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Chapter Twenty-Two
Nikita
The flightto Denver was uneventful, and Nikita was glad for more than one reason. The main one being she was too exhausted to even react to the flight attendant’s question about refreshments.
Thankfully, Kevlar drove from Denver to Snowshoe, her mind spinning over the last twenty-four hours. Coming face-to-face with her father after fifteen years was surreal. The fact that he subtly taught her about Diablos management unnerved her even now. She’d had a happy childhood free of crime.At least I thought I did.It wasn’t so black and white like she was led to believe. She wasn’t dense. The MC scared some of her school friends. She knew they weren’t upstanding citizens, but they were herfamilia.
The crescent moon and two stars tattoo on her wrist caught her eye. She and her mother had matching ones to remind themselves that no matter where they went, they still slept under the same starry night. They got them the day after the Marshals left them in Ohio. Unfortunately, they didn’t stay there long before being uprooted again. By the time she graduated, they’d moved ten times.
I should visit Mamá.The last time she saw her in person was too long ago. They video chatted often, but with her schedule and her mother’s constant moving, even fifteen years later, connecting in person was nearly impossible. Nikita thought back to the trip she made to Athens. Her mother begged her to stop hunting down motorcycle clubs, but she ignored the plea.Should’ve listened to her.
The road curved through a mountain pass, her eyes glued to the scenery passing out the window. Nothing would change the past. She’d come to terms with that ever since seeing Kevlar again.
Sneaking a glance at him, she smothered a smile. True to his word, they’d joined the mile-high club somewhere over Illinois. It’d been cramped in the tiny cubicle but worth every inch of pain. A new memory she’d always hold close to her heart. That was Kevlar in a nutshell.
Frowning, Nikita wondered if that was all he’d ever be. Just a memory. Their lives were dedicated to two very different paths. His skirted the lines of legality in his club, and hers was to put away MCs.It would never work.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
She chuckled. “You don’t want to hear them.”
Kevlar adjusted the knob for the heater, eyes meeting hers briefly. “Sure, I do. Wouldn’t ask otherwise.”
“Fine.” She turned on the seat to face him as best she could. “I live in Boston.”
He kept his gaze on the road. “Mhmm?”
“You live in Snowshoe.”
“Last I checked.”
She toyed with the string on her sweatshirt. “I’m going back once I take down the Cutthroats and Diablos.”
Silence shot through the truck, the rumble from the road beneath the only sound responding to her words. Snow flurries hit the windshield the higher they drove into the mountains. She kept watching his face for a reaction. Other than a slight switch in his cheek, he gave none.
After two minutes, she faced forward again. The silence roared in her ears louder with each passing mile. Fishing out her phone, she checked the messages from Mandi and her boss. Both were anxious to hear the takedown plan. So was she if she was honest with herself.
“I knew this wasn’t permanent, Kita.” His voice was soft, acceptance lining the words. Kevlar looked over to her. “It’s just… whenever I think about you leaving again, I’m afraid it’ll be the last time I see you.” He chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, I understand your job and all the shit that comes with it. I’d never give you an ultimatum.”
“Kevlar, I….” She didn’t know what to say. What was there to say that would make sense?
“It’s okay. Let’s agree to not talk about it until after we get those bastards and save the women and kids, all right?”
“Deal.” She smiled, and her heart lifted when he did the same. Leaving would hurt but staying would be worse. After years in witness protection, the need to keep moving became ingrained in her mind. It was more normal than staying in one place. She wasn’t even sure if she knew how to be somewhere longer than a year. Nikita sighed and hoped she knew what she was doing when it came to Kevlar. If she wasn’t careful, she’d reevaluate her entire life to be with him.
***
The FBI team from Denver showed up an hour after them, the big white van out of place at the clubhouse despite the electric company logo on the side. The men weren’t familiar to her, but then again, she’d barely met them when they arrived from Boston before heading to Cutthroat territory.
“What’ve you been doing while I was gone?” she asked Mandi, entering the clubhouse meeting room. So far it was empty but would fill up once the MC members arrived. She caught the smile on her friend’s face. “Or should I ask, who you’ve been doing?”
Mandi’s eyes whipped to her. “Am I that obvious?”
Nikita passed out the folders Mandi put together during her absence. “You’re the epitome of transparent.”
“Damn. Thought I was hiding it better.” She paused and lowered her voice. “Hawk and I spent a bit of time together. And not just sex,” she rushed to say.
Placing the last folder at the head of the table, Nikita waved a hand Mandi’s way. “No judgment here, you know that.”
