Nikki Worrell - The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions)

When Officer Beacon beckoned her to follow him, she grabbed Jody’s hand and pulled him along with her. Once they were seated in a small office, the officer asked her what she was there for.

“Well, my ex-fiancé has been acting strange lately, and he went so far as to threaten me. I’m not sure what I should do.” She explained the botched wedding, Steven’s behavior afterward, and his impending return to the U.S. the next day.

“He’s not in the country now, Ms. Benoit?” She was pleased to see that the officer was paying attention and was diligently taking notes.

“No. He’s a concert pianist and is in London right now.”

“Okay,” the officer said, “Let’s start with the basics. What is his full name?”

When Lacey told him his full name, the officer said, “I know the name. My wife loves him.”

Lacey was about to ask if another officer could take her information as she didn’t want this guy thinking Steven wasn’t a threat just because he played beautiful music, but then he added, “You just never know what a person is really like, do you?”

“Well, I guess I didn’t even know what he was really like until the day of my wedding. Believe me, I still feel like a fool.” She would never get over the fact that she was so blind to Steven’s infidelities.

“Okay, this is what we can do for you. Unfortunately, there’s not a judge in the state that will issue a restraining order based on verbal threats that you can’t prove.” Jody’s hand tightened on hers, and Lacey hoped he wasn’t going to start with the officer about not being able to get a restraining order, but he didn’t say a word and the officer continued, “What I can do is document your visit and have you fill out a harassment complaint so that we have something on file. I know it’s not what you came looking for, but we have to follow the proper channels. I will tell you, though, that verbal threats should never be taken lightly. I would suggest that you carry your phone with you at all times and think about taking a self-defense class or carrying pepper spray until you see if he’s truly a threat.” The officer gave her a kind smile. “You did the right thing coming here, Ms. Benoit. I hope that you never need a restraining order, but at least now we have your story documented.”

Lacey filled out all the paperwork, and the officer gave her a copy. When she left the building with Jody in tow, she felt marginally better just for taking a step at protecting herself. Reaching her car, Jody pulled a small bag out of his pocket and gave it to her with a sheepish grin. “I kind of took the liberty of buying this for you.” Inside the bag were two canisters of pepper spray. One was for her purse, and the other was for her keychain. “Please don’t be mad. I know you can take care of yourself … well, actually, I don’t know that. Dammit Lacey, move in with me until we can figure this out. I can’t stand the thought of you out there with that bastard around.” He looked down at the ground between them and added, “Please.”

He was too cute. She could tell how hard he was trying not to be overbearing. In this instance, she didn’t mind his protective nature because there was an actual threat against her. “Thank you Jody, but no. He won’t chase me out of Zoe’s house. She has an alarm system that we’ll use every time we open and close the door until this situation is resolved. I promise to always have my phone and pepper spray on me. That’s the best I can do.”

Lacey stretched up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “I have to go back to work. I’ll talk to you later.” She reached up and brushed an errant strand of hair off his forehead. “Thank you for being here with me.”

Jody grabbed her right before she turned around to get into her car. He wrapped her in his arms and held her for bit with his face buried in her hair. “Please be safe, Lace, okay?” He kissed her forehead and left.

When Saturday morning rolled around, Lacey was both excited and apprehensive at the same time. She couldn’t wait to see Jody again, but she was worried about Steven showing up. The anticipation of when he would actually show was getting to Zoe, too.

“Why doesn’t that fucker just show up already? You should have kept your old number just so we would know what he was planning. Vlad’s called me twice already this morning on my work cell phone. He’s almost as bad as Jody, and I’m not the one being threatened, nor is Vlad my boyfriend. What am I going to do with him?” Zoe realized she was rambling. “Sorry, I got a bit off topic.”

Lacey looked at Zoe and shook her head. “No problem. What are you going to do about Vlad anyway? There’s obviously a strong pull between you two. It’s a real shame to waste it.”

“I know, but what can I do? We’re not allowed to date. The rules are very clear on this. I’ve worked hard to get where I am. I can’t lose my job. Even if he got traded, and I was allowed to date him, it’s still not right. He could come back to the team at any time. No, it’s for the best that I don’t date players at all anymore.” Zoe handed her phone to Lacey. “Will you please call Vlad and tell him we’re fine, and he is not to use my work cell phone unless he needs me in a professional manner?”

Lacey took the phone from her and made the call. Vlad picked up on the first ring.

“What the fuck took you so long to call me back? I was about to come over there.”

“Well, hello Vlad. This is Lacey. Zoe asked me to call you and tell you we’re fine, and that you can’t use this number unless you need her professional help.” Lacey heard a loud bang on the other end of the line.

Vlad let out a loud breath and said, “Sorry Lacey. I’m kinda going nuts over here. Now I understand how Jody feels. Have you heard from that freak yet?”

“No, I haven’t. Relax. He’s not just going to come over here and beat us up for Christ’s sake! I have my pepper spray, and Zoe isn’t even on his radar-it’s me he wants. I’ll see you tonight.”

Vlad told her that he wasn’t going to the skate. “What? Why?” Lacey asked.

“Zoe won’t go because of me, and I’m not leaving her there in the house alone with Steven lurking around. I’ll sit on the steps outside if I have to.”

Lacey looked at Zoe and rolled her eyes. “If you want to sit on the steps all night, have at it. I’ll talk to you later, Vlad.” Lacey hung up and handed Zoe back her phone.

“Vlad seems to have taken the same class Jody did. He said he’s going to sit on your steps so you’re not alone tonight since he knows you won’t let him in. You have to admit, it’s kind of sweet. And you know he’s going to do exactly what he said he would. He’s going to sit on those steps all night or until Steven shows up.”

Zoe groaned and put her head down on the table, forehead to tile. Then she mumbled to Lacey, “Again-what am I going to do with him? Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep pushing him away?”

Lacey felt awful. If not for her, there wouldn’t be any of the Steven drama to add to the mess that was Zoe and Vlad. “I’m really sorry. I’ve made things a mess here. I should have stayed in Maine.”

“What? Are you kidding? Lacey, none of this is your fault. You can’t control what people do. Come on, you know you didn’t do anything to make any of this happen. It’ll all work out; it’s just going to be a bumpy ride.” Zoe certainly didn’t hold Lacey responsible for any of it. It was all due to men. Every bit of drama they were going through in the past couple of weeks had one common denominator. Each problem involved a man. Go figure. Putting her head back down on the table, Zoe said, “This is precisely why women become lesbians. Men are such a pain in the ass!”