Into The Night

She needed time to process everything. She needed space to put everything in perspective, including what was between the two of them. Right now, she was overwhelmed. If he pushed her to examine her feelings for him, she was going to snap. Hell, one of the most valuable lessons he’d learned from his own sisters was that if he made demands of a woman when she was stressed, she was going to make a decision that he’d regret.

And he didn’t want any regrets between him and Nicole.

He took a step back, so he was no longer standing in the doorframe. “You and I aren’t done yet.” His words were short and to the point.

A flicker of sadness passed through her soft blue eyes. Then, without a response, she shut the door on him, closing the door on them .

Chapter Twenty

Nicole leaned against the closed door long after she knew that Nathan had gone. Her throat was tight with unshed tears, and she felt so jagged and raw inside. The weekend had stripped her emotions bare and left her defenseless, exposed, and hurting in ways she’d never imagined.

She needed a hot shower. She needed to eat. She needed hours of deep, dreamless sleep. But most of all, she needed to rid her mind of the ugly, unpleasant memories of the weekend. And the only way she knew how to do that was to write the story that was hers alone to tell. The grim facts and details were clawing to get out, and she knew she’d never rest until the experience was purged from her soul.

Since her laptop was still at the Turnberry apartment, she turned on the desktop computer in her bedroom. Michelle had spent the weekend with her fiance, and Nicole was grateful to be alone. She sat down at the desk, opened a new Word document, and put her fingers to the keyboard.

The story of Sloane, his exploitation of young girls, and his involvement in human trafficking spilled out of Nicole faster than she could type. But then her past collided with the present, and she realized that she wasn’t just writing the story for her career; it had also become a huge cathartic release for the shame and humiliation she’d carried with her for so many years, along with the fears that kept her from risking her heart again. It all poured out of her, a wealth of fear and heartache, and all the anger she’d kept buried for much too long.

It wasn’t until hours later, when she was nearly done with the piece, that she became aware of the wet trail of tears on her face. She was supposed to be a dispassionate journalist, yet she was an emotional mess. But despite the pain of reliving the past, and the anxiety of rehashing what she’d witnessed at Sloane’s estate, she felt as though she’d set a part of herself free in writing what had become a very personal story for her. In her mind, she’d finally righted a wrong, and bringing down Sloane would save many other girls from falling victim to a man’s manipulations.

The knowledge gave her a heady, uplifting feeling of triumph.

Beyond spent, her mind and body completely tapped out, she saved the document, pushed her keyboard aside, and laid her head on the cool surface of her desk. She really did need food, a shower, and sleep, and she told herself she’d get up in just a minute…

The ringing of her cell phone jolted Nicole upright. Her head felt heavy, her mind unfocused. It took her a moment to realize that more than a minute had passed. As she blinked to clear the slumberous haze from her vision, a squinty-eyed glance at the clock on her desk told her she’d been asleep for nearly three hours.

Her phone rang again. She cleared her throat before flipping it open and answering the call. “Hello?”

“It’s… it’s Holly.”

Getting an unexpected call from Holly was enough to snap Nicole to immediate attention. “Are you okay?”

“No. I need you.”

Nicole’s heart leapt into her throat. Holly sounded scared, and an uneasy sensation filled Nicole. “Where are you? Where is your mother?”

“I left the casino and I came back to The Sanctuary to be with Preston.”

Nicole heard a gruff, angry voice in the background, then what sounded like a slap.

Holly started to cry. “He’s going to kill me if you don’t come. He wants you.”

The line disconnected.

Oh, God . Nicole had no idea what Sloane knew about her and Nathan, but the man was obviously obsessed with her and wanted her back. And she had no doubts that if she didn’t arrive quickly, Holly would pay the price. And if that happened, Nicole would never, ever forgive herself.

With adrenaline rushing through her veins, and her stomach in knots, she slipped into her flip-flops. She grabbed her purse and keys as she passed through the living room and out the door. In less than a minute she was in her car, heading toward Summerlin.

Panic made her heart race as she sped to the outskirts of the city. Knowing she couldn’t save Holly by herself, she called Nathan’s cell phone number, and cursed when she was sent directly to voice mail.

She knew he was most likely meeting with the feds, and prayed he’d get her message quickly. “It’s Nicole. Holly just called me and she’s back at Sloane’s. He threatened to kill her if I don’t come. I’m on my way there now.”

Minutes later, she arrived at the closed iron gates. The guard was obviously expecting her because he opened the gate and let her through. Her car came to a screeching halt in front of the house, and she jumped out and ran toward the entrance, her only thought to get to Holly before something horrible happened to the girl.

As soon as she stepped into the entryway, Gwen was there to greet her, a gun pointed directly at Nicole’s chest. As always, she looked the polished, professional assistant, and more beautiful than such an evil woman should.

A bitter smile curved the other woman’s red lips and hatred gleamed in her eyes. “So nice of you to join us.”

The gun scared Nicole. Especially when it was in the hands of someone so obviously unstable. “Where is she?” Nicole demanded.

Gwen ignored her question. “I don’t know why Preston thinks you’re so special,” she sneered, her voice dripping with jealousy. “But he’ll get tired of you soon enough. You’re just a passing fancy, as are all the other girls he’s fucked. And then he’ll either kill you, or send you off to Russia like all those others, where you’ll spend the rest of your life lying flat on your back for other men to screw.”

A deranged light flickered in Gwen’s eyes. “I’m the only one who truly loves Preston, and you bitches have always gotten in the way of what I’ve wanted!” She waved the gun wildly between them. “He’ll come back to me because I’m the only one who stayed and protected him. I’ve watched him go through all those girls while I’ve been the perfect executive assistant, handling his business affairs and cleaning up all the messes you girls have made. He can’t live without me. One day, Preston will get too old for all this shit. The girls will no longer want him, and he’ll turn to me and finally be all mine.”

Nicole realized that at one time, in her youth, Gwen had been one of Sloane’s “it” girls. But unlike so many of the girls who were cast aside, Gwen had found a way to make herself indispensible to Sloane, with the hope that he’d one day want her, and only her.

The woman was delusional and dangerous. It was a frightening sight to behold.

Gwen circled her and pressed the barrel of the gun against her spine, urging her up the spiral staircase. Nicole slowly started climbing.

“Preston is going to get what he wants, and then we’ll just dispose of you both,” Gwen continued matter-of- factly. “And then there’s the little matter of Alex, your protector. He stole from Preston. We have plans for him, too. He reneged on a deal, and no one breaks a deal with Preston. Alex is going to pay for betraying his trust. He’s going to die, just as you and Holly are.”

Nicole swallowed hard as Gwen directed her down a hallway. Despite her outward courage, Nicole was terrified inside. If Nathan didn’t get her message soon, she feared that she and Holly would end up dead.

Reaching the end of the corridor, Gwen shoved Nicole into a large, spacious master bedroom. The first thing Nicole saw was Holly sitting on the huge bed, the dress she was wearing ripped and torn. She was sobbing, her