Chapter 7
Seven
Nikos leaned back against the prep-room wall, his chest still rising and falling from the match, adrenaline fizzing through his veins like champagne spiked with gunpowder.
God, what just happened—again?
It seemed like he was asking himself that same question over and over. He hadn’t felt this… alive… in years.
Across from him, Kiki had already stripped off her gear with jerky, deliberate movements, as if each strap and buckle had offended her.
The hoodie was already pulled over her head, curls escaping in damp little coils around her flushed face.
She didn’t look at him, not once, as she muttered inaudibly under her breath.
He didn’t know whether to laugh, groan, or just turn her around and kiss her senseless. She had that maddening effect—he wanted to kiss her. Constantly.
Jose burst in, grinning, his voice bubbling with excitement.
Nikos noticed her smile was strained as she responded to Jose. He had to drag his attention back to what the older man was saying. When he commented on Kiki’s performance, he didn’t miss the way she winced and looked away from him.
He curled his fingers around the padded chest guard, his gaze trailing her as she bolted for the exit.
Jose laughed, clapping him on the shoulder as he recounted the double-slide takedown Nikos and Kiki pulled off at the end.
“How often does she play?” he asked, his gaze moving from the doorway back to Jose.
“Once a month, maybe? She started over a year ago. Sometimes she comes in and takes on a dozen guys solo. It’s the first time she’s ever brought someone else.”
That, and the fact that she faced a dozen players, gave Nikos pause.
He looked past Jose, watching as Kiki disappeared outside through the side door. The four teen players, plus Pedro and Luis, were in the arena, laughing and wiping off pink and blue splatters like some twisted gender reveal party and comparing bruises like badges of honor.
She had moved like a phantom throughout the game—fearless… deadly. In fact, she moved like she had actual combat experience. Every shot she’d taken had landed with a precision that would have been challenging for most trained military personnel.
Jose spoke again, quieter this time. “This place wouldn’t even be here if not for her. She’s the one who helped us get the money through a contact of hers to finish this place.”
Nikos turned. “You mean the paintball business?”
Jose nodded, his mood sobering.
“This place used to be a chop shop. Right in the middle of turf wars between the Hammers and the Crees. I bought the place four years ago—after my youngest was killed in a drive-by. Retaliation for something he didn’t do.
But I couldn’t give up. I started working with Keep Kids Alive, tried to build something better, something different.
But it was still too dangerous here. Pedro and Luis helped when they could, but… ”
The older man picked up the helmet Kiki had worn. His lips pursed, and the light in his eyes faded as he became lost in his memories. He shook his head and released a loud sigh.
“What changed it?” Nikos asked.
Jose hesitated, then gave a helpless shrug. “The only thing I can think of is it must have been Kiki.”
A chill slid down Nikos’s spine.
“We were working on the building one afternoon—just us three—when she walks in outta nowhere, says she wants to help. A few hours later, I went out to grab a pizza. When I came back, it was the strangest thing. A dozen gang members from the Hammer had shown up. They took Pedro and Luis’s phones and locked them in the office.
Pedro said they had them surrounded. They were going to fight, give Kiki a chance to escape, but she said for them to do as they were told.
At first, Pedro and Luis thought she might be part of the gang, but she’s older—and some stuff they were threatening to do to her just didn’t sound right.
Luis said they planned on—they planned on hurting her… real bad. But… something happened.”
Nikos stiffened, his jaw locked as he remembered some of the things that had happened to women overseas.
“What?” he asked, barely getting the word out.
“Luis told me he had this weird feeling wash over him, like he was at peace and he knew that everything would be alright if he just did like Kiki said,” Jose said quietly. “Before they could react, the gang locked them in the office.”
Nikos’s vision narrowed to a pinpoint as horror clawed his throat.
“What happened after that?”
“That’s when things really got weird. When they finally got out, there’s Kiki, standing there like nothing happened, and she’s got those boys working—painting walls, hauling junk.
Two weeks later, even some Cree kids started showing up.
The gangs pulled back. Declared this place neutral territory.
We’ve even got tournaments now—Crees vs.
Hammers. No one’s lifted a hand in a year. ”
Nikos swallowed. “Did you ever ask her what happened?”
Jose laughed and nodded. “Multiple times. She just smiles and says she had a talk with them and everything is cool.”
“What the hell did they talk about?” he asked in an incredulous tone.
“About life. About the future.” Jose’s smile faded. “She’s tough as nails. Special, if you know what I mean. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
Nikos nodded, his throat tight. Yeah, I think I’m beginning to get the message.
“Thank you for the game. I enjoyed myself today.”
“I’m glad. If you want to take her out, try Umberto’s. Playing can make you hungry, and I know she likes their pizza and subs,” Jose added with a sly smile.
Nikos chuckled and clapped Jose on the shoulder, collected his coat, and stepped outside. The late afternoon sun cast long golden shadows across the pavement. It was just after four. Far too early for goodbye.
His gaze landed on her instantly. She was talking to a small group of young men near the gate. She laughed at something one of them said, the sound light and musical.
He walked toward her with calm purpose, sliding his arms into his coat sleeves as a brisk wind swept across the parking lot.
She turned, and their eyes locked. A flicker of longing flashed across her face, followed by a sharp stab of regret.
She tried to hide it behind a teasing smile as she pulled the top of her hoodie over her head.
She didn’t want him to see it.
Too late.
She slid her hands into her hoodie and lifted her chin.
“Date’s over,” she said, her tone breezy.
“Not yet,” he replied. “I’m starving.”
Her brows lifted.
He stopped beside her, letting his shoulder dip subtly toward hers. “How about we grab a bite at Umberto’s?”
She groaned—loudly—before glaring at him.
“I’m going to superglue Harvey and Jim’s mouths shut. I swear to God.”
He laughed, low and satisfied. “You can blame Jose this time. You don’t want Italian?”
“I want my secrets back.”
“Not happening.”
Before she could protest, he raised a hand, and, like magic, a sleek black SUV glided to a stop. He stepped forward and opened the back passenger door.
Her eyes widened before they narrowed.
“Score one for you,” she muttered.
“Let’s hope it’s more than one.”
“No comment,” she murmured.
She stepped toward the car with a sigh.
He followed, smiling.
Dinner was dangerous. Not in the poisoned-wine-and-daggers way—that would’ve been easier to dodge.
It was the laughter that betrayed her. The stories. The damn smile on Nikos’s face when he leaned in to tell her how he and his twin brother used to switch places at boarding school: math tests swapped for science, alternating detentions, secret notes, and wrong twin kisses.
She could see why he had such an impressive list of notches on his bedpost. He was utterly charming. Throw in the twinkle in his eyes and that sly smile he gave, and it was impossible not to melt.
She laughed with him.
And now her cheeks were still warm, her ribs sore from the effort of pretending this was all just a casual, one-time thing.
The walk to her apartment felt like climbing a cliff with no gear. Every graze of his fingers against her back, every casual touch that somehow curled into the spaces she had sealed shut—it chipped away at her defenses.
She sped up, trying to put some distance between them.
Two locked doors. Five flights of stairs. One solid goodbye. I can do this. I can do this.
“Thanks again,” she muttered as they reached her floor, not looking at him. She fumbled with her keys, her pulse fluttering like a moth trapped under glass. “I need to feed Ms. Peabody.”
His voice was low, quiet. “Kiki.”
Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t—
He caught her hand.
Her fingers trembled against his. She tried not to grip back, but her body had other plans. Her breath hitched. Still, she didn’t meet his eyes.
“Kiki,” he said again, gentler this time. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said too quickly. “It’s been a nice day. That’s all.”
“Then why are you shaking?”
She flinched as he turned her toward him. His palm cupped her cheek with devastating tenderness, and his thumb brushed her chin until she had no choice but to lift her gaze.
Damn him.
Damn his warmth. His steadiness. The way he looked at her like he already knew something was broken inside her—and didn’t care.
“I’d like to see you again,” he said, his voice low and certain. “Tomorrow.”
A shard of panic lanced through her ribs.
“There won’t be a tomorrow,” she murmured, shaking her head in denial. “We’re done. The promise was for today. One date.”
Surprise flickered across his face. Then confusion. Then something harder.
“Kiki—”
“No,” she said, trying to pull away. “It was nice. Really. But I’m not interested in seeing you again.”
“That’s a lie.”
Her jaw tightened. “You don’t know me.”
“Maybe not,” he said. “But I know what I felt. I saw your face when you laughed. I felt it every time you leaned just a little closer.”
“I didn’t—”
“You did.” His voice was calm. “Unless there’s someone else? Are you seeing someone?”
“That’s none of your damn business.”