Calling To The Night

Chapter Ten: Security

              Somewhere in Sweden

The afternoon sunlight danced gracefully over the beautiful Mälaren Lake as a distant melody played throughout the area; signaling the top of the hour.

Standing on the balcony of a rather opulent and magnificent home was a short, blonde woman; gazing absentmindedly from her perch above the lake.

She stood and observed the wondrous beauty of her native land for some time until a pair of bulky arms wrapped around her slender frame. "Penny for your thoughts?" Asked a deep voice.

The short woman smiled and leaned her head back on the mans chest. "Just thinking how blessed I am to be here with you." She said happily.

She slowly turned and looked the man in the eyes. "I wish you didn't have to travel so often for your work. I'd love to spend more time with you."

The two stared longingly into each other's eyes. He knew deep down that she would never accept and understand what it is he actually does when he's away and it killed him inside.

The woman slid her fingers between his and held him close. "Nicolas, I-" the ringing of his cellphone cut her off. The two shared an awkward glance before Nicolas brought his phone up.

He watched as his partner walked back inside and, making certain she was out of earshot, answered the call. "Hello?"

"Earn your trident today?" Asked the person on the other end. Nicolas stood confused momentarily until the realization of who it was hit him. "John? How did you get this number?" He asked looking out to the lake.

"I'll explain later when you're not so busy." John said ominously. Nicolas looked through the window towards his partner with a tinge of anxiety. "Look, I can vouch for her, man. Please don-" he was cut off.

"I'm not talking about her." John said calmly. Nicolas furrowed his brow and ran back inside to his laptop. He brought up a security feed of the surrounding property and saw several heavily armed Swedish response units tactfully sweeping the area.

Nicolas' expression grew from anxiety to anger as he walked his way towards the bedroom. "John, what the fuck is going on here." He asked as he slid a case out from under the bed containing a rifle, pistol and his clown mask.

"I got a couple job offers in D.C. but I can't handle them alone. I need a crew." John explained. Nicolas stored the pistol between his waistband and prepared his rifle. "We'll talk once this is dealt with. Right now I'm more concerned about collateral damage."

Nicolas fished out a bulletproof vest from under the bed and walked towards the foyer. His partner looked at him with worry visibly on her face. "Nicolas? Nicolas, what's goin-" Nicolas held his hand up and silenced her.

"Stop. Don't call me that." He said in a grave tone. She stood up and walked towards him. "What's going on?"

She looked out the window and saw two officers ducking behind a pile of rocks to avoid detection. Nicolas grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front door. "Are you in trouble with the police?" She asked with newfound worry in her voice.

Nicolas fastened the bulletproof vest on his partner. "Listen. I haven't been one hundred percent honest about who I am. I wish I had time to explain." He pulled his pistol out and handed it to her. "Remember all that time we spent down by the range?"