Chapter 6 Party/Dip #2
“Don’t apologize for things you have no business being sorry for,” Tyler whispered. “Do you think that I regret this or something?”
He smiled wider now. “If I knew I would have you in exchange for my gun business, or getting shot, or anything else, I would have done it a long time ago. Look at what you brought into my life. Into all of our lives. You brought life into this house. And you take such good care of me. Like nobody ever has. I’d do it all over again, and give up more things if it meant that I could have you. ”
She smiled at him sweetly.
“What about…the Bat Mobile?” she teased, bursting out into her infectious laugh.
Tyler laughed back and reached into his pocket for his car keys, then tossed them across the room. “Take it! I don’t want it!” he joked. “But seriously, I wanted to talk to you about something else. How do you like Sasha?” he asked.
Nicki looked at him perplexed and her laugh faded.
“Our Sasha? He’s a sweetheart!”
“Yeah? You get along with him? No bad vibes?” he asked with a half-smile.
“Not at all, he’s been really great and helps out a lot. The guys love him. I don’t really understand why you’re asking.”
“I’m asking because he will be promoted to your personal bodyguard. When I’m not with you. Or you’re not with the crew. He’s going to go with you everywhere, until this transition period is over. And maybe after that as well, I’ll see.”
“What? No! With all due respect, Sasha is wonderful, but I don’t need that! That’s ridiculous! What’s he going to do? Go grocery shopping with me? Yoga class on Sundays? Please.” Nicki scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Tyler replied, expecting her reaction.
He reached into his pocket and handed her the picture.
Nicki’s eyes widened and her mouth opened.
“Oh my—oh my God!” she shouted. “Have these people lost their minds? How absolutely creepy! And all to taunt you? No! We can’t let them!” Nicki shouted and threw her arms around Tyler again. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry that they are doing this, but we can’t let them!” Nicki begged.
“Sweetheart, it’s already done. Starting today. Sasha is going everywhere with you. It’s non-negotiable. That’s it.”
Nicki sat back on the couch and crossed her arms.
“This is such bullshit,” she whispered angrily.
“Honey, it’s temporary, until the Leemans make the full transition. The three deliveries will probably take until the end of the summer, and then, we are on our own and no one will be keeping tabs on you,” Tyler said. “They just want to make sure I stick to the plan and don’t get any ideas.”
Nicki scanned her brain while she looked around the room.
“Well, what if I go to Chicago and hide out there for a few weeks? I’ll work remotely but they will think we broke up or something and I’m no longer around?”
Now Tyler’s eyes darkened and his face fell into anger.
“Why would you even suggest something like that?! That would literally kill me!” he shouted.
“I just… don’t want to be a burden—”
“Stop. Please don’t say anything like that ever again. Get that out of your mind. You will stay here with me, and I won’t have it any other way. I just need you protected, that’s all, so I don’t lose my fucking mind.”
Nicki nodded lightly and went over to her desk to start the week.
“Since you’re back, can you sign these approvals, please?” She placed a couple of stapled documents on the desk beside her.
He walked over, signed them slowly and looked at her saddened face.
“It’s going to be OK, honey. I just need you safe, that’s all. Then I’ll be good too. I’ll see you later, baby,” he said, and turned to head out. Before leaving the room, he bent down to pick up the sleek Lamborghini Revuelto key from the floor.
He turned and tossed it into Nicki’s garbage can, then left the office without another word.
Nicki looked at it in the trash. She shook her head with a smile, taking it out. “OK, point taken,” she said to herself.
Tyler walked back downstairs, not as quickly as he wanted to but pushed past his quad’s soreness.
He entered the garage to find Tico working on the delivery truck without his usual Albanian music on.
“You good, bro?” Tyler asked.
Tico paused with the wrench in his hands and peeked at Tyler from under the truck.
“Yeah, man,” he replied, unconvincingly.
Tyler put his hand against the open window of the driver’s door and leaned down to face him.
“It’s going to be OK, brother, we just have to do this now,” Tyler said.
“I’m not questioning your reasons, boss.
If someone kidnapped my wife or daughters and their release and safety was based on giving up the guns, I’d do the same thing.
I just don’t like that they do it with no respect.
They don’t deserve it. The guns or my respect,” Tico said sternly and went back to his tool.
“I know, man. I hear you. But at least respect is not part of the deal. That, they will never get,” Tyler offered. It was all he could.
Tico had nothing else to say. The Balkan giant could not mask his disappointment.
Tyler left the garage to release his frustration on the punching bag outside. Letting his crew down was a first.
Tommy stood in his lake cabin and zipped his backpack tightly. He looked around to ensure he didn’t leave anything else he might need.
He picked up his motorcycle helmet from the side shelf and dusted it off from its winter hibernation.
He paused when he noticed Tyler’s heavy punches at the bag in the training yard through the window.
Punches that were of the frustration kind, not the improving his fighting skills kind.
Tyler’s forehead also gave him away, displaying an angry cross, picturing the bag as a specific adversary.
Tommy put his backpack and helmet on his bed and went out to check up on his brother.
“Hey, man, you good?” Tommy asked.
“Yeah,” Tyler answered, winded.
“Is Nicki good? Was she OK with Sasha going everywhere with her?” Tommy asked.
“Nope. But she has no choice,” Tyler responded, giving the bag an extra upper cut.
Tommy nodded, satisfied.
“Glad you’re back, bro,” Tommy managed, and gave Tyler a good slap on the back.
Tyler gave him an odd look as Tommy moped away.
In the garage, Tommy uncovered the thick tarp from his bike, unhooked the battery ticker that was set during the winter, and rolled the heavy bike backward, then turned it around to face the closed garage door.
“It’s me and you, old girl. We’re leaving tonight,” he said quietly to the bike, giving it a caress with his hand and ensured his red paisley bandana was securely affixed to the back license plate.
“I just gotta do one thing first. I’m not about to banish myself without deserving it.”
Tommy headed up to Nicki’s office, glancing down from the staircase, eyeing Tyler, who had just walked into the kitchen.
Tommy entered the office without knocking.
“Hey, Tommy, what’s up?” Nicki said, surprised to see him.
He closed the door and stood by it, looking at Nicki sitting at her desk.
“Tell me, Tommy, what is it?” she said softly.
Nicki looked at his sad face and it dawned on her that it was the only face she knew these past few weeks. His old dimpled smile and carefree spirit were nowhere to be found.
“If I tell you, you’d kick me out,” Tommy said quietly.
“Try me,” Nicki replied.
Tommy shook his head and walked over to the couch and plopped down.