touched the back of his hand. “What happened tonight…” she started to say.
“Don't,” he warned her and his dark green eyes snapped upward so suddenly that she drew back slightly in reaction to their impact. “There's enough going on right now,” he explained in a calmer tone. “I just don't think we need to talk about that right now, okay?”
Bekki frowned as she slid closer to him on the couch. “But there's nothing to talk about, that's what I'm trying to tell you,” Bekki pointed out. “I don't want you to think…”
“Really it doesn't matter what I think,” Nick explained as he sat back against the couch. “What matters is that you're obviously not ready for,” he paused a moment and then shook his head. “This is why I didn't want to talk about this.”
“You're right,” Bekki nodded, her heart sinking as she did. “This is about Sammy, that's what we should be focused on.”
Nick nodded silently, but his hand shifted on his knee, it turned upward so he could gently hold her hand in his.
“No matter what you may think Bekki, I care about you,” he took a breath.
“I know you do , Nick,” she said quickly, but he shook his head.
“I mean, I care about you first, and I'm a detective second. So I want you to really listen to me when I say this to you,” he tugged her hand further into his and met her gaze intently. “Are you listening to me?”
Bekki's eyes widened at the intensity of his words. She nodded slightly. “I'm listening,” she promised.
“The Windwards are very powerful people,” he explained, still holding her gaze. “They buy and sell judges, politicians, and anyone else they please. I don't want you getting involved in this case more than you already have.”
Bekki started to draw her hand back from his as she shook her head, but he held her hand firmly. “Nick you can't ask me to do that, not when it comes to Sammy.”
“I'm not asking you,” Nick sa id in a sterner tone, his grip tightening ever so slightly. “Do not get involved in this case, Bekki. Let me, and Detective Williams handle it.”
Bekki rolled her eyes and gave her hand a hard tug, freeing it from Nick's grasp. She stood up from the couch swiftly and turned to face him.
“That's what this is really about, isn't it?” she asked sharply, her own eyes now reflecting her frustration as they met his. “It's Detective Williams, she's the one telling you to keep me out of this.”
“Bekki,” Nick frowned, and as he did she could see the irritation growing in his expression. “For once, please, just accept that someone cares about you enough to not want you to get hurt. If you cross the Windwards, they can make you disappear!”
“Just like they did to Lucy!” Bekki shouted so loudly that the level of her own voice startled her, and surprised Nick, who stared up at her with a mixture of confusion and frustration. “Just like they're tryi ng to do to Sammy. Nick it was one thing when I was accused of murder. I could handle it. But Sammy can't…”
“Maybe she's stronger than you give her credit for , Bekki,” Nick said in a cool voice as he stood up from the couch. “You think you know her so well, but maybe you don't know her as well as you think. She's probably not the only one you've made that mistake with,” he said with gentle accusation in his voice. It was not so much a hurtful comment as it was an illustrative one.
“Really?” Bekki shot back. “Is that what you think of me? That I'm just some judgmental person who is arrogant enough to think I know everything about everyone?”
Nick closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out a long, slow breath. She could see the muscles in his body begin to relax as he walked towards her.
“Of course not,” he replied and held her gaze with his own. “I think you're amazing, intelligent, stubborn and so damn strong-willed that you can't take good advice when it's given to you by someone who has your well-being at
“Don't,” he warned her and his dark green eyes snapped upward so suddenly that she drew back slightly in reaction to their impact. “There's enough going on right now,” he explained in a calmer tone. “I just don't think we need to talk about that right now, okay?”
Bekki frowned as she slid closer to him on the couch. “But there's nothing to talk about, that's what I'm trying to tell you,” Bekki pointed out. “I don't want you to think…”
“Really it doesn't matter what I think,” Nick explained as he sat back against the couch. “What matters is that you're obviously not ready for,” he paused a moment and then shook his head. “This is why I didn't want to talk about this.”
“You're right,” Bekki nodded, her heart sinking as she did. “This is about Sammy, that's what we should be focused on.”
Nick nodded silently, but his hand shifted on his knee, it turned upward so he could gently hold her hand in his.
“No matter what you may think Bekki, I care about you,” he took a breath.
“I know you do , Nick,” she said quickly, but he shook his head.
“I mean, I care about you first, and I'm a detective second. So I want you to really listen to me when I say this to you,” he tugged her hand further into his and met her gaze intently. “Are you listening to me?”
Bekki's eyes widened at the intensity of his words. She nodded slightly. “I'm listening,” she promised.
“The Windwards are very powerful people,” he explained, still holding her gaze. “They buy and sell judges, politicians, and anyone else they please. I don't want you getting involved in this case more than you already have.”
Bekki started to draw her hand back from his as she shook her head, but he held her hand firmly. “Nick you can't ask me to do that, not when it comes to Sammy.”
“I'm not asking you,” Nick sa id in a sterner tone, his grip tightening ever so slightly. “Do not get involved in this case, Bekki. Let me, and Detective Williams handle it.”
Bekki rolled her eyes and gave her hand a hard tug, freeing it from Nick's grasp. She stood up from the couch swiftly and turned to face him.
“That's what this is really about, isn't it?” she asked sharply, her own eyes now reflecting her frustration as they met his. “It's Detective Williams, she's the one telling you to keep me out of this.”
“Bekki,” Nick frowned, and as he did she could see the irritation growing in his expression. “For once, please, just accept that someone cares about you enough to not want you to get hurt. If you cross the Windwards, they can make you disappear!”
“Just like they did to Lucy!” Bekki shouted so loudly that the level of her own voice startled her, and surprised Nick, who stared up at her with a mixture of confusion and frustration. “Just like they're tryi ng to do to Sammy. Nick it was one thing when I was accused of murder. I could handle it. But Sammy can't…”
“Maybe she's stronger than you give her credit for , Bekki,” Nick said in a cool voice as he stood up from the couch. “You think you know her so well, but maybe you don't know her as well as you think. She's probably not the only one you've made that mistake with,” he said with gentle accusation in his voice. It was not so much a hurtful comment as it was an illustrative one.
“Really?” Bekki shot back. “Is that what you think of me? That I'm just some judgmental person who is arrogant enough to think I know everything about everyone?”
Nick closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out a long, slow breath. She could see the muscles in his body begin to relax as he walked towards her.
“Of course not,” he replied and held her gaze with his own. “I think you're amazing, intelligent, stubborn and so damn strong-willed that you can't take good advice when it's given to you by someone who has your well-being at
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