Page 70 of All He Sees
She wondered if he'd ever dated again. Fell in love again...
Nicky looked up at Ken. His blue eyes were piercing, and he looked right into hers.
She didn't know what to think.
Her mind was blank. She'd nearly died. She was terrified. She was shaking. She was exhausted. But he was here. He was her rock.
For a moment, the rest of the world fell away. They weren't in the middle of an investigation. They weren't on this island, surrounded by chaos, by officers cleaning up this terrible mess.
It was just them.
In that moment, Nicky realized she liked it that way.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Nicky never thought she would be so relieved to be back in Jacksonville at the FBI headquarters. She walked into the office with her head high, walking past her coworkers, nodding, and waving.
Thank God she was alive. Nicky had worked many cases in her career. But this one had hit hard, and truthfully, she'd never been so certain she was going to die in her life.
She had just landed in Jacksonville this morning. Went home, showered, and here she was. She hadn't received the updates on what the police had found on Chad's island yet, but she knew Chief Franco would deliver it all.
"Hey, Lyons, you're back!" one of her coworkers, Agent Pressley, went to give Nicky a high-five, but she wasn't in the mood. She gently tapped his hand and kept moving through the busy office.
"Thanks, Pres," she said. "I gotta go."
As she found her way to Chief Franco's office, she wondered if Ken had been called in too. She hadn't seen him since they both parted ways at the airport earlier, but ever since the island, Nicky hadn't been able to shake him from her mind. He had comforted her, maybe in a way no one ever had. He'd made her feel like things really were okay. And he didn't make her feel like she owed him anything for it.
Nicky's chest twisted as she reached Chief Franco's door. She knocked.
"Come in," he called.
She stepped in, and the familiar smell of Cuban coffee met her nose. She breathed it in, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light in the office, she saw the chief, sitting in one of the leather chairs. He had his blinds closed behind him to block out the natural sunlight, creating a calm atmosphere in his office.
"You're back," he said, his voice strong. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Of course," Nicky said.
She sat down across from the chief, and for a moment, she was quiet. She didn't know where to begin. This case had taken more out of her than she'd been prepared for.
"Chief," she said. "I don't even know where to begin."
"I'm sure you'll work it out," Chief Franco said, giving her a look that seemed to indicate he knew exactly how she was feeling.
"The island," Nicky said. "There were a lot of things that were going on there... those boys... it was all awful, sir."
"It must have been overwhelming," Chief Franco said, nodding. "But Lyons," he said, and she could tell he was genuinely happy to see her. "I'm glad to see you are still alive. I was really worried about my best agent."
Nicky found it in herself to laugh. She sat down in the chair across from his desk. "I'm glad to be alive as well," she said. "I'm glad to see some familiar faces in here. Feels like home."
Chief Franco chuckled softly, but there was a sadness in his eyes. Nicky's chest tightened. The anticipation was building--she needed to know the truth about the case.
"Chief," she said. "What did they find on that island? Did they find the other girls?"
The chief swallowed, then nodded. "They did, Lyons. They found their bodies in a pit on the island. Turns out those boys slaughtered the other two girls, and they were planning to slaughter a lot more."
No. Nicky lowered her head in shame. It was worse than she'd imagined; they'd shot them like animals and left them in a pit.
"Agent Lyons," Chief Franco said, and she looked up. "I know you were close to this case. I know you did a good job, especially after all you've been through... I can tell this one wasn't easy for you."
