Part 507
Nick was silent most of the way back. "Eddie?"
"Yeah, man, whassup?"
"You don’t really think Lou would try to hurt Becca do you?"
"No, I don’t. He was probably just skulking around trying to stir something up. I’m sure Bec’s fine."
"Yeah. Yeah, you’re right." Nick turned to look out the window as the cab fought its way through the late night traffic. "Maybe I should call her," he said, reaching for his cell phone.
"Nick, don’t be crazy. She’s asleep and she’ll have your ass if you wake up the baby."
Nick hesitated as he dialed and finally put the phone back in his pocket with a sigh.
"Hang on, we’ll be there in a few." Eddie patted his knee and sure enough, right around the next corner was the hotel. Nick was out of the cab before it came to a full stop, and Eddie caught up to him right before he headed for the staircase. He grabbed his shoulder. "Nick, wait!"
"Eddie, I need to get up there."
"You can wait one more minute for the elevator."
They did, and finally it arrived at their floor. In less than half the steps it should have taken, Nick was at their door swiping his keycard and cautiously stepping into the suite. Hoping to find it dark, peaceful and Becca sound asleep, his stomach turned when he found Becca tucked up against Billy. She wasn’t asleep. Even worse, her eyes were fixed on some unknown point outside the window and she was wide-awake.
"Billy? You should have-" Nick started, only to be pulled back by Eddie.
"Nick, calm down. Let’s find out what happened, first."
Billy spoke up, too. "I was ready to call you but Becca wouldn’t let me. I think you two need to talk." He stood up, pulling Becca away from him as Nick settled into his place. "Did he-"
"No, Nick, he didn’t hurt her. At least not physically, but that’s all she’d tell me. We’ll be outside, I have a security breach to look into."
Nick sat with Becca huddled against his side for the longest time before either ventured to speak.
Becca went first. "Did you have a nice time?" she asked softly.
"Did he hurt you?" Nick’s teeth were clenched in anger.
"I asked you first," Becca said with a poor attempt at humor.
"I swear-"
"Nick stop," Becca begged hoarsely. "Please?" she asked, finally giving in to the tears she’d held back from Billy.
"Becca, tell me what happened."
"He just … he just showed up, Nick."
"And Billy let him IN?"
"Billy wasn’t here."
"What do you mean ‘Billy wasn’t here’? He knows better than to leave you alone, Bec."
"Nick, it wasn’t his fault, please don’t be angry with him. He let me know he was leaving. Something about seeing the manager or something …" Becca’s voice trailed away, and even though Nick was holding her tightly, she began to shiver again.
"Then what?" Nick asked softly.
"I was in the bedroom, with Garrett, and someone was knocking on the door. Billy hadn’t been gone long and I just assumed it was Billy coming back for something."
"Bec, you opened the door without checking first?"
Becca wiped the tears from her eyes and then closed them tightly, the scene still fresh in her mind. "He was so polite, Nick, and I knew better than to fall for that, but I was afraid to be rude. I was alone, and I was holding Garrett…" She swallowed past the lump in her throat and pressed on. "He said … he said that Garrett was a beautiful boy. Just like …"
"Like what Bec?"
"Like all of the Carter boys."
Nick gasped and he was torn between throwing up or going after the sick bastard. "Did he touch him?" Nick asked. "Please tell me that rat bastard didn’t touch my son." His voice was shaking and Becca had to tell him the truth.
"His cheek, Nick. He brushed his fingers over Garrett’s cheek." She knew beyond a doubt that she’d never seen Nick this angry before. "I tried to move away, Nick, I really tried!"
"Becca, stop apologizing baby. You’re safe and so is GT. Tell me all of it."
"He said that you were afraid of him and that maybe I didn’t know everything about you like I thought I did." Becca began to cry again. "He …" she sobbed. "He wanted me …"
Nick slid off the sofa, onto his knees in front of his wife. "Becca, tell me. Please?" gently he took her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
"He wanted me to call off Sarah and Howie, to make them leave him alone."
"That’s nuts, Bec," he laughed. "There’s no way-"
"Nick, he has something. I mean, he says he has …" She tried to turn her face away, but Nick wouldn’t let her.
"Has what, baby?"
"Oh god, Nick." Becca was sobbing openly now, and Nick was getting more terrified by the second.
"Bec, breathe sweetheart. Come on," he watched her struggle for air and tried once more to talk her down. "Nice big breath."
"Nick, he says he has a video of me."
"So?"
"With Andew. He says he has a tape of the night that…"
All at once it was crystal clear to Nick. He was watching his wife and her life fall apart right before his eyes and suddenly all the crap he’d endured for all those years didn’t matter at all. "Bec, there’s no way he could have that. Baby, he didn’t even know who you were back then."
He had to make her see that Lou was all talk. Please, dear God, let him be all talk.
"He said that Andrew made the tape to prove he’d had me. He said that Andrew’s ‘faggot friends would never have taken his word that he’d fucked me.’"
"Jesus Christ," Nick sighed, and then pulled Becca off the sofa and onto his lap. Rocking her gently while she continued to cry. "I’ll fix this Becca, I promise. I’ll fix this." Reaching awkwardly into his back pocket, he managed to pull out his cell phone. Pressing the speed dial, he spoke softly when it was answered. "Howie? It’s me. Look, I’m sorry to break up your evening, but I think you need to get back here."