Fatal Series 00 - Fatal Destiny

with me.”
    Sam folded her arms and dug in for the fight that’d been brewing all week. They may as well get it over with before their rehearsal dinner. “I don’t want to go.” What she really wanted was to interview Darius Gardner to find out what he knew about her father’s shooting. Gonzo and Cruz hadn’t gotten anywhere with him. Sam wanted her chance.
    Nick put his arms around her and snuggled her into his embrace.
    As if they had a mind of their own, her hands found their way under his sweater. Even though he’d been driving her crazy with the hovering this week, she couldn’t wait for their wedding night. “I don’t like this high-handed, alpha-male side of you.”
    “I’m not too fond of it either.
    She poked his side. “I hate when I get all ready to have a big fight with you and then you say something that totally sucks the wind out of my sails.”
    Laughing, he kissed her. “I know I’m being a pain in your ass, and I know I can’t do this to you after we’re married unless it’s for something really important like your health or safety. It’s just that tomorrow is our wedding, and rather than spend today being anxious that something will happen to mess it all up, I’d much rather have you with me.”
    “You’re superstitious. I never would’ve guessed.”
    “What? I am not.”
    “Yes, you are.”
    “ No , I’m not.”
    Sam laughed, loving that she’d flustered him. “Maybe just a little?”
    “Fine. Whatever. Come with me?”
    “On one condition.”
    “What condition?”
    “Tell me the truth—did Harry have strippers last night?”
    Nick laughed. “No comment.”
    “I’ll kill him.”
    “What’s your real condition?”
    “The minute we’re married, you’ll go back to normal. No more of this alpha beast business.”
    “What if this is normal for me?”
    Sam pulled back. “Then we have a problem.”
    Nick put his hands on her hips to keep her from getting away from him. “I’ll always worry about you. I’ll always wish I could do more to keep you safe.” He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I understand what you’re asking.”
    “So then back to normal after tomorrow?”
    He nodded. “If I have to.”
    “In that case,” she said, going up on tiptoes to kiss him, “I’ll go to Richmond with you.”
     
    Nick surprised her when he took the exit for Arlington National Cemetery.
    He glanced over at her. “I wanted to see John. I hope that’s okay.”
    She rested her hand on his leg. “Sure it is.”
    They drove along a winding road to a parking lot. They’d come to John’s interment three months ago, but it seemed much longer. Nick took her hand to walk up the hill to the O’Connor family plot, which now boasted a headstone with John’s name. Graham and Laine would one day be buried with their son.
    Nick squatted down and ran a hand over the white stone. “Looks good.”
    “Yes.”
    “Sometimes I still can’t believe it, you know?”
    Sam knelt next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.
    “How can I get married tomorrow without him?”
    The pain she heard in his voice made her ache. “He’s always with you.”
    “Not the same.”
    “No, it isn’t.”
    “Sometimes I wonder how I’m supposed to get through the whole rest of my life without him. I feel like he’s going to show up one day and breeze into the office like he’s been on vacation and pick up where he left off. Maybe this whole thing was a bad dream.”
    Sam put an arm around him. “It hasn’t been all bad.”
    “Do you think we ever would’ve found each other again if he hadn’t been killed?”
    “I’d like to think so.”
    “Yeah, me too.”
    “Might’ve taken a little longer, though.”
    “What would you say if I told you I’d been thinking about going to see Thomas?”
    Sam stared at him, wondering if she’d heard him right.
    “I know it’s hard to believe I want to see the person who killed my best friend. But I just keep thinking he’s John’s son, and what would I want him to do if the roles were reversed?”
    “You’d want him to see your boy. To see if he needed anything. To maybe understand why he’d done what he did.”
    As his eyes filled, Nick nodded.
    Sam squeezed his hand.
    “Maybe after we get back.” He wrapped his hand around hers and stood. “Thanks for coming with me.”
    “No problem.”
    “Let’s go get Scotty.” Nick took a long last look at his best friend’s grave and then turned to walk