Chapter Five
The second I stepped into the hot shower, my muscles sighed. “Oh,” I moaned, turning slowly and tilting my head back, the scolding water hitting my hair as another moan left me.
“Yeah, I bet that feels good,” Amara murmured from the other side of the glass.
I froze. “Oh my fuck, I forgot you were here for a second.”
A musical laugh floated throughout the bathroom. “I understand. That first shower after a long day can feel like heaven. I just didn’t want to leave you in here alone.”
“Long day is kind of an understatement,” I told her, pausing for a moment. “And thank you—for staying in here.”
“I’ve had so many long days,” she replied, referring to her job.
Silence stretched between us as I rubbed my upper arms and looked down at my body. The bruising was hideous, and I knew that it would be a few weeks before my skin would be back to normal. Aside from that, I took a moment to admire myself.
Hell, I should’ve died last night. I think I could spare a few moments to look at the body I nearly lost.
I wasn’t perfect. My hips were a little too wide. My breasts weren’t perky and pretty. My ass wasn’t firm. I was jiggly in places magazines would hate. Over the years, I’d gained and lost weight so many times that I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to look like anymore.
After Cain tore me into pieces, I turned to alcohol for comfort, drinking my days away while learning how to drive stick at night. I gained about eighty pounds, and was miserable. Three years later, I knew that if I continued down that path, I’d never escape the clutches of alcohol.
I’d end up like my mother.
So, I quit cold turkey on a random Tuesday in July and haven’t touched the shit since. When I landed in Denver two years ago, I got into hiking and really learned to appreciate the beauty of nature. The weight came off slowly, but now, I had a patch of loose skin on my lower belly, faded stretch marks on my skin, and my thighs still had cellulite. When I got my period every single month, I got bloated and broke out.
If I wasn’t dying my hair, my silver hair would show, even though I was in my early thirties.
I was covered in imperfections.
But fuck, I loved them so much.
Tears filled my eyes, and I couldn’t help but sniffle.
“Nikki?” Amara asked, her voice alert.
I nodded even though she couldn’t see me through the blurred glass. Inhaling an unsteady breath, I answered, “I’m okay, I’m okay. Just taking a moment to….you know.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I know.” She got me. She got me because she put her life on the line every single day.
“I was kidnapped in November,” she told me.
Her admission came as a surprise to me. I remained silent, letting the water hit my back, my hair coming over my shoulder as I stared at my feet, waiting for her to continue.
“I jumped from building to building, landed hard,” she explained. “I was chasing a man who I thought had those kids.”
The kids.
Somehow, there were kids involved in this Bratva shit. The knife in my gut twisted as she continued, “He drugged me, and I woke up tied to a chair. I tried to get him to talk, but it didn’t work. I had to get out of there, so when I saw my next chance, I took it. We ended up fighting.” A soft, disbelieving laugh left her. “I’m strong, but I’m not an idiot. That man was bigger than me. I took a beating, but I ended up choking him. He bruised my three of my ribs.”
“Are you okay now?” I whispered.
I heard her footsteps on the tile floor, and then the shower door was pulled open. Her hazel eyes held mine. “Yeah.”
I nodded, giving her a small smile. “Good.”
“I bruised my ribs. You broke yours,” she deadpanned. “You need someone to wash your hair, I can do that if you like.”
I shook my head, reaching for the shampoo. “I got it. Thank you though.” I squeezed the shampoo into my head and rubbed them together. When I tried to lift my arms, pain shot through me. Wincing, I looked at her. “Maybe I don’t got it.”
Her features softened. “And that’s okay. Turn around.”
As the detective washed and conditioned my hair, emotions clogged my throat, and I felt the urge to cry again.
“It’s okay to cry,” Amara whispered. “Your ribs weren’t the only reason why I told you that.” Her hands came to my shoulders as she turned me around, my hair finally clean. “I’ve kissed death on the cheek a thousand times. It’s scary shit but know this: you aren’t alone. We have you, Nikki.”
A broke sob left me as it all came crashing down.
The reality of everything.
The wreck.
The coldness from Cain.
The years I’d wasted chasing him.
The moment he shattered my soul.
The hospital.
The pain.
All of it.
“If you crumble, we’ll be here to pick up the pieces,” she whispered.
My knees gave out then. I braced for the title floor, but Amara was quicker than gravity. She caught me under my arms and, in the next second, I was leaning against her, head to chest, my body shaking as the panic set in. Her arms came around me, and I felt her cheek against the top of my head, the water coming down on both of us now. “Let it out,” she cooed, holding me.
Amara was a stranger to me. I didn’t know her, and she didn’t know me, yet here we were.
A soft knock at the bathroom door sounded, followed by Mina’s smooth voice. “You girls still in here?”
“You want me to answer?” Amara asked.
I found myself shaking my head. “Please don’t move.”
“I’m going to call out to her, okay?”
I didn’t say anything, another sob leaving me as everything continued to crash into my soul like waves during a storm, relentless and unforgiving.
“Yeah, we’re in here,” Amara called. “Wait—do you mind grabbing some more clothes?”
“More clothes?” Mina asked.
“Yeah, we—”
The bathroom door opened, and Mina stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door, her eyes going directly to Amara and me on the shower floor. “We need an extra set of clothes,” Amara finally finished as the waves inside me began to let up.
I felt like I could breathe again. Kind of, anyway.
Mina’s face was filled with pity as she rushed over to us, squatting down on her haunches. “Oh, sweet girl,” she murmured, her eyes scanning my face as she reached up and shut the shower off.
“I couldn’t—I couldn’t—I’m sorry,” I rushed out, sitting up.
Amara’s arms loosened, and I turned to look at her. Her ponytail was soaking wet, as was her face, her mascara running slightly. Shaking my head, I looked down to the tile. “I’m so sorry. I don’t—I don’t—I normally don’t—”
Warm, soft fingers slid underneath my chin, latching onto it gently, and my head was lifted and turned towards Mina. “Nothing about this normal, Nikki. No one is blaming you for your tears.”
Amara hummed in agreement. “She’s right.”
Mina dropped her hand. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” she chanted. She bent her head to mine. “You’re safe. We got you.”
“This is going to be over soon,” Amara promised.
Mina gave me a cocky smile. “Then all you”ll have to worry about is beating my annoying brother.”
“He is very annoying,” Amara added in, smiling.
I lifted my hands, wiping some of the tears from my face. “No one is ever going to beat Leon,” I mumbled, knowing it was the truth. He was just too fucking good. Racing was in his blood.
The three of us looked at each other, and within the next second, we were all laughing. It felt wholesome.
It felt like home.
“I’m sorry you got kidnapped,” I whispered to Amara as the laughter faded away.
“I’m sorry a bomb was placed underneath the car you picked to race in,” she replied.
“Yeah, that was kind of shitty, huh?” I joked.
She laughed softly again.
“Awe, look at you two. Trauma bonding,” Mina teased.
Amara shot her a look. “Jump in anytime, Mina.”
“Maybe later. I’m starving.”
At that exact second, my stomach growled, and I placed my hand over it, remembering that I was in fact, naked. Heat rose to my cheeks. “I probably need to get dressed now.”
Main scoffed, rising to her full height. “Don’t worry, babe. You’re stunning, but I was made to like men with big muscles and even bigger co—”
“Okay,” Amara cut her off, clapping her hands. ”I don’t want to hear about Dontell’s…thing. Let’s just focused on getting some clothes.”
“You’re fucking my brother,” Mina deadpanned.
Amara’s cheeks tinted a deep pink as she cleared her throat. “Yes, I know that, but I would never tell you about his…member.”
Mina’s face twisted in disgust as she grabbed the towel off the shelf. “Please don’t.”
“Ever,” Amara agreed.
Mina came back to us, holding her hand out for me. She helped me up gently and wrapped the towel around my body. Amara remained in the shower, pulling off her wet clothes before she grabbed her own towel. Once she was settled, Mina came to us, grabbing one hand in both of hers. “Women stick together, yeah?”
I nodded immediately. It was a universal rule.
“Yes,” Amara said firmly.
Mina smiled wide, showing all her stunning teeth. “That’s right.”
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
Once Amara and Mina helped me get into my baggy sweats from college and a purple sweatshirt from a coffeehouse in Denver, Cain and Leon were gone, leaving Dontell in the living room. He was on the phone with some bank for over an hour as Mina re-warmed up my chicken wings and then proceeded to witness me inhale fifteen of them. Amara borrowed some of my jeans and a long-sleeved shirt; they were a little baggy on her, but she didn’t seem to mind. She ate lunch with Mina and me while Dontell handled business.
We asked him were Cain and Leon went, and he just told us they went for a drive.
I didn’t know if that was code for something, but I knew I wasn’t going to wait for them to get back to find out the truth. I may have lost my shit in the bathroom, but that wasn’t stopping me.
I was going to find out the truth about all the shit that’d been going down since before I got here.
After we ate, Amara headed back to the station, which was currently under investigation by the FBI. Something happened with the chief and the mayor. They were connected to those kids, in some sickening way. All of this was connected, and if I was going to be a part of Oasis, I needed to know the truth. I didn’t blame Jeremy for keeping me in the dark, but it was time to come into the light.
It wasn’t until the sun had set early in the evening when Jeremy showed up. I was on the couch, watching some trash reality TV show with Sullie. An engine hummed outside, and I lifted my head from the pillow.
“My nephew is finally here,” Sullie softly boomed.
Since the day I moved in here, I quickly learned that Sullie Jones was a man who boomed. He never got too quiet, but he could get to a soft boom.
“Where’s he been all day?” I sighed. Part of me wanted to be hurt that the leader of Oasis, the man who wanted me in St. Louis, didn’t visit me much. The other part of me realized that Jeremy Jones was a man of action, and his organization was under attack. He had bigger things to worry about than checking on me. He was working on getting revenge.
I could support that.
Sullie looked at me from his place in the chair, a slow smile spreading across his face. “He’s a Jones, girl. If I know anything, that boy has been plotting and planning. One of his driver’s getting attacked…” The big man trailed off for a moment.
I nodded understanding. “But that guy, Tiggy, he was killed, right?”
Sullie nodded, sadness in his eyes. “Tiggy wanted to be an Oasis driver, but he never made it to that level. Tiggy’s death will be avenged, I promise you that.”
At that second, there was a knock at the door. I moved, trying to sit up, but Sullie stopped me. “Lay back down, Nikki,” he ordered, standing up.
As usual, I watched as he went to the door, his hand going behind his back to where his piece was. Once I asked him why he did that even though he knew who was at the door, and all he said to me was, “I’ve seen too much shit, girl. When I answer the door, my hand is on my gun.”
Sullie checked the peep hole before pulling the door to reveal Jeremy, and—
Holy fuck, that’s the tattooed man.
I’d only seen him once or twice since coming to St. Louis, and I didn’t know much about him other than he was Jeremy’s brother-in-law and Cain’s brother worked for him. However, in my gut, I knew that he was a powerful man—and a dangerous one. Jeremy, who was dressed in jeans, Timberlands, and black hoodie, stepping his first, his eyes immediately coming to me. I didn’t have time to watch the other man enter as Jeremy came to me, his body blocking my view. A second later, he was eye level with me, his hand reaching out and going to the top of my head.
His face was filled with regret. “I am so fucking sorry, Dominique,” he whispered.
Suddenly, knives formed in my throat. I didn’t expect this from him. “It’s not your fault,” I croaked.
Darkness clouded his face, and a shiver went down my spine as he vowed. “It is. We’ve dealt with this for far too long. I didn’t want you at Oasis only to get hurt,” he said firmly as the other two men conversed lowly in the background. “I brought you to Oasis because you’re a damn good driver.”
I nodded. “I know that, Jeremy.”
He dropped his hand. “Lee told me that you want to know everything.”
“I think I deserve that,” I whispered, moving to my elbows, burying the wince.
“You don’t have to get up,” he urged.
Ignoring him, I pushed up even more, sitting up fully as I swung my legs over the edge. “I’ve been laying here for the last few hours. I need to get up or I’ll become one with the couch.”
Jeremy’s lips twitched. “Right,” he muttered, rising. He moved, and I got to see his brother-in-law up close for the first time. He was dressed in an all-black suit, his black hair slicked back but buzzed on the sides. His eyes were almost as light as Cain’s, but they didn’t come close to matching Cain’s beauty.
“Dominique,” he greeted, his voice deep but pleasant. “I’m Collin.”
My eyes shot to Sullie, who gave me a curt nod.
When I looked back to Collin, all I saw was death in his eyes, which were on my temple.
He took a few steps closer, his dress shoes hitting the hardwoods softly. “We haven’t had the chance to officially meet, but my brother-in-law tells me you’re one hell of a driver,” he began, the violence in his eyes dimming a bit.
I’d seen him around Oasis sometimes, but mainly at Sullie’s on Sundays. Kay, Collin’s wife, started the tradition years ago. She seemed kind, along with Gwen and Haley. The three of them seemed pretty tight. However, no matter how bright and warm Kay’s smile was, I was always focused on her husband lurking behind her.
Collin was a scary dude.
“Who are you?” I blurted.
He raised a brow, confused. “I understand that you might’ve hit your head, Ms. Wells. My name is Collin—”
I waved my hand. “I get that. I know your name. I know you’re married to Jeremy’s sister. I know you wear expensive suits, and Cain’s brother works for you. But who are you? What do you do?” I rushed out quickly.
Collin looked to Jeremy, who was standing at the end of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. They communicated silently for a second before Jeremy said, “Leon said you wanted to know the truth, and we are going to give it to you. Collin is here to help with that.” He moved then, taking a seat beside me. “If you want to leave Oasis after, we’ll arrange a fight for you back to Denver.”
My blood ran cold.
“Once Cain is finished with your car, we can bring it to you…or have it shipped. Whatever you prefer,” the Oasis leader continued, no sensing my reaction.
“Jeremy—”
He angled his body towards me, his jaw tight, his eyes flashing. “You aren’t a prisoner. You are free to leave whenever you want. Got that?”
Slowly, I nodded. “I’ve known this since the beginning. You and the boys have been very kind to me about everything.”
Jeremy’s face softened just a fraction. “You’re Oasis, Nikki.”
“I’m Oasis,” I repeated. “I have no intentions of leaving.”
“I’d put a pin in that topic until you hear what I have to say,” Collin cut in.
I looked up at him. I was tired of being in the dark. I was Oasis. No more waiting. “Then say it,” I dared him.
“Here we fucking go,” Jeremy muttered under his breath, rising from the couch. He came to stand beside Collin. Sullie remained by the front door, leaning against it, watching.
My eyes met Collin’s as he gave me the cold, hard, shocking truth.
Nothing had rocked me that hard since Cain…
“My name is Collin Stevens. I’m the Don of the Italian Mafia,” the man said simply.
“Oh fuck,” I breathed.
He smiled, and my stomach plummeted.