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Riding into the night. There are other hotels along the way, or maybe I’ll just go until I get back to Dallas.
I know I can’t stay. I still feel the poison of the town.
Maybe . . . I put a hand on the wall near the door, maybe I should go and see Nadie.
I tried to win her in a fair way, one where she could decide on her own. Tried. Maybe not overtly, but then again, I told her I loved her. What more does she need? A fucking billboard.
But even then . . .
I straighten and pull on my jacket, and then sling my pack over my shoulder.
I can’t take Nadia from her home. Jay will come back to her and she’s hell bent on saving the town, the kids, and someone needs to keep a fucking eye on things here. Nadie will.
Things aren’t settled how I’d like it but settled enough. We’ll still look into it all from Dallas, me, Tizio, and Nicolo. Nadie’s gonna be watched and looked out for by a bunch of misfits. I’d laugh, but I’m pretty’ sure I’m close to crying right now.
I didn’t think leaving Nadia again would hurt so badly.
I’d give the world for her to say she wants to be with me. She didn’t. Won’t. And anyway, how can we have a future with so much tying her here? We can’t, and I can’t take her from her home.
Shaking my head, I step out, pulling the door shut. I take a step toward my bike. It’s still in the pool of light from the outside lights of the hotel.
But my bike isn’t as I left it.
Someone’s on it in a leather jacket, jeans, and boots.
She’s not wearing a bra, and her long hair is in a braid.
A backpack sits at her feet.
Nadia.
ChapterTwenty-Four
NADIA
“Oh, this seemed cooler in my head.”
I fidget with my fingers in front of me, suddenly full of nerves and unsure of the moment. I’m having trouble breathing easily.
“What I should do is call a cab,” I say. “Go, pretend this didn’t happen. Me here. You standing like a rock staring at me.”
“Did something happen to your fuckin’ car?”
“No.” I can do this, because there’s a hint of both worry and happiness there in his face to give me the strength. Worry for me, happy to see me. “I left it for Josie, hers is a piece of crap and keeps conking out, so she prefers her bike and walking to get around. Anyway, I went to see her at the hospital . . . she gets out tomorrow.”
“I see,” he says, sounding like he doesn’t see at all.
I push on, my heart tight. “One of the teachers I ran into at the hospital when visiting Josie dropped me off here. And bless his heart, he didn’t ask many questions. Personally, I think he’s got a crush on her.”
“Nadie?”
I push air out of my lungs. “This is the scariest thing I’ve done because what if you push me away? And it’s the easiest because there’s real love here.”
He dumps his pack next to mine and puts a hand on the seat next to me as he comes in close. “Love, when it comes to you, is the easiest fuckin’ thing in the world. It’s everything else that’s hard and non-compatible.”
My eyes burn. “I talked to Josie. And she’s going to take over my house, maybe turning it into somewhere they can set up a before and after school program. The logistics can be worked out. She’s going to take over running the program I was setting up. The attack strengthened her resolve to do something good for the town.”
“This is your life,” he says, shifting back.
