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“That’s not fa—” Gunner tried to protest.
Dex cut him off, his voice growing louder. “Not fair? Listen, I’m grateful you stepped in when you did for me, but let’s not fucking act like youwantedto live like an outlaw.” Dex’s muscled arm brushed by my ear as he gestured to Ryan. “It wasn’t until her that you even committed to it.”
The tension in the room ratcheted up even higher. It felt as if we were a powder keg waiting for the spark that would send us all into a fiery blaze. I peeked up at Dex, careful not to draw too much attention to my observation of him. My angle only allowed me to see his arms, but the straining tendons of his forearms and the whitening of his knuckles painted a pretty clear picture: there was a lot of baggage between these two.
When he spoke again, his voice had dropped to a growl, carrying a menacing undertone that sent a chill down my spine. Even Ryan appeared concerned, uncertain if this heated confrontation would escalate into a full-blown brawl.
Gunner’s words were laced with threat. “Beveryfucking careful with what you wanna say next. Do you really want to air our dirty laundry? Maybe talk about your history with the Russians?” A flash of regret crossed Gunner’s face the second the words slipped out. He broke eye contact, looking away in shame. “I’m sorry, Dex. That was a low blow.”
The warmth from Dex’s body disappeared, and when I turned to find where he’d gone, he was all the way to the door leading back into Lotería. “No hard feelings,” he said. The words were the complete opposite of his tone.
That sounds like a lot of hard fucking feelings to me…
“Nikki.” I jumped at Dex’s bark. “Let’s go. Your ass is now my problem, apparently. Ryan, I’ll send you my price. You can fuckin’ wire it to me.”
The door slam was like a gunshot in the quiet room. No one moved for several seconds.
“Fuck,” Gunner called out, slapping his hands on the desk. I was surprised when the wooden top didn’t splinter under the impact.
“I’ve gotta go after him,” he said, already moving toward the door.
Ryan released a deep sigh, her head falling into her hands. My stomach turned at her reaction. She was always collected, never letting anyone see the chinks in her armor—no one other than Gunner, that is . Even when we’d been attempting to escape Mario, she’d been strong.
But now, sitting her, she looked…worn.
I wet my lips, racking my mind for what to say. All the emotions from earlier were still turning in my gut, but watching her look so close to falling apart had me tucking them away to focus on her.
Another sign that you need to get the fuck out of here. You’re too close. You care too much.
Ignoring the warning bells, I scooched closer to the desk, reaching a comforting hand her way. “Hey, maybe we all take a breather, yeah?” I said, giving a squeeze.
Ryan’s head popped up, and dark brown eyes searched mine. “He shouldn’t have said that.”
“Said what?” I prodded. I didn’t have a clue which man she was talking about. The verbal brawl between the two felt evenly matched, with both saying some pretty coded shit to one another.
She pulled away, turning her head toward the wall ofglass, but clearly not reallyseeinganything on the other side. “This is your ex who’s after you, huh?” she asked, changing the subject.
My body stiffened. Damn, I almost wished I was drunk for this chat, but then I’d probably let too much slip. “Yeah. I wanted to find out how Mario even found out about my past. Turns out they were looking for information on me,” I said as she studied my face. “But when I asked my contact about it, the timeline matched up with when all that shit went down with Mario. Kinda figured it was old news,” I shrugged a shoulder, pulling at the stray threads on Dex’s shirt.
“But?” Ryan asked, knowing I was leaving out key information.
I looked up, locking eyes with the woman who’d become as close as family. I worked on memorizing her features, because I didn’t plan on sticking around much longer, especially now.
“But then someone showed up at Lotería with a note for me. It had my name.” Panic welled up inside me at the memory, causing my throat to constrict.
Ryan’s voice, tinged with confusion, cut through my distress. “I don’t understa?—”
“Mybirth name,Ryan,” I muttered a curse when she continued to look puzzled. I’d forgotten that she didn’t know. “Nikki isn’t my name. At least not the name that I was given.No onehere knows that name. It?—”
“Was sent as a message,” she cut in. “He knows you’re still here. But why not grab you then?”
“One, he’s not an idiot—he knows it’s a cartel club. And two, he’s playing with me. He’s got the Reapers doing his dirty work, so he’s never directly involved or linked,” I answered.
“Then why the fuck would you fight me on having Dex watch over you?” she demanded, her frustration evident.
This was where she and I were different. Ryan didn’t know what it felt like to be caged, to have decisions madeforher. Even when she was under Mario’s thumb, it was a choice. She’d chosen not to rock the boat of her life, dealing with that narcissistic asshole until he’d threatened the ones she loved.
She didn’t understand what this meant for me.
