Page 69 of All He Sees
They were going home.
Nicky spotted Ken at the shore, and as soon as he saw her, he ran toward her.
She ran to him, and they embraced in the sand. He was covered in blood and sand, and she wasn't much better.
"Are you okay?" he said, and she could hear tears in his voice. "I was so worried--"
"I'm okay," she said, squeezing him even tighter. He ran his hands up and down her back. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "I'm okay," he said. "I'm so glad you're alive."
"I'm glad I'm alive," she said. "I'm glad I'm alive."
They stayed on the beach. More officials came and went. It all felt like a dream.
Nicky and Ken sat on the sand as the rest of the officials cleaned up the mess. Mira was transported into a boat, headed back to Vale. Down the beach, Nicky could see Danny and Rachel were talking to the pilots of the other helicopter. Meanwhile, Nicky and Ken stayed in silence, watching it all unfold.
There was something bittersweet about it all.
It was over.
They were so close to the finish line, and they had made it. They were safe.
Nicky looked over at Ken, who was staring out at the ocean. Then, his blue eyes met hers. Something between them felt different--Nicky couldn't place what. She thought about how he'd touched her thigh comfortingly earlier, then how when the helicopter was crashing, their instincts were to hold each other's hands.
What did it mean?
What did he want to say to her earlier?
Right now, he looked deep in thought. Reminiscent.
"What are you thinking about?" she said softly.
Ken laughed once. "I'm thinking about how lucky we all are to be alive right now."
Nicky nodded, and she looked down at the sand in front of her. "That was close, Walker. That was really damn close. We both almost died in the crash, and in that tunnel..."
She shuddered. It was too awful to think about.
"What they were doing to those girls," Nicky went on. "I just can't stomach it."
Chad and his other rich friends had viewed their captives as animals to be hunted and slaughtered, not human girls with families, feelings, thoughts, dreams. It was all too awful for Nicky to stomach.
What hurt her the most was, the likelihood of the other girls being alive was near zero.
They hadn't found the bodies yet, but Nicky didn't have high hopes. She was lucky she was able to get to Mira.
Clara and Erica...
They'd needed help months ago.
And if Clara Jones really was dead, then this would be the first girl on the top ten list who Nicky wasn't able to find alive.
She pulled her knees to her chest and hid her face, feeling ashamed. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up. It was Ken.
But this time, he didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her. Nicky didn't fight it. She didn't push him away. She was so close to him; she could feel his warmth radiating through his clothes. She could feel his heart beating.
As Nicky leaned into him, she remembered the story he'd told her on their first case together. How he'd had a girlfriend in high school who was kidnapped and murdered. It was a tragic story, and Nicky could tell the whole thing had affected Ken deeply.
