19
1741 Words
Helena, Montana, two weeks later…
Nicki dropped down on the newly delivered couch and ran her hands over the fabric. They had taken possession of the villa last week and been receiving deliveries for four days. The house was starting to feel like a home and Nicki loved the way it looked. Dominic had paid a shipping company to create and ship his work and supplies from his New York studio to Helena and was at that moment going through the crates.
“I think the walls are a little bare.” She observed while he pulled a painted canvass from a large crate. “I think we should hang some of your artwork.”
“We’ll have to frame it first.” He said placing the painting on the floor leaning up against the wall then he returned to the crate. “I also thought that you should take on a new task now that the house is furnished.”
“Like what?”
“Like planning a first-class wedding reception. Let us celebrate. It would be nice to have some wedding pictures to go on the wall. Don’t you think? Of course, it’s a difficult task, Sanchez’s are known for throwing the best parties, so there’s going to be some pressure to make it great, but money’s no object. So, do you think you’re up to it?”
Nicki was all smiles. “A big party eh?”
“Something huge and extravagant. Maybe we could redo the ceremony for our parent’s sake. We’ll rent a church, by a fancy wedding dress; get one of those amazing cakes.”
“I love that idea.” She had always wanted a wedding like that but never thought she could ever afford one.
“I’ll call Lance and ask him to recommend a good photographer so we can have some first-rate pictures. We’ll get a big one of the two of us for right over the fireplace. Or maybe a large family shot.” It all sounded great.
Dominic’s cell phone rang pausing their conversation. He answered it with a smile but his smile soon faded. “Yeah, I understand, thank you for letting me know.” He said and hung up.
Nicki was concerned. “Who was that?”
“Mr. Falcon, he called to warn us that Mark Harris was released on bail last night.”
Nicki was alarmed. “He got out?”
“They are still prosecuting they just let him out on bail.” Nicki’s pulse began to speed up. “Don’t worry he doesn’t know where we live.” That didn’t make her feel any better. Mark was out and without a doubt mad. Dominic came to sit next to her. He took her hand. “I know you’re concerned. Would you feel better if we got a gun?” She would. Nicki nodded. “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
“I grew up on a farm. Of course, I know how to shoot a gun.”
“Then let’s go buy a gun.”
***
Mark stood outside the DA office watching the janitor tidy up through the window. They had been closed for a few hours. He’d thought about breaking in, but places like this had security cameras and guards doing rounds. He didn’t want to get caught, but he knew the information he needed was in that office. So, he thought to himself who could move around that office openly, and no one thinks to stop him. It came to him, the janitor. That poor stupid fool could go in and fish around, and no one would care. He could also smuggle out information in his trash. It was easy to bribe the janitor the man barely made minimum wage.
So, he slipped the guy a hundred bucks, and now he waited in the parking lot waiting for the janitor to come out on his break. He sat on the tailgate of his truck smoking a cigarette while he waited twenty minutes for the janitor to come out. The man came out the side door and crossed the parking lot slipping Mark a small slip of paper. Mark unfolded the paper and read the address written on it. Now he knew where Dominic and his b***h of a wife Nicki were living. He was going to visit them.
***
Three weeks, her hopes dashed. They had to wait three weeks before they could take home the gun they had just bought. The clerk had called it a cooling off period and said it was mandatory. So, they were going home unarmed. “Do you have anything we can take today? Something we can use for personal protection?” Dominic asked the clerk.
The tubby man in the dirty leather vest looked in the glass cabinet that doubled as a counter. “Well if you are looking for something for the lady I would recommend mace.” He said taking a small canister from the case and placing it on the counter. “You spray it in the face, and it will temporarily blind anyone. It hurts like hell and will give you enough time to run.”
“What if you can’t run?” Nicki asked.
The man looked in the case once more. He then took out three different stun-guns. “Then I recommend a taser. You aim for the chest; it will take a full-grown man down for a few minutes. You aim for the balls, and he’s down for a good long time, but you had best be very far away when he gets back up.”
“We’ll take both.” Dominic decided. “Is there a waiting period on tasers?”
“Just on handguns.”
“Ring it up.”
The clerk ran Dominic’s credit card and then personally taught Nicki how to use her new taser by demonstrating on a mannequin and then letting her try it on her own. It wasn’t a complicated weapon, and Nicki was confident that if she needed to, she could use it.
They finished up their business and then they went for lunch. Nicki kept her new mace and taser in her handbag. After lunch, they took some of Dominic’s painting to a framer to have them framed. When they finished, Dominic suggested shopping. They had furniture, but the house still needed to be decorated.
They also looked into a few possible wedding preparations. They found a large beautiful old Catholic church which was free three months from now which gave them enough time to plan a big wedding. They booked the church and then checked out a few banquet halls for their reception.
They wasted the day and took dinner out which they always did. Nicki was starting to see a trend. Dominic never ate in. They were always off to restaurants for all three meals every day. The only time they ate at home was when they were in Devon, and even then, Lacy was doing all the cooking.
“Why don’t you let me cook?” She asked over dinner. “I’m a good cook.”
“I know you are,” Dominic said cutting his steak.
“So why don’t you ever let me cook?”
“I just never thought about it. This is the way I live. My mother never cooked we always ate out. Sure, some of my family and friends eat in, but they don’t cook they have servants that do that for them. You don’t ever have to cook again if you don’t want to. We can eat out, or if you want to stay home, we can hire a private chef and maybe a maid.”
“I’m capable of cooking and cleaning.”
“But you don’t have to, is the point I’m trying to make.”
“Then what am I supposed to do if not cook and clean?”
“Fine you can cook if you want I won’t stop you but we’re hiring a maid the house is far too big for you to take care of on your own.” He was very firm on the matter. “Besides if you’re going to school full time, you may find you no longer have the time to cook and clean.”
“I haven’t looked into any schools yet.”
“You should. You can go to any school you like.”
“Well, maybe I’ll look into it tomorrow.”
“I was thinking, after dinner, we’d catch a movie.”
She liked the idea, but she sensed that he had more to say but wasn’t saying it. “What?”
“Maybe an action flick.”
“No, I mean what is on your mind that you’re not telling me?”
Dominic sighed. “You can just sense it can’t you.”
“What is it?”
“I have to go New York.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. It’s business. I’ll fly out in the morning and be back late. I’ll take the family jet so I can make the trip in one day. It will just be a long day.”
“Business?”
“Boring stuff. I thought maybe you want to go with me?”
Nicki shook her head. She didn’t want to go. “You think you can make it all in one day?”
“Yes.”
“No, I’ll just stay home and work on the house.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been home alone. Besides if I need anything my family is just an hour away.” That seemed to make him feel better.
- Writer
