| Chapter Nine Nick was right, their feelings weren�t going away, but then again, neither was his stalker. The phone calls continued, sometimes as many as three and four a day. He had tried letting the phone just ring, but that didn�t work. The ringing would stop long enough for the call to be redialed and then it would continue until Nick would answer. They had even tried letting Heidi answer, put that didn�t work either. The stalker would just repeatedly ask for Nick and in the end, it was just easier to let Nick answer the phone. They had even thought about taking the phone off the hook, but the authorities were adamant that they not take that route. They were hoping to trace the stalker�s location through the phone calls. So far they had come up with nothing conclusive. Either the phone calls were to short to trace or the call had been transferred so many times that the original location couldn�t be deciphered. However, despite the disappointments, the authorities wanted the hotel line open at all times, just in case. The calls were much the same as the first, the stalker taunting Nick with private personal information, but not outright threatening him. Nick was growing tired with the whole thing and becoming restless at being kept cooped up all the time. Heidi and the guys tried their best to keep him occupied, but those attempts usually met with silence or glares from Nick. �Heidi, I�m bored!� Nick complained. �Why can�t we get out of here and go to the city park? There�s a lake, and you can take boat rides across, or we could just sit on a bench and relax, take in some fresh air, anything but sit around here. Please?� Heidi sighed. �Round four hundred and ninety-two coming right up� she thought. �Nick, I know you�re bored and restless and I know that you really want out of this room, but I have a meeting with Billy in five minutes,� she said as she glanced at her watch. �Maybe when I get back we can get out of here for a little while. Just promise me you�ll stay here while I�m gone,� she asked as she opened the door and made sure Nelson was in position before leaving. �Okay, okay! I promise I�ll stay here until you get back,� he mumbled unhappily. �Was it so wrong of him to want to get out, live his life, and have fun like any other normal person? Did it really matter if it was? Granted, his career didn�t afford him a lot of time to enjoy life, but at least before he did get out some� he thought grumpily. He knew he was being difficult, he didn�t mean to be, but the whole thing was getting to be a bit too much for him to handle. The phone rang and he groaned. �Not again� he thought as he reached for the phone and said �Hello.� �Hey Nicky-boy, how are you,� the stalker asked. �Can we get to the point of today�s call?� Nick asked, clearly losing his patience with the whole thing. �My, my; aren�t we testy today,� the man chuckled. �But since you�ve gotten straight to the point, so will I. I saw your brother this morning. Cute kid. Tall, blonde, the all-American boy! I just hope he has enough sense to stay away from married women.� Nick�s body froze and his breathing became labored. �What did you do to him?� he croaked. �Tsk, tsk. It�s you I want Nick, not your replica. I just thought I�d let you know that I know enough about you to keep this going for a very long time. It�s wonderful isn�t it? We�ll be friends for a long, long time. You ruined my life Nick, and now I�m repaying the favor� he replied, his voice losing its smooth quality. �I don�t even know you. How could I have ruined your life?� Nick asked, confused. �You�ll know in time Nick,� he warned before disconnecting the call. With a shaky hand, Nick replaced the phone. His body shook and he broke out in a cold sweat. This was getting serious. After months of basically harmless letters and calls, the threats were becoming more real, less vague. Feeling like the walls of the room were closing in on him, Nick grabbed a windbreaker with a hood, scribbled a note and left. He had to get out. Now! He cracked the door open and peered out into the hall, looking for Nelson; Nelson had been assigned to watch Nick�s room, making sure no one went in or came out that wasn�t supposed. Not seeing him, Nick inched the door open and made his escape. Whatever had drawn Nelson away from his post, Nick was thankful. He couldn�t stay in his room any longer. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Heidi returned a half hour later to find Nelson standing by the door. �How is everything?� she asked. �Not a peep out of him since you left,� Nelson informed her as he left his post. Heidi sighed and opened the door and found the room completely empty. She closed her eyes and groaned. �How did he manage to get past Nelson� she wondered as her gaze fell on a piece of paper. Chillsran up her spine at the sight of her name scribbled illegibly across the front of it. Something was wrong, really wrong. The foreboding feeling grew worse as she read the note. Something had set him off, but what? �Where in the world could he have possibly gone?� she asked aloud. She took a moment to compose her thoughts and began systematically going over every possibility. �Of course,� she cried and then ran to grab a jacket and Nick�s cell phone. She left the room in a hurry and ran down the hall to Billy�s room, pounding on the door, until it was pulled open from the inside. �I don�t have time to explain. Nick�s gone, and I think I know where. I have his cell phone with me so I�ll call in as soon as I find him. If he comes back here, give me a call,� she said in a rush, and then turned and ran down the hall towards the elevator. �Heidi! Heidi, where are you going?� Billy called frantically, worried about both Nick and Heidi and wondering where Nelson had been when Nick left. The closing of the elevator doors swallowed up her words. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Once out on the street, Heidi asked the doorman for directions to the city park. Walking quickly in the right direction, Heidi prayed her hunch was right. If it wasn�t, she was leaving Nick wide open for a world of trouble. She slowed her steps as she passed through the entrance of the park. Her eyes scanned the crowds and the direction signs. Finding the sign she was looking for, she followed the path to the right, the path that would take her to the lake. The area was beautiful. Tall trees, shrubbery and flowers had been perfectly landscaped around the lake. Small ducks and swans swam close to shore, quacking and honking as people threw bread and duck food to them. Searching the faces of the crowd, Heidi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the back of Nick�s blonde head. He was sitting, facing the lake, on a park bench. As she drew closer, she realized that his eyes were closed, but instead of looking peaceful, his face was filled with an amazing amount of tension. �Nick� she whispered softly as she came to stand in front of him. His eyes opened and Heidi gasped. His beautiful blue eyes were filled with paralyzing terror. �Oh God Nick, what happened?� she asked as she sank down on the bench next to him. �I� He�called again, right after you left,� he explained. She knew that it was more than just another phone call that had upset him so much; the stalker must�ve said something to upset him. �What did he say?� Nick sighed heavily and his chin dropped to his chest. A single tear spilled over and ran down his cheek. In short bursts, he described the phone conversation and Heidi couldn�t help but go pale. Things had just gone from bad to worse and she had a feeling things were going to go even further downhill, and sometime soon. �What I don�t get though, is why he would say that about Aaron. He�s just a kid,� Nick said, as he rubbed his hands over his face. �I don�t know Nick. It doesn�t make sense. Staying away from married women? That�s so odd,� Heidi said as she began rubbing Nick�s back. �He said �I�d know in time� how I ruined his life,� he repeated numbly. Heidi had no words of wisdom to give him, so she kept silent and continued to rub his back, the movement soothing Nick�s taut nerves. As the sun began to set, the air turned cooler. Heidi tugged her jacket on and zipped it half way up, and then helped Nick put his on. �Come on Nick, let�s head back. You�re exhausted and you need to sleep,� she said as she stood and pulled him to his feet. They made the walk silently back to the hotel. Billy was pacing the hallway when they stepped off the elevator. He took one look at the both of them and rushed to meet them. Heidi had called earlier that afternoon and told Billy she�d found Nick, so he hadn�t been worried when they didn�t come back right away, but by the looks of things, Nick was ready to drop. Putting his shoulder under Nick�s arm, he walked him down the hall and helped Heidi get Nick to his room. �Thanks Billy. I�ve got it from here,� Heidi said as Billy lowered Nick to his bed. �I�ll want a full report first thing in the morning,� he said sternly, yet his voice held a note of compassion. She smiled faintly up at him and watched as he left their room. Silently and efficiently, she helped Nick change into a pair of sweat pants and then helped him under the covers. She pulled the sheet up to his chest and smoothed his hair off of his forehead. Now that theadrenaline rush was over and she knew he was safe, her body began to shake. He could�ve been kidnapped� or worse. She had only taken one step when Nick�s hand reached out and his fingers threaded through hers. �Stay with me tonight,� he pleaded. He didn�t want to be alone. Without a word, Heidi kicked off her shoes and slid under the covers next to Nick and laid her head on his chest. When his arms wrapped around her, they both sighed. She draped her arm over his waist and in minutes, they were both asleep. Saving Nick Carter Chapter Ten Main Page |