Back on Solid Ground (15 page)

Stacy smiled and
touched his cheek. “Let’s not try to make sense of this; let’s just go with
it.” 

And with
that, Niki gave up the pretense that he had any choice in the matter, and he picked
her up and carried her to his bed.  Afterwards, Stacy was lying in Niki’s arms
doodling on his chest with her finger. The girl was killing him.  His heart
literally ached, and the more that he got of her, the more he wanted.   He had
a major dilemma.  Niki raised himself up on his elbow and leaned over and
kissed her. 

“What am I
going to do with you?” Niki asked her.

“I don’t
know,” she said hoarsely.  She reached over and ran her hand through his hair.
“But stop worrying.  We’ll sort things out.”

They heard
the door and Niki covered Stacy with the sheet as Eli walked into the bedroom.

“Oops,” he
said, backing out of the room. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,”
said Niki, calling Eli back inside.  “What’s up?” Niki asked.

“I’m transferring
Stacy’s accounts.  I’m just letting you know.”

“Good,” said
Niki.

“Good morning,
Stacy,” said Eli.  “You feeling better?”

“I think,”
she croaked.

“You sound
terrible,” Eli said.

Niki reached
over and felt Stacy’s forehead. “You need to take those pills,” he said, then
he leaned down and kissed her before he got up and went into the bathroom.

Eli came over
and sat on the bed beside Stacy.  He couldn’t contain his smile. “So, am I
going to be an uncle?”

“Shut up,
Eli,” Stacy said.

He picked up
Stacy’s hand and looked at her wrist.  “Did he do that to you?”

“Not on
purpose,” Stacy said, looking at the red marks.

“Hey, Niki,”
Eli yelled across the room, “Don’t be so rough with her!” He walked into the
bathroom and met Niki coming out.  “I’m leaving,” Eli said.

“Good
riddance,” said Niki.

“’Bye,
Stacy,” Eli said. 

Stacy got
dressed and laid back down on Niki’s couch while he finished getting ready. 
She had taken the pills, but they hadn’t kicked in. 

Niki came out
of the bedroom and found Stacy asleep on the couch.  She opened her eyes when
she heard him come in.

 “Why don’t
you stay here and sleep?” Niki suggested, nuzzling into her neck and kissing
her behind the ear. 

Stacy wrapped
her arms around him.  “Why don’t you stay here and sleep with me?” she said. 

Niki kissed
her.  The girl was truly dangerous; he just couldn’t get enough of her.  “You
could drive me crazy if I let you,” he said.

Stacy
laughed.  “Come on,” she said, trying to get up.  “I don’t want to be accused
of being a bad influence.”  Niki helped her to her feet and they went
downstairs, with Stacy dragging her blanket behind her.  She laid down on the
couch in the living room and fell asleep.

It was past noon
when Eli and Jason finished with Stacy’s accounts.  She had been asleep on the
couch for five hours.  When she woke up, the TV was on, but there was no one in
the room.  The national news was on and the grim-faced anchor was telling about
a jeweler who had been found beheaded behind a dumpster in downtown San Antonio.  The victim’s photo flashed on the screen and Stacy’s mouth dropped.   It was
the man from the bank.  She flashed back to the scene:  one of the gunmen had
reached down and taken an envelope out of his pocket. 
The diamonds
.

“Niki!” she
yelled.  “Somebody!” She moved right up to the TV so she could get a closer
look.  She was certain it was the same man.

Jason came
running into the room, then Niki and Eli. 

“What’s the
matter?” Jason exclaimed.

 “That man!”
Stacy pointed to the TV just before the photo disappeared from the screen.  
“He was in the bank,” she said.

“I missed
it,” said Eli.

“So did I,”
said Niki.

Stacy turned
to Jason.  “Did you see him?”

“Yeah, but
just for a second,” Jason said.  “Why?”

“You said
there were diamonds involved in that bank robbery,” Stacy said.

Jason nodded
in acknowledgment.

“Well, I saw
one of you take an envelope out of that man’s pocket.  Were the diamonds in an
envelope?” She looked from Niki to Eli to Jason.

“Yeah, they
were,” Niki said apprehensively. “Why?”

“Because
someone decapitated the guy you took them from,” she said.

There was
silence while her words sank in, then Jason asked, “Are you sure it’s the same
guy from the bank?”

“He opened
the door for me right before one of you shot me,” Stacy said, irritated.  “It
was the same guy.”  She looked over at Niki thinking he might be more inclined
to believe her.  “It was the same guy.”

“Okay.”

Niki went to
the bar and poured himself a drink.  “Jason, you and I are flying out as soon
as the storm lets up.  We need to pay our client that visit.”

“All right,”
said Jason. 

“Good work,
Stacy,” Eli said, putting his arm around her.  “You feel any better?”

“Not really.”

“I probably
shouldn’t get close to you,” he said, removing his arm.  “Where’s Carlos and
why isn’t he taking care of you?”

Niki called
Eli over.  “Why don’t you take Stacy out of here for a while so Jayce and I can
get organized.” 

Eli went back
over to Stacy.  “You need to eat something.  You haven’t eaten all day,” he
said, leading her out of the room.

Niki had
emptied the contents of the envelope onto the table, and he and Jason had been
discussing strategy for their meeting for over an hour. Stacy walked into the
room so the men quit talking.

“Hi,” Niki
said, breaking into a big smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

Niki moved
next to her.  He was itching to touch her. He put his lips to her ear, and
whispered, “
I want you back in my bed.
” Stacy got goose bumps all over
her body.  She looked over at Jason and he looked antsy. 

“I’m not
staying,” she told him.  Then back to Niki, “I’m going upstairs to shower.”

“I’ll come
find you when we’re finished here.”

She turned to
leave and stopped cold. “How did you get those?” she asked, snapping her head
around to look at Niki.  She looked like she had seen a ghost. Stacy could feel
the blood leaving her head, and she reached out and picked up a necklace and
bracelet that were lying on the table and held them to her chest. Her eyes
filled with tears, but she was fighting to keep from crying.

“How did you
get these?” she repeated, but she knew the answer.

“Goddammit,”
Niki said, knowing what was coming. “Please tell me those are not yours,” he
said, devastated.

“They were my
mother’s,” she said, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“Fuck,” Niki
said under his breath.

 “I am so
sorry, Stacy.  I swear, I didn’t know,” Niki said.  He hooked his arm around
her neck and she buried her head against him. 

“How could he
do that?” she asked, choking back tears. 

Niki looked
over at Jason and shook his head.  He was going to get even with Stacy’s father
if it was the last thing he did.

“I am
not
going to cry,” Stacy said with determination.  She wiped her eyes on her sleeve
and sat down on the couch to think.  “So that means that my father had the guy
in the bank murdered,” she said after a while.

“Yeah, most
likely,” Niki said.

“Do you think
he was responsible for the bomb in your boat?” she asked.

“I don’t
know,” said Niki. 

“The question
is,” said Jason, “who did your father hire to decapitate that guy?   Because if
it’s not our client - if our client is just a middle man - then he’s in just as
much danger as the guy who had his head chopped off.  Someone’s cleaning house
and getting rid of witnesses.”

“Why would someone
stage our deaths and then try to blow us up?” Niki asked, then he answered his
own question.  “Because someone wants Stacy alive,” he suggested.  “She would
have had no reason to be on the boat.”

“So he wants
her alive, but he wants her father and the world to think she’s dead,” Jason said. 
“Maybe he’s a sicko and he wants her for himself?”

“Hey, I want
her for
myself. 
Does that make
me
a sicko?” Niki asked, and Stacy
couldn’t help but laugh.

“You were
already a sicko,” Jason said.

Stacy was
examining her mother’s jewelry and Niki sat down on the couch beside her.  “What’s
the story on the necklace?” Niki asked.

“It’s
priceless.” She turned the necklace over in her hand. “Are you familiar with
the Piggott Diamond?”

“A diamond
from India weighted between 47 and 86 carats, acquired by Baron George Piggott
in 1775,” Niki said. “It changed hands several times before the ruler of Albania, Ali Pasha, paid something like $150,000 for it around 1818.  Supposedly, Ali Pasha
carried it around with him in a little bag.  According to the story, when Ali
Pasha was 80 years old, he was fatally wounded in a battle, and before he died,
he ordered his captain to destroy the diamond in front of him.  The diamond
never resurfaced.”

“You know
your diamonds,” Stacy said impressed. 

Niki shrugged
his shoulders.

“Well, this
necklace is supposedly made from the shattered remnants of the Piggott
Diamond.”

“You’re
kidding?” Niki said stunned.

“Whether it’s
true or not, who knows, but it’s insured for millions.”  Stacy leaned back into
the couch.  “So, what did he do?  He sold the diamonds, but made it look like
they were stolen so he could  collect on the insurance?”

“If I were
guessing, I’d say he paid for your kidnapping with the diamonds, making it look
like they were stolen in the bank robbery, then collected on the insurance for
the diamonds and on your life insurance policy,” Niki said.  “It’s actually pretty
brilliant,” he admitted.

Eli and
Carlos came into the room and it was obvious something was up.

“What’s going
on?” Eli said, looking from Niki to Jason.

“Those were
her mother’s,” Niki said, pointing to the diamonds.

“No fucking
way!” Eli said in disbelief.  He turned to Stacy. “Man, your father is a first
class asshole.”  Then he looked over at Niki.  “Someone needs to kill that
bastard.”

It was
exactly what Niki was thinking but he didn’t say anything.  He went to the
balcony doors and looked out towards the ocean.  The rain was letting up.  They
would be able to fly out tomorrow.

Eli went over
and slouched beside Stacy on the couch.  He reached over and felt her
forehead.  “You’re not as hot,” he said. 

 “I feel
better,” she said. 

“Don’t worry
about all this stuff with your father,” Eli said.  “Niki won’t let him get away
with it.”

They looked
over at Niki standing in the doorway and Eli cocked his head toward Stacy.
“What do you see in him anyway?” Eli said.

“I don’t
know.”

“Do you have
a sister?”

Stacy laughed
and Niki turned around and saw the two looking at him.

“I’m stealing
your girlfriend,” Eli said, and Niki smiled because he liked the sound of the
word.  “Oh, I forgot!” Eli said jumping up.  “Consuela needs us in the
kitchen.”

Stacy was the
last one through the door and they were all gathered around the kitchen table
when she walked in.

“Happy
Birthday!” they all said in unison. 

Stacy clapped
her hands and turned to Consuela.  “You made me a cake!”

Consuela
pointed at Niki.  “It was his idea.”

Jason removed
a chunky candle from a candelabra and stuck it in the middle of the cake, then
he scrounged through the kitchen drawers and found a lighter and lit the
candle. Stacy stood in front of her cake waiting. 

“You have to
sing,” she said, with a huge smile on her face. 

They sang
Happy
Birthday
and Stacy thought about it before she made a wish.
I wish I could
live in this bubble all my life. 
She blew out the candle and everyone
clapped.

“You guys
sounded good!” she said. 

“Look, it
stopped raining,” said Jason. 

They took the
cake out on the veranda, and after they had finished eating, they were all
looking out at the mess the storm had left. 

Stacy moved
over next to Niki.  “Thanks for the cake,” she said.

“You’re
welcome,” he said, pulling her closer and putting his arms around her waist.  
“What’d you wish for?” he asked.

“None of your
business.”

“You know
what I wish?”

“I wouldn’t
even guess.”

“I wish you
could meet my mother,” Niki said, out of the blue.

“Excuse me?”
Stacy said, laughing.

“You heard
me,” Niki said, and he leaned down and kissed her. Niki looked out at the
water. “Want to go for a walk?”

“Yeah.”

They walked
down the beach and out to the end of the dock.  The sky was still overcast and
it looked like it was going to rain again.  Stacy sat down on the dock and
leaned back against one of the posts and Niki sat opposite, facing her.

“It feels
good out here,” Stacy said.

“Yeah, we’ve
been cooped up inside for too long,” Niki said.  He looked out at the water for
a while then looked back over at Stacy.  “Jason and I are leaving tomorrow,
probably for a couple of days, but Eli and Carlos will be here with you, so you
let them know if you need anything.”

“Okay.”  Stacy
looked down, “I wish you weren’t going.”

Niki didn’t
say anything.

“Niki?” Stacy
said, still looking down. 

“Yeah?”

“What if my
father killed my mother?”

Niki was
floored.  “Shit, Stacy. How long have you been carrying
that
around?”

“Since yesterday,”
she said, finally looking at him.