Chapter 30
30
HANNAH
I ’d been trying to get a hold of Nikko for hours. I couldn’t do it like this. All night I tossed and turned thinking about never seeing him again. It didn’t sit right with me. I know a second goodbye isn’t going to change things, but I need to see him.
I know goodbye is goodbye, but I can’t fight the need to see him one more time. One more kiss. Maybe I’m hoping he’s going to tell me he wants to follow me to Boise. Idahoans get tattoos. It’s not like he can’t get a job anywhere.
Although leaving the sunny beaches of Miami would be pretty tough. All I could promise him was low humidity and a shit ton of snow. I wasn’t sure if that was really a good trade, but maybe.
I didn’t know if he was ignoring my calls. Maybe he blocked my number. But I had to see him. I climbed out of the Uber and right back into the heat. It felt especially humid today.
The moment I pushed open the tattoo shop door, my stomach sank.
This was bad.
Last night, Nikko had transformed a small room in the back into something out of a dream—soft lights, candles, the whole shebang. In the harsh light of day, the shop looked like a hurricane had hit it. Now it all made sense why he took me in through the back door and kept the lights off. He didn’t want me to see all the damage but he still wanted to make sure he fixed my tattoo.
The chairs that I had sat in with my friends were gone. Well, one remained but it was stained with purple ink. Jessie was behind the counter, sorting through a mess of papers with a tight-lipped scowl. She glanced up when she saw me, her expression softening but still strained.
“Hannah,” she said, setting the papers down. “What are you doing here?”
“What happened?” I gestured at the chaos around us. “The place looks like ground zero for a bar fight.”
Jessie let out a humorless laugh. “Might as well have been a bar fight.”
“Was there another break-in?”
“Samantha happened.”
My stomach churned. “Samantha? Nikko’s ex?”
“Bingo.” Jessie propped her hands on her hips.
I was stunned. “I don’t understand.”
“After you left, she and Nikko went out back. They were out there a couple minutes, yelling at each other, and then she came back in here and trashed half the shop.”
“She did this by herself?”
“Yep. We would have stopped her but Nikko told us not to. If we laid a hand on her, she would cry victim and get us thrown into jail instead of her.”
“Holy shit,” I said.
“We just filmed everything and called the cops to get her out of here,” Jessie said. “It was bad. Real bad. We had to call Marcus. Bad went to nuclear.”
Shock slammed into me. “Nikko never mentioned any of this.”
Jessie sighed. “Of course he didn’t. He doesn’t like people seeing his mess but trust me—he’s got demons.”
“He told me he was fired, but I assumed it was because Samantha stormed in here. I didn’t realize the storm she brought with her. Marcus has to know this wasn’t Nikko’s fault, though.”
“Nikko has made some bad choices, and one particularly bad choice with terrible hair extensions and a temper to match. Those bad choices have consequences. Marcus doesn’t want to be part of the consequences.”
“But it’s not fair. I’m guessing Nikko didn’t know Samantha was a crazy bitch when they hooked up. Sorry. I shouldn’t call her a bitch.”
Jessie smirked. “Don’t worry, we all hate her. Nikko hates her guts, too, especially now that she got him fired. You’re much better for him. I’m glad he met you. Unless you’re also here to trash the place?”
“Not today at least.” I swallowed hard, my throat tightening. Guilt washed over me. I had become part of his life and now I was going to abandon him. “Jessie, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. I’ve been trying to get a hold of Nikko all morning, but he’s not answering. I was hoping to talk to him.”
Jessie’s smile faded. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. I thought we’d already said our goodbyes, but…” I trailed off, my hands twisting together. “I don’t know. I needed to see him.”
“Did you go to his place?”
“No, I assumed he might be here. I don’t know why. I guess I was hoping he wasn’t actually fired. This place means a lot to him. Since we were here last night, I assumed there were just some things said, and they would get over it. Men are like that.”
Jessie smirked. “True. Diego and Nikko have arguments all the time and they are cool five minutes later. Guys are so weird.”
“I guess I can try him at home. Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t want to make it worse. I’ve called like ten times and texted. I guess I should get the message.”
Diego emerged from the back room, carrying a broken lamp. “If you’re looking for Nikko, join the club. He’s not answering me, either.”
“Is he mad at you?” I asked.
Diego chuckled. “Maybe. I don’t know why he would be. I didn’t do shit. ”
“I’ll call him,” Jessie offered.
“Hope he didn’t go on a bender,” Diego said. “Getting fired sucks.”
I watched as Jessie called him. She frowned. “He’s not answering. I’ll text him.”
“He’s probably passed out cold,” Diego said. “Remember that one time? He got into a fight with his old man then drank for a day and slept two days. He was wrecked.”
Jessie frowned as she stared at her screen.
“Nothing?” I asked.
“We should check on him,” Jessie said. Her concern was evident.
That troubled me. I had been a little worried, but now I was seriously concerned. Jessie grabbed her keys and motioned for me to follow her. Diego nodded, already heading for the door.
“Wait—what if he’s fine and we’re overreacting?” I asked, jogging to keep up. “If he doesn’t want to talk, maybe we should give him space.”
Jessie shot me a look. “If he’s fine, we’ll all laugh about it later. If he’s not, at least we’ll be there.”
I didn’t have a good argument against that. If he got mad when he saw me with his friends, I would cross that bridge when I got to it. In that moment, I needed to know he was okay.
We pulled up to Nikko’s place a little after noon. His bike and car were in the driveway, which gave me a flicker of hope—until we knocked, and there was no answer.
Diego frowned. “He’s definitely here.”
Jessie exchanged a look with him before pulling a spare key from her pocket. “He’s gonna kill me for this,” she muttered, unlocking the door.
The place was dark, curtains drawn tight. A faint whiff of stale beer hit my nose as we stepped inside.
“Yep, a bender,” Diego said. He walked into the living room and turned on the light. “Oh shit.”
I walked behind him and looked down. That was when I understood.
“Oh no,” I whispered .
Nikko was sprawled on the couch, shirtless and looking like he’d gone three rounds in a cage match. His face was a mess—black eye, bruised jaw, and a busted lip. His knuckles looked swollen and raw. I didn’t even want to think about what might be hiding under the blanket draped over his legs.
Diego knelt beside the couch and shook Nikko’s shoulder. “Hey, man. Wake up.”
Nikko groaned, swatting at Diego like he was a particularly annoying fly. “Go away,” he mumbled, his voice thick and slurred.
Jessie crossed her arms. “What the hell, Nikko? You’ve been ignoring us all morning. We’re not going anywhere.”
He cracked one eye open and glared at her. “Didn’t ask for a search party.”
I stood frozen, unsure whether to cry or yell at him. “Nikko, what happened to you?”
His gaze flicked to me, and something in his expression hardened. “Why are you here?”
The accusation in his eyes cut through me like a knife.
“Because I was worried,” I shot back, my voice shaking. “And clearly, I had a reason to be.”
Nikko let out a harsh laugh that ended more like a grunt of pain. “You’re leaving in two days. Why start worrying now?”
Diego stepped in, his voice calm. “Seriously, what happened to you?”
Nikko’s jaw clenched. For a moment, I thought he might not answer. “My old man’s debt caught up with me.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I moved closer, my hand reaching out almost involuntarily to touch his face. “Nikko? Are you okay?”
He flinched away from my touch and I hated the way my throat tightened and my vision blurred with tears. He was the one hurting and I didn’t dare make this about me, but him recoiling from me hurt.
“You need to clean yourself up, bro,” Diego said, grabbing his shoulder. “You look like refried ass.”
“Get off me,” Nikko snapped, shrugging him away. “I’m fine. ”
“You’re not fine!” I blurted, my frustration boiling over. “Look at yourself. You look like you got hit by a bus.”
He pushed himself upright, wincing. “I don’t need to look at myself. I can feel all of it.”
“Did you get jumped?” I asked. “Do you need to get to a hospital?”
“You don’t get it, Hannah. You don’t know shit about my life, so stop acting like you do. It doesn’t matter what happened to me. This doesn’t concern you.”
The tears threatened to spill free. “Nikko, I?—”
“Don’t say it,” he said. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t need your judgment. Yeah, my life is fucked up. Good thing you’re headed back to Idaho and your career and your uncomplicated life.”
His words felt like a knife slashing through my heart.
Jessie grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door. “Come on,” she said firmly. “He’s in a mood. Diego’s got this. Let’s go.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Jessie said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “His head must have been shoved up his ass in the beatdown.”
“Whatever,” Nikko muttered. “I held my own.”
We stepped outside. I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my nerves. Jessie leaned against the car; her sharp gaze fixed on me.
“You want to talk about it?” she asked.
I rubbed my arms, feeling small under her scrutiny. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I don’t know him and I never did.”
Jessie tilted her head. “Then why are you so torn up about leaving him?”
I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. “I didn’t expect this,” I admitted. “When I came to Miami, it was all supposed to be a ploy.”
Jessie raised an eyebrow. “A ploy?”
Heat rushed to my face. “Revenge.”
“Revenge on who?”
I was on thin ice here. She was Nikko’s friend. His family.
“Nikko and I hooked up the night before I got my tattoo. It was supposed to be one night. I don’t do that kind of thing. And then we show up at the shop, and surprise, surprise, he tattooed his initials on my arm. I didn’t notice it until we were on the plane home. I was pissed, obviously.”
“Obviously. That’s messed up.” She shook her head.
“Thank you. It felt like he branded me. When I found out I was coming back here for a work trip, I decided I was going to get back at him a little.”
“Get back at him?” Her voice was dangerously low.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe I could get him to fall for me.”
She tensed and I thought she might slap me.
“But that’s not what happened,” I said quickly. “He did something shitty to me, and he’s messy and complicated, but he’s also kind and funny, and he makes me feel alive in a way I haven’t in years.”
She stared at me and I waited for her to say something.
This is not good.