Jaden

As soon as Nicole shut the bathroom door, I let out a hurtful groan. My head throbbed from all of that stress, confusion, sadness, and even some happiness from all of the events that happened today. I'm glad to have Nicki back home and safe for the most part...

I rubbed the back of my neck as I headed out the back door to the wooden bench swing hanging under the back porch. I needed some fresh air to cool me down and nothing says fresh like the smell of gently sprinkling rain falling from the night sky.

I pulled off my shirt so that I was just in my tank then removed my hat, feeling the breeze gently blow through my fresh haircut. I decided to get a bit of a trim to fit the professional look of our company. I was hoping to impress Nicole with it once I saw her again but now that was far from my mind.

I whipped out my phone and dialed Jerry's number. He answered quickly, "Hello?"

"Good news... Nicole is home. She's safe." my voice was low but soft enough for the other end to still hear my words.

He let out a relieved cry, "Oh, man, yes! She scared my blood dry!" his voice cracked. "Where was she this whole time?"

His glee made me smile a tiny bit, "I'll explain when you get here... Just get here quick."

"No problem, Mr. Brown... Let Ms. Greene know that I've missed her and that, from now on, she won't be going anywhere alone."

"Thanks, Jerry... I'll let her know." I told him as I tried to hold back tears. I was still shocked that she managed to escape and get here on her own.

"I'll be there soon, Brown," Jerry informed before hanging up.

I put my phone away and gazed out at the distance where a few ducks were playing in the water. My mind was focused on one thing only at this moment.

Revenge...

After what Coach did to Nicole, I was ready to take my revenge to the fullest extent. I was ready to punch, kick, and shoot the fucker.

I've never thought about killing someone for revenge in my life, never again... No matter how bad the situation was. I've come close a few times before but never had the heart to ever finish the job. That only happened once and since that day, I never even dared to consider hurting anyone else the same way... I had always believed that no one ever deserves to die as punishment or to be proven a point but that all changes once it actually affects your life and the people you love. Now, all mercy was lost for Jackson... Now, I wanted to murder him... Now, I don't remember what mercy is anymore. I could only think, violence is the best revenge...

I sighed deeply, bouncing my leg. I felt anxious at the thought. I wanted to suffocate that bastard right now. I wanted to torture him to death...

Damn... I sound like Nicole right now.

She has a huge taste for danger and violence but this time, I wanted to be the one to protect her. I don't care that she wants to tag along in getting revenge, I wasn't going to let her. She can't go anywhere near Jackson, period.

I suddenly heard the sound of the door sliding open. After a moment, Nicole appeared around the bench swing, wearing all-black, long sleeve pajamas and socks with sandals. Her hair was tied up and she looked at her feet as she walked over to me, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.

I could tell she felt really uncomfortable by looking at her body language and the fact that she's decided to wear long sleeves to bed also hinted that. I don't blame her, I know she wouldn't want to be showing a little skin after Jackson had just violated her privacy.

"Aren't you tired?" she asked quietly.

I looked at her for a moment then gently took her hand, ignoring her question "Can I ask you something?"

She sighed then took a seat next to me on the swing, "Sure."

I put my arm around her and she curled in close to me as I rocked us gently back and forth on the swing. I kissed her forehead then whispered, "Are you sure you don't remember anything about that night? At all?"

She slightly scolded at me then rolled her eyes, "Positive..."

"No. I mean like, really thought about it... Have you tried to really think back to it?"

She kind of shrugged, "I haven't, but even if I could remember by thinking hard enough, I wouldn't want to see it... Just thinking about remembering it is just... Too scary."

I nodded, "I get it, Nicki..." When I looked at her, my eyes instantly went from her face to her neck, where the red spot was. I bit my lip, containing my anger. I covered the mark with the collar of her top and told her, "You should get some rest... You look exhausted."

"What about you?"

I forced a small smile to comfort her, "I'll be there in a minute."

She shrugged and yawned before standing to leave, "Don't stay up too late... Just because this happened, doesn't mean we don't work tomorrow." after I nodded silently, she turned to go through the door and head to the room.

On the bright side, her finding out that I've been taking over while she was away would probably brighten the mood.

I lifted my legs up on the bench and stretched my body out as I laid there, letting myself swing back and forth as I stared out at the beach and taking in the smell of sea salt deeply through my nostrils.

Maybe a walk on the beach with Nicki would relax our minds...

I laid there for a long while, staring around at my surroundings. As the rain lightly sprinkled down on the sand, I noticed a few glittery, glowing dots floating in the distance near the boat. Fireflies quietly blinked on and off as they played near the beach, putting a small smile on my face. It's been a long while since I've seen those. Growing up in the city, you don't see things like this every day.

"You feeling okay, Brown?" Jerry's voice sounded from behind.

I watched as he walked around to stand next to the bench. His face was red and his eyes were tired.

"Not really," I mumbled.

He furrowed his brows, "Ah... But didn't you say you've found Ms. Greene? You should be smiling about that."

I sat up with a small nod, "Yeah, she's here and I am happy about that part. I just have a massive headache right now... If you wanted to see her, she's sleeping upstairs."

He chuckled a little, "I'll let her snooze. You should probably get some rest too... We all need it. Besides, I would think it'd be appropriate if you didn't leave her alone after she's been missing for two nights."

I agreed, "Yeah... You're right... Thanks for all your help, Jerry." I pushed myself off of the swing and headed to the door.

He opened the door for me, "No problem, you can tell me all about what happened another time... Goodnight, Mr. Brown."

I sighed, "I will. Goodnight..." then I headed upstairs to Nicole's room.

I opened the door gently and quietly walked in, leaving the lights off so that I wouldn't wake her.

Something told me that she wasn't really asleep. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't lightly snoring like she usually does. She's a very light sleeper, she probably heard me come in. That didn't matter because she looked peaceful. Just looking at her, I knew that she was glad to be back home.

I hated that Coach tried to take that away from her. She has way too many problems going on to be stressing about something new. I've been trying to make Nicki smile and keep her smiling ever since we've been together. Whatever he did to her back there traumatized her and it will for a very long time. The fact that he comes in and jiggles his balls where they don't belong just for his own pleasure pisses me off.

Fuck it!

I don't care what happens to me tonight. I'm going to go confront his bitch ass right now. I'm bringing one friend and one friend only.

Me and Nicki's baby...

I headed to the walk-in closet and grabbed the MK-18 off of the shelf that displayed a collection of other weapons, mainly belonging to Nicole, behind the secret door that we only knew about.

I didn't get a chance to test its accuracy after repairing it yet but it could definitely still do some damage. I loaded some bullets into it then slammed the barrel closed with a sneer as I thought of seeing that bastard's face again. I craved to see his blood splatter across his floor, I craved to hear him beg for his life. I was starving to feed off his fear and look him in the eyes before I pull the trigger into his disgraceful skull. I walked out of the closet and quickly went to exit the room but Nicki's voice stopped me.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

I looked back, seeing her staring at me with her head slightly lifted from the pillow.

"I'm just going to handle some quick business... I'll be back in a few minutes." I told her.

She turned on her back and raised an eyebrow, "You're not going to see Jackson tonight. You're staying here... With me."

I sighed and set the gun on the floor against the wall, making my way over to her. I climbed on the bed to hover over her and give her a kiss on the cheek, "It'll be fast, promise... I just need to lift this weight off my shoulder."

She almost glared, "No... Not tonight. Plus, you don't even know where he lives."

I chuckled, "Then tell me."

"Jaden, I'm serious." she crossed her arms. "I don't want you going anywhere right now."

I moved a strand of her hair behind her ear, "What? You're afraid of being alone for a little while?"

She rolled her eyes, "If we're going to do this right, we need energy and I don't have that right now. Neither do you... So you're staying here with me, in this house, and getting some sleep."

I smirked knowing that she didn't need any energy because I was the one handling this but just to make her feel better I said, "Alright, you win..." I kissed her lips now.

"Mhm..." She kissed me back and I could feel her smile on my lips in satisfaction. She knew that she holds the crown in this house and I wouldn't treat her as anything less than the queen she is.

Which is why I wasn't going to let her go anywhere near that man, no matter how bad she wants to get involved.

After a few more seconds, I pulled back and laid beside her with my arm going around her shoulder, "Just so you know, I got a few things done at headquarters while you were away."

She smirked, "You mean your hair?"

"So you did notice."

She chuckled, "Yes, and I adore it."

"Thanks, babe but that wasn't what I was going to tell you... We've made a few discoveries that I think you should see. I'll show them to you tomorrow."

She yawned, "That sounds great... I'm glad that you took some responsibility in contributing while I was away."

"Of course. It was hard but I did what I can to help."

She smiled, putting butterflies in my stomach as those little dimples showed up when she did, "I really appreciate that."

"No problem." I smiled back. "Goodnight."

She curled in closer to me and got comfy as I whispered, "I love you..." to her in hopes that she would say it back.

Her response? A lazy kiss on my chin. It didn't bother me much. I was glad to have her next to me in my arms again.