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Unfortunately, the nickname didn't lift the mood the way I thought it might. Nope. Not one fucking bit.
"Hey, man, I'm sorry," I tell him when I see his head dipped low into his hands in the rearview mirror. He doesn't answer for a few moments while his quiet sniffles reach my ears. "Sorry guys, I just couldn't sit here in silence anymore. My thoughts they-" My explanation cuts off when I choke on the wave of emotion trying to suffocate me.
A hand clamps down on my shoulder. "It's okay; we get it. We all miss her." Amiri's understanding makes my eyes burn with tears making the road in front of me blurry.
Looking in the mirror again, I find Kor nodding and wiping his cheeks before he gives my shoulder a squeeze as well. All is forgiven.
"I need someone to swap with me, please, I can barely keep my eyes open, and I swear sometimes it feels like we aren't even moving."
Amiri agrees to take over this time, so after a quick pitstop on the side of the road for a nature bathroom break, we get resituated in the car.
With my head nestled on Nolan's lap in the backseat, I drift off to the sounds of the three of them quietly talking about the plans for tomorrow. Or today, I guess. The days bleed together on the road.
Assuming that Kyle checked them into another shithole, that means we are gaining on them. I hope that asshole sleeps all fucking morning, so we can catch up.
Closing my eyes, I hope for a dream in which I have Evie in my arms again. Safe and comfortable, right where she belongs.
"Gentlemen," Smith drawls across the table from us, "this is my partner, Detective Brown."
The woman sitting next to him is absolutely not impressed. She is definitely younger than Smith, probably late thirties or early forties. She's scary as fuck too. Her sharp jawline is accentuated by her harsh blonde ponytail.
From her form, I'd say she works out a ton, but not enough to make her huge. She's taller than Eve, probably a few inches away from six feet. I smirk at her, enjoying the way her frown deepens.
That's okay; I will get her to love me by the end of breakfast. She's attractive, but I'm not interested in any way. I just have this need to make people like me...it sets off my puppy vibes.
Smith rubs his eyes before swinging his arms across each of us as he lists out our names. She doesn't shake our outstretched hands. Instead, her eyes trail over us with her lips turned down.
"They shouldn't be here." Her stern voice is aimed at Smith.
He sighs, taking a sip of his black coffee. "I told you they were trailing along."
"Ya, but why? This is dangerous. I don't need these kids distracting us from saving that young woman."
Ah, shit.
"Excuse me?" Korren rumbles next to me, his agitation rising. "That woman is ours. So, we will be helping with or without your fucking permission."
"That's why." Smith points his fork at Kor.
I snort. His annoyance with the caveman shit is hilarious. That's what you get when some fucked up douchebag takes your girlfriend. Again.
My humor sours at the thought and my breakfast is now forgotten.
We stopped in a small town after driving through the night and morning. Smith called and said to meet up for food where the one road from the motel last night split into different directions. At a crossroads, it was time to make a plan. So, here we are, at eight A.M., in a tiny diner, still in the middle of nowhere.
"What the hell, Dom?" Her exasperation is clear in her tone and the way she throws her hands in the air.
Wait. "Dom?" I can't help but chuckle at the twist my immature brain put on the name. But really?
"Ugh. Yeah, Dominic Smith. But you can't call me that." He shoots me a glare when Nolan laughs into his water next to me.
Fuck, I love him.
A smack upside my head has me huffing and shooting a glare at Amiri. Who, by the way, is also trying to swallow his smirk. I bark out a laugh again, unable to contain myself and my dirty thoughts.
"Can we talk about Eve now?"
All laughter and joking get sucked out of the room at Smith's question. Back down to business and what matters most, we all sober and give him our undivided attention.
