed with the woman she’d become.

It was hard to believe sixteen years had passed since the last time Lucas had stared into those emerald-green eyes. He’d come here on the assumption she was over their past. That didn’t seem to be the case. Not that he blamed her. Nikki had every right not to help him, but he hoped to change her mind. He prayed for the right words to convince her.

Nikki’s expression went from anger to curiosity to concern as she stared at the monitor.

He didn’t have to look to know what she was seeing. His page was filled with pictures of himself in all sorts of situations and places. The pictures were accompanied by captions that said things like I see you or I’m watching you or something similar.

“OK, this is a bit creepy. I’ll give you that.” She looked up at him. “So, what is this about?”

“I appear to be part of some sort of internet game.”

“A game?”

“I know it sounds odd and it’s hard to explain, but it’s some weird version of hide-and-seek. And apparently, I’m it. I can’t get away from them. Everywhere I go, they are there taking pictures of me.”

“And”—she held up both hands—“you’re a politician. A public figure. People like to take your picture. So what?”

“Like I said, it’s hard to explain. They aren’t regular picture takers. Just today one of them chased me down the streets of DC. I was determined not to let her get my picture, and I won the game. At least for today.”

Confusion crossed her face, then doubt. “You came all the way to Florida to see me because of some game. I don’t think so.”

“I know it sounds bizarre.”

“It doesn’t sound bizarre—it sounds as if you’re making the whole thing up. You’re a public figure—people have a right to take your picture.”

Why couldn’t he make people understand? “True, but they don’t have the right to stalk me, do they?”

“Excuse me for not believing you. Why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re here?”

He had to make her understand how much he needed her help finding these people. “I’m not lying, Nikki. Everywhere I go, people are stalking me. Following me. Taking pictures of me. More than the usual ‘Oh, look, there’s Congressman McMann. Let’s get a picture.’ I need someone I can trust to find out who they are and why they’re doing it. So I can make them stop. I need you to believe me.”

Her expression softened for a moment. But her voice was cold when she asked, “Believe you? Why? Because you’ve been so trustworthy in the past.”

Her words were sharp, but he couldn’t argue the truth in them. He’d once told her that he loved her and then walked away. Because it was the easy thing to do. Because it’s what his father wanted. But that was years ago—a lifetime ago. He’d hoped Nikki wouldn’t still be angry. Apparently, she was. Even so, he wasn’t ready to give up yet. “Nikki, I know how much I hurt you. I am so—”

“I don’t need your apology. Even though I’m sure it would be wonderful, I’m all grown up now. I know pretty words aren’t the same as the truth.” Her tone was harsh and cynical.

Had he been the one to make that happen? He probably wasn’t the only one—but there was no doubt he’d been the first one. The Nikki he knew was so sweet, so kind to everyone. He met her gaze head-on. “I’ve never lied to you, Nikki. Not once.”

She bit her lip but said nothing. Tears misted her eyes. The first glimpse of the Nikki he’d known.

He forged ahead. “It started out with pictures, and that wasn’t too bad. But now they’ve moved on from pictures and are messing with my phones and computers.” He hurried on before she could kick him out. “Sometimes when I try to call someone, the number has vanished. Or an email address that I’ve used dozens of times will suddenly be gone.”

“Computers aren’t always the most reliable. Things like that happen.”

“Then last week, they started having things delivered to me that I didn’t order.”

“What kind of things?”

“Books. DVDs and even pizzas from my local pizzeria.”

“Maybe you forgot you ordered them.”

“I didn’t forget that I ordered twenty-five pizzas.”

She gave a slight smile and shrugged. “I guess you wouldn’t forget something like that. People have been pulling that prank for years. I’m sure you can hire someone to help you out, but it won’t be me. By the way, what did you do with the pizzas?” Another glimpse of the girl he’d known. She’d always been curious.

“I kept one and had the others delivered to a church that feeds the poor.”

“That was nice of you.”

“I am nice. If you’d only give me a chance to prove it.”

“If you say so.” She gave him a hard stare. “Don’t you have security to help with this sort of thing?”

“Of course, Congress has security. But it’s more concerned with safety in the Capitol Building. They don’t provide individual security for us. If we want that, we have to pay for it.”

“Well, you can afford it.”

“True. And I went to a friend in the FBI. He shut down my social media pages for me, but agreed with you about it being a prank. But when we shut down the page, they started emailing the pictures to me.”

“Your email address is probably public information.”

“I have accounts connected for work and for my constituents. But my personal email is set up on a completely different account and that’s the one they’re sending pictures to.”

“Mmm…I wonder how they got that.”

“I have no idea.”

“What did the FBI guy say?”

“Nothing.”

“Why not? I’m sure they’d be very concerned if they knew you were being stalked.”

“I haven’t told them.”

“Why not? It seems the logical thing to do.”

“When I try to save them, they disappear. When I try to forward the emails, they disappear. I haven’t even managed to print them out.” He motioned with his hands as if he were a magician. “Poof. They’re gone. Nobody’s ever seen them but me. And my assistant.”

Nikki stared at him, doubt in her gaze. “I’ve never heard of any such thing. And I consider myself fairly proficient at computers.”

“I don’t understand it either. I had a computer-tech guy check out my computers. He couldn’t figure it out either. But that’s why I haven’t bothered the security guys again. I have nothing to show them.”

“Maybe you should hire a better tech guy.”

“Elizabeth—that’s my assistant—says he’s one of the best.”

“Why do you think they’re doing it?”

“I’m not sure. That’s why I need you. To find out what’s going on. To find out who’s behind it and how serious it is.”

“Why do you call it a game?”

At least Nikki was listening to him, acting as if she believed him. Maybe he still could convince her to accept his job offer. He shrugged. “For lack of a better word. But I can tell you one thing—it’s not very fun.”

“I think you’re overreacting.” She smiled at him—the fake one. “It really does sound like a prank. Send the stuff back, cancel your credit cards, and don’t use the internet to buy things anymore. Problem solved.”

“Once would be a prank, but this keeps happening over and over. It’s been going on for months. Who knows what they’ll do next?”

“I understand how this could be a problem, but I’m not getting why you need me specifically. There are plenty of other capable investigators who can help you. Especially one that focuses on cybercrimes.”

“You’re good at what you do.” He knew that because he’d kept track of her over the years. Just in case she needed him.

“I might be good, but you can afford the best. I have no idea why you think I’m the only one who can help you.” Nikki met his gaze. Her tone was serious when she spoke. “I don’t have time for this, Lucas. Tell me the truth now or leave.”

He rubbed his eyes and then looked at her. The moment of truth had arrived. Should he tell her that his friends thought he was imagining the whole thing? That they thought he’d suffered some sort of breakdown. Nothing else seemed to be working. He might as well tell her the truth. “Because I need you to prove I’m not losing my mind.”