Page 130 of My Fault
I said nothing. My voice failed me as I laid eyes on him: Nicholas was next to one of the police cars, and when he saw me, he shouted my name. My mother and William were next to him, and all I wanted was to be with the three of them for the rest ofmy life. They were my family. I knew that now. After seeing what my father was capable of, whatever part of me blamed myself for putting him in jail vanished forever. He wasn’t my father, he never would be, and I didn’t need him. I had a man in my life who loved me above all else, and it was time for me to love him the way he deserved.
“Drop your weapon and put your hands on your head!” a cop shouted, his voice clear over the commotion.
“Please…let me go,” I whispered. I didn’t want to die. Not this way. I still had a million things to live for.
Then something happened. It was all very fast. My father said no, his weapon clicked, and it pushed harder into the side of my head. He was going to shoot me, my father was going to kill me, and there was nothing I could do. An explosion made me close my eyes. I waited for the pain to come…but it never did.
The powerful arms that had been holding me let me go, and I felt him fall beside me. I looked right, and all I saw was red… Blood spread across the ground next to the inert body of the man who had given me life.
The first thing I did was turn and take off running.
I didn’t know where exactly I was going; my mind was in a trance, completely blank except for one thought: run, run. And I did it, and I didn’t stop until my body struck something hard. Arms wrapped around me, and I felt a familiar body and smelled a comforting scent, and all at once, I was calm.
“Oh, God,” Nick said, squeezing me into him. He lifted me off the ground, and knowing I was in his arms, I realized I was going to be all right. I would never have to fear for my safety as long as a man like Nicholas was there. I would never have to tremble in fear because he’d raised his voice, I’d never have to worry about whatI did or said. He loved me more than his own life, and he would never be capable of putting a hand on me.
He pushed me away slightly to look at my face, and I couldn’t help but grimace from the pain when he touched my cracked lip.
“Noah…” He looked me in the eyes as he said my name. I saw agony in his expression, relief at the awareness I was safe, blind hatred at the knowledge that I’d been hurt. All I needed was to feel him there, and I didn’t care that it stung when his lips touched mine.
“There’ll be time for that, babe,” he said, cupping my face. “I love you, Noah. So, so much.”
I felt so many things when I heard that. The tears returned, and a shaking overtook my legs as the adrenaline that had been flooding my body started to drain away. My mother showed up and squeezed me tightly, taking me briefly away from Nick. I hugged her close; again I felt at home, but it hurt me, too, knowing she’d had to suffer when our past had come back this way.
“My baby,” she said, her tears wetting my cheek. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she kept repeating.
“It’s okay, Mom,” I assured her, knowing what she needed me to say.
William was there, too. Our eyes met over my mother’s shoulder. I nodded when I saw tears in his eyes. He came over and wrapped his arms comfortingly around both of us.
When we were done with the embraces, I couldn’t help but look back at my father. They were carrying him into an ambulance. He’d been hit in the side of the chest. I had no idea if he was alive, but I didn’t think about it. Just afterward, I saw the police taking Ronnie out of the house. He was unharmed and in handcuffs. As I was trying to absorb all that was happening before my eyes, Nicholas grabbed my chin softly and turned my face toward his.
“Look at me,” he said in the softest voice I’d ever heard. His eyes were red and swollen. He’d suffered as much as I had. Ineeded him close to me after that experience, to put myself back together, to reassemble all that my father’s actions had shattered. “It’s okay,” he continued. “You’re with me now.”
His words eased my heart, finally.
“I love you,” I said as a strange feeling came over me. I don’t know if it was exhaustion or just the stress of all that had happened those past few hours, but I couldn’t go on anymore. I grabbed onto his T-shirt as my legs gave out, and I closed my eyes, letting the sweet tranquility of unconsciousness bear me away.
48
Nick
When we confirmed that the car still had the GPS chip active, it was just a matter of time till we found Noah. Or so I hoped. There was always the chance that Ronnie didn’t have the car parked wherever they were keeping Noah, but I couldn’t let that stop me. I knew he’d hardly been seen without that car lately, so there was a good chance he’d locked her up somewhere in the dingy club the GPS showed the car was parked at.
My father spoke to the cops, who planned what our next step should be. His office was swarming with people. Several agents were looking over the blueprints of the club with Steve. The most likely thing was that they had her in the basement on the west side of the building. If we cornered them, blocking off the main exits, her father could only get out one way, and that was the fire exit in the back. That was where the rest of the unit would wait, and if he came out, there’d be no turning back. That son of a bitch would be back in jail way earlier than he’d anticipated.
“There’s always a chance he won’t come out, though, that he’ll block himself off inside,” one cop said, pointing at the room where we assumed Noah was trapped.
“Then knock down the fucking door!” I shouted. I wanted to leave right then; who knew what they were doing to her while we were sitting there chitchatting. She could be wounded or even worse.
“Mr. Leister, leave the work to us,” the cop replied with an air of authority.
I hated how they were talking to me, making decisions about Noah’s life. But there was nothing I could do.
I walked out and lit what must have been my two hundredth cigarette of the day. All kinds of people were gathered on the porch. Near the gate, beside the fountain, were at least seven squad cars, and dozens of agents stood on the perimeter. The media was there, too, setting up cameras outside the gate. I wanted to puke.
“He could kill her, William!” I heard someone shout.
I ran inside and saw the police rushing out of my father’s office and toward their cars. Desperately, I looked at Raffaella, who was crying and clutching my father’s arm.
