“Sure,” Nikki said right away.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Paul told her as he got up.
Amy walked upstairs while Nikki followed Paul to the door. “Thanks for looking out for her.”
“I’m just glad I was there to see it happen,” he told Nikki. “Don’t let her sweep this under the rug. There are too many losers like that out there. You didn’t take so long to find her for her to be taken by some jerk who can’t let go.”
“I know,” Nikki said and hugged Paul. “Thanks for everything.”
She was shaking and nervous after Paul left. She remembered what Amy had said—what if Jake was lurking outside? Suddenly, she didn’t feel safe in her own home. She switched off the lights and walked upstairs.
Amy was in her bathrobe and sitting on the floor by the bed. Nikki stood in the doorway and leaned against the doorjamb.
“Please don’t ask if I’m okay,” Amy muttered.
“I wasn’t going to say that,” Nikki told her and walked over to sit next to her. “But have you ever said anything to anyone?”
“Like who?” she asked and wiped away fresh tears. “The girls think I’m stupid for letting someone like him get away. And my parents?” she asked and scoffed. “My father was the same.”
“Oh no,” Nikki replied sadly. “Did he hurt you?”
“Not me,” she admitted. “But he would come home drunk many times and hit Mom,” she recalled. “She never once called the cops. I was the one who did that, and many times, she accused me of wanting to break up the family. I didn’t care, but he never stopped, and she never pressed charges. That’s why I had to leave and why I never called the cops either. They don’t do anything, and even if they tried, Jake’s family would probably pay them to keep things quiet, and I would be slandered. I figured the best thing to do was to disappear.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that,” Nikki said. “But is Jake one of the reasons you left Seattle?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t take it anymore, but I should have known better. That he would find me. He always did. Would you believe I told him I would call the cops on him, and he handed me his phone?”
“What?” Nikki asked with disdain.
“He knew nothing would come of it,” Amy replied.
“Well, he just met his match,” Nikki told her. “He’s never going to bother you again. I’ll make sure of it, and I’ll start by making sure the cops know his name, even if he wants to bury it under money.”
Amy sighed. “How did my life get to be like this?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Nikki said, and for the first time, she pulled her niece in for a warm embrace. “I can’t tell you why these things happen, but I can promise things will get better.”
“You know what’s worse?” Amy asked as she pulled away.
“What?”
“He’s here, so does that mean I should stay locked up in the house? I can’t go to work. I can’t go down to the beach. None of those things without looking over my shoulder?”
“No!” Nikki told her. “He won’t steal your life from you. First thing tomorrow morning, we will make this right. And let’s see how well Jake Tapper and his family will do when this hits the press.”
“The press?” Amy asked with confusion.
“That’s right. It’s what I do. I’m an investigative journalist, and my father made a career on people like those. No celebrity or wealthy family wants an irresponsible son dragging their name through the dirt. I might have to make a call to his family and see how they handle it, but either way, this nightmare is coming to an end. You can take my word for that,” she said and got up. She stretched out her hand for Amy. “Come on, go take a shower and get some sleep.”
Amy got up. “Thank you,” she said and flew into Nikki’s arms.
“It’s going to be alright,” Nikki told her as warm emotions flooded her. “In fact, I have an idea if you want to keep working.”
“What?” Amy asked as her eyes widened.
“If you want, you could work at the inn, just so I can keep an eye on you.”
“Doing what?” Amy asked.
