Burden Of Blood by Wenona Hulsey Read Free Book Online Page A

hands when she noticed James’ small smirk had turned into a broad smile.  He loved to get her riled up about Luke.  Nicole wasn’t good at covering up her feelings especially when her dad knew her so well, but what she said was true.  She couldn’t risk having to live through the rejection she would suffer when Luke discovered her little quirk.  There was no way she was going down that road.
     
    James strengthened the set of his jaw, taking on a serious tone, “I’m not trying to play match maker, Nicole, but I also don’t want you left out here alone.  It would take too long for the police to get here if something went wrong, so I worry less knowing someone is already with you.  Just think of it as a stake out.” He sat down beside her with his own plate and began to eat.  He was acting like they were talking about something as simple as the weather, but to Nicole this was a very big deal.
     
    “Did you forget I’m a trained police officer?  I’m not some helpless damsel in distress, sitting idle and defenseless while the big bad wolf encircles me.  I’m capable of keeping myself safe.  What are you going to do tomorrow when I’m back in the world hunting for the man who shot me?  You have got to trust me, Dad.  Plus I’m sure Luke has better things to do with his time off than baby sit a grown woman.” Pausing to take a deep breath from her frustrated rant, she glanced at her dad’s face.  He had stopped eating and was staring down into his plate.  Lines of worry were deep in his forehead as he studied his food, obviously not seeing it at all.  Slowly, his light blue eyes returned to hers and she could see the glistening of tears he fought to hold back.  Nicole had only seen her father cry once in her life and that was beside her mother’s hospital bed as she took her last breath.
     
    “Please, Nicole…I don’t know what I would do if I lost you too.  Let me protect you this little way.  You are all I’ve got left in this world, baby.” His voice became unsteady as he tried to continue.  “You’re just as stubborn as your mother and you know where it got her.” He paused, struggling with the tightness in his throat.  “I still miss her every day, Nicole.”  He blinked a few times as he tried to regain control over his emotions.  He took in a deep, calming breath and pasted on a small, forced smile.  “Besides, Luke said he would be glad to come over.  He was going to bring some movies and pick up a pizza for y’all.  He had laughed, saying it would be just like a slumber party, he would even let you do his make up.” James chuckled.
     
    Knowing there was no way she could argue with her dad any longer, she just nodded, adding, “I do have some blue eye shadow I think would look great on him.” She smiled mischievously at her dad.  She could see his relief when she spoke the words.  Her dad looked as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  The tension left the room and a comfortable calm settled in its place between them.  He was smiling broadly at her joke, making the laugh lines in his face stand out.  She had never realized how much he worried about her but she never doubted she was the luckiest daughter in the world.
     
    *****
     
    Nicole spent the morning doing research on the internet.  She clicked for several hours looking for information in the headlines about women being shot mysteriously.  “The guy acted like I wasn’t the first one he tested.  There should be something.” Dead end after dead end only frustrated her more.  She leaned back in the desk chair, gazing out the window, watching squirrels jump from limb to limb as a gentle breeze slid through the trees.  Her mind drifted to the beautiful dream where she was standing among rolling hills with the smell of the sea tickling her nose.  After a few moments, she typed “Ireland” into the Google search bar and watched as the page filled with links.
     
    She browsed page