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  Nick barely recognized her. Her face was puffy and her eyes red and swollen from crying. This was not the woman he was with just two days ago. This woman was small and her self-confidence broken.

  He reached out to her and pulled her in his arms. “Why didn’t you let me know, Lincoln? Your family is worried about you. I was worried about you.”

  “I couldn’t face anyone. Anthony has won. He has succeeded in breaking me down to nothing. Nick, run from me while you can. You deserve better, and I honestly don’t know if I can be with another man ever again,” she cried in his arms.

  His heart was beating fast in his chest from the anger building inside him. He’d be damned if Anthony got away with this. “I’m not running anywhere. I have to make a quick stop at home and I’ll be back to take care of you, okay.”

  “No, just stay home, please.”

  He stood up and tucked the blanket around her body. “Nope. I’ll be back in a flash.”

  Outside her apartment, he called Orlando and let him know Lincoln was home but didn’t go into detail about her condition. He hung up from Orlando and made another call. “Hey, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me at the firehouse in an hour?”

  “I’m kind of busy, can it wait?”

  Nick kicked at a rock laying by his foot. “No, it can’t.”

  “Fine, I’ll be there.”

  “I’m on my way, too,” he said, as he jumped into his truck and peeled out of the complex.

  Nick arrived back at the station and saw Anthony talking with Orlando. His emotions were working off pure adrenaline when he walked over to them. Orlando stood up from the table. “What the heck are you doing back here?”

  Nick put his hands on his hips. “I called and asked Ant to meet me here and I’m glad you’re here to witness this, Orlando.”

  “Witness what?”

  Nick shot his eyes to Anthony. He stood at the counter drinking a cup of coffee as if he didn’t have a care in the world. If he could see what he had done to Lincoln, he wouldn’t be standing there so smug and self-assured. Nick felt the hatred for him creep up from the depths of his belly. He knew what he was about to do would probably ruin his relationship with Lincoln for good, but Anthony needed to be taught a lesson and he was more than happy to give it to him.

  He folded his arms across his chest. “Go ahead and tell him what you did to Lincoln, Ant. Tell her brother-in-law what you did!”

  Anthony brows frowned. “What the hell is your problem, Nick!”

  Orlando shouted at the both of them. “What the hell is going on Ant? What did you do to Lincoln. Man, don’t pull no shit on me.”

  “I didn’t do anything to her, Orlando.”

  Nick poked Anthony in the chest with his finger. “Why are you fucking lying to him? Why don’t you tell him how you’ve been sleeping with Melanie for over a year! Tell him how you knew about your son.”

  “Shut up, Nick,” Anthony said, fuming and balling a fist into a tight ball.

  Nick’s dark eyes glowed and his nostrils flared. “You caught me off guard last time, but I’m ready for your ass this time.”

  Orlando held Nick back. “Nick, hold on. Anthony, is this true?”

  Anthony came clean knowing he had no other choice. He saw that Orlando had taken what Nick said as the truth and the anger that spread across his face would worsen the situation if he lied. “Yeah, it’s all true! Are you happy now! Are you glad Lincoln’s protector got the dirt on me.” He scowled at Nick “I warned you to stay away from her but you wouldn’t do it.”

  Nick curled his lip. “You don’t have the right to order me to do a damn thing!”

  Anthony glared at him. “Who the hell are you to confront me on something that doesn’t have shit to do with you or Orlando? Wait, are you messing around with Lincoln?”

  Orlando stepped in again. “This shit does concern me because it affects Regan and her sisters.”

  “Stay out of this, Orlando! We’ll talk later. Right now, I want to know what this dick is doing with Lincoln!” Anthony took a step towards Nick.

  Orlando tried to come between them. “Before this shit gets more out of control, you know you can’t fight here. Nick, you’re off duty, go home!”

  Nick’s body stiffened as he ignored Orlando’s order and moved closer to Anthony. “I don’t have a reason to lie, Ant. I am with Lincoln and I’m making her forget all about your sorry ass. That nice soft spot you gave up in her bed belongs to me. Now she will know what it’s like to have a real man take care of her and satisfy her needs.” He grinned, adding fuel to the blazing fire. “Man, I love the way she calls my name when we’re making love. Our sweaty bodies clinging together afterwards…Ahhh.” He puckered his lips against his fingertips and blew an outward kiss that pissed Anthony off.

  “Sonofabitch! You’re a dead man,” Anthony, said seething.

  Nick continued, his voice engraved with a deep fury. “It doesn’t bother you a damn bit how badly she is feeling. I’m gonna change that for her and it will never happen again as long as I’m around. Nobody will ever hurt her again, do you hear me! Come near Lincoln again and I will cut your cheating, lying ass down like a dead tree.”

  Anthony lunged, but Nick pulled back his fist and let it land square on Anthony’s nose sending him across the table and between the chairs, and onto the floor. Nick heard Orlando yelling and the other firefighters scrambling to the break room after hearing the commotion.

  Nick lost focus and it took a minute for him to regain his senses. He stood over Anthony looking down at his bloody face and said, “Stay the hell away from Lincoln or I’ll do more than break your fucking nose next time!”

  “What the fuck!” Orlando shouted. “Nick, get out of here, now!”

  “I’m leaving,” he said, rubbing the knuckles on his right hand.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lincoln put the vacuum cleaner away and straightened the pillows on the sofa. After Nick had left, she rolled off the sofa and took a shower to clean up before he returned. She knew he would come back just as he promised. Two days of sulking in front of the television was all she was willing to give Anthony. He had put the final nail in the coffin and she had to file him away for good.

  In the kitchen, she stacked the dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on. Wiping down the counters and table, she stood back and observed her work. The place was a mess, but order was restored. The energy she used to clean the apartment help work off the anger. Opening the fridge, she scanned over the contents. There was nothing particularly screaming at her to cook. “I’ll order us a pizza,” she said closing the door.

  A knock at the front door made her smile. Nick had a unique way he knocked to let her know it was him. She opened the door. He had changed clothes and looked more handsome than ever in a black button down shirt and dark blue jeans. “Hi.”

  “Hi, you,” he said bending down to kiss her on the cheek. “You look much better than when I left you earlier.”

  “I feel a little better,” she said leading him into the apartment. “I see you don’t have your duffel bag; you’re not staying the night?”

  “Well, baby, you might not want me to stay after I tell you what I did.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “Nick, what did you do?” Her eyes traveled to his hand that he seemed to be nursing. She reached over and took his hand in hers examining the bruise across the knuckles. “No, say you didn’t hit him,” she pleaded.

  “I can’t lie to you. I laid his ass out in the middle of the firehouse floor.”

  Her arms went around his broad shoulders to embrace him. “Why did you do that? I could have handled him.”

  “I’m not going to stand by and let anyone walk over you. Lincoln, I’m confused, are you squeezing me because you’re mad or giving me a hug?”

  “I’m hugging you, you big lug.” She pulled back to look him in the eye. “I don’t condone violence but thank you for sticking up for me.”

  “You’re my girl and it’s my job to p
rotect you.”

  Her radar and perspiration level went up. “Nick, what did you tell Anthony exactly before you hit him?”

  He moved away from her. “Um, I told him the truth. Lincoln, I’m tired of hiding our relationship. I want to take you around my friends and do things as a couple with other people. If you don’t want me, then let me know now.”

  “Nick...” A knock interrupted her. “Who could that be?” She opened the door and her mouth dropped open. Two police officers stood in the doorway. “Can I help you?”

  One officer asked in an official voice. “Are you Lincoln Hathaway?”

  “Yes. What is this about?” She asked. Her hands started to tremble.

  “Ma’am is your boyfriend’s name Nick Barona? And is that him standing over there?”

  She swallowed and lowered her head. “I know Nick Barona. What do you want him for?” She knew very well why they were there.

  Nick shook his head and walked over to the door holding his hands out in front of him. “I’m Nick and I know why you are here. Anthony Jenkins pressed charged against me for hitting him.”

  The officer cuffed Nick’s hands behind his back. “Yes, he did. You’re being arrested for assault. I’ll read your Miranda rights once I get you in the car.”

  Lincoln’s heart raced. “No, you don’t understand, he’s a firefighter you can’t put him in jail!”

  “He broke the law. Just because he’s a firefighter doesn’t give him the right to punch people in the face.”

  “He was protecting me.” Her fussing seemed to fall on deaf ears. They didn’t seem to care what she was saying as they lowered Nick in the back of a squad car. “Are you taking him downtown?”

  “Yes, ma’am, you can bail him out at headquarters downtown,” the police officer answered as he got in the car.

  She looked through the window at Nick. He didn’t seem upset but proud of his accomplishment. “I’ll call Orlando and be down to bail you out.”

  He shook his head. “Orlando is on duty; call Jon to come get you. I don’t want you to come to the police station alone.”

  She nodded nervously. “I will.”

  “Promise me you’ll call him, Lincoln.”

  “I promise I will. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  The police cruiser drove out the complex. She watched them take Nick away to jail and the rage inside of her erupted. She stormed inside the apartment and immediately called Anthony.

  Lincoln screamed hysterically. She heard her voice echo in her own ears. “How could you have Nick arrested?”

  “I knew you would be calling. He assaulted me, Lincoln.”

  She imagined the cynical smirk he had on his bandaged face. “You idiot! You hit him and he didn’t have you arrested. God, Anthony, this could ruin his career. Drop the charges against Nick.”

  “Not my fault he didn’t have the balls to have me arrested. I’m busy with my son. It’s time for his bath.”

  The sound of his voice made her ears want to bleed. The urge, if possible, to reach through the phone and punch him one good time herself coursed through her body. She bit her lip, and plunged in to say what she was on her mind. “I really don’t like how spineless and vindictive you’re acting towards Nick. I hope you burn in hell for what you’re doing.”

  “I'm not so spineless that I need to use excuses not to be with Melanie and my son anymore. Lincoln, the clock is ticking. You’d better hurry if you want to get your fucking lover out of jail tonight. Oh, you better take cash; credit cards aren’t accepted.”

  She fumed. “Screw you!” He was laughing when she ended the call. She threw the cell phone on the table and looked for her purse. She had to get to the police station and bail out Nick. She’d be damned if he spent the night in a jail cell because of her.

  She circled the Justice Center in search for a parking meter close to the entrance. None were available and the spot she found was several blocks away. Dusk had fallen and the menacing elements that came out after dark in Downtown Cleveland would be lurking around. She got out the car looking around. She secured her purse under her arm and started walking.

  Lincoln was still red-hot under the collar at Anthony and the people that gave her the run-around on the phone about Nick’s bail. Her feet barely touched the ground as she walked at a fast pace. At the corner of Ontario and St. Clair, she waited for the light to change to cross the street. A man with a slow pimp-style walk came from the opposite direction with a seedy look on his face. She rolled her eyes and turned away holding tightly onto the strap of her purse.

  As she waited for the light to switch, he made his way next to her. “Hey, pretty momma, are you looking to have some fun?”

  She narrowed her eyes and released a huff that moved her bangs. “Don’t even mess with me.”

  “Hey, baby, I’m just trying to…”

  “Look, if you want to keep those parts you were born with, you will walk away and fast.” She slipped her hands inside her purse. The man’s eyes followed her movements. He smiled and turned on his heels and walked towards a group of women standing on the next corner.

  The light changed and Lincoln trotted across the street. She was shaking and glad the man didn’t challenge her and went about his way. The only thing in her purse she could use as a weapon was a fingernail file.

  Inside the police station, she stopped at the desk. “Excuse me; I’m here to bail my friend out of jail. His name is Nick Barona.”

  The officer didn’t look up from his computer. “Do you have the paperwork from the Clerk’s office?”

  “What paperwork? I had called before I came down here. I was told how much the bail would be and to have it in cash.”

  He finally looked up from the computer and over the rim of his glasses to give her an annoyed look. It was her tax dollars paying his salary, the best he could do was forge a freaking smile she thought to herself.

  He sighed. “Bail is paid at the Clerk’s office, ma’am. We don’t take money here.”

  Her anger escalated after the jackass officer manning the desk sent her to the Clerk’s office to post bail and get the paperwork needed for Nick’s release.

  What she thought would take only an hour turned into an excruciating three-hour ordeal. She hoped her car had not been towed because she didn’t make it back to the meter to feed it more quarters. The walks back and forth between the Clerk’s office and the jail took a lot of time. It was now dark outside and she didn’t trust her luck to scare off another creepy individual with the threat of a fingernail file.

  Impatiently, she sat on an uncomfortable metal chair waiting for what seemed like forever for Nick’s release. The officer at the desk assured her the paperwork was in proper order and the wait was for transport to bring him from the jail area.

  She sat straight up in the chair when she heard voices approaching from down the hallway. Nick appeared talking with a blonde policewoman. She seemed quite cozy with him and that set off a wave of jealousy that caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up.

  The jealousy eased when he looked up and their eyes met. His smile widened and the sexy dimples of his cheeks deepened. Nick held out his arms and hurried over to her gathering her in an embrace. “I’m glad to see you.”

  She closed her arms around him sucking in his scent. “Are you okay? Did they do anything to you back there?”

  “I’m cool.” He pulled away from her and laughed. “I finally lived up to what my old man expected of me.”

  Lincoln gave him a puzzled look. “And that would be?”

  “He always thought I would be a thug, now I have a criminal record to make him proud.”

  “Oh, man, that is not funny. Nick, how will this affect your job?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to my union rep on my next shift. Where is Jon? Did he leave already?”

  “I came by myself.”

  His dimples faded as he frowned down at her. “You promised me you wouldn’t do that.
”

  She tried to explain her actions, but he wasn’t buying it. “I didn’t have time to wait on people, Nick.”

  He took her by the elbow. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s get out of here.”

  Outside the police station, they made their way back to her car. She was glad it was still there but it had been ticketed. The sleazy man she’d encountered earlier was standing on the corner. She held Nick’s hand as they passed him.

  He eyed her and said something inaudible to cause Nick to look at him and then at her. “What did he say to you?”

  “Ignore him, please. Besides, I don’t have any cash on me to post bail for you again.” She handed him the car keys and said, “You drive. I’m too stressed.”

  He chuckled opening the car door for her. “You’re stressed.”

  Back at her apartment, she fixed him a sandwich and poured a glass of wine for herself. Sitting next to him on the sofa, she crossed her legs and took a long sip of the white wine. It coated the back of her throat with a sweet fruitiness. “That’s good,” she said leaning her head back on the sofa.

  “The sandwich hit the spot, too. Thanks for fixing it for me.” He relaxed back on the sofa. “Ya know, Lincoln, you’re always making me food or doing something for me. What can I do for you for a change?”

  “You do a lot for me. You check on me all the time. You take up for my honor. Although, you don’t have to beat up any more people on my behalf. That bail thing is not an easy process.”

  “I’m sorry about that. You’ll get your money back after I go to court.”

  She swirled the wine in the glass. “I can’t believe Anthony had you arrested. He acted such an ass when I called him.”

  “Wait, you called him? Why?”

  “I wanted him to drop the charges against you, Nick. Is it too late for you to press charges against him for hitting you?”