Free Burden Of Blood by Wenona Hulsey Page A

feel a tug in her chest as tears threatened to blur her vision.  She had hoped to see her dad waving from the bank as he hauled a stringer full of fish out of the water.  In her imagination, she could picture the big smile on his face as she lectured him on not coming home at a decent time.  Reversing the parent/child role would feel good right now but in all truth, she just wanted her dad to wrap her in a big hug and tell her everything was alright.  He’s my whole world, I can’t lose him too.  That one thought caused the dam holding her emotions in check to break.  Nicole began to sob as she pulled into the first open parking spot.  She couldn’t stop the tears even though she wanted to be strong for her dad and for herself but the thought of losing him forever crushed down on her.
     
    “Oh Nicole, honey, it’s going to be all right.” Kat pulled Nicole into her arms trying to sooth her friend’s broken soul.  “We will find him, do you hear me?  We are not giving up until we do.” She hugged Nicole tighter in her arms trying to lend some strength to her friend.  “For all we know your dad might have gotten a wild hair up his ass and flew to Vegas for a crazy weekend.” She smiled gently at her friend, praying the image of James gambling with a woman on each arm would give her hope.
     
    Nicole gently pulled away from her friend and gave her a small smile.  She debated deeply with telling Kat everything, the mind-reading, the woman from her dreams and about the hit man sent to test her.  After all Kat had been her best friend most of her life.  At that moment, Nicole realized how lucky she was to have Kat with her.  After all, who else would make up such an outlandish story about her dad going to Vegas just to cheer her up?
     
    “Kat, thank you for being here,” she said as she gave her a tight hug.  “It means a lot to me.  There are only two people I trust in my life and you’re one of them, my dad is the other.  There are things I’ve told him that I have never told anyone else.” She paused trying to think how to word what she was about to say without sounding like some psychopath.  She twisted her fingers around a curl and shifted uncomfortably as the image of Kat making a makeshift cross with her fingers and running in the opposite direction flashed into her head.  God please let Kat see past what I’m about to say and not run away screaming.  She prayed silently.  “ Um…Kat, there’s a good reason for how I’ve been over the past few years.  You know, the whole not wanting to go out and do stuff with you and not wanting to date anyone.” Nicole met Kat’s eyes trying to gauge her reaction, which showed she was listening; curiosity was all over her face.  Any other time the look on her face might have been comical.
     
    “Yes, you’ve changed a bit over the past four or five years.  For a while, I chalked it up to you losing your mother.  I know that was, well, still is, hard on you.  Then you became a cop and I just thought you were trying to be the best officer you could so you cut out your social life.  Umm…so?” She said with dramatic hand waves trying to urge the words out of Nicole’s mouth.
     
    “It was around four years ago when things started to change but there’s a good reason for…” The ringing of Nicole’s cell phone cut off her statement mid-confession.  Great, now I’ll never get the courage up to tell her and I’m sure she will draw lines to something outrageous like I’m becoming a nun or that I was about to confess to being a lesbian and that I am deeply in love with her.  Yep that’s for sure where Kat’s conceited mind will go with this!  Just wonderful!  She snorted at the thought while she searched the car for the intrusive phone.
     
    Checking the screen, she noticed it was Luke and hurried to answer.  Before she could say anything Luke spoke.
     
    “Nicole, you need to come in to the police station.  We have found