Chapter 25 Nikolai
NIKOLAI
Lorenzo’s cousin Ambrose was nothing like Remington and Lancelot.
They looked polished, like they came from old New Orleans money, while Ambrose looked feral.
His bushy beard, long hair, and camo pants looked out of place in Lorenzo’s living room.
He belonged outdoors in the jungle or, apparently, deep in the bayou, where he’d come from.
“How remote is this safe house?” As Ambrose had driven us deeper and deeper into the bayou, I’d started to worry the trip to the safe house might be as dangerous as staying here at Lorenzo’s.
The truck came to an abrupt stop, but I didn’t see any structures around. I tensed when I saw a man standing in front of the truck and realized Lorenzo had his hand on his gun.
“That’s Landry. He’s going to camp near the safe house to help guard you.” The man was huge, broad-shouldered and probably six five. “And the safe house isn’t too far, probably about a half-hour walk.”
“Walk?” I asked.
“The vegetation’s too thick to get a car through. That’s part of the charm.”
I didn’t think that sounded charming at all.
There had to be a million mosquitoes out here, not to mention all kinds of other creatures that were far more dangerous, including people like Ambrose and Landry.
It was so hot and humid I could barely breathe.
I wanted to complain, but I thought about the alternative: being caught by my father or Ivanov, Lorenzo being killed trying to save me or Alina. I could do this.
Alina tapped my arm. When I looked at her, she mouthed, “Landry is cute.”
She was right. He was hot in a backwoods man kind of way, but he couldn’t compare to Lorenzo.
“Keep your voices down out here,” Ambrose said. “I don’t sense anyone, and I haven’t seen any tracks, but if there’s someone out here, they aren’t the kind of people we want to attract.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I didn’t have much choice but to go along with him.
We started our trek with Ambrose in the lead and Landry bringing up the rear.
The path was only wide enough for one person, so we had to walk single file.
I was dripping with sweat, and I could see droplets running down Lorenzo’s neck as he walked in front of me.
I wanted to take his hand or press mine to his back, but I didn’t dare.
I wasn’t sure when I’d have a chance to be alone with him again.
What would I say if we were though? Was I really going to ask him if I could stay with him once this was all over?
That was insane. He enjoyed fucking me, but I would be foolish to think he wanted more than that, even though the way he’d looked at me earlier, like he treasured me, could almost convince me my fantasy could come true.
None of us spoke for a while, and then Alina asked Ambrose, “Do you live near here?”
“Yes, but you’d never find my house unless I wanted you to.”
Lorenzo huffed. “Seriously. You have an actual address now.”
Ambrose sighed. “Fine. But the house I originally built. No one’s finding that.”
“That’s true.”
“And you like that no one can find you?” Alina asked.
“I value the ability to disappear. If you turned around for a second, I could disappear, and you’d never track me.”
“That’s… disturbing,” I said.
“Yes,” Lorenzo agreed. He didn’t sound happy about it.
I felt something on my leg. When I looked down and saw a lizard, I screamed and grabbed onto Lorenzo. The lizard jumped off and scurried into the undergrowth.
“Remember how I said to keep quiet? Ambrose asked.
Lorenzo responded for me. “He’s not used to being out in the bayou. He’s been sheltered.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t like lizards.”
Lorenzo took my arm. “It’s okay. Those little guys are completely harmless.”
I shuddered. “But they’re lizards.”
“Just stay by me. You’ll probably see worse before we get there.”
“Snakes?”
“Or gators, though they don’t usually come up this far from the shore.”
I glanced around, sure one was going to run at me from the undergrowth. “What do I do if I see an alligator?”
“Just walk on past them,” Ambrose said. “Most of them will only eat you if I tell them to.”
I looked at Lorenzo, hoping he’d tell me none of this was true.
He shrugged. “I told you he was crazy. He doesn’t control all the alligators though. He just wishes he did. They really aren’t interested in bothering us, so you should calmly walk on past if you see an alligator. Never run in front of a predator.”
“Ambrose, I heard you have a pet alligator,” Alina said.
“I do, but we won’t see him today. When this is all done, I’ll introduce you.”
“That’s okay,” Niko said. “I really don’t need you to do that.”
“You might come to like it out here more than you think.”
Niko shuddered. “I doubt that.”
“It’s peaceful.”
A bird shrieked loudly, making me jump, and something rattled in the trees near us. This was the opposite of peaceful.
“How much further is the safe house?” Lorenzo asked. I was thankful, because I wanted to know, but I was sure it would sound like I was complaining.
“It’s right around the corner up here.”
The path took a sharp turn, and like Ambrose said, once we passed it, I could see the safe house. I was braced for a rudimentary cabin. I’d prayed for running water and at least some kind of fan, but the structure in front of us was surprisingly modern.
“This actually looks nice,” Alina said.
“Of course it does. Remington insisted I have it built to city-people standards. There’s solar power for lights and AC units, and it’s even got a real toilet and a stove.”
“Wow. It sounds luxurious,” Lorenzo said, sarcasm clear in his voice.
Ambrose glared at him. “You could stay in my old place.”
He shook his head, and I could only imagine how primitive that must be. “No, thanks. This is great.”
We followed Ambrose inside, and he showed us two tiny bedrooms, the bathroom—thank God for actual plumbing, though I had no idea how he’d managed that so far from civilization.
“This is so cool,” Alina said, eyes wide.
“Did you help build it?” she asked Landry.
He nodded.
“This is impressive.”
For the first time since we’d met, Landry smiled. He was looking at Alina like she walked on water. That was interesting.
“The kitchen has plenty of supplies for a few days. Landry has a tent out back, where it’s hardest to detect anyone approaching.”
I glanced toward the back of the house. “How would someone get through there?”
“It’s not easy, but Landry or I could do it.”
Damn. These men really were frighteningly skilled.
“I’ll be back in forty-eight hours, hopefully to lead you out. Call me if you need me before that.”
We said goodbye. Landry went to take up his post, and Ambrose vanished down the path faster than I’d thought possible.