WANTED

Chapter 25

  Elizabeth busied herself tidying the kitchen while Nickolas saw their guest out.
Dinner had been uneventful. The men mostly spoke to each other, occasionally asking Elizabeth straight forward yes or no questions. They didn't push her to join them or pry for information, but she felt an unspoken invitation.
   Marcus was a lot like Nickolas. He seemed like a kind man. Could there possibly be two?

   Elizabeth turned to put the last clean plate away and came face to face with Nickolas. A small squeal escaped her lips, quick as lightning Nickolas caught the dish that slipped from her fingers.
  He handed the plate back with a cocky smile. "Coffee?"
"Y-yes, sir." Elizabeth rushed to the stove to put on a fresh pot. Stepping up behind her, he slipped his hands around her waist and gently turned her to face him.
"Let me try again: would you like some coffee, Elizabeth?"
"Y-yes, I would." How strange.
He took the pot from her hands and began filling it. "Can we sit and talk for a minute?"
"Y-yes, sir."
" 'Lizbeth," her name was lazy on his husky voice. "You don't have to call me sir."
"Y-yes.." She trailed off. What should she call him then.
"Nick. I'm just Nick." He gave a sad smile. " Nickolas Alaxander Tate if you are cross. I've only ever made Aunt Ida that mad before." He chuckled.
"I-I c-could never."
"Call me by name? Or be angry? You know you're allowed to be angry, Elizabeth. At me, at whoever hurt you, at anyone who knew and didn't stop it. At the whole damn world. Anger is human. It's how you handle it that counts."
"No."
"Why no?"
"I c-could n-never, be like h-him." She choked.
Nickolas pulled her in and trailed his hands up and down her back. "This," he said, tracing her scar. "Is not a normal response to anger. Most people aren't capable of treating someone like this."
" A-are y-you?"
"I could never hurt another human being like that, but the man who did this to you is less than human. I'd gladly do far worse to him."
"O-oh." Was her only response.

Nickolas poured their coffee and led her to the couch.
"W-what did y-you want to talk about?" She asked as he stoked the fire and took his seat beside her.
"You." He said softly. "Tell me about yourself."
There was a long pause. "I-i don't think there's much you w-would like to hear."
"I'm sure there are a lot of things that would make me angry, not at you," he caught himself. "At the man who hurt you. And a lot that would make me sad. But all of those things are a part of you. And maybe if you shared some of the bad, I could help you."
What a strange man, she realized she thought that a lot. She looked into deep pools of blue, hoping for a sign of his intentions. He'd surprised her at every turn. Could he really be as kind and loving as he seemed?
"What do you want to hear?" She asked.
"Start with something good." He sipped his coffee and waited.
"There is nothing." She said after a long moment.
Nickolas closed his eyes for a moment, his face twisted in pain. "Do, uh, do you have any siblings?"
"No."
Nickolas cleared his throat. "What was your mother like?"
Elizabeth studied her shoes. "Like me, I think. She died when I was little. My Pa was horrible to her, but when he wasn't around, s-she used to sing."
"I'm sorry." He said softly. "Do you sing?"
"I-ive never really tried."
"Why's that?"
"Pa wouldn't like it." She said, barely above a whisper. "My stutter would just ruin it anyway." Pa didn't like her speaking at all.
Nickolas brushed her hair behind her ear. He kept looking at her with those big blue eyes. They looked sad.
"What about you, what is your mother like?" Was that too forward? Would he be angry.
"I never met my mother." He sighed. "I was left at a church when I was a baby. No one saw her. Most likely, she was unmarried."
"I-im sorry. I-i shouldn't have asked."
Nickolas smiled. "I'm not the only one who can ask personal questions."
Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "So, Aunt Ida, is.."
"Ida voluntered for the orphanage. She's more my mom than my aunt, I suppose. She adopted me, but I was about to age out. She just wanted me to have a family name. She and a dozen other women raised me."
"I'm glad. You don't have blood family, but it sounds like you did, have a family."
They sat, sipping their coffee for a while before Nick spoke.
"I have to ask." He looked at her with emotions raging war in those blue depths. "Your Pa was cruel to your mother. Is he the one who hurt you?" He spoke slow and softly, but each word hit like a boot to her stomach. She looked away to hide her tears. Nickolas scooted closer and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth sobbed and nodded her head, slow and timid at first than more violently screaming when she had no voice.
"Come here, love." Nickolas pulled her back into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He bent to kiss her hair, and Elizabeth felt tears hit her forehead. She gripped his large forearms, stretched across her chest, and they sat silently holding on to one another until the tears stopped.